FLTWS
Headphoneus Supremus
Just checked the RAAL website. It appears they "are" selling them in matched pairs now.
https://raalrequisite.com/product/ribbons-sr1/
https://raalrequisite.com/product/ribbons-sr1/
Raal Ribbon Headphones - SRH1A
- Thread starter once
- Start date
Not much to lose at this point.Fixed one completely, but the other one is far beyond my blowing techniques
Curious what Raal has to say... how that can happen and if it's covered.
Support one side with a fluffed-up wade pad, the type your wife uses for cosmetics.
This way you can avoid stretching the ribbon outside of its case, maintaining a light bit of counter force.
Then gently try to bent back the ribs with a fluffed up Q-tip.
With the Q tip, just very lightly push at the points that should bulge to the other side.
Then turn round the whole thing and work from the other side until you have the ribbon back in form.
All very carefully, remember, although it looks metal and strong, the ribbon is very thin and delicate.
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Very true, can't get much worse. Think I'll give that a try. Thanks.
Is anybody using the ribbon interface for their CA-1A or SR1b with the WA33? On the Raal site, it doesn't have the WA33 listed as a supported amp. I would assume the WA33 has enough power, but has anybody on here tried it with the T1-1B?
I've tried it. doesn't seem like enough power.. I get better results from pre/power combo.
Damn
Thanks!
I was hoping to just try them off my WA33, but it looks like I need to get the tube amp after all.
ThanatosVI
Headphoneus Supremus
You could always try right?Damn
Thanks!
I was hoping to just try them off my WA33, but it looks like I need to get the tube amp after all.
nojwe
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2014
- Posts
- 193
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- 156
I thought I saw someone in the CA thread using their WA33 with good results
Polygonhell
100+ Head-Fier
I use mine off the WA33, with the transformer box on the 32 Ohm tap, and it has plenty of power.
it can be a bit acerbic on the 16 ohm for my tastes.
I like the presentation a lot, but it can be a bit aggressive generally, you have an amp that starts with very good leading edge, and the transducer in the Raals is just really fast, doesn’t make for a relaxed experience.
Viva Egoista 845 is an even more aggressive combination.
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MokhaMark
100+ Head-Fier
A Visit to Requisite Audio and the Mighty VM-1a
I am writing to share some impressions of my incredible visit to Requisite Audio in Ventura last month (July 2023). I was in the San Francisco area and after conversation with Danny McKinney determined that a quick flight to Santa Barbara was in order to finally meet in person, do some listening, and take some more product shots for the website. I also met Danny’s right-hand David, and I cannot speak highly enough of the team there.
Disclaimer: I’ve been a Raal fan almost since introduction in large part due to the excellent reviews and impressions shared by @Torq. In fact, the SR-1a are my longest owned ear monitors and I suspect I’ll be buried with them. Besides some IEMs, they are nearly my last remaining headphones, having tried over 30 different models since the beginning of the covid era. I am a Raal Requisite fanboy and make no apologies for it. Awhile back I also got to do some product photography for Danny, and I am proud that many of my photographs are on the website. So, any photos used here, are with my permission!
I’ve had many extended conversations with Danny on the phone prior to my visit and I knew he is a respected engineer and builder, but I had no real idea the depth of his experience until spending a full day and a half with him. Rarely have I met anyone in any profession who has done so much, worked through so many transitions in their industry, and yet is so generous in giving away knowledge.
One of the purposes for my trip was to hear the VM-1a. It was important as there are only 3 or so of these left (as of July) and I did not want to miss it and rely on one to pop up on the secondhand market. However, it is a big enough investment for me that I did not want to gamble that my own ears and intellect would appreciate the amplifier if its improvements for the SR were subtle. Less than a week after my visit, my own VM-1a arrived safely to my home and has been providing hours of enjoyment. It is not subtle. This is the best I’ve heard the SR-1a sound, ever.
The VM-1a gives the SR-1 a/b a relaxed quality I have not heard in them before. I hear a different balance of frequencies, with significantly more bass and a more integrated treble in that even recordings I have found sibilant before (without any EQ or filters), now sound more balanced and lifelike. I did not think the SR could ever sound more lifelike. But they do.
In pentode mode, for example, the SR give the most textured, visceral bass I have heard yet. It is not the kind of bass that compresses the eardrum into the tympanic cavity (these are open baffle after all), but it is substantial and accurate, clearly defined down to the lowest frequencies in the recording. Sub-bass is never bloomy or vague, it is always clearly defined as a distinct musical element with no other hardware/chamber induced resonances to exaggerate it. With the VM, I prefer no EQ or convolution. They just simply balance out completely all on their own.
Triode mode has an even more seductive vocal range. Speaking for myself, I hear it as very slightly more laid back in terms of speed of attack, but the timbre is ever so slightly sweeter sounding. This is where I’ve been doing most of my listening so far. I find triode to have the best of all worlds. To be clear, when I use words like laid back and relaxed here, it is in the context of the incredibly fast and energetic nature of the ribbon drivers which are amongst the fastest made.
I’ve not listened very much yet to ultra-linear mode. Knee jerk impressions suggest it might be the most neutral, but I have so far found it to also be the flattest in terms of imaging. It reminds me the most of all previous amplification methods I have owned, which includes the Jotunheim R, HSA-1b, and different speaker and headphone amplifiers with the interfaces. Everything is there, including the punchy bass, but with just a little less body in the sound. I do like ultra-linear for solo piano recordings. There is a clarity to all the upper partials and differential tones heard in the decay.
It should be noted how subjective the comparisons between modes are. One cannot change mode while powered on, and there is a long protective delay in the tube circuit that adds 1 minute 45 seconds between comparisons. This is the least blind/objective way to compare sound I can imagine! So, take my impressions with a grain of salt.
Another recent change in my listening is the baffle angle. I’ve often adjusted the angle based on the genre with very wide favored for large scale orchestral and a tighter angle for other genre with deep bass as a prominent component. Not that orchestral doesn’t have deep bass! I just prefer to open up the sense of stage for those recordings. However, at Danny’s suggestion when visiting, I listened with a very tight angle, basically just touching my ears, and this really changed things in a good way for some genre. In short, even more bass!
I also had the opportunity to listen again to the new interface for headphone amplifiers, the TI-1b. I tried this briefly before when I photographed it the first time but did not at the time have an appropriate headphone amplifier. At Requisite, I listened to it off the Ferrum Oor stack, and consider that a fantastic combination. In fact, one of the best sounding rigs I’ve heard for the SR-1a/b to date. I cannot remember any combination of speaker amplifiers I tried with the old speaker amp interface that sounded this natural and beautiful. The TI-1b and TI-1c really have a lot of promise for new and affordable combinations for the ribbon drivers.
Danny gave me permission to write that he welcomes visitors to the shop. If you are in the area and want to test drive the Raal reach out, you will receive a warm welcome. And if Danny is free to chat at length, you will have a rare opportunity to speak with and learn from one of the great authorities in the Los Angeles scene.
Danny McKinney with one of his famous microphones
Thank you, Danny and David, for a great visit.
Happy Listening to all!
I am writing to share some impressions of my incredible visit to Requisite Audio in Ventura last month (July 2023). I was in the San Francisco area and after conversation with Danny McKinney determined that a quick flight to Santa Barbara was in order to finally meet in person, do some listening, and take some more product shots for the website. I also met Danny’s right-hand David, and I cannot speak highly enough of the team there.
Disclaimer: I’ve been a Raal fan almost since introduction in large part due to the excellent reviews and impressions shared by @Torq. In fact, the SR-1a are my longest owned ear monitors and I suspect I’ll be buried with them. Besides some IEMs, they are nearly my last remaining headphones, having tried over 30 different models since the beginning of the covid era. I am a Raal Requisite fanboy and make no apologies for it. Awhile back I also got to do some product photography for Danny, and I am proud that many of my photographs are on the website. So, any photos used here, are with my permission!
I’ve had many extended conversations with Danny on the phone prior to my visit and I knew he is a respected engineer and builder, but I had no real idea the depth of his experience until spending a full day and a half with him. Rarely have I met anyone in any profession who has done so much, worked through so many transitions in their industry, and yet is so generous in giving away knowledge.
One of the purposes for my trip was to hear the VM-1a. It was important as there are only 3 or so of these left (as of July) and I did not want to miss it and rely on one to pop up on the secondhand market. However, it is a big enough investment for me that I did not want to gamble that my own ears and intellect would appreciate the amplifier if its improvements for the SR were subtle. Less than a week after my visit, my own VM-1a arrived safely to my home and has been providing hours of enjoyment. It is not subtle. This is the best I’ve heard the SR-1a sound, ever.
The VM-1a gives the SR-1 a/b a relaxed quality I have not heard in them before. I hear a different balance of frequencies, with significantly more bass and a more integrated treble in that even recordings I have found sibilant before (without any EQ or filters), now sound more balanced and lifelike. I did not think the SR could ever sound more lifelike. But they do.
In pentode mode, for example, the SR give the most textured, visceral bass I have heard yet. It is not the kind of bass that compresses the eardrum into the tympanic cavity (these are open baffle after all), but it is substantial and accurate, clearly defined down to the lowest frequencies in the recording. Sub-bass is never bloomy or vague, it is always clearly defined as a distinct musical element with no other hardware/chamber induced resonances to exaggerate it. With the VM, I prefer no EQ or convolution. They just simply balance out completely all on their own.
Triode mode has an even more seductive vocal range. Speaking for myself, I hear it as very slightly more laid back in terms of speed of attack, but the timbre is ever so slightly sweeter sounding. This is where I’ve been doing most of my listening so far. I find triode to have the best of all worlds. To be clear, when I use words like laid back and relaxed here, it is in the context of the incredibly fast and energetic nature of the ribbon drivers which are amongst the fastest made.
I’ve not listened very much yet to ultra-linear mode. Knee jerk impressions suggest it might be the most neutral, but I have so far found it to also be the flattest in terms of imaging. It reminds me the most of all previous amplification methods I have owned, which includes the Jotunheim R, HSA-1b, and different speaker and headphone amplifiers with the interfaces. Everything is there, including the punchy bass, but with just a little less body in the sound. I do like ultra-linear for solo piano recordings. There is a clarity to all the upper partials and differential tones heard in the decay.
It should be noted how subjective the comparisons between modes are. One cannot change mode while powered on, and there is a long protective delay in the tube circuit that adds 1 minute 45 seconds between comparisons. This is the least blind/objective way to compare sound I can imagine! So, take my impressions with a grain of salt.
Another recent change in my listening is the baffle angle. I’ve often adjusted the angle based on the genre with very wide favored for large scale orchestral and a tighter angle for other genre with deep bass as a prominent component. Not that orchestral doesn’t have deep bass! I just prefer to open up the sense of stage for those recordings. However, at Danny’s suggestion when visiting, I listened with a very tight angle, basically just touching my ears, and this really changed things in a good way for some genre. In short, even more bass!
I also had the opportunity to listen again to the new interface for headphone amplifiers, the TI-1b. I tried this briefly before when I photographed it the first time but did not at the time have an appropriate headphone amplifier. At Requisite, I listened to it off the Ferrum Oor stack, and consider that a fantastic combination. In fact, one of the best sounding rigs I’ve heard for the SR-1a/b to date. I cannot remember any combination of speaker amplifiers I tried with the old speaker amp interface that sounded this natural and beautiful. The TI-1b and TI-1c really have a lot of promise for new and affordable combinations for the ribbon drivers.
Danny gave me permission to write that he welcomes visitors to the shop. If you are in the area and want to test drive the Raal reach out, you will receive a warm welcome. And if Danny is free to chat at length, you will have a rare opportunity to speak with and learn from one of the great authorities in the Los Angeles scene.
Danny McKinney with one of his famous microphones
Thank you, Danny and David, for a great visit.
Happy Listening to all!
Thanks for the excellent write-up. Danny is indeed special! As is the SR1a/b, VM-1a, and the TI-1a/b! (And so is the CA-1a--hope you got a chance to give that a spin as well).A Visit to Requisite Audio and the Mighty VM-1a
I am writing to share some impressions of my incredible visit to Requisite Audio in Ventura last month (July 2023). I was in the San Francisco area and after conversation with Danny McKinney determined that a quick flight to Santa Barbara was in order to finally meet in person, do some listening, and take some more product shots for the website. I also met Danny’s right-hand David, and I cannot speak highly enough of the team there.
Disclaimer: I’ve been a Raal fan almost since introduction in large part due to the excellent reviews and impressions shared by @Torq. In fact, the SR-1a are my longest owned ear monitors and I suspect I’ll be buried with them. Besides some IEMs, they are nearly my last remaining headphones, having tried over 30 different models since the beginning of the covid era. I am a Raal Requisite fanboy and make no apologies for it. Awhile back I also got to do some product photography for Danny, and I am proud that many of my photographs are on the website. So, any photos used here, are with my permission!
I’ve had many extended conversations with Danny on the phone prior to my visit and I knew he is a respected engineer and builder, but I had no real idea the depth of his experience until spending a full day and a half with him. Rarely have I met anyone in any profession who has done so much, worked through so many transitions in their industry, and yet is so generous in giving away knowledge.
One of the purposes for my trip was to hear the VM-1a. It was important as there are only 3 or so of these left (as of July) and I did not want to miss it and rely on one to pop up on the secondhand market. However, it is a big enough investment for me that I did not want to gamble that my own ears and intellect would appreciate the amplifier if its improvements for the SR were subtle. Less than a week after my visit, my own VM-1a arrived safely to my home and has been providing hours of enjoyment. It is not subtle. This is the best I’ve heard the SR-1a sound, ever.
The VM-1a gives the SR-1 a/b a relaxed quality I have not heard in them before. I hear a different balance of frequencies, with significantly more bass and a more integrated treble in that even recordings I have found sibilant before (without any EQ or filters), now sound more balanced and lifelike. I did not think the SR could ever sound more lifelike. But they do.
In pentode mode, for example, the SR give the most textured, visceral bass I have heard yet. It is not the kind of bass that compresses the eardrum into the tympanic cavity (these are open baffle after all), but it is substantial and accurate, clearly defined down to the lowest frequencies in the recording. Sub-bass is never bloomy or vague, it is always clearly defined as a distinct musical element with no other hardware/chamber induced resonances to exaggerate it. With the VM, I prefer no EQ or convolution. They just simply balance out completely all on their own.
Triode mode has an even more seductive vocal range. Speaking for myself, I hear it as very slightly more laid back in terms of speed of attack, but the timbre is ever so slightly sweeter sounding. This is where I’ve been doing most of my listening so far. I find triode to have the best of all worlds. To be clear, when I use words like laid back and relaxed here, it is in the context of the incredibly fast and energetic nature of the ribbon drivers which are amongst the fastest made.
I’ve not listened very much yet to ultra-linear mode. Knee jerk impressions suggest it might be the most neutral, but I have so far found it to also be the flattest in terms of imaging. It reminds me the most of all previous amplification methods I have owned, which includes the Jotunheim R, HSA-1b, and different speaker and headphone amplifiers with the interfaces. Everything is there, including the punchy bass, but with just a little less body in the sound. I do like ultra-linear for solo piano recordings. There is a clarity to all the upper partials and differential tones heard in the decay.
It should be noted how subjective the comparisons between modes are. One cannot change mode while powered on, and there is a long protective delay in the tube circuit that adds 1 minute 45 seconds between comparisons. This is the least blind/objective way to compare sound I can imagine! So, take my impressions with a grain of salt.
Another recent change in my listening is the baffle angle. I’ve often adjusted the angle based on the genre with very wide favored for large scale orchestral and a tighter angle for other genre with deep bass as a prominent component. Not that orchestral doesn’t have deep bass! I just prefer to open up the sense of stage for those recordings. However, at Danny’s suggestion when visiting, I listened with a very tight angle, basically just touching my ears, and this really changed things in a good way for some genre. In short, even more bass!
I also had the opportunity to listen again to the new interface for headphone amplifiers, the TI-1b. I tried this briefly before when I photographed it the first time but did not at the time have an appropriate headphone amplifier. At Requisite, I listened to it off the Ferrum Oor stack, and consider that a fantastic combination. In fact, one of the best sounding rigs I’ve heard for the SR-1a/b to date. I cannot remember any combination of speaker amplifiers I tried with the old speaker amp interface that sounded this natural and beautiful. The TI-1b and TI-1c really have a lot of promise for new and affordable combinations for the ribbon drivers.
Danny gave me permission to write that he welcomes visitors to the shop. If you are in the area and want to test drive the Raal reach out, you will receive a warm welcome. And if Danny is free to chat at length, you will have a rare opportunity to speak with and learn from one of the great authorities in the Los Angeles scene.
Danny McKinney with one of his famous microphones
Thank you, Danny and David, for a great visit.
Happy Listening to all!
MokhaMark
100+ Head-Fier
Thank you very much. I do own the CA-1a and enjoy them a lot. But since I got the VM-1a, all I really want to listen to is the SR! It's just magical.
I recently sold my VM-1a since I need cash to buy an amp for my office Magnepan LRS+ based system (what I listen to the most). I ended up with a used Sanders Sound Systems Magtech amp, which is beyond perfect for the LRS+. Seems the Magtech was built specifically for Maggies (but works on all speakers).
One reason I was willing to sell the VM-1a was because of how good the RAAL TI-1b adapter is. I visited Danny at his shop one day and he told me to have a listen to the TI-1b. Of course, the quality of the sound is determined by the amp behind the TI-1b. I tried a lot of amps, and the best was the incredible CODA #16. That amp has the first 100 watts in Class A and 150 | 300 | 600. It is a great amp and with the SR1a and CA-1a via the TI-ib. I felt it was about 90-95% as good as the VM-1a. That amp is also not cheap. After hearing the VM-1a, the old RAAL adapter box is not something that I would have considered with any 2-channel amp. I own 2 of the old adapter boxes if anyone wants to buy one.
I cannot use the CODA #16 long term with the RAAL phones since I use the amp for my Livingroom Yamaha NS5000 speakers. I asked earlier on this thread about the number of watts needed to drive the SR1a via the TI-1b. With that feedback, I did a home demo of the $800 Schitt Aegir 20-watt Class A amp. The TI-1b is connected to this with the baffle compensation RCA adapters. The Aegir only works with RCA in stereo mode. You need to buy a second Aegir to use XLR (this has to be mono mode). With the single 20-watt Aegir the sound was almost as good as the CODA #16. The CODA seems to have a bit more bass, but the Aegir sound is amazingly close. Not as good as the VM-1a but it is not something that I am crying over.
Another plug for Schitt, is the Yggi+ Less is More DAC ($2400). This is the version of the Yggi+ that measures the worst (there are 3 options). I have had a few DACs on the VM-1a and the very best until the Yggi+ was the $15K Lumin X1 (includes a great streamer). To my ears, I think the Yggi+ LM is a better sounding DAC than the X1. I notice this on the cleaner top end of the Yggi+. Rather easy to hear with the SR1a.
Today, I use the Yggi+ with the Aegir and TI-1b. One nice thing over the VM-1a is that I have my Benchmark LA4 preamp (now I wish I kept the HPA4) before both the Aegir and the Magtech. Which means that all my sources are available on the SR1a and LRS+. Just turn off the amp not in use.
Another find for people with SACD disks and no way to play them is something I recently got for $799. I used to own one of the very best SACD players ever made, the Sony SCD-1. This was modified to Vacuum State Level 5+. The sound of the SACD layer of disks was incredible on this 20-year-old player which recently died. I was looking for a way to play my SACD's without spending a lot on a new player. I discovered the D.BOB for $799 at Upscale Audio in Los Angeles. I had a used $200 Oppo SACD player that was gathering dust. I took that player and connected the HDMI out of the Oppo to the D.BOB and the SDPIF of the D.BOB to the Yggi+ LM. This is now connected to the LA4 preamp and thus both my SR1a and LRS+ speakers. The SACD layer can be played via this setup, and it sounds better in many ways to the Sony SCD-1. A great discovery, I have not tried my Blu-ray concert videos yet on this setup.
One reason I was willing to sell the VM-1a was because of how good the RAAL TI-1b adapter is. I visited Danny at his shop one day and he told me to have a listen to the TI-1b. Of course, the quality of the sound is determined by the amp behind the TI-1b. I tried a lot of amps, and the best was the incredible CODA #16. That amp has the first 100 watts in Class A and 150 | 300 | 600. It is a great amp and with the SR1a and CA-1a via the TI-ib. I felt it was about 90-95% as good as the VM-1a. That amp is also not cheap. After hearing the VM-1a, the old RAAL adapter box is not something that I would have considered with any 2-channel amp. I own 2 of the old adapter boxes if anyone wants to buy one.
I cannot use the CODA #16 long term with the RAAL phones since I use the amp for my Livingroom Yamaha NS5000 speakers. I asked earlier on this thread about the number of watts needed to drive the SR1a via the TI-1b. With that feedback, I did a home demo of the $800 Schitt Aegir 20-watt Class A amp. The TI-1b is connected to this with the baffle compensation RCA adapters. The Aegir only works with RCA in stereo mode. You need to buy a second Aegir to use XLR (this has to be mono mode). With the single 20-watt Aegir the sound was almost as good as the CODA #16. The CODA seems to have a bit more bass, but the Aegir sound is amazingly close. Not as good as the VM-1a but it is not something that I am crying over.
Another plug for Schitt, is the Yggi+ Less is More DAC ($2400). This is the version of the Yggi+ that measures the worst (there are 3 options). I have had a few DACs on the VM-1a and the very best until the Yggi+ was the $15K Lumin X1 (includes a great streamer). To my ears, I think the Yggi+ LM is a better sounding DAC than the X1. I notice this on the cleaner top end of the Yggi+. Rather easy to hear with the SR1a.
Today, I use the Yggi+ with the Aegir and TI-1b. One nice thing over the VM-1a is that I have my Benchmark LA4 preamp (now I wish I kept the HPA4) before both the Aegir and the Magtech. Which means that all my sources are available on the SR1a and LRS+. Just turn off the amp not in use.
Another find for people with SACD disks and no way to play them is something I recently got for $799. I used to own one of the very best SACD players ever made, the Sony SCD-1. This was modified to Vacuum State Level 5+. The sound of the SACD layer of disks was incredible on this 20-year-old player which recently died. I was looking for a way to play my SACD's without spending a lot on a new player. I discovered the D.BOB for $799 at Upscale Audio in Los Angeles. I had a used $200 Oppo SACD player that was gathering dust. I took that player and connected the HDMI out of the Oppo to the D.BOB and the SDPIF of the D.BOB to the Yggi+ LM. This is now connected to the LA4 preamp and thus both my SR1a and LRS+ speakers. The SACD layer can be played via this setup, and it sounds better in many ways to the Sony SCD-1. A great discovery, I have not tried my Blu-ray concert videos yet on this setup.
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jlbrach
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2005
- Posts
- 7,563
- Likes
- 8,006
Danny is the nicest guy I have met in the industry and I got to spend time with him when he was In town for canjam in NYC....I totally agree about the Vm-1a...if you are a serious fan of the Raal HP's it is a must...I hesitated for a long time because unlike the HSA-1b which I already owned it is not versatile enough to use with planars making it a very expensive purchase...that said it is magical with both the CA-1a and the sr1a.....I also own the susvara and abyss TC and I find myself reaching for the Raal pair more often...I am not sure it gets much better than this to be honest...I suppose technology will always move forward but I do not know if my aging ears can possibly appreciate better if it existsA Visit to Requisite Audio and the Mighty VM-1a
I am writing to share some impressions of my incredible visit to Requisite Audio in Ventura last month (July 2023). I was in the San Francisco area and after conversation with Danny McKinney determined that a quick flight to Santa Barbara was in order to finally meet in person, do some listening, and take some more product shots for the website. I also met Danny’s right-hand David, and I cannot speak highly enough of the team there.
Disclaimer: I’ve been a Raal fan almost since introduction in large part due to the excellent reviews and impressions shared by @Torq. In fact, the SR-1a are my longest owned ear monitors and I suspect I’ll be buried with them. Besides some IEMs, they are nearly my last remaining headphones, having tried over 30 different models since the beginning of the covid era. I am a Raal Requisite fanboy and make no apologies for it. Awhile back I also got to do some product photography for Danny, and I am proud that many of my photographs are on the website. So, any photos used here, are with my permission!
I’ve had many extended conversations with Danny on the phone prior to my visit and I knew he is a respected engineer and builder, but I had no real idea the depth of his experience until spending a full day and a half with him. Rarely have I met anyone in any profession who has done so much, worked through so many transitions in their industry, and yet is so generous in giving away knowledge.
One of the purposes for my trip was to hear the VM-1a. It was important as there are only 3 or so of these left (as of July) and I did not want to miss it and rely on one to pop up on the secondhand market. However, it is a big enough investment for me that I did not want to gamble that my own ears and intellect would appreciate the amplifier if its improvements for the SR were subtle. Less than a week after my visit, my own VM-1a arrived safely to my home and has been providing hours of enjoyment. It is not subtle. This is the best I’ve heard the SR-1a sound, ever.
The VM-1a gives the SR-1 a/b a relaxed quality I have not heard in them before. I hear a different balance of frequencies, with significantly more bass and a more integrated treble in that even recordings I have found sibilant before (without any EQ or filters), now sound more balanced and lifelike. I did not think the SR could ever sound more lifelike. But they do.
In pentode mode, for example, the SR give the most textured, visceral bass I have heard yet. It is not the kind of bass that compresses the eardrum into the tympanic cavity (these are open baffle after all), but it is substantial and accurate, clearly defined down to the lowest frequencies in the recording. Sub-bass is never bloomy or vague, it is always clearly defined as a distinct musical element with no other hardware/chamber induced resonances to exaggerate it. With the VM, I prefer no EQ or convolution. They just simply balance out completely all on their own.
Triode mode has an even more seductive vocal range. Speaking for myself, I hear it as very slightly more laid back in terms of speed of attack, but the timbre is ever so slightly sweeter sounding. This is where I’ve been doing most of my listening so far. I find triode to have the best of all worlds. To be clear, when I use words like laid back and relaxed here, it is in the context of the incredibly fast and energetic nature of the ribbon drivers which are amongst the fastest made.
I’ve not listened very much yet to ultra-linear mode. Knee jerk impressions suggest it might be the most neutral, but I have so far found it to also be the flattest in terms of imaging. It reminds me the most of all previous amplification methods I have owned, which includes the Jotunheim R, HSA-1b, and different speaker and headphone amplifiers with the interfaces. Everything is there, including the punchy bass, but with just a little less body in the sound. I do like ultra-linear for solo piano recordings. There is a clarity to all the upper partials and differential tones heard in the decay.
It should be noted how subjective the comparisons between modes are. One cannot change mode while powered on, and there is a long protective delay in the tube circuit that adds 1 minute 45 seconds between comparisons. This is the least blind/objective way to compare sound I can imagine! So, take my impressions with a grain of salt.
Another recent change in my listening is the baffle angle. I’ve often adjusted the angle based on the genre with very wide favored for large scale orchestral and a tighter angle for other genre with deep bass as a prominent component. Not that orchestral doesn’t have deep bass! I just prefer to open up the sense of stage for those recordings. However, at Danny’s suggestion when visiting, I listened with a very tight angle, basically just touching my ears, and this really changed things in a good way for some genre. In short, even more bass!
I also had the opportunity to listen again to the new interface for headphone amplifiers, the TI-1b. I tried this briefly before when I photographed it the first time but did not at the time have an appropriate headphone amplifier. At Requisite, I listened to it off the Ferrum Oor stack, and consider that a fantastic combination. In fact, one of the best sounding rigs I’ve heard for the SR-1a/b to date. I cannot remember any combination of speaker amplifiers I tried with the old speaker amp interface that sounded this natural and beautiful. The TI-1b and TI-1c really have a lot of promise for new and affordable combinations for the ribbon drivers.
Danny gave me permission to write that he welcomes visitors to the shop. If you are in the area and want to test drive the Raal reach out, you will receive a warm welcome. And if Danny is free to chat at length, you will have a rare opportunity to speak with and learn from one of the great authorities in the Los Angeles scene.
Danny McKinney with one of his famous microphones
Thank you, Danny and David, for a great visit.
Happy Listening to all!
MokhaMark
100+ Head-Fier
I learned so much from Danny in a day I could fit no more into my aging brain.
I understand you 100%. The versatility of the HSA is unmatched, and the VM is a huge purchase. Not to mention it sounds better than most other arrangemeents for teh Raal. But I've been on a quest for headphone monogamy. I have a vicious minimalist streak that needs simplicity in all aspects of my life I can find it. I think it was my daughter's teenage years that did me in. The Susvara, Utopia, etc came close but I always came back to the SR-1a as my true love and sold everything off to afford the VM. I don't even own a headphone anymore, just the two Raal and my favorite IEMs. But the VM allowed me to simplify my desk and "collection" and become married to the SR, happily.
I did not compare the HSA and VM side by side, so cannot speak to how close they are. I have only memory to go on. And at 53 with decades spent playing in loud ensembles, I also worried my hearing would not appreciate the difference. But, sadly for my wallet, it was amazing and it is heating my office up as I write.
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