Orlok
100+ Head-Fier
Yes, it is and it really makes a big difference. With the thin stock strap, it felt tight on the head and like it was pulling down on my thinning hair!Looks like ZMF's Pilot Pad.
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Yes, it is and it really makes a big difference. With the thin stock strap, it felt tight on the head and like it was pulling down on my thinning hair!Looks like ZMF's Pilot Pad.
A recent SR1a convert here and I absolutely love mine. I use the Chord stack of HMS | TT2 | TToby to drive it and it sounds sublime. Amazing detail retrieval, resolution, clarity, imaging and soundstage. I mainly listen to classical, jazz, acoustic and vocal music so the SR1a seems perfectly suited for what I enjoy the most. The SR1a is also great for ambient electronic but not so good for EDM, hip hop and bass heavy modern pop. It just doesn't have enough bass slam or sub bass to be an ideal fit for that kind of stuff.
For rock, blues, metal and roots-oriented music, I'm not so sure. I feel that there's more detail than I want to hear with genres like these - mainly with highly overdriven electric guitars. It's also very unforgiving for older (50's through most of 80's) analog and lo-fi recordings, even remastered stuff. It's best for modern hi-fi and hi-res recordings IMHO. I still love my LCD-4. It's at the opposite end of the sonic spectrum from the SR1a but that's why I love it. Lots of bass, warmth, forward mids, and lushness are good too. I have the 1266 TC coming very soon so it'll be very interesting to compare that to both and find out where it will sit - physically and metaphorically!
Overall, I absolutely love the SR1a. I know that it isn't for everyone and wouldn't recommend it to someone who prefers a more relaxed and warm/lush presentation. I like treble and even lots of treble as long as it's smooth and sweet and not piercing or harsh. The SR1a has loads of treble energy but in a positive way.
Thank you!Great setup as I mentioned in another thread.
WRT your impressions, I couldn't agree more, especially with the bolded statements.
The SR1a have, overtime, become my choice headphones. The ones I'd keep on a desert island despite the concessions they make in bass volume (and extension to a lesser extent). It just sounds like real live music in front of me whereas all other cans render variations of the same artificial presentation. IMO, the RAALs emulate some of what make speakers special in recreating music.
The TCs may be my recommendation for overall best headphone by virtue of having the fewest faults, but the RAALs are the most realistic and special. Yesterday I glanced behind my chair five times with the same track thinking the sound emanated from there. It was the SR1a each time. I felt stupid...and amazed. These types of wow moments seldom happen with other HPs for me anymore. The TCs sometimes give me this feeling for well-recorded bass/subbass, the HD800 with some electronic perhaps, but the SR1a pull it off in every session.
Blasphemer! Really happy you've found your paths of headphones and amps, Shahrose.Great setup as I mentioned in another thread.
WRT your impressions, I couldn't agree more, especially with the bolded statements.
The SR1a have, overtime, become my choice headphones. The ones I'd keep on a desert island despite the concessions they make in bass volume (and extension to a lesser extent). It just sounds like real live music in front of me whereas all other cans render variations of the same artificial presentation. IMO, the RAALs emulate some of what make speakers special in recreating music.
The TCs may be my recommendation for overall best headphone by virtue of having the fewest faults, but the RAALs are the most realistic and special. Yesterday I glanced behind my chair five times with the same track thinking the sound emanated from there. It was the SR1a each time. I felt stupid...and amazed. These types of wow moments seldom happen with other HPs for me anymore. The TCs sometimes give me this feeling for well-recorded bass/subbass, the HD800 with some electronic perhaps, but the SR1a pull it off in every session.
I was curious about those too, when I saw them. I haven’t heard them yet (and I’m not sure where I could get a chance to hear them), but I did some research. That research strongly suggested that they cannot, in fact, compete. I don’t even think they could compete with the HeddPhone either (which I heard and did not like)As I'm saving up for my SR1a, I've run across these. https://www.linsoul.com/products/gold-planar-gl1200 I assume they can't compete, right?
That's what my research tells me too. Honestly, the fact that the drivers are so easily user-replaceable is a big factor for me. If the improve the drivers, all I have to do is pop them in.I was curious about those too, when I saw them. I haven’t heard them yet (and I’m not sure where I could get a chance to hear them), but I did some research. That research strongly suggested that they cannot, in fact, compete. I don’t even think they could compete with the HeddPhone either (which I heard and did not like)
I unplug my amp interface box a lot during the last 3 months as I compared different amps. No problems with that. IO am getting a D-Sonic Class D amp ($1500) next week. If that works with my tube DAC and SET preamp then I have the magic combo for my SR1a.Just a quick comment, because what I said is inaccurate and is bothering me: the treble is not "temperamental" with my current cheapo class D amp if I wear the SR1a properly. That is, with the vertical centers of the drivers about aligned with my ear canals. I guess I was just trying to find something wrong with the amp, and I was going back to when I wore the SR1a in a way that made it more "exciting" in the treble at the cost of smoothness.
Still looking forward to the Ragnarok 2. Hopefully there will be an audible difference, but I very likely won't be comparing the two directly, because I won't be swapping the cables out between the two amps, since I fear doing so could damage something in an amp or the interface. I guess I could turn them both off, but I fear I also need to unplug, etc. etc. etc. I'm done typing for tonight.