[dieslemat]

q

It’s a function of their design

in Software Engineering we say:
“Its not a bug, its a hidden feature”

 

[Roasty]

when there is a problem with one of the ribbons just as there would be a problem with a driver etc

After a period of use, the ribbons need to be replaced. Every ribbon will eventually stop working. It’s a function of their design. If I remember correctly, it takes several years for this to happen

@jlbrach yep that is understood for all equipment.. Just that Raal readily offers ribbon replacement cartridges on their website for sale. so was just wondering if there was any other reason.


@Ciggavelli thanks for the info. Learned something new today.

I run EQ with the Raal and have some bass boost going on. On some songs with really heavy thumping bass, I get no issues with the Raal. But on some songs with obviously lighter bass, on some low notes, I get a regular "tik" sound with each note, like the ribbon is bottoming out. Maybe there is a particular frequency which the ribbon "doesn't like" or respond too well with EQ.

Will reach out to Raal and find out more on the above as well as ribbon shelf life.

 

[austinpop]

For those interested, my review of the SR1a and HSA-1b is at:
Part 1
Part 2

 

[Christer]

For those interested, my review of the SR1a and HSA-1b is at:
Part 1
Part 2

Nice review as usual from you Rajiv, with many music choices where SQ really matters imo.
I heard the SRa1 a couple of times with another amp just after it had been released in Singapore a couple of years ago.

My own take with some of my most demanding, ie non compressed large scale classical master files, was ,very open and good soundstage .But I was a bit disappointed that with the amp used ,probably not powerful enough, they "stressed out" quite early and sounded hard at big orchestral climaxes.
And deep bass was simply missing way too much,with them properly angled for good soundstage.

As far as soundstage goes, imo the SRa1 was a bit like AKG 1000 or Myspheres, OR my old Jecklin Float electrostats which also lacked deep good bass but had some of the most realistic "out of head" soundstage of ANY headphone .
I recently had another very hyped recent headphone on trial for almost a month ,the HEDDphone.
Nice bass, and good transients, but uneven highs and a bit too boxy with its deep, very tight cups.

And comfort about as "nice as a vice" being pressed against my head.
I could stand the HEDD for max an hour at a time. And during low level ppp passages in classical music I heard my own pulse.

Personally I am currently quite happy with my HEKV2 and an OFC upgrade cable.
And I can lie down and listen without any problems.

But even in that respects my Jecklin Floats are still unrivalled. I could just put the "big open helmet" on a hard enough pillow and slide in for a listen without anything more than the pillow touching my head!
No other headphone I am aware of can do that and if anything, I would really like to hear the new Jecklin Floats or Chinsettawong´s almost identical looking DIY version.
PS. Thanks again for your help with PGGB testfiles.I am currently patiently waiting for Apple to release new macs before taking any further steps there..
Cheers CC

 

[FLTWS]

For you RAAL SR1a owners who might also be familiar with the Danacable line of cables they are releasing a cable specific to the SR1a's electrical requirements for good performance.

They are also running a special on it thru Sept. 30th.

https://danacables.com/2021/09/14/danacable-introduces-the-lazuli-raal-cable/

 

[Ciggavelli]

For you RAAL SR1a owners who might also be familiar with the Danacable line of cables they are releasing a cable specific to the SR1a's electrical requirements for good performance.

They are also running a special on it thru Sept. 30th.

https://danacables.com/2021/09/14/danacable-introduces-the-lazuli-raal-cable/

Tempting

I look forward to comparisons with the silver Raal cable

 

[bemeurer]

For you RAAL SR1a owners who might also be familiar with the Danacable line of cables they are releasing a cable specific to the SR1a's electrical requirements for good performance.

They are also running a special on it thru Sept. 30th.

https://danacables.com/2021/09/14/danacable-introduces-the-lazuli-raal-cable/

I do wish they'd just tell me what the impedance of the cable is, instead of simply claiming that it has very low impedance...

 

[vtvu]

I do wish they'd just tell me what the impedance of the cable is, instead of simply claiming that it has very low impedance...

For those who must know, it's 0.1 ohms
Vinh Vu
Danacable

 

[BassicScience]

(deleted)

 

[eskamobob1]

yes uberamp2 will drive .2 ohms. Been tested into a dead short at 20+ amps where the power supply started to sag.
I will be doing a new version with 4 more output transistors per channel, should be good for close to 60 amps of output current
with appropriate power supply.

200 watts into 5.4 ohms in series with .2 ohms, is about 7.1 watts into the .2 ohms. The rest goes into the 5.4 ohms.
So 10 watts into .2 ohms seems a reasonable number. But I can certainly do 20 watts. Much more than that would fry the
diaphragm.

Has this been released yet? All I can find is references to it being in work but no reviews or builds so I wasn't sure.

 

[FLTWS]

Has this been released yet? All I can find is references to it being in work but no reviews or builds so I wasn't sure.

https://danacables.com/product/lazuli-raal/

I've got one and comparing with Silver but cables takes a lot of time because of the small differences, to my ears anyway. Plus need time to let that new cable smell wear off. Cable comparisons are like self-flagellation (if your in to that sort of thing).

While the Lazuli RAAL looks like a fire hose next to the Silver here's the weight of 2 comparable, roughly, 7 foot lengths including connectors.
RAAL Silver (all silver wire) 7 ft. = 4.5 ounces
D/C Lazuli RAAL (all copper wire) 6.6ft = 5.7 ounces
Both are equally flexible.

 

[normie610]

https://danacables.com/product/lazuli-raal/

I've got one and comparing with Silver but cables takes a lot of time because of the small differences, to my ears anyway. Plus need time to let that new cable smell wear off. Cable comparisons are like self-flagellation (if your in to that sort of thing).


While the Lazuli RAAL looks like a fire hose next to the Silver here's the weight of 2 comparable, roughly, 7 foot lengths including connectors.
RAAL Silver (all silver wire) 7 ft. = 4.5 ounces
D/C Lazuli RAAL (all copper wire) 6.6ft = 5.7 ounces
Both are equally flexible.

Would love to hear comparisons with the OG cable as well.

 

[FLTWS]

Would love to hear comparisons with the OG cable as well.

I found the Silver to be so much more to my liking than the OG I'm not including it so its just all silver RAAL vs the all copper Danacable.

 

[normie610]

I found the Silver to be so much more to my liking than the OG I'm not including it so its just all silver RAAL vs the all copper Danacable.

Alright. Would also love to hear the silver vs dana

 

[normie610]

Just want to share that my journey with SR1a and the rest of my equipment has found me the perfect sound I was looking for all this while. A combination of hardware and software really brings out the best of SR1a. So here goes my chain:

- iMac M1 as Roon core
- Roon with PEQ and headroom adjusment applied (based on Amir’s EQ plus my personal adjustment for high shelf)
- Lumin T2 streamer/DAC as Roon endpoint
- Manley 300B preamp with Mullard CV1377 rectifiers, Tung Sol 6SU7GTY preamp tubes, Western Electric 300B new production tubes
- CFA3 amp Bakoon 13R amp
- SR1a

This combo to my ears has a very “complete” sound, plenty of bass, lifelike mid-range and vocals with zero sibilance, incredibly natural treble with lots of energy. It’s perfect for my music genres i.e classical, jazz, some pop and high-res remixed The Beatles albums

However this doesn’t mean that I will stop listening to other headphones, still very much love my Susvara, eagerly waiting for the TC to arrive, and excited for Raal-C. I’m attaching the PEQ if anyone is interested in trying it out. Edit: forgot to add that the PEQ should include -7.1 dB headroom adjustment in Roon.