[nfandi]

I see that you like the Focal Utopia's, I have the OG, you have the 2022 version, though I briefly had a listen to it while traveling, not from the best setup either, but I guess they are similar enough in the idea. Could you make a comparison to what you heard from Immanis vs your Utopia?

And to think that those are our drivers (Ukrainian) ... lol, why did you list the Caldera as former gear?

I haven't heard them yet, but almost ready to press the trigger, while I'm not an EQ guy, I might play around with it, I don't do speaker amps to headphones, but I do own a fairly powerful headphone amp (Bliss KTE, with 12 Watts at 32 ohms IIRC), I also listen sometimes to rock and metal, and sometimes like to crank it up, I wonder if the Immanis can handle the volume (less than when it starts getting painful, but Bliss is good on SINAD and other stuff, so it doesn't distort at high volumes), I wonder how Immanis would fit me in regards to that cranking sometimes, rarely

Immanis has a high max spl but you have to be mindful of the bass. High bass levels can drive the ribbons too far and you can quickly damage them, but they’ll tell you by distorting when they’re pushed too hard. Be aware also if you do this you will also be well down the road to being deaf. The ribbon drivers are very clean sounding and therefore you do not get the same ‘warnings’ you get from most other phones.

 

[XVampireX]

Immanis has a high max spl but you have to be mindful of the bass. High bass levels can drive the ribbons too far and you can quickly damage them, but they’ll tell you by distorting when they’re pushed too hard. Be aware also if you do this you will also be well down the road to being deaf. The ribbon drivers are very clean sounding and therefore you do not get the same ‘warnings’ you get from most other phones.

I need a point of reference to what I currently use, as in Caldera.
What's the SPL on it, I couldn't find a good list of specifications that includes that.

I'm running my Caldera on -30 on the Bliss at most times, sometimes going at max -15 if the song is too quiet, sometimes I go lower volume but that's not the issue here of course. With my Utopia which I don't use currently I was at -35 at most times IIRC.

Also, guessing the headband is wide like on the Caldera that I use or wider. Utopia has the worst comfort because of the narrow headband, crappy weight distribution.

 

[KaiSc]

I also told Alex I would buy one when I discussed it with him in Heidelberg. I use an SP3000 when I travel and suggested the transformer interface would need to be ideally of the same dimensions. That didn’t phase him but I think that powering the transformer from the DAP might cause too much of a drain on the battery. Alex though was much more engaged with thoughts on what the SR-1b replacement might look like and that was really interesting.

I’ve discussed ear cup built-in transformers into Raal ‘phones with Alex.

The advantage would be, the up to 95% cable’s power loss could be bypassed, so the transformer can be MUCH lighter while delivering the same dynamics.

I built a working prototype for SR1a/b that weights just 60g a piece, so 120g for both sides.
It changes a Raal ribbon into a simple to drive 300 mW / 32 Ohm load, making it portable.

Still there’s need for a lot of fine-tuning, e.g. the transformer placement close to the ribbon driver’s strong magnets has to be carefully figured out - transformers absolutely hate magnetic fields.

I see a future for this, Alex’s experience already made a lot of things possible.

 

[nwavesailor]

The Immanis with the Star 8 cable is apparently on it's way to 6 moons.

 

[Kiats]

yes indeed. Both are pictured here: https://www.head-fi.org/posts/18089052

Thank you! But I assume that the TI-1b would work with the Immanis?

 

[Aleksandar R.]

The minimum output impedance of his amp appears to be 8 ohms, which is somewhat odd (and quite high) in the realm of solid-state. As such, I would recommend using the highest impedance transformer unless you like flabby bass.

EDIT: OK, it appears T+A specified the "output impedance" settings of the amp where they really meant "load impedance". This makes much more sense, and negates the above comment about using the highest impedance transformer. Apologies for any confusion, but in my defense I hadn't had any coffee before my initial post.

Yes, they must be talking about the load impedance in a dumbed down terminology.

Anyhow, ribbons do not rely on damping factor at all. The source could easily be an ideal current source (infinite output impedance) and it would be the same.

The reason is that they are already working under current drive regime, as the cable has 10x greater resistance than the ribbons, so no damping factor at all.
They are designed to work that way, they don't need damping factor, and the bass is the opposite of flabby.

So, by design, my ribbon headphones couldn't care less what is the amplifier output impedance (internal impedance of the amp), so all that anyone needs to worry about is what LOAD impedance the amp can work with, that's all.

 

[Aleksandar R.]

Wouldn't the "load impedance" settings on the amp merely change the output impedance levels of the amp to better match the load impedance? On a tube amp such a switch would change the output transformer taps to match the load. Sorry for the off-topic question.

The T+A HA200 is a Class A amp.
As such, it must keep the idle current bias high enough to remain in Class A with low load impedance. That means it will get hotter the lower load impedance you choose, unless they are also reducing the PSU voltage, but I doubt that as it's a linear PSU, so not easily adjustable as SMPS.
What they do is adjusting the idle current bias according to the load you select, where if you're using 300 Ohms headphones you certainly don't need 0.7A of bias current...

With high feedback amplifiers, this has nothing to do with amplifier output impedance, as it's strictly governed by the amount of feedback.

 

[Aleksandar R.]

I see that you like the Focal Utopia's, I have the OG, you have the 2022 version, though I briefly had a listen to it while traveling, not from the best setup either, but I guess they are similar enough in the idea. Could you make a comparison to what you heard from Immanis vs your Utopia?

And to think that those are our drivers (Ukrainian) ... lol, why did you list the Caldera as former gear?

I haven't heard them yet, but almost ready to press the trigger, while I'm not an EQ guy, I might play around with it, I don't do speaker amps to headphones, but I do own a fairly powerful headphone amp (Bliss KTE, with 12 Watts at 32 ohms IIRC), I also listen sometimes to rock and metal, and sometimes like to crank it up, I wonder if the Immanis can handle the volume (less than when it starts getting painful, but Bliss is good on SINAD and other stuff, so it doesn't distort at high volumes), I wonder how Immanis would fit me in regards to that cranking sometimes, rarely

I can only imagine what myriad of problems Rinaro now has in their supply and manufacturing. I hope they do well and steering their way well enough through a bunch of hurdles, as hard as it is.

You're fine with power if you control it. I also crank it up often. The point is that with these new ribbon drivers, cranking it up means using about up to 2.5-3W, so with care, everything is just fine.

 

[Aleksandar R.]

Thank you! But I assume that the TI-1b would work with the Immanis?

Of course.

 

[BTD1]

So, Aleksandar R since your are very familiar with the HA200 and the Immanis and the Ha200 allows you to select 8, 18, 25, 40, or 80 impedance. Am I correct to assume selecting 40, is what I should use for the Immanis?
Thanks

The T+A HA200 is a Class A amp.
As such, it must keep the idle current bias high enough to remain in Class A with low load impedance. That means it will get hotter the lower load impedance you choose, unless they are also reducing the PSU voltage, but I doubt that as it's a linear PSU, so not easily adjustable as SMPS.
What they do is adjusting the idle current bias according to the load you select, where if you're using 300 Ohms headphones you certainly don't need 0.7A of bias current...

With high feedback amplifiers, this has nothing to do with amplifier output impedance, as it's strictly governed by the amount of feedback.

 

[F208Frank]

Immanis > Utopia

I own the Utopia. I feel timbre is better on the Immanis by quite a bit. Utopia is great all rounder including how easy it is to drive it.

 

[yyzSB]

I see that you like the Focal Utopia's, I have the OG, you have the 2022 version, though I briefly had a listen to it while traveling, not from the best setup either, but I guess they are similar enough in the idea. Could you make a comparison to what you heard from Immanis vs your Utopia?

And to think that those are our drivers (Ukrainian) ... lol, why did you list the Caldera as former gear?

I haven't heard them yet, but almost ready to press the trigger, while I'm not an EQ guy, I might play around with it, I don't do speaker amps to headphones, but I do own a fairly powerful headphone amp (Bliss KTE, with 12 Watts at 32 ohms IIRC), I also listen sometimes to rock and metal, and sometimes like to crank it up, I wonder if the Immanis can handle the volume (less than when it starts getting painful, but Bliss is good on SINAD and other stuff, so it doesn't distort at high volumes), I wonder how Immanis would fit me in regards to that cranking sometimes, rarely

I heard the Immanis with the Holo Serene preamp that is only 3 watts (I think). I liked it so much I traded for the Benchmark HPA4. I now have two 2-channel preamps that can drive the Immanis and sound good. Your Bliss you be great on the Immanis.

The RAAL VM-1a, which I own, is the best I have heard with the Immanis

 

[XVampireX]

Immanis > Utopia

I own the Utopia. I feel timbre is better on the Immanis by quite a bit. Utopia is great all rounder including how easy it is to drive it.

Could you elaborate a bit more? There is obviously a difference in many things, but are we really talking about just Timbre here?

 

[kawhia]

Quick question: does the Immamis converter box need a power supply or is it passive? I may order one one day, and I am in the process of ordering a power distributor (puritan) and need to calculate how many outlets haha.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Quick question: does the Immamis converter box need a power supply or is it passive? I may order one one day, and I am in the process of ordering a power distributor (puritan) and need to calculate how many outlets haha.

Passive, no power connection required