Raal Ribbon Headphones - SRH1A
May 5, 2019 at 5:59 AM Post #1,036 of 7,746
I already answered that the PS Audio Directstream is a better DAC, but in this situation the difference in the quality of the DAC was a fairly insignificant matter compared to the quality of the amplification (and the synergy of the amplification with the SR1A). I apologize if my response offended anyone, but I think everyone is questioning how things are possible, when I’ve explained a few times you can try this at your home for almost no cost.

I am member of the trade but I don’t have a commercial interest in representing any of these brands in this transaction, so I have no benefit of gain in what you buy or try. I’m just trying to give you a solution that allows you to try what I’m suggesting at no or very little cost to save yourself all these questions and potentially thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

If my response was snippy, I apologize I do get offended as well. I’m simply trying to offer assistance that seems very rational and a no brainer to me.

S

I appreciate your impressions, and am happy to read that rather inexpensive amps can rock the SR1A better than many more expansive ones. That’s great!

I get that you want to express that the quality of the DAC was minor compared to the amp, I really do. I was just thinking that it could been said in a less snippy way, that’s all.

Rock on :L3000:
 
May 5, 2019 at 8:51 AM Post #1,038 of 7,746
Just to chime in...I almost bought a Vidar for another application and, I agree, it is a great value. There are also a number of A/B amps that run with significant class A bias that sound great and can put out a lot of power, and they can be had on the used market for very little. Anyway, there will always be "but what about this amp" type questions, but it never made a lot of sense to me to spend more on the amp than your transducer.
 
May 5, 2019 at 9:29 AM Post #1,039 of 7,746
Im guessing all this talk about amp just goes to show how great the SR1a is.

Most other threads on headphones would talk about the actual headphones itself. Measurements, build, comparison on other headphones. But this thread focuses mostly on what amp to pair it with.

Apart from the smell of burnt material and the color of the plugs I’ve yet to read anything substatially wrong about the SR1a.

To be honest I’d like to know more and hear more about other people’s impression rather than what components to pair it with. Since the previous comments covered all that.

Im not much of a classical listener but Ive heard the SR1a listening to jazz and they are f’ing amazing.
 
May 5, 2019 at 11:47 AM Post #1,041 of 7,746
I already answered that the PS Audio Directstream is a better DAC, but in this situation the difference in the quality of the DAC was a fairly insignificant matter compared to the quality of the amplification (and the synergy of the amplification with the SR1A). I apologize if my response offended anyone, but I think everyone is questioning how things are possible, when I’ve explained a few times you can try this at your home for almost no cost.

I am member of the trade but I don’t have a commercial interest in representing any of these brands in this transaction, so I have no benefit of gain in what you buy or try. I’m just trying to give you a solution that allows you to try what I’m suggesting at no or very little cost to save yourself all these questions and potentially thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

If my response was snippy, I apologize I do get offended as well. I’m simply trying to offer assistance that seems very rational and a no brainer to me.

S

I participate in the forum to learn new things and learn about new points of view different from mine.
Meanwhile, I thank you for the information, I think I will soon have a deal for a new Sr1a and therefore, I had a positive response from Danny of customer service for availability and therefore I have about a fortnight to decide which amp to buy.
 
May 5, 2019 at 12:21 PM Post #1,042 of 7,746
I agree, for jazz, the SR1a is a must-have.

I've been listening to a lot of small ensemble stuff which is atmospheric, kind of minimalistic, lots of black background and tangy cymbals... ECM type stuff.


Yes, I have been using John Zorn's "From Silence To Sorcery" as one of my reference recordings with the SR1a. Beautifully recorded and outstanding presentation on the SR1a - listen to the screaming violins on Goetia or the percussion piece Gris-Gris, they are as realistic as you can get without being there...

I can also suggest the album "Wandering" by Yosi Horikawa to illustrate the range and capabilities of the SR1a.
 
May 5, 2019 at 2:04 PM Post #1,044 of 7,746
I can't stop thinking about buying the SR1a & Vidars to use in mono block configuration paired with my GS-X as a pre-amp!
Thanks a lot, @Seth Warshavsky you're killing me! I need to unsubscribe from this thread immediately!
:dt880smile:

Sorry about that LOL, at least the Vidar are inexpensive. You definitely will not be disappointed if you do. I think you can demo the SR1A as well. They really are the most incredible headphones I have ever heard.
 
May 5, 2019 at 2:08 PM Post #1,045 of 7,746
@joseph69 Unsubscribe? Oh no you don't!


lJPrvioh.jpg

vidar-combo-1920.jpg


HeadAmp-GS-X-mini-Satin-Blue.jpg
 
May 5, 2019 at 2:13 PM Post #1,046 of 7,746
I can't stop thinking about buying the SR1a & Vidars to use in mono block configuration paired with my GS-X as a pre-amp!
Thanks a lot, @Seth Warshavsky you're killing me! I need to unsubscribe from this thread immediately!
:dt880smile:
giphy.gif


JUST DO IT!!!! Buy the damn thing!! Dont pu$$y out like Petestratumus did :laughing:
 
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May 5, 2019 at 2:34 PM Post #1,047 of 7,746
Sorry about that LOL, at least the Vidar are inexpensive. You definitely will not be disappointed if you do. I think you can demo the SR1A as well. They really are the most incredible headphones I have ever heard.
Unfortunately I've already had the pleasure of demoing the SR1a thanks too @llamaluv!
All joking aside. I'm considering this combo, but again, I'm in no rush as either aren't going anywhere.
I'm sure I'll be pulling the trigger sooner than later, though.
 
May 5, 2019 at 4:34 PM Post #1,048 of 7,746
Unfortunately I've already had the pleasure of demoing the SR1a thanks too @llamaluv!
All joking aside. I'm considering this combo, but again, I'm in no rush as either aren't going anywhere.
I'm sure I'll be pulling the trigger sooner than later, though.

Do keep in mind that the Vidar's are but one of many options, and that your listening experience might differ. Personally, I have not tried the SR1a on the Vidars but found the Ragnarok (v1) not particularly good with the SR1a, mostly being somewhat underpowered and not as good as dedicated speaker amps in the same price range. A friend of mine ran the SR1a's with a Vidar and later moved to the Esoteric I03, and felt that the I03 was a substantive step up. Granted, the I03 is arguably one of, if not the best Class D integrated system out there. It's certainly possible that the Vidar's have some kind of magical synergy, but my experiences the amps that pair best with the SR1a's tend to be the most expensive ones with overengineered power delivery solutions. Schiit makes some excellent products that do punch somewhat above their price point,and if you prefer oversampled R2R to DS DAC's you may very well prefer the Yggy over a Directstream, but that doesn't mean that the Directstream isn't a more technically accomplished DAC.

Anyways, my personal take is still that if you want to get the best out of the SR1a's, modern Spectral, paired AHB2's, the really big Bryston's, or high end stuff like Lamm or Nagra monoblocks are your best best. I do agree with Seth that if you're dipping your toes in, the Vidar is probably the cheapest way to do so with okay results. That said, something like a 14b3 or Nagra AMP will run just about any pair of headphones with no perceptible noise (I run the rather sensitive Mysphere 3.2 on my Nagra with no issues), and the same can't be said for the noise floor of the Vidar. The Vidar is nonetheless pretty good for something like the Susvara or the Abyss Phi, though.
 
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May 5, 2019 at 5:08 PM Post #1,049 of 7,746
We have been running the SR1A on two Schiit VIdar (I think MSRP is USD 699 or thereabouts) as monoblocks for about 3 days now. I have to say they sound absolutely incredible, in my honest opinion, they have more balls and sound fuller than the Bryston 3B3 that we have been running for the past few weeks prior. I have 2 setups that we have been running on,

1 a Schiit Yiggy with a GSX MK2 as a Pre and the 2 Vidar as monoblocks to the SR1A and they sound absolutely phenomenal.
2 a PS Audio Directstream with GSX MK2 as a Pre with the 2 Vidar as monoblocks and the SR1A equally as unreal.

There is all this talk about expensive amps and class D NCORE. I can tell you that we have tried at least 10 different amps, Bryston 3B3s, NAD M25, Hagel, Lyngdorf, the list goes on...

And these simple inexpensive A/B Schitt Vidar, that are in stock now in Black and Silver sound better than any of them.

Yes, some more expensive amps may sound better, but I can say without hesitation that these sound better than the HE1 that I tested at can jam Singapore with the SR1A.

Seth

So while you're trying to find the ultimate endgame solution buy 2 Vidar, use them as monoblocks and quit screwing with all these other class D amps and stuff that just doesn't sound good. These WILL blow you away!

What about two Aegirs (Vidar's little brother) in monoblock mode, vs two Vidars in monoblock mode?
 
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May 6, 2019 at 12:06 AM Post #1,050 of 7,746
Do keep in mind that the Vidar's are but one of many options, and that your listening experience might differ. Personally, I have not tried the SR1a on the Vidars but found the Ragnarok (v1) not particularly good with the SR1a, mostly being somewhat underpowered and not as good as dedicated speaker amps in the same price range. A friend of mine ran the SR1a's with a Vidar and later moved to the Esoteric I03, and felt that the I03 was a substantive step up. Granted, the I03 is arguably one of, if not the best Class D integrated system out there. It's certainly possible that the Vidar's have some kind of magical synergy, but my experiences the amps that pair best with the SR1a's tend to be the most expensive ones with overengineered power delivery solutions. Schiit makes some excellent products that do punch somewhat above their price point,and if you prefer oversampled R2R to DS DAC's you may very well prefer the Yggy over a Directstream, but that doesn't mean that the Directstream isn't a more technically accomplished DAC.

Anyways, my personal take is still that if you want to get the best out of the SR1a's, modern Spectral, paired AHB2's, the really big Bryston's, or high end stuff like Lamm or Nagra monoblocks are your best best. I do agree with Seth that if you're dipping your toes in, the Vidar is probably the cheapest way to do so with okay results. That said, something like a 14b3 or Nagra AMP will run just about any pair of headphones with no perceptible noise (I run the rather sensitive Mysphere 3.2 on my Nagra with no issues), and the same can't be said for the noise floor of the Vidar. The Vidar is nonetheless pretty good for something like the Susvara or the Abyss Phi, though.
What you're saying is in the back of my mind, and I already know myself well enough that I'd be looking to further upgrade. After hearing Lee's Pass/SR1a I wouldn't be too happy with hearing anything less which is why I stated "unfortunately I've already had the pleasure of demoing the SR1a thanks too @llamaluv!" I also mentioned this to Lee the day I demoed the SR1a at his place.
 

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