[rkw]

The HSA-1a seems no more. Replaced by the HSA-1b. Which seems exhaustively silly and confusing.

Silly only because the HSA-1b is what it should have been originally. If a minor change allows the amp to also work with conventional headphones, then the HSA-1a was needlessly restrictive in its usefulness. The HSA-1b makes it much more attractive to potential buyers.

 

[kodreaming]

5K...I guess if you look at Stax amp, 5K is not that crazy at least you can use it for speaker and headphone...

 

[stemiki]

The should show the internal layout, then you can better evaluate.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

5K...I guess if you look at Stax amp, 5K is not that crazy at least you can use it for speaker and headphone...

It depends how much better it will be against the Schiit Jotunheim R with the JR having rave reviews against a lot of normal speaker amps that have been tested against it with the JR also being a relatively low price.

With the JR having such rave reviews I think I will now order one with the SR1a's and Interface Conversion Box I ordered last week (although won't be receiving them till third week in August due to COVID and HiFi Dealer on summer vacation) to compare it with my Chord Mezzo 140.

However, I am expecting good results with the Mezzo 140 considering the Chord Etude also has had a good review with the SR1a's. This is based on listening to an Etude a while back at a HiFi Show where I felt my Mezzo 140 sounded better i.e. more body and bass to the music whilst still keeping nice clear treble, separation and sound stage.

 

[paradoxper]

The should show the internal layout, then you can better evaluate.

Indeed. You could ask Torq. Otherwise, internals will be coming out once production is released back into the wild. There are some questions that need answered.

Aside: It also doesn't look like there will be such a surge with ribbon direct-drive amplifiers as has been with STAX from some of the most prolific designers. At least publicly.

 

[stemiki]

When I have to buy something expensive, I would like, if before the purchase I can't try it in my system, at least see the inside.

I also think that if I had to buy the Raal, first of all to hear a craftsman to understand if possible to make a dedicated amplifier.

It seems to me that the technical characteristics of the headset are found here in the thread.

 

[jlbrach]

I thought I might ask for some help from my fellow raal and jotr owners....I have been listening to the combo SE out of my chord dave and today I decided to try it out of the balanced XLR outputs on the dave into the balanced inputs on the jotr....at first I thought all was well...it was louder but seemed proper until I noticed that the channels seemed to be reversed so that what I hear in the left channel when connected SE I now was hearing in the right channel....I wanted to be sure I wasn't losing my mind so I hooked up my other amp to the dave and listened SE and it matched SE out of the Jotr.....I can easily just reverse the cables L and R to listen as it should be but I am confused by it and wondering if anyone else has noticed this/

 

[kodreaming]

Good to know. I most likely will need to buy a Jot R as my Rag 2 is not just cutting it at least power wise.

It depends how much better it will be against the Schiit Jotunheim R with the JR having rave reviews against a lot of normal speaker amps that have been tested against it with the JR also being a relatively low price.

With the JR having such rave reviews I think I will now order one with the SR1a's and Interface Conversion Box I ordered last week (although won't be receiving them till third week in August due to COVID and HiFi Dealer on summer vacation) to compare it with my Chord Mezzo 140.

However, I am expecting good results with the Mezzo 140 considering the Chord Etude also has had a good review with the SR1a's. This is based on listening to an Etude a while back at a HiFi Show where I felt my Mezzo 140 sounded better i.e. more body and bass to the music whilst still keeping nice clear treble, separation and sound stage.

 

[Shahrose]

I thought I might ask for some help from my fellow raal and jotr owners....I have been listening to the combo SE out of my chord dave and today I decided to try it out of the balanced XLR outputs on the dave into the balanced inputs on the jotr....at first I thought all was well...it was louder but seemed proper until I noticed that the channels seemed to be reversed so that what I hear in the left channel when connected SE I now was hearing in the right channel....I wanted to be sure I wasn't losing my mind so I hooked up my other amp to the dave and listened SE and it matched SE out of the Jotr.....I can easily just reverse the cables L and R to listen as it should be but I am confused by it and wondering if anyone else has noticed this/

Balanced XLRs working fine for me, ie. no channel swap. Try emailing Schiit.

 

[jlbrach]

I just did, we shall see....

 

[T3RIAD]

The XLR channels aren't switched on my Jot R either. Would be crazy if Schiit built yours backwards.

 

[jlbrach]

it turns out the online manual for my chord dave is mislabeled...a new version 1.1 which contradicts my original written manual and other online manuals....very strange indeed but it appears problem solved

 

[Shahrose]

JotR problem with mid/high hardness 50% resolved I had an ungodly expensive balanced interconnect that is tipped up in the highs and switched it out for a canare star quad and wow much better. I loved the $$$$$ cable I other systems but beware the ruthless nature of the SR1a. May look towards fully copper cables I the future for now the star quad saved the day.

I am holding on buying the RAAL HSA as there may be other power amps and one box solutions in the future

RAAL system is Roon core - Lumin T2 - JotR - SR1a
alternate system for dynamics Roon core - Lumin T2 - GSX-mini - utopia - rad0 - he1000se

ps my mbp has a broken N key so please forgive if I miss an error

Overall, I really like the SR1a. There's enough praise of the Jot R pairing on this forum that I thought it be useful for potential buyers to know some of their weaknesses. These are all my opinions with my gear ofcourse. I listen mostly with the drivers 30 degrees from the sagittal plane and usually around 70-80 dB with occasional sessions beyond that. In terms of music, I enjoy a wide range including electronic, classical, acoustic, hip-hop, pop, rock, ambient etc.

One of these weaknesses you've already described above as the hardness of the mids and highs. Not the last word in refinement. What's more, the frequency balance is on the cooler side to the point that it necessitates the use of an EQ (I use a 30-band digital one on Foobar) for a truly enjoyable experience. With the EQ however, they can sound fairly speaker-like and non-fatiguing.

Next is the bass: great quality and it has a unique speaker-like visceral character that's difficult to recreate in circumaural headphones. I feel it more on my skull/face than other cans. Even the extension isn't as bad as I was expecting and isn't really an issue for the vast majority of music. But the driver excursion limits are reached pretty quickly when it comes to slam. They don't punch as hard as any of my other headphones and if you force them with EQ, you can easily hear the drivers hitting their physical limit with a ringing noise that's absent from other HPs.

Lastly (for now), the soundstage. I bet the Jot R isn't getting the max out of these because I don't feel a vast difference between them and a well-driven HD800. With the RAALs, the sound is projected further in front of me and the stage is easier to imagine, along with images being somewhat larger. But, the tradeoff is the relative lack of the surround effect you get laterally and posteriorly with circumaurals. Overall, it's still my preferred presentation of all the headphones present, but it's not as clear-cut as I expected it to be based on readings.
Closely related to this is imaging and separation. It's good, but with some densely complex music, I find sometimes it becomes more difficult to follow individual lines/sounds compared to some other traditional headphones I have on hand, especially the HD800 or Utopia. The sound is busier and less distinct.

I want to get my hands on the HSA amp...I have a feeling it would remedy most of these criticisms.

 

[townes]

... As a side note, my HP rig is on my nightstand in between my bed and a recliner. I spent more time lounging and laying down than I am upright and SR1a seems more functional to me and my particular head shape than TC.

@EndGameSearch Your remark as quoted here is really interesting for me. That's the point, which prevented me up to now, to order a SR1a. If it's possible, i.e. convenient and not too "shaky" to use the SR1a in a half lying position (think Stressless recliner or Corbusier lounger), then I would order one as soon as they (and the HSA1) are available again. I know, you cannot guarantee that this would work for me, but for you it works, without the headphones falling backwards from your head, correct?

 

[lithiumnk]

I have experimented with some PMEQ settings on sr1a via Roon.
Please see some of the values are adopted from the other headfi website.

I am using the following settings in my setup: YMMV
1. Jot R baffle switch off
2. Using my 45 DHT tube pre
3. In Roon, 1.7khz: -2.5 to -3.5db Q: 1.5 (peak filter)
7khz: - 3 to -4.5db Q: 1.5 (peak filter)
60 hz- +2db bass shelf Q: 1 (disabled with active sub)
Decreased the output by -4db to prevent clipping.
4. The drivers set at ~20-25 degrees.
EDIT: I have more than 250 hrs on sr1a.

Brief Impressions: (I prefer slightly bright signature)
Pros:
1. There is no bass clipping even at high spl levels.(deadmau5, skrillex etc)
2. The sound is never thin, harsh on good recordings.
3. The soundstage is 3d holographic at another level (No competition here )
4. Amazing textures, timbre & airiness/openness.
5. Bass slam is excellent. (no clipping & adequate body ) Hits equally harder/ sometimes better than TC
6. TOTL Dynamic cans are not even close to SR1A.
7. Abyss TC & susvara have the subbass body & extension but after the above settings SR1A is very close/almost at par in body & slightly behind in extension & surpasses in bass speed, resolution, layering. After listening to Speed daemon by MJ on SR1A, TC sounded slow n veiled.
8. Voices are grain free, beautifully textured. Well centered in 3D stage with refined vocal comprehension.
9. Every instrument/note/vocal is under spotlight. I can easily focus at a particular aspect of the sound for the whole length of the song without any fatigue.
10. Virtually unbreakable.

Cons:
1. There is zero isolation & a quite room is a must.
2. Fitting takes some time. Incorrect fit can spoil the sound to a large extent. I struggled for 1-2 weeks.
3. Very dependent on upstream gear (dac/amp/cables)
4. Poor recordings suffer

You don't need a complex song to judge the novelty of SR1A. A simple well recorded instrument solo is more than enough.
I believe there is a lot of potential in SR1A & amp is definitely a limiting factor. Looking forward to try with different power amps/ Raal dedicated amp.
Alien stuff!

EDIT: Not using any PMEQ with well mastered recordings.