[jlbrach]

I agree, except for Black Metal. I love black metal out of the Susvaras. The slightly laid back signature of the Susvaras mixes well with harsh black metal.

I prefer the TCs and Susvaras out of my WA33 EE JPS. The HSA-1b drives the TCs pretty well, but I feel it's not powerful enough for the Susvaras (though many other posters disagree). I like that I now have a good solid state amp, but the WA33 is better (it, of course, costs a lot more too, so it may not be a fair comparison).

I think you are spot on, I think the hsa-1b is excellent with the abyss tc and good with the susvara although I think the susvara can sound better, but not by all that much...it is a fine amp

 

[number1sixerfan]

I was foolish enough to buy the SR1a's blindly (one of the few things I didn't try before I purchased). It paid off in a major way as they are superb. Truly. Just make sure you buy them for the right reasons with the right expectations. The bass is quite light, lighter than I expected actually, but you can shore it up a bit with some EQ. These things are phenomenal for acoustic and/or classical music and the soundstage and imaging are flat out nuts. I much preferred them over the Susvaras for acoustic in particular. Also, SR1a's should be outlawed for use in FPS gaming as isn't fair to your opponents

Lastly, remember that if you buy directly from Raal they come with a 14 day return policy. You don't have much to lose, except for maybe the cost of return shipping.

Literally the exact experience here. Blindly, just well read with the right expectations. Acoustic, Jazz, Classical and anything vocal heavy... just absolutely amazing (still debating w/the 009 on which is better, but leaning toward SR1a.. TC could also probably give a run for the money). And although the bass is tight and clear, it is light. Only thing I'll mention is that once actually adjusted to it's presentation, the bass can sound really sufficient with a lot of music, just not as great with music that has considerable to heavy bass imo.

 

[yyzSB]

RAAL gave me a demo period on the gear. Danny is very accommodating on getting you gear to hear. I think the safest way would be to get the HSA-1b instead of amp rolling like I am doing, Though I am having fun doing it.

 

[jlbrach]

Literally the exact experience here. Blindly, just well read with the right expectations. Acoustic, Jazz, Classical and anything vocal heavy... just absolutely amazing (still debating w/the 009 on which is better, but leaning toward SR1a.. TC could also probably give a run for the money). And although the bass is tight and clear, it is light. Only thing I'll mention is that once actually adjusted to it's presentation, the bass can sound really sufficient with a lot of music, just not as great with music that has considerable to heavy bass imo.

I find the bass to be more than ample for spacious music, where it tends to be noticed in terms of impact for me is in busy passages where it can get kind of lost in all of the things going on whereas the abyss tc will not have the problem...that said I have come to believe it is my favorite HP at the moment among the abyss and susvara but I reserve the right to change my mind at any time!

 

[sa11297]

you guys are getting me really hyped up and wanting to pull the trigger haha

 

[yyzSB]

you guys are getting me really hyped up and wanting to pull the trigger haha

Stereophile will be posting their review of the SR1a and the HSA-1b very soon. That may get the hype train on over drive.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I find the bass to be more than ample for spacious music, where it tends to be noticed in terms of impact for me is in busy passages where it can get kind of lost in all of the things going on whereas the abyss tc will not have the problem...that said I have come to believe it is my favorite HP at the moment among the abyss and susvara but I reserve the right to change my mind at any time!

I agree with you specifically on the complex passage aspect. In those cases, it absolutely sounds phenomenal and especially after being adjusted to the sound after time (like many of your posts have suggested, I have found that is also key). And I also agree on the last part. That's the exact same experience I'm going through. About 2-3 potential favorites and I know it will change over time lol

 

[yyzSB]

I noticed that the bass was stronger with more powerful amps, well some amps. My D-Sonic and KRELL K-300i goose up the bass nicely. I even turned off the EQ I had for the RAAL on ROON with these 2 amps.

 

[littlej0e]

I noticed that the bass was stronger with more powerful amps, well some amps. My D-Sonic and KRELL K-300i goose up the bass nicely. I even turned off the EQ I had for the RAAL on ROON with these 2 amps.

Very good to know. I've been told the SR1a's scale incredibly well with just about any gear you throw at them. I'm currently using them with the HSA-1b, but I might pick up a good 2 channel amp in the future.

 

[yyzSB]

Very good to know. I've been told the SR1a's scale incredibly well with just about any gear you throw at them. I'm currently using them with the HSA-1b, but I might pick up a good 2 channel amp in the future.

I may sell my D-Sonic (400/800 watts) 2 week old amp if I decide to keep the KRELL.. I won't know which way I will go for about another 3 weeks. Hit me up if you want get more info on it. It is pretty low cost new, $1500, and it also has a 30 day home trial if you want to try it from the manufacturer. It sounds real good already DAC direct to amp though that is not my preferred setup. I am waiting on a nice preamp tp hookup to it next week.

 

[paradoxper]

you guys are getting me really hyped up and wanting to pull the trigger haha

SR1a is the last complimentary piece to the puzzle. Do it!

 

[sa11297]

I just read Torq's review of the hsa-1b here and now I'm contemplating getting the hsa-1b as well.
I have pretty limited experience with speakers, but since the hsa-1b has speaker outs, it begs the question, how would the LS50 speakers fair on the hsa-1b (currently have the adcom gfs 555 ii)?
I am going to continue to research how the sr1a performs on the jot R vs hsa-1b, but consider me intrigued

 

[d2k5000]

Having come to the conclusion that the TToby just doesn't have enough juice to drive the SR1a to its full potential, I decided to try this Class D amp based on the Purifi 1ET400A modules. It's reasonably priced and very compact and light, which is something I have to take into consideration to fit into my system.

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/powe...eo-amplifier-purifi-2x400w-4-ohm-p-14557.html

I should receive this in a week or two. It certainly has way more than enough power and reports are that it's totally neutral but still doesn't sound like a typical Class D amp which, of course, is a good thing. I'm not much of a hifi power amp guy at all but this Purifi 1ET400A module seems to be getting rave reviews. I'm hopeful that this will take care of the low-end distortion issues I've been experiencing with the TToby and also be more full-bodied sounding.

Interestingly enough, I have been in a similar situation. I bought the exact same Purifi amp for the my SR1a. It have a an extremely clear and detailed sound sound. Probably do to the low distortion. I compared it with the Jotunhiem R, and the Purifi might win by a little bit in detail and airiness. The Jotunheim had a little more bass and a slightly overall warmer sound. I am not currently using the Jotunheim because I had issues with bass clipping (crackling distortion like noise) on certain songs with some strong base. I tried multiple sources and inputs, but the results were largely the same. Schiit was very accommodating with switching out my unit, but I had the same problem with the new unit leading me to believe that it may be a design limitation of the Jotunheim. I will probably end up selling it eventually, but I am lazy, and I do like the idea of having a all in one amp for something slightly more portable.

After making the switch to the Purifi, I was surprised to find that it lacked a little power coming from the XLR outputs of my Topping D90. On some songs with low mastering volume I found myself pushing the volume to within a couple DB of max. It was not really a problem with most songs in truth, but there were a couple times with classical pieces that I did not have enough volume. If you listen at low volumes in general, it will probably not be an issue. No issues with clipping like the Jotunheim.

I ended up ordering a NC502MP based amp from Buckeye amps that has a bit more power, and I have been very happy with it. The distortion rating is not quite as impressive as the 1ET400A, but it is still excellent, I find the sound very transparent. I would recommend anybody looking into buckeye amps if they are interested in quality class D amplification at a reasonable price. I will probably sell my more expensive 1ET400A if I can find a buyer.

 

[number1sixerfan]

The Jotunheim had a little more bass and a slightly overall warmer sound. I am not currently using the Jotunheim because I had issues with bass clipping (crackling distortion like noise) on certain songs with some strong base. I tried multiple sources and inputs, but the results were largely the same. Schiit was very accommodating with switching out my unit, but I had the same problem with the new unit leading me to believe that it may be a design limitation of the Jotunheim. I will probably end up selling it eventually, but I am lazy, and I do like the idea of having a all in one amp for something slightly more portable.

I had the exact same issue, so it's honestly relieving to see someone else did recently as well. I know many mentioned that I had a defective unit (which is true), but it's alarming that it's so common, which represents a much bigger problem. I searched this thread at the time and several users had the exact same issue and went through multiple units. Based on that alone, I would not recommend the Jot R unless willing to take the gamble.

Also, fyi, I have other Schiit products (in my speaker system) and their customer service is phenomenal, so I have no prob with them in general at all.

 

[d2k5000]

I had the exact same issue, so it's honestly relieving to see someone else did recently as well. I know many mentioned that I had a defective unit (which is true), but it's alarming that it's so common, which represents a much bigger problem. I searched this thread at the time and several users had the exact same issue and went through multiple units. Based on that alone, I would not recommend the Jot R unless willing to take the gamble.

Also, fyi, I have other Schiit products (in my speaker system) and their customer service is phenomenal, so I have no prob with them in general at all.

Thanks for the info. That is good to know. I suppose that it is possible that I really just have had bad luck and received multiple defective units. Perhaps I should look into going through the exchange process again.

Did you ever get the issue resolved?