[LucyWu]

Here’s my take on how to handle and EQ the Raal SR1a/b:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/raal-ribbon-headphones-srh1a.890603/post-17233113

The major first step is experimenting with the various degrees of freedom in head placement.

The short video from the Raal website is sure worth a look in this regard:

I would not call myself a bass-head, but do like solid base and fundamentals in my music.
At the same time I’m generally not listening very loud, vocals in the music are a bit louder than normal humans talking.
Typical music level ca. 65-70 dBA Leq (long term average), with peaks up to 95 - 100 dB SPL.
The power amp is not challenged much: ca. +20 dBu or 10 W / 6 Ohm Peak typically is the very highest I observe.

I love music with lot’s of dynamic, try to avoid contemporary, dynamically over-squashed remasters.


First based on measurements (on my own head, mic inside my ears), then hours of fine-tuning I made an EQ setting that adresses all mentioned Issues, without overdoing it or killing SR1a’s character.

Specially the bass becomes viceral in a way I did not expect from SR1a.

The EQ slighty addresses midrange and treble too, this is very personal I guess.
Doing more in the mid/treble range sounds too much for me.
Treble is better controlled by positional variations, than excessive EQ.

With the EQ the bass and fundamentals sound punchy, compact and present in a way I did not expect from SR1a.
The fastness stays, combined with a significant gripe on the related instruments.
No hint of tizzy or thin sounding any more.


Positioning, probably quite personal, but another person found similar settings favorable too.
• Driver flaps angle: L 27 ° R 27 ° few millimeters away from pinnae contact. I made little card-box angle stencils to set this up.
• Driver horizontal position: usually ca. 5 mm to the front from the back-most possible position, very tiny bit more forward than the upper-mid-hottest position. I do use this to regulate the treble amount.
• Driver height: center driver ca. aligned with ear-canal entrance.
• Wearing angle (seen from the side): upper part, headband, slightly backwards, ca. 10 °.
• Fit: tight fit, still comfortable, don’t need the back-strap.


Raal SR-1a EQ04
RME ADI-2 Pro.

THE EQ DOES NOT CONTAIN BAFFLE COMPENSATION as the standard SR1a amp interface already has it.
There are EQ bands left to do this, in case needed.

Gain / Freq / Q / Type / (comment)
.. dB / Hz
+5.5 / 130 / 0.8 / Shelf / (adjust gain to taste)
.. n.a. / 25 / 1.8 / High Pass / (High Q boost the lows SR1a is capable, removes below)
-2.0 / 2.1k / 1.5 / Peak / (vocal presence)
-1.0 / 6.3k / 3.5 / Peak / (harshness)
-2.5 / 9.1k / 5.0 / Peak / (Sibilants)

Your experience aligns very well with my own. My own EQ curve (fabricated over many iterations in Rephase, which allows correction of phase also) is very similar to yours, but with a little extra weight in the low end because I don't use passive baffle step correction (I don't like the result of using the filter incorporated in the JotR and my Hypex amp doesn't have it at all, but does have the reserves of power necessary to support the bass demand without distorting).

I don't like overblown bass either but, as you say, visceralality is achieveable and I am very happy with the SR1a (moving from Benchmark AHB1 and the resistor interface to the NCore amp and TI-1b has been a marked step up) and I am certainly going to hold off until the Raal 1995 headphones become readily available before I even seek out an audition.

After about four years, the SR1a remains the only headphone I need.

 

[ThanatosVI]

My own EQ curve (fabricated over many iterations in Rephase, which allows correction of phase also)

Are there any good sources on how to apply Phase EQ correctly?
I'd love to learn about that

 

[LucyWu]

Are there any good sources on how to apply Phase EQ correctly?
I'd love to learn about that

I only have experience with Rephase (free to download as part of Room EQ Wizard). I don't have time to prep a full tutorial, but basically there are multiple tabs. In one of which you can create an frequency eq curve to suit your requirements. There is a separate tab which shows how the frequency filter impacts phase linearity as phase change by degree, plotting phase change against frequency. You can then use graphical sliders to adjust (in exactly the same way you did for frequency on the paramtric EQ tab) the phase and bring the predicted phase change line back as close as you can get it to 0cedgrees of phase shift. It takes a little trial and error because each control covers a small frequency band, and depending on the "q" factor you have set for the control adjacent controls interact.

It's probably more complicated to describe than to try out. Suffice to say Rephase is a very high quality (you can determine the number of filter coefficients, the bit depth to which the output impulse is calculated and the format of the output etc) tool, can be used to create a convolution filter as in our use case, or create complex crossover and room equalisation curves for complex speaker set ups.

 

[Majuto]

A question of Jotunheim R: is there any led or other light seen, when the power is on or is it totally black without any indication of power on/off state? Mine came today from service as dead, no sound, no light. Voltage was changed from 115v to 230v and toggle power switch was changed.

 

[MokhaMark]

A question of Jotunheim R: is there any led or other light seen, when the power is on or is it totally black without any indication of power on/off state? Mine came today from service as dead, no sound, no light. Voltage was changed from 115v to 230v and toggle power switch was changed.

The Jotunheim R has no light on the front panel. The only way to know if it is on other than the toggle, is lights visible through the heat vents on top. Mine have no external switch for voltage. When you say yours came from service, it came back from Schiit?

 

[Majuto]

The Jotunheim R has no light on the front panel. The only way to know if it is on other than the toggle, is lights visible through the heat vents on top. Mine have no external switch for voltage. When you say yours came from service, it came back from Schiit?

No, it was in audio service in Helsinki Finland. The voltage was changed as an internal repair.

 

[MokhaMark]

No, it was in audio service in Helsinki Finland. The voltage was changed as an internal repair.

Oh, and you are saying there is no sound at all coming from it? Does anything light up inside?

My only suggestions would be to be sure to understand their symbols for the source on the left most toggle: top is USB (if there is an internal DAC), middle is XLR, bottom is RCA. The middle toggle left to right is for the baffle compensation, this will make sound either way, but of course you want it up for the SR1a unless you are using the convolution filters. The right most toggle is to turn on preamp out. But this will not impact the audio output either.

Lastly, if you are using a DAC out put with RCA, be sure you are not plugged into the pre-out. Likely you are smart enough not to do this, but I am not and have! Lots of f-bombs until I figured it out......

 

[Majuto]

Oh, and you are saying there is no sound at all coming from it? Does anything light up inside?

My only suggestions would be to be sure to understand their symbols for the source on the left most toggle: top is USB (if there is an internal DAC), middle is XLR, bottom is RCA. The middle toggle left to right is for the baffle compensation, this will make sound either way, but of course you want it up for the SR1a unless you are using the convolution filters. The right most toggle is to turn on preamp out. But this will not impact the audio output either.

Lastly, if you are using a DAC out put with RCA, be sure you are not plugged into the pre-out. Likely you are smart enough not to do this, but I am not and have! Lots of f-bombs until I figured it out......

Yes, no sound neither light, all black and silent. I have to leave it back to service with Raal Ca1a's so they can really monitor the audio output with music input.
The blackness of the unit propably refers problems with electricity input. Possibly the changed toggle unit is not working. If it's something else, it might get more difficult.But... Let there be light and let there be sound! I'll hope.

 

[MokhaMark]

Yes, no sound neither light, all black and silent. I have to leave it back to service with Raal Ca1a's so they can really monitor the audio output with music input.
The blackness of the unit propably refers problems with electricity input. Possibly the changed toggle unit is not working. If it's something else, it might get more difficult.But... Let there be light and let there be sound! I'll hope.

Bummer! Very sorry for you, I hope they can sort it out for you quickly........best wishes.

 

[rlawry]

Did you check the power and speaker/output fuses to see if they were missing or blown?

 

[Majuto]

I asked the service to change the fuse, if necessary. So, it should be ok.

 

[Ultrainferno]

Do you mean Raal SR-1a with Cayin HA-3a? CA-1a works just fine with Cayin Ha-3a and TI-1b although it gives only 850mW per channel. SR-1a sounds about 4 db quieter , if I've understood right, but I tend to remember that in a headfonia review the reviewer was astonished how well the "underpowered" Ha-3a worked with Raal SR-1.
With CA-1a the 12 o'clock vol pot position is usually enough. With SR-1a perhaps 14 if you have more gain from DAC's balanced output's.

That probably was me

 

[Roasty]

I just have to share that the SR-1b + Ti1b box out of the Riviera AIC-10 rear speaker taps is amazing (using speaker cables to hp adaptor box). such a rich and smooth sound. lots of weight and density to vocals.

It's already very good from the front, but the back is where it's at!

 

[Lokust]

I know what you mean!

 

[Spawn300Z]

I just have to share that the SR-1b + Ti1b box out of the Riviera AIC-10 rear speaker taps is amazing (using speaker cables to hp adaptor box). such a rich and smooth sound. lots of weight and density to vocals.



It's already very good from the front, but the back is where it's at!

The Raal CA-1A is also amazing off the Riviera AIC-10. I also use them off the speaker taps.