[Ciggavelli]

My Jot R runs a little hot, but nothing crazy. I run them XLR in and the volume anywhere from 11-2 (depending on where I put the volume on my preamp at)

 

[jlbrach]

in balanced mode it is a fair bit louder than with RCA connection....I have mine on 24/7 and it is warm not hot...no issue

 

[T3RIAD]

In balanced mode that's pretty loud with many recordings of mine.

Well, I have the amp set to "a bit louder than I would ever want it," then I use the DAC volume to lower it a bit further depending on the song. So on average I have my source set 3 - 5 dB less than the full 4V.

 

[jp11801]

When using the jotr i found myself around 11-12 o'clock ran warmish but never hot great option for the price.

Until RAAL or other amp makers start turning out dedicated tube amps or amps tuned to the needs of the sr1a the JotR is sorta the best option other than a dedicated power amp.

My hope is RAAL gets a tube amp out in the next 3-6 months at a reasonable price. The HSA appears not the best value unless there is absolutely top end design and components under that hood. Has anyone seen the internals.

Once the amps catch up to this earspeaker I think it will dominate the high end space for a while.

 

[simorag]

One of the highlights of the SR1a is how it renders baroque keyboard music played on piano, e.g. Scarlatti or Bach.

This exceptional Goldberg Variations performance of Maestro Schiff recorded live by ECM is rithmically, tonally, emotionally overwhelming.

The SR1a produce a very pure, tactile, elastic, buoyant, harmonically rich sound which suits especially well to the mood and intentions of how a Bach piece should be played (IMHO, of course) on a modern piano.

 

[FLTWS]

That's one of the sonic aspects I like about ribbons, percussive attack and delay, especially with piano, is hard to beat. Listening to some piano concertos this past week and the clarity of the piano sound, especially with regards to key strikes, and how they come out of the texture of the whole orchestra was impressive.

 

[Nik]

... The only "problem" is that the SR1 don't sound alone... and they have not so many partners to shine at their best !!!

 

[FLTWS]

True. The sound quality of the source recordings and ancillary equipment all contribute to the end sound.

 

[dieslemat]

Interesting. Saw some posts here about taming the treble and mids by changing the xlr cable between the source to the Jotunheim R or the headphone cable itself.

for those who considers their treble to be just right (not bright or harsh) can you tell me what brand/make your interconnect is?
I’d like to try some changes.

 

[jp11801]

Interesting. Saw some posts here about taming the treble and mids by changing the xlr cable between the source to the Jotunheim R or the headphone cable itself.

for those who considers their treble to be just right (not bright or harsh) can you tell me what brand/make your interconnect is?
I’d like to try some changes.

I had a nordost Tyr, normally awesome but too tipped up and swapped out to a blue jeans XLR better but the kimber kcag hit the spot. The tyr had acoustic guitar initial attack as too sharp and the kimber sounded much more natural.

Keep in mind I'm going direct from my source to my power amp. So only one cable

 

[FLTWS]

Interesting. Saw some posts here about taming the treble and mids by changing the xlr cable between the source to the Jotunheim R or the headphone cable itself.

for those who considers their treble to be just right (not bright or harsh) can you tell me what brand/make your interconnect is?
I’d like to try some changes.

Just right by whose ears and with what type music? Mixing and matching cables can result in a moving target sonically and one that you may find difficult to zero in on for yourself. Add in the sonic flavors of the electronics in the chain can make it even more difficult to get where you want be. Then, of course, recorded quality and the vast differences between them make it an almost “you can’t get there from here” proposition, or sometimes it’s “perfection”. Factoring in SR1a positioning / angling and fit adds another dimension.

The SR1a complicates matters because of the extraordinarily low resistance of the HP cable required to give what RAAL considers to be the optimum sound signature. With other TOTL phones the feeding requirements may not be so fussy and there are plenty of options available. And who knows, a cable that suppresses highs relative to lows may make one listener say “just right” and another one say “that’s dull and lifeless” and a cable that gives a frequency response tilted the opposite way makes another listener say “weak bass” or “loose, lacking detail” , and another say “too etched, over the top bright”. Some listeners never hear a difference or consider a difference as minimal where someone else hears it as highly notable.

The options out there are exceedingly slim at this point as far as the SR1a is concerned and from information / feedback I’ve read, if a cable design doesn’t pay attention to the load of that ribbon presents and its feeding needs it could result in frequency balances all over the place from thin and bright to perhaps, just the opposite. But who knows but that a skewed frequency response, by design, one way or another may be just the ticket for a given listener.

I’ve experimented with 2 aftermarkets so far. One I just got this week so it’s too soon for me to make up my mind for myself as to whether it’s the sound I want with my associated chain of components and with my choice of music genre’s and quality of recordings on CD.

Cables, AAARRRGGGHHH! Comparing them is often an exercise in frustration.

That doesn’t answer your question, but I haven’t answered it for myself yet with the SR1a. But I can say that for me and in my experience the cable that makes the most difference in my rigs is the one between the HP (or loud speaker) and the amp. As I move back in the chain the differences, with my level of equipment and choice(s) of cabling, become less of a factor on the sound to my ears. And the stock cable sounds good to me but as audiophiles we always look for better if it’s out there so we chase that last 5%.

And, for $150 bucks that little Loki is an interesting tool, but while I’m evaluating cables I avoid using it. As always, less is more and that hope that I can settle on a one piece of wire to get me where I want to be sound wise is desirable. I’ve always and already got too much on my plate where this hobby is concerned, but that’s the “audiophile experience”, LOL!

The only 2 aftermarket brands of SR1a specific cable I’ve heard of and heard so far are YFS and Moon Black Dragon (just acquired).

There may be and probably are other brands available that I am not familiar with and there are other posters here with the knowledge to address the cable resistance aspect vs. frequency response results much better than I. But again, it all comes down to the individual listener and how they feel about what they hear.

 

[Nik]

Only one interconnect cable (from Grandioso cd player to darTZeel integrated): rca Nordost Odin.

 

[dieslemat]

And, for $150 bucks that little Loki is an interesting tool, but while I’m evaluating cables I avoid using it. As always, less is more and that hope that I can settle on a one piece of wire to get me where I want to be sound wise is desirable. I’ve always and already got too much on my plate where this hobby is concerned, but that’s the “audiophile experience”, LOL!

The only 2 aftermarket brands of SR1a specific cable I’ve heard of and heard so far are YFS and Moon Black Dragon (just acquired).

Yeah I have the Loki mini would try to test that out.

let me know how the black dragon cable goes. I trust your review. Thank you

 

[jp11801]

Only one interconnect cable (from Grandioso cd player to darTZeel integrated): rca Nordost Odin.

Wow darTZeel color me jealous!! Must sound fantastic

OK this is going to sound a little weird. Has any experimented listening on a couch or recliner with a microfiber or cloth something absorbent rather than reflective? It kicks us the bass response and warmth.

 

[makan]

Only one interconnect cable (from Grandioso cd player to darTZeel integrated): rca Nordost Odin.

I have the premium black dragon. I have not specifically spent time a/b ing with the stock cable, but I don’t hear any big differences, but I do think the treble is a little less hit with the moon cable. FWIW, I am not a big cable sound discerner. The moon cable sounds good for me.