[simorag]

Thanks for sharing. Which tube amps did you try with the Raal if I may ask ? Viva ?

Thanks

Hi! I tried only a few tube amps with the RAAL, namely the Thrax Enyo, McIntosh MC275, Audio Research Ref75 (but only few tracks) and ViVa Solista (25Wpc).

The DarTZeel, even the LHC208, was more enjoyable than all the above, to my ears.

 

[attmci]

I've learned to just enjoy the music. You can drive yourself crazy wondering if something else sounds better. Of course if I was able to completely stop wondering I wouldn't be on here or still buying new gear.

I wonder is this in the order of your preference.

Abyss 1266 Phi TC,Raal SR1A, LCD-4,HEDDphone,Sony MDR-Z1R,Conquest RR1, Hifiman HE6se,

 

[JLoud]

I wonder is this in the order of your preference.

Abyss 1266 Phi TC,Raal SR1A, LCD-4,HEDDphone,Sony MDR-Z1R,Conquest RR1, Hifiman HE6se,

Actually that is almost exactly right. Only swap the HE6se and the RR1.

 

[moby2004]

Hi! I tried only a few tube amps with the RAAL, namely the Thrax Enyo, McIntosh MC275, Audio Research Ref75 (but only few tracks) and ViVa Solista (25Wpc).

The DarTZeel, even the LHC208, was more enjoyable than all the above, to my ears.

Thank you. How would you compare the combo Raal/Solista vs Dartzeel ?

Thanks

 

[simorag]

Thank you. How would you compare the combo Raal/Solista vs Dartzeel ?

Thanks

The Solista is 'only' 25W and while it is very capable of driving the SR1a at or even beyond moderate volume levels, it struggles if you want to play, say, large scale classical at real concert SPL where instantaneous peaks of 100dB or more are common.

Compared to the DarTZeel (both LHC-208 and CTH-8550) it has a more airy and transparent presentation, with a leaner character, as opposed to the thicker and more tonally dense Swiss amplifier. Furthermore, the Solista is faster but lighter in the low-end, and has a purer, more neutral midrange and treble, where the DarTZeel delivers a overall more earthy and saturated picture.

Depending of what type of listener one is, and on the rest of the audio chain, the preference will vary as the two amps have a quite different character. For example, I prefer the AB-1266 out of the Solista than out of the LHC-208 (didn't try the 8550), where the bass was a bit too much, really.

 

[moby2004]

The Solista is 'only' 25W and while it is very capable of driving the SR1a at or even beyond moderate volume levels, it struggles if you want to play, say, large scale classical at real concert SPL where instantaneous peaks of 100dB or more are common.

Compared to the DarTZeel (both LHC-208 and CTH-8550) it has a more airy and transparent presentation, with a leaner character, as opposed to the thicker and more tonally dense Swiss amplifier. Furthermore, the Solista is faster but lighter in the low-end, and has a purer, more neutral midrange and treble, where the DarTZeel delivers a overall more earthy and saturated picture.

Depending of what type of listener one is, and on the rest of the audio chain, the preference will vary as the two amps have a quite different character. For example, I prefer the AB-1266 out of the Solista than out of the LHC-208 (didn't try the 8550), where the bass was a bit too much, really.

Thanks a lot for this detailed feedback. Solista is on my « wish list » as I am trying to find the ideal partner for my Raal and Susvara. ( I might « swap » the Susvara for an Abyss).
I have always been a Viva Audio fan so I am a bit biaised and I like a « neutral warm » sound.
In a very different style I am also considering Spec Corp from Japan ( class D sounding like a SET amp)
Dartzeel is a fantastic brand. Raal ( and indirectly all the difficult to drive headphones) are allowing us to have an « unlimited » choice of amp ! ( at a cost...)

 

[jlbrach]

interestingly, I had removed the strap that fits on the back of my head simply for ease of use…putting them on and taking them off but I found that they were sliding around my head when I would lean forward so I decided to put the strap back on…interestingly I find that when the strap is on it forces the placement of the HP to be somewhat different on my head and as a result on the angle from my ears and to my astonishment it really changes the sound signature…I knew opening or closing them would do so but I didnt realize how different they sound simply wearing the strap…a lot of the sibilance I was experiencing on certain songs has been tamed with my wearing them with the strap…I am not entirely sure why but I find it very interesting and at least for the time being an improvement

 

[EndGameSearch]

interestingly, I had removed the strap that fits on the back of my head simply for ease of use…putting them on and taking them off but I found that they were sliding around my head when I would lean forward so I decided to put the strap back on…interestingly I find that when the strap is on it forces the placement of the HP to be somewhat different on my head and as a result on the angle from my ears and to my astonishment it really changes the sound signature…I knew opening or closing them would do so but I didnt realize how different they sound simply wearing the strap…a lot of the sibilance I was experiencing on certain songs has been tamed with my wearing them with the strap…I am not entirely sure why but I find it very interesting and at least for the time being an improvement

I am normally laying back so the strap should not offer much value, but I find it helps position them quickly with a consistent fit every time I put them on. Surprisingly, even when laying back it does help lock the SR1a's in place with a bit security. They are truly the most comfortable "HP" I have ever worn.

My Jot R was just delivered. I'll compare it to the ABH2 > interface box configuration I'm currently using later tonight when the house is quiet.

For those running off a Dave to Jot R, how do you set the volume on each? When using other amps with their own volume control I generally prefer to keep dave around -10db and adjust the amp to a suitable level. From there I control volume up or down a few db's via Dave's remote. However, I have had some amps that did better when turned up higher with Dave lower. What are others doing with the Jot R?

 

[jlbrach]

with my dave/blu 2 and Jotr I have the dave set at -6, generally with other amps I usually was at -3 for the Abyss TC and 0 with the Susvara.....FWIIW using the Jotr with the balanced out to the amp provides quite a bit more volume than using RCA...

 

[EndGameSearch]

with my dave/blu 2 and Jotr I have the dave set at -6, generally with other amps I usually was at -3 for the Abyss TC and 0 with the Susvara.....FWIIW using the Jotr with the balanced out to the amp provides quite a bit more volume than using RCA...

Thanks. I squeezed in a little listening time this afternoon. I put dave at -5 and the Jot R is set 12. Plenty of head room and it sounds great.

 

[paradoxper]

In case you were interested, more cheap direct-drive designs for your pleasure.

Now the games begin.

 

[Jon L]

In case you were interested, more cheap direct-drive designs for your pleasure.

Now the games begin.

Any new direct-drive amps for Raal is a win IMO.
However, there already exist Jotunheim R which is only $799, discrete, balanced, and differential.
That KG design is admittedly a "budget" design based on OPA541 power opamp and SMPS with raw parts cost estimated to be around $400 with extra $ for casing, not to mention DIY in nature. I personally have no qualms about power opamps and SMPS if done well and do hope it sounds better than Jot R, but somebody's going to have to build one and do comparisons

 

[paradoxper]

Any new direct-drive amps for Raal is a win IMO.
However, there already exist Jotunheim R which is only $799, discrete, balanced, and differential.
That KG design is admittedly a "budget" design based on OPA541 power opamp and SMPS with raw parts cost estimated to be around $400 with extra $ for casing, not to mention DIY in nature. I personally have no qualms about power opamps and SMPS if done well and do hope it sounds better than Jot R, but somebody's going to have to build one and do comparisons

The alternatives are coming.

And then, for the cost-no-object, you have the uberamp. I've both being built.

 

[kevin gilmore]

I also think that any of the Macintosh amps with 2 ohm outputs would be perfect for direct driving these headphones.
Starting with the mc152. Pretty rational price used on those.

 

[klyrish]

I've had the SR1a and Jot R for a few weeks and have really struggled with them. I wanted to love them because they cost so much, even used, but the sound was exceedingly bright and bass was non-existent. Any attempts at EQing in some bass sounded great, but only at extremely low volumes. Anything that was getting close to even just a normal indoor speaking level caused horrible distortion in the lower registers. The sound stage was very claustrophobic and cluttered/congested. I was hearing far less detail than my ESP/95X. Imaging was a flat, 2D plane, and the sterile, biting brightness grew extremely fatiguing quickly. So I put them on the shelf for about 10 days while I strongly contemplated cutting my losses and selling them at a major discount to recoup some of the losses and buy something I'd like because I was clearly missing something with these.

I decided to give them one more chance today and since I've had massive success with preamping the SRM-353X with a GS-X mini for driving the ESP/95X, I figured I'd give it a shot with the SR1a, too.

I'm glad I did.

The GS-X mini preamping the Jot R combined with reading through a lot of this thread and taking the advice of some here in regards to parametric EQ settings in Roon, not using the Jot R's baffle compensation at all, as well as trying different placements and baffle angles, everything finally clicked late in the afternoon. Bass was present and surprising in quantity (though I will always want more), the biting harshness was gone and they were finally imaging realistically, though still behind the ESP/95X setup mentioned earlier.

Up to this point, my chain had been:
Roon Core (2014 MacBook Pro) -> X-SPDIF 2 AES -> Topping D90 XLR -> GS-X mini XLR -> Jotunheim R

I kid you not, that same chain but with the SRM-353X and ESP/95X is absolutely insane. Using a Harmon target PEQ profile (oratory1990) in Roon, the bass is extremely tight and slams almost as hard as the HD800. It is so holographic, detailed, and well-separated...it's truly incredible. Music is presented in such a beautiful way. I have a Metrum Onyx and it's so dull and lifeless with that stack. There is something truly special about the AK4499 and the ESP/95X. The Ether 2 sound incredible through that stack as well.

But the SR1a just wasn't impressing me with the D90. The Onyx had been relegated to living room 2-channel duties but I decided to try it out here just to see, not expecting much at all given its synergy with the ESP/95X.

Holy crap. Everything clicked and the SR1a totally came to life in a way that was so shocking in its realism and detail.

Suddenly, the music was incredibly precise, 3D/holographic, deep, wide, well-separated, and insanely detailed coming out of these earspeakers. It's an incredible synergy that the D90 just does not have with the SR1a. I'm hearing little textures on violins and violas that were previously impossible to detect and I'm noticing a lot more detail in bass synthesizers and overdriven bass guitars. Distorted guitars have this lovely bite and edge to them that sounds like it's coming straight from the amp. Lots of little backing tracks that are soft and subdued but following the main melody that were just kind of...noise...in other headphones but here are perfectly audible and suddenly give another dimension to songs already heard hundreds of times. Music legitimately seems like it's encircling my head and like some of it is inside of my head.

The sense of realism in reproduction of instruments is unlike anything I've ever heard. Dynamics are often shocking--two examples are in the track "With Teeth" by Nine Inch Nails which is a noisy song until the bridge where it gets extremely quiet until suddenly exploding into the main, noisy riff again to end the song. And I legitimately mean "explode." I got so caught up in how incredible the song was sounding I forgot that there was a major shift coming up and I jumped and my heart started racing due to how powerful the transition was.

Another example when I was just queuing up random tracks in Roon. I can't remember what I put on before it, but "Test the Limits" by The Ghost Inside came on after the previous song had faded out and had a second or two or trailing silence. The opening crack of the snare drum was like a gunshot. My ears hurt ever so slightly and I was once again so caught off guard by how loud, dynamic, and powerful the song was, my heart was racing.

I'm continually impressed with how well these handle metal and hard rock. I thought for sure they'd struggle but my music has never, ever sounded so good.

I am so glad I gave these another chance.

(edits for poor grammar, missing words, and hopefully clearing up some complex/confusing passages as well as adding a few anecdotal impressions)