[BrowChan]

Not sure if this was already mentioned, but...

AFAIR, Danny told me that it is possible to hook up a sub to the HSA-1a/1b if craving for that rumble. I will try it out if and when I have the time. Danny said he'd walk me through it if I'm having issues. Awesome gentleman and fun to talk with.

I could be wrong cause I have not tried it, but this is what I remember.

 

[FLTWS]

 

[simorag]

So sweet ... damn, I wish there was a way to like a post more than once

 

[yyzSB]

I am doing another test with my Benchmark AHB2 amp, I connected the RAAL Amp Interface with Audience Conducter SE speaker wire this time (last time it was Benchmark SpeakON wire). The reason I wanted to try again was because I had not tried the AHB2 with the same ROON Parametric EQ as I had on the RAAL HSA-1b. The AHB2 sounded much better than last time however, there was still an element of fatigue still prevalent in the sound. Unfortunately, the HSA-1b is still the one to beat.

The AHB2 sounds great on my speakers and I have ordered a second one to run in mono but no dice with the RAAL SR1a.

 

[thomaskong78]

I am doing another test with my Benchmark AHB2 amp, I connected the RAAL Amp Interface with Audience Conducter SE speaker wire this time (last time it was Benchmark SpeakON wire). The reason I wanted to try again was because I had not tried the AHB2 with the same ROON Parametric EQ as I had on the RAAL HSA-1b. The AHB2 sounded much better than last time however, there was still an element of fatigue still prevalent in the sound. Unfortunately, the HSA-1b is still the one to beat.

The AHB2 sounds great on my speakers and I have ordered a second one to run in mono but no dice with the RAAL SR1a.

I recommend you to try Schitt Freya+ pre in front of AHB2.

After having Schitt Freya+ in front of Jot R, it sounds less aggressive and quite enjoyable.

 

[ferraro25]

Just got the interface. Bass problems are gone - it is perfectly balanced between the channels with no audible distortion, and I hear no over-excursion issues at a high volume (high for me, at least - I tend to listen at lower volumes). I now realize how utterly broken my Jotunheim was, haha.

The $80 amp I got is actually 160W Max, not 2 x 160W. And the included power supply isn't enough to get to 160W. I bought a 32V 5A supply, but I'm using the included one. Even with the underpowered supply, It drives the SR1a with no problems, no noise, and at a high volume at around the 11 O'clock position (and with my source at 40% volume), which is less than halfway to max. Also has those simple "bass" and "treble" dials that'll definitely get a lot of use. Link for those curious as to what I bought: TDA7498E-based cheapo stereo amp from Amazon

I probably won't bother RMA'ing the Jotunheim R anytime soon. I am not sure I'd be able to tell a difference between this amp and the Jotunheim. From my experience, headphones are extremely different from each other, while sources and amps are not so much (tube amps are different, yes, in that they purposely add distortion). Out of curiosity, I might RMA the Jotunheim or get a more expensive amp at some point.

No complaints about the SR1a, now. I don't see a point in buying any other open headphones. My advice to people consdering buying this headphone is to cut out the Schiit (ha), and maybe even cheap out on the amp. The headphone is what makes 95%+ of the difference.

 

[jlbrach]

the thing that confuses me a bit is why the hsa-1b which on pure power numbers isnt all that powerful should be able to drive the susvara as well as it does...it drives it better than many far more powerful amos I have owned and is literally a fraction of the power of speaker amps people here extol.....I am surprisingly pleased with the performance with traditional HP's...I expected it to be outstanding with the sr1a

 

[yyzSB]

I just bought a CODA CSib integrated from 2018 for my second KEF LS50 system (they were orphaned). I will hook up the RAAL Amp Interface to that and should have a better result than the AHB2. The CODA I ordered is 150 watt @ Ohm and 300 watt @ 4 Ohm.. The first 18 watt are Class A.

I think I have to just upgrade the preamp section for $150 to get to the 2020 specs.

 

[ferraro25]

With the big headband straps (I've removed the smaller ones) set to the middle pegs so that my ear canals are lined up properly or maybe a little above the speakers' centers, and the bass boosted a bit (to give it the missing "thump" that some music needs) and treble boosted a tiny amount (I like treble, haha) on my amp, this headphone is AMAZINGLY FUN!

Now that I have a working amp that doesn't completely ruin the bass on this headphone, I no longer really understand why anyone would bother with subwoofers in addition to this, unless they REALLY want sub-30Hz and are OK with the lowest frequencies lagging behind the rest of the response (I guess it would be possible to fix the timing via DSP, though). Unlike my experience with a broken Jotunheim R, the bass can get properly LOUD with no issue, and it can be safely boosted quite a bit - I have not heard either driver hit the excursion limits. Such a relief that this headphone can actually do bass at a very healthy volume - I wasn't assuming the excursion issue was going to be fixed in addition to the rest of the issues that were caused by the faulty Jotunheim R.

 

[KaiSc]

the thing that confuses me a bit is why the hsa-1b which on pure power numbers isnt all that powerful should be able to drive the susvara as well as it does...it drives it better than many far more powerful amos I have owned and is literally a fraction of the power of speaker amps people here extol.....I am surprisingly pleased with the performance with traditional HP's...I expected it to be outstanding with the sr1a

Why not, according to specs the HSA-1b can drive the Susvara to 115 dBSPL, enough for everyone who want to keep one’s hearing healthy.

 

[Shini44]

just pulled the plug on HSA-1b , it will take few weeks to get because mine is a custom order for 230v

will pair it with Chord Hugo 2 TT + M-Scaler as well. for my RAAL SR1a

i kind of like Hugo 2 TT sound sig over Chord Dave tbh.

 

[jlbrach]

Why not, according to specs the HSA-1b can drive the Susvara to 115 dBSPL, enough for everyone who want to keep one’s hearing healthy.

I am not referring to how loud it can get, I am referring to the grunt and the grip that it provides the susvara...it is actually outputting less than 2 watts into the susvara which while more than enough it is relatively light for the susvara..I am told it has something to do with current kind of like with the formula s/powerman

 

[KaiSc]

Why not, according to specs the HSA-1b can drive the Susvara to 115 dBSPL, enough for everyone who want to keep one’s hearing healthy.

I am not referring to how loud it can get, I am referring to the grunt and the grip that it provides the susvara...it is actually outputting less than 2 watts into the susvara which while more than enough it is relatively light for the susvara..I am told it has something to do with current kind of like with the formula s/powerman

If HSA-1b can deliver anything then it’s current.
That’s exactly what this amp is built about.

Everything else can only be evaluated practically - grunt is no measurable technical parameter.

115 dBSPL is what the HSA-1b’s 1.5 W @ 60 Ohms can produce on the Susvara without any signal alteration like clipping.

BTW:: the anecdotical 6 W that is said the Susvara needs is just 6 dB more.

BTW: the mentioned Eleven XI Audio Formula S delivers 1.6 W into 60 Ohms, so power wise it’s just the same.

 

[trigeminalv3]

.

 

[FLTWS]

Funny you should ask...Raal/requisite have a new silver cable coming out shortly as an upgrade. I've been listening to it for the past week or so and I absolutely love it! It's opened up the sound staging and transparency over the stock cable and when coupled with the HSA-1b + Chord DAVE, personal audio just doesn't get any better to my ears. MSRP will be $1050 USD and it is beautifully constructed and sounds sublime! I will be covering this entire setup (including the cable) in my upcoming HSA-1b review.

What length did that upgraded cable come in?