[simorag]

Not sure how much of it is your photography skills and how much is the Immanis itself, but it looks gorgeous in your photo, too. Can you explain what you mean by "I see giving the Immanis first rate partners as a rewarding investment to make them justice"? Do you have a new amp or DAC in mind to pair with it?

No his home setup has "first rate partners" while the setup he used to audition was probably simpler

@ThanatosVI is right. However, I also have a new DAC incoming (hopefully my endgame ... at least for a while!).

Thanks for the preliminary feedback.

How does the presentation compare to the SR1a. Is the new phone closer to the SR1a in presentation or is it just like the CA-1a?

The Immanis signature retains a certain RAAL "house sound" coming from Aleksandar tastes for an open, airy and neutral presentation, but it is not as detail-intensive like the SR1b and has a substantial sub-bass quantity and reach, which the SR lacks. Overall a fuller and more complete frequency response. Please note that I am comparing (by memory) the Immanis with the SR1b out of a VM1a, so NO EQ or filters at all.

As for soundstage, Both SR1 and CA1a as you know can provide a very different presentation depending on the pad or earpiece position (SR) and type (CA).

If you use the SR1 with low angle pads (earspeakers parallel to your ears and close to the ears), you get more bass and punch / forwardness / presence, but you lose soundstage, while if you open the pads even just, say, 20-30° you get soundstage expansion, but bass depth and quantity rolls off very sharply. You can get from almost 1st-row to 10th row by playing with the fit...

With the CA-1a, closed pads provide a comparatively muffled - almost rustic - lower midrange due to bass bleeding, and a relatively closed sound, but bass quantity is very satisfying. Actually, the CA-1a with coffee-bean pads was my favorite RAAL headphone so far, just because it provides a good balance between bass / weight / meat and openness / transparency. CA-1a, even with coffee-bean pads, is more forward than the Immanis.

The Immanis achieves a very nice balance between bass quantity, soundstage size and depth, transparency, although it is leaner than CA-1a overall.
It achieves the almost magical feeling of NOT wearing headphones that the SR1 offered.

To me, Immanis is the most resolving, refined and capable of microdynamics and nuances of the line.

I must say that after I have rolled the Mullard tube on my AIC-10 there is little I can complain about this headphone. It has a very natural, free-flowing sound signature where everything is tastefully calibrated.

One highilight of the Immanis is how different from each other recordings sound based on their engineering process, i.e. the Immanis does not impart their own character into the recordings, thus providing a very excitingly varied experience as you move across genres, era, recording label / engineers style etc.

Lastly, I hate to use this cliché but - just as when I tried the Aperio - I am dumbfounded by the amount of details, nuances, or - generally speaking - information that I am hearing for the first time in recordings that are my reference since multiple decades. The beautiful and tricky thing is that this retrieved detail is not thrown at you in a distracting way, it just presents itself within the musical fabric naturally, and therefore it is not fatiguing.

Thanks for your first impressions. How is the comfort? are they very stable and not too heavy on the head? Mow big is the pad gap for front leakage?

I assume bass will get better with more break-in but how do they take EQ?

Also, being Circum Aural, can soundstage and sense of presence be greater than with the SR1a?

I have not experimented with EQ (neither I have intentions of doing so at least for the foreseeable future).

Re: soundstage and presence, see above.

As for the comfort, this is - to me - a strong plus of the Immanis. My ears do not touch the pads, and - also thanks to a fine tuning to the spring frame from no other than Alex in person - the pressure distribution is light and uniform on my head, jaws and skull allowing multiple consecutive hours of listening bliss

Speaking of which, here's a list of some wow-moments from today's library rediscovery

Each disc provided newfound emotions and grinning smiles ...

 

[ThanatosVI]

@ThanatosVI is right. However, I also have a new DAC incoming (hopefully my endgame ... at least for a while!).



The Immanis signature retains a certain RAAL "house sound" coming from Aleksandar tastes for an open, airy and neutral presentation, but it is not as detail-intensive like the SR1b and has a substantial sub-bass quantity and reach which the SR lacks. Overall a fuller and more complete frequency response. Please note that I am comparing (by memory) the Immanis with the SR1b out of a VM1a, so NO EQ or filters at all.

As for soundstage, Both SR1 and CA1a as you know can provide a very different presentation depending on the pad or earpiece position (SR) and type (CA).

If you use the SR1 with low angle pads (earspeakers parallel to your ears and close to the ears), you get more bass and punch / forwardness / presence, but you lose soundstage, while if you open the pads evel just, say 20-30° you get soundstage expansion but bass depth and quantity rolls off very sharply. You can get from almost 1st-row to 10th row by playing with the fit...

With the CA-1a closed pads provide a comparatively muffled - almost rustic - lower midrange due to bass bleeding, and a relatively closed sound, but bass quantity is very satisfying. Actually, the CA-1a with coffee-bean pads was my favorite RAAL headphone so far, just because it provides a good balance between bass / weight / meat and openness / transparency. CA-1a, even with coffee-bean pads, is more forward than the Immanis.

The Immanis achieves a very nice balance between bass quantity, soundstage size and depth, transparency although it is leaner than CA-1a overall.
It achieves the almost magical feeling of NOT wearing headphones that the SR1 offered.

To me, Immanis is the most resolving, refined and capable of microdynamics and nuances of the line.

I must say that after I have rolled the Mullard tube on my AIC-10 there is little I can complain about this headphone. It has a very natural, free-flowing sound signature where everything is tastefully calibrated.

One highilight of the Immanis is how different from each other recordings sound based on their engineering process, i.e. the Immanis does not impart their own character into the recordings, thus providing a very excitingly varied experience as you move across genres, era, recording label / engineers style etc.

Lastly, I hate to use this cliché but - just as when I tried the Aperio - I am dumbfounded by the amount of details, nuances, or - generally speaking - information that I am hearing for the first time in recordings that are my reference since multiple decades. The beautiful and tricky thing is that this detail retrieval is not thrown at you in a distracting way, it just present itself within the musical fabric naturally and therefore not in a fatiguing way.



I have not experimented with EQ (neither I have intentions of doing so at least for the foreseeable future).
Re: soundstage and presence, see above.

As for the comfort, this is - to me - a strong plus of the Immanis. My ears do not touch the pads, and - also thanks to a fine tuning to the spring frame from no other than Alex in person - the pressure distribution is light and uniform on my head, jaws and skull allowing multiple consecutive hours of listening bliss

Speaking of which, here's a list of some wow-moments from today's library rediscovery

Each disc provided newfound emotions and grinning smiles ...

​

Where do you go from Rossini Apex?
Vivaldi Inc?

 

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

Where do you go from Rossini Apex?
Vivaldi Inc?

Wadax Atlantis Reference?

 

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

One highilight of the Immanis is how different from each other recordings sound based on their engineering process, i.e. the Immanis does not impart their own character into the recordings, thus providing a very excitingly varied experience as you move across genres, era, recording label / engineers style etc.

That, to me, is what it's all about right there.

 

[nfandi]

Wadax Atlantis Reference?

I just checked the price. I’ll have two please……what a bargain!

 

[ardbeg1975]

Closest matching signature: Warwick Aperio.

Moving from the Telefunken G73-R to my treasured 50's CV491 Blackburn Mullard tube is

Well, if the Immanis is good enough to equal the Aperio, I could really downsize my footprint.

 

[yyzSB]

One of these days I will be getting a PlayBack Designs Dream DAC. Most likely before I upgrade to the new RAALs. This DAC is a FPGA based DAC done by the guy who first did FPGA. The designer is also one of the principles behind SACD. My modded Sony SCD-1 SACD player, which he was involved with (died after 20 years) was a great sounding player. I am thinking the PBD Dream DAC will have some of that magic. Another DAC to consider at the top end.

 

[chrisnyc75]

Immanis has quickly jumped to the top of my "MUST HEAR" list for CanJam NYC in a couple of weeks.

 

[BassicScience]

Immanis has quickly jumped to the top of my "MUST HEAR" list for CanJam NYC in a couple of weeks.

Ditto. I imagine it's going to be a very popular table! I've never auditioned the CA-1a (other than as an early prototype), so was hoping to hear that first to set a baseline, but my understanding was that it might not be available at the show. @SageM , could you please provide an update on what you'll be bringing to NYC? TIA.

 

[chrisnyc75]

Ditto. I imagine it's going to be a very popular table! I've never auditioned the CA-1a (other than as an early prototype), so was hoping to hear that first to set a baseline, but my understanding was that it might not be available at the show. @SageM , could you please provide an update on what you'll be bringing to NYC? TIA.

Heard it at CanJam last year. Very similar to a typical electrostat. Seemed like you have to choose between extremely crystal clear details (closed pads) or bass presence (open pads). I preferred the closed pad option, as I felt the open pad was trying to approximate something that does it better (i.e. dynamic or planar drivers). The closed pads were STUNNINGLY resolving for something anywhere near that price point. That was my VERY brief impression, anyway.

 

[Aleksandar R.]

@ThanatosVI is right. However, I also have a new DAC incoming (hopefully my endgame ... at least for a while!).



The Immanis signature retains a certain RAAL "house sound" coming from Aleksandar tastes for an open, airy and neutral presentation, but it is not as detail-intensive like the SR1b and has a substantial sub-bass quantity and reach which the SR lacks. Overall a fuller and more complete frequency response. Please note that I am comparing (by memory) the Immanis with the SR1b out of a VM1a, so NO EQ or filters at all.

As for soundstage, Both SR1 and CA1a as you know can provide a very different presentation depending on the pad or earpiece position (SR) and type (CA).

If you use the SR1 with low angle pads (earspeakers parallel to your ears and close to the ears), you get more bass and punch / forwardness / presence, but you lose soundstage, while if you open the pads evel just, say 20-30° you get soundstage expansion but bass depth and quantity rolls off very sharply. You can get from almost 1st-row to 10th row by playing with the fit...

With the CA-1a closed pads provide a comparatively muffled - almost rustic - lower midrange due to bass bleeding, and a relatively closed sound, but bass quantity is very satisfying. Actually, the CA-1a with coffee-bean pads was my favorite RAAL headphone so far, just because it provides a good balance between bass / weight / meat and openness / transparency. CA-1a, even with coffee-bean pads, is more forward than the Immanis.

The Immanis achieves a very nice balance between bass quantity, soundstage size and depth, transparency although it is leaner than CA-1a overall.
It achieves the almost magical feeling of NOT wearing headphones that the SR1 offered.

To me, Immanis is the most resolving, refined and capable of microdynamics and nuances of the line.

I must say that after I have rolled the Mullard tube on my AIC-10 there is little I can complain about this headphone. It has a very natural, free-flowing sound signature where everything is tastefully calibrated.

One highilight of the Immanis is how different from each other recordings sound based on their engineering process, i.e. the Immanis does not impart their own character into the recordings, thus providing a very excitingly varied experience as you move across genres, era, recording label / engineers style etc.

Lastly, I hate to use this cliché but - just as when I tried the Aperio - I am dumbfounded by the amount of details, nuances, or - generally speaking - information that I am hearing for the first time in recordings that are my reference since multiple decades. The beautiful and tricky thing is that this detail retrieval is not thrown at you in a distracting way, it just present itself within the musical fabric naturally and therefore not in a fatiguing way.



I have not experimented with EQ (neither I have intentions of doing so at least for the foreseeable future).
Re: soundstage and presence, see above.

As for the comfort, this is - to me - a strong plus of the Immanis. My ears do not touch the pads, and - also thanks to a fine tuning to the spring frame from no other than Alex in person - the pressure distribution is light and uniform on my head, jaws and skull allowing multiple consecutive hours of listening bliss

Speaking of which, here's a list of some wow-moments from today's library rediscovery

Each disc provided newfound emotions and grinning smiles ...

​

Wonderful writing, thank you!
This Mullard tube of yours that makes the sound right, reminds me of my situation with Firstwatt J2, a power J-FET Single Ended amp.
If I play it on 32 Ohms interface, I get very open Solid-State kind of sound, but if I play it with 8 Ohms Interface, I get smooth, creamy vocals, bigger bass, silky highs...Everything gets larger with all the fullness and bloom that is still tasteful.

 

[nfandi]

Well, if the Immanis is good enough to equal the Aperio, I could really downsize my footprint.

With my ‘world’s most pedantic man’ hat on I’d say that simorag did not say that they were equal, he said that the ‘signature’ of Immanis was closest to the Aperio but did not go into close details between the two of them. However, let’s not go there. What I wanted to ask you was why, given you already own the Aperio, would you want to add the Immanis if it mostly sounds like the Aperio? It‘s a genuine question. Is it to do with owning a small but beautifully formed collection of The Summit-Fi of TOTL’s or do you see a different use case for each of them?

 

[simorag]

Where do you go from Rossini Apex?
Vivaldi Inc?

Wadax Atlantis Reference?

I am waiting for a Lampizator Horizon. Yeah, the gentlemen at whatsbestforum are having a very bad influence on me , plus I made the mistake of auditioning one.

Well, if the Immanis is good enough to equal the Aperio, I could really downsize my footprint.

I have tried the Aperio in Stockholm last year during a private audition for a few hours (see here), so I do not have sufficient experience to say that the Immanis is as good as the Aperio. Furthermore, Aperio is a full system with its own, self defined, sound, while Immanis are 'only' headphones and - while having a strong personality - their outcome ultimately depends on the system where they sit.

That said, the Aperio among all headphones I have tried are the closest to the Immanis in terms of signature. They are both able to extract a ridiculous amount of information from recordings in an apparently effortless way, have lightning-fast transient response and a very open sound, with an elegant, lightfooted center of gravity in the midrange / lower treble area, sustained by a strong but not overdone bass / sub-bass foundation.

Incidentally, I may add that using the Playback Designs MPD-8 DAC in place of the Aperio internal DAC gave a similar outcome (although to a lesser extent) of replacing the Telefunken tube with the Mullard on my amp, i.e. injecting a more organic texture on the midrange, some more bloom in the bass, a calmer, more glowing buoyancy of the notes.

 

[nfandi]

I am waiting for a Lampizator Horizon. Yeah, the gentlemen at whatsbestforum are having a very bad influence on me , plus I made the mistake of auditioning one.



I have tried the Aperio in Stockholm last year during a private audition for a few hours (see here), so I do not have sufficient experience to say that the Immanis is as good as the Aperio. Furthermore, Aperio is a full system with its own, self defined, sound, while Immanis are 'only' headphones and - while having a strong personality - their outcome ultimately depends on the system where they sit.

That said, the Aperio among all headphones I have tried are the closest to the Immanis in terms of signature. They are both able to extract a ridiculous amount of information from recordings in an apparently effortless way, have lightning-fast transient response and a very open sound, with an elegant, lightfooted center of gravity in the midrange / lower treble area, sustained by a strong but not overdone bass / sub-bass foundation.

Incidentally, I may add that using the Playback Designs MPD-8 DAC in place of the Aperio internal DAC gave a similar outcome (although to a lesser extent) of replacing the Telefunken tube with the Mullard on my amp, i.e. injecting a more organic texture on the midrange, some more bloom in the bass, a calmer, more glowing buoyancy of the notes.

Hi simorag, we’re all desperately hanging off your every word and enjoying it…BUT…..please….can we do less of the €30K Aperio comparisons (though it makes a very good reference point) and more of the Valkyria/Immanis comparisons. We’re talking same ball-park pricing if we include the Immanis ‘full-set’ and would give us an alternative, lower-priced reference point. Thanks in advance.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I am waiting for a Lampizator Horizon. Yeah, the gentlemen at whatsbestforum are having a very bad influence on me , plus I made the mistake of auditioning one.



I have tried the Aperio in Stockholm last year during a private audition for a few hours (see here), so I do not have sufficient experience to say that the Immanis is as good as the Aperio. Furthermore, Aperio is a full system with its own, self defined, sound, while Immanis are 'only' headphones and - while having a strong personality - their outcome ultimately depends on the system where they sit.

That said, the Aperio among all headphones I have tried are the closest to the Immanis in terms of signature. They are both able to extract a ridiculous amount of information from recordings in an apparently effortless way, have lightning-fast transient response and a very open sound, with an elegant, lightfooted center of gravity in the midrange / lower treble area, sustained by a strong but not overdone bass / sub-bass foundation.

Incidentally, I may add that using the Playback Designs MPD-8 DAC in place of the Aperio internal DAC gave a similar outcome (although to a lesser extent) of replacing the Telefunken tube with the Mullard on my amp, i.e. injecting a more organic texture on the midrange, some more bloom in the bass, a calmer, more glowing buoyancy of the notes.

Lampizator Horizon, Yeah that one does look interresting. Looking forward to impressions of that as well.

Only a few days left till World of Headphones.