[FLTWS]

So my sr1a’s just came in. Is there some sort of lock that prevents adjustment of the wings? It seems to resist movement in any direction.

Hold the cylinder as you turn the wing, it will get easier with flexing but too much might make it sloppy. I like mine tight so I don't have to fiddle with it anymore.

 

[FLTWS]

Same with the plugs, I was having intermittent issues with the left one, in time I figured out it wasn't fully seated, push firmly I don't think you can break the wing.

 

[trigeminalv3]

I guess you are using the Interface Box, isnt' it ?
Sorry for the obvious answer, but are you sure that the jack is well fit into the headphone. Mine was pretty stiff.
Other than that I will try to deep down starting to the amplifier from the Interface Box, checking that the both the channel of your amplifier works and so on.

I'm actually using it with the jot r. Turns out just swapping the headphone plug with the red band on it from the left wing to the right one worked.

 

[Duncan_McCloud]

I'm actually using it with the jot r. Turns out just swapping the headphone plug with the red band on it from the left wing to the right one worked.

Glad it worked, but honestly haven't understood it... xD

 

[Njychen]

I tried searching this thread but no luck so far.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to get a good custom cable besides Moon Audio?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bluesaint]

I tried searching this thread but no luck so far.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to get a good custom cable besides Moon Audio?

Thanks in advance.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/raal-ribbon-headphones-srh1a.890603/post-15039804

 

[rollinbr]

I tried searching this thread but no luck so far.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to get a good custom cable besides Moon Audio?

Thanks in advance.

I HIGHLY recommend YOUR FINAL SYSTEM cables for the sr1a....I read a good review of the cable and decided to give it a go, cost less than the stock and is excellent...in fact I liked it so much I ordered a couple more for my other HP's

Cable makers own review of cable but it's a start

And no I don't have a second sourced cable for my SR1a. Currently using the one that came with it.

 

[trigeminalv3]

Same with the plugs, I was having intermittent issues with the left one, in time I figured out it wasn't fully seated, push firmly I don't think you can break the wing.

How firmly? I stop when I hear a click but I see there is still some of the input exposed. Not sure whether I'm supposed to push further.

EDIT: Yeah this time I can't shake the faint/less prominent sound coming from the right channel. Yesterday there was just no sound at all.

 

[FLTWS]

How firmly? I stop when I hear a click but I see there is still some of the input exposed. Not sure whether I'm supposed to push further.

Interesting, as mine was an earlier version my connector is different. If it clicks and doesn't come loose while listening you should be good to go. And yours looks fully seated. When mine came loose it caused the channel to go intermittent or cut out all together. I do note that over time as I plugged and un-plugged them they went in and came out a little easier but I've had no issues since the first 2 - 3 weeks of ownership with the stock cable. I also have alternate cables from YSF and Moon and never had any issue with those. Sometimes the stock cable because of the outer wrap would get caught up with my clothing and / or chair putting a little strain on the connector when I would bend and twist to the left to change a CD or adjust volume etc. and loosen it. Not a problem with the Moon and I use a 10 foot length so plenty of slack available. It has been suggested to me that 5 to 6 foot might be better for impedance matching and I've got a number of black (and silver dragons) for phones I no longer own that maybe I'll see if I can get them repurposed in a shorter length with the TRRS or TRS connectors.
Keep us updated if you continue to have issues. And by all means contact your dealer or RAAL US as well if the problem persists. There's always more than one thing that can wrong with any piece of gear.

 

[trigeminalv3]

Interesting, as mine was an earlier version my connector is different. If it clicks and doesn't come loose while listening you should be good to go. And yours looks fully seated. When mine came loose it caused the channel to go intermittent or cut out all together. I do note that over time as I plugged and un-plugged them they went in and came out a little easier but I've had no issues since the first 2 - 3 weeks of ownership with the stock cable. I also have alternate cables from YSF and Moon and never had any issue with those. Sometimes the stock cable because of the outer wrap would get caught up with my clothing and / or chair putting a little strain on the connector when I would bend and twist to the left to change a CD or adjust volume etc. and loosen it. Not a problem with the Moon and I use a 10 foot length so plenty of slack available. It has been suggested to me that 5 to 6 foot might be better for impedance matching and I've got a number of black (and silver dragons) for phones I no longer own that maybe I'll see if I can get them repurposed in a shorter length with the TRRS or TRS connectors.
Keep us updated if you continue to have issues. And by all means contact your dealer or RAAL US as well if the problem persists. There's always more than one thing that can wrong with any piece of gear.

I just unplugged then plugged the power adapter going into the jot r which got rid of the issue..

 

[jlbrach]

egged on by a couple of people here I trust with great confidence I went ahead and ordered and received the HSA-1B a couple of days ago....very quick verdict, a home run....as those who have read my comments here I am a huge fan of the SR1A and liked the Jotr very much especially for the reasonable price....I also have the susvara and abyss TC so my setup has been a bit convoluted switching back and forth between amps to listen to the different HP options...first of all the 1B is a huge upgrade, everything is more relaxed and an even greater pleasure to listen to. The soundstage is larger and the detail even greater if possible....listening to the Jotr I now hear a bit of harshness and brightness that is not present in the 1B....I truly look forward to my opportunities to put the SR1A on my head and relaxing with the music....the key for me is that the 1B can use an adapter included in the box to work with my abyss and susvara and that to me is a game changer....if this option did not exist I am not sure I would have pushed myself to write yet another check in this crazy hobby lol....you can listen to HP's without the adapter but to my ears without it the hard to drive susvara and TC do not come to life as they do with the adapter...the unit is well built and a bonus for me since it sits by my bed it runs cool to the touch, barely a hint of warmth....I was afraid the glowing reviews I had read here might be over the top but indeed they were not and I am thrilled that I took the plunge...this hobby may bankrupt me but every now and then it all seems worth it and the SR1A and HSA-1B combo to me is that every now and then....

 

[cfisher]

I've owned my SR1a for 14 months now and can drive them directly with my Jot R or EVO400 with the interface.

To my ears the SR1a sound is not like speakers, but not like typical headphones (open backed or closed) either. It's it's own species in sound presentation, more akin to the K1000(?) and current MySphere models.

Even though the ribbons are dipoles there is inadequate L channel delayed signal to the R ear and vice-versa to set up a good sound field as can happen with most conventional speakers, especially point source or line source dipoles properly positioned per room requirements. But what is there is very stable as is imaging and, I think, captures what the recording has to offer, both good and bad.

But the SR1a's other sound qualities (transparency, ability to capture recording venue ambience, air around instruments and voices - except at the very lowest frequencies, speed of transient attack impact and decay characteristics, tonal reproduction, ability to maintain control of say a 100 piece orchestra going full tilt and keep different groups of instruments differentiated without coming unglued and throwing in the towel.....just some of the things I like about the SR1a and what I think it excels at.

The loudness level of deep bass notes fades as it approaches the very bottom of the frequency range but it is highly articulated all the way down and I find EQ works very well with the ribbon. I find the SR1a can,with some recordings, generate a bit of air, but often not enough, to make say a bass drum or large tam-tam stroke approach what I feel is comparable to what I experience in the concert hall.

It takes a little time to adjust the mechanical aspects of the SR1a for best fit and sound, especially the wing flare. But once I found my sweet spot for the mechanical variables the design holds those aspects nice and tight so I'm not readjusting for every listening session.

These are extremely clean sound transducers and the tendency might be to play them louder than is safe so that is something to be aware of.

I also find it comfortable to wear, and there is no sweat inducing heat buildup to deal with.

I do look forward to putting an HSA-1b thru it's paces sometime the first quarter of 2021 and see what it brings to the overall SR1a soundscape.

So how is the EVO400? That seems like a good option for an affordable high-wattage tube integrated for the SR1a. Any word whether you will be able to use the KT170s with it?

 

[Roasty]

egged on by a couple of people here I trust with great confidence I went ahead and ordered and received the HSA-1B a couple of days ago....very quick verdict, a home run....as those who have read my comments here I am a huge fan of the SR1A and liked the Jotr very much especially for the reasonable price....I also have the susvara and abyss TC so my setup has been a bit convoluted switching back and forth between amps to listen to the different HP options...first of all the 1B is a huge update, everything is more relaxed and an even greater pleasure to listen to. The soundstage is larger and the detail even greater if possible....listening to the Jotr I now hear a bit of harshness and brightness that is not present in the 1B....I truly look forward to my opportunities to put the SR1A on my head and relaxing with the music....the key for me is that the 1B can use an adapter included in the box to work with my abyss and susvara and that to me is a game changer....if this option did not exist I am not sure I would have pushed myself to write yet another check in this crazy hobby lol....you can listen to HP's without the adapter but to my ears without it the hard to drive susvara and TC do not come to life as they do with the adapter...the unit is well built and a bonus for me since it sits by my bed it runs cool to the touch, barely a hint of warmth....I was afraid the glowing reviews I had read here might be over the top but indeed they were not and I am thrilled that I took the plunge...this hobby may bankrupt me but every now and then it all seems worth it and the SR1A and HSA-1B combo to me is that every now and then....

I have the Raal with the JotR on loan from a friend and I do find it goes from awesome to harsh quite quickly with a slight turn of the jotR volume knob.

How do u find the hsa1b for the TC compared to the formula/powerman combo? Even-stevens or is there a winner?

 

[jlbrach]

I would say that shockingly the 1B drives the TC very well and it sounds great but at least in my case it requires the adapter which is no big deal, but a couple of people have said they were able to drive the susvara and TC without the adapter...to me without the adapter it kind of sounds like it does power wise straight from the dave....I certainly wont say that the 1B is better than the formula s combo but the fact that it is in the same league as one of the best amps I have heard for tough to drive planars speaks volumes about the 1B...having the ability to drive the sr1a sublimely and the susvara and TC extremely well makes it a compelling purchase IMHO

 

[Roasty]

I would say that shockingly the 1B drives the TC very well and it sounds great but at least in my case it requires the adapter which is no big deal, but a couple of people have said they were able to drive the susvara and TC without the adapter...to me without the adapter it kind of sounds like it does power wise straight from the dave....I certainly wont say that the 1B is better than the formula s combo but the fact that it is in the same league as one of the best amps I have heard for tough to drive planars speaks volumes about the 1B...having the ability to drive the sr1a sublimely and the susvara and TC extremely well makes it a compelling purchase IMHO

That says a lot. Thanks!
I'm still on the fence on whether to shell out on the raal/1b combo vs upgrade other parts of my system. I believe my friend is trying to get the 1b on trial. I hope he manages to do so.