[cfisher]

The Aegir is likely just about the right amount of power. I do not know if the 20 watts in Pentode mode of the VM-1a translates to the same on the Aegir. The Aegir is about 90% as good as the VM-1a. This is with the Benchmark LA4 preamp and the Schitt Yggi+ Less is More DAC. I sold the VM-1a to raise cash for a Magtech amp for my Magnepan LRS+.

The original plan was to use the LA4 preamp with output (RCA and XLR) to 2 amps and turn on only 1 amp when needed. However, I did not realize the Magtech did not have a STANDBY button and automatically went into STANDBY mode. This meant I had to do a hard OFF from the switch on the back. I was told this was not the best way to use the amp from the designer. I also messed up one day and had both the Aegir and Magtech turned on at the same time.

For those reasons, I ordered the Schitt Mjolnir preamp last week. It should arrive this week after they build it. Good to hear that it is getting good reviews. It seemed like something that would work well with the Aegir and SR1a. Maybe even better than the LA4, though I really liked the Aegir and LA4 pairing.

My Holo Serene preamp in my Livingroom system is now hooked up to the RAAL CA-1a and that preamp outputs 2 watts on the second XLR left and right outputs. I use a special cable and then the RAAL TI-1b cables to make it work and the 2 watts seems sufficient. The Mjolnir 2-watts is supposed to be very robust with the strong power supply behind it. The 2-wattts will be for the CA-1a and the 20-watts of the Aegir will be for the SR1a via the TI-1b.

I also use the Schitt JR which is in my office. The Schitt Yggi+ has 3 outputs on the back and I am able to use the single DAC to 3 preamps at once, the JR, LA4, and Mjolnir.

So maybe CA-1a can get away with 2 watts but not the SR1a? I have an Yggy and a Gumby and generally like Schitt products. Eager to hear how the Mjolnir sounds with the TI-1b if you don't mind trying next week.

 

[rlawry]

So maybe CA-1a can get away with 2 watts but not the SR1a? I have an Yggy and a Gumby and generally like Schitt products. Eager to hear how the Mjolnir sounds with the TI-1b if you don't mind trying next week.

There have been numerous posts in this thread that amps with 2 watts output into either 16 or 32 ohms using the Ti-1b is sufficient power. My Benchmark HPA4 headphone amp outputs 6W into 16 ohms and 3.5W into 32 ohms and has plenty of power into the TI-1b/SR-1b although I don't listen at deafening levels. I slightly prefer the sound using the 16 ohm input of the Ti-1b but 3.5W into 32 ohms is plenty of power into the Ti-1b (3.5W is less than a 3 dB increase over 2W).

 

[ardbeg1975]

There have been numerous posts in this thread that amps with 2 watts output into either 16 or 32 ohms using the Ti-1b is sufficient power. My Benchmark HPA4 headphone amp outputs 6W into 16 ohms and 3.5W into 32 ohms and has plenty of power into the TI-1b/SR-1b although I don't listen at deafening levels. I slightly prefer the sound using the 16 ohm input of the Ti-1b but 3.5W into 32 ohms is plenty of power into the Ti-1b (3.5W is less than a 3 dB increase over 2W).

I agree. The SR1a sounded very good (I too don’t listen at high volumes) with my SET amp pushing 2Ws into 32 ohms and north of 2.5W into 16 via the TI-1b . Now, I freely admit it sounds even better off the speaker taps pushing 4W into 4/8 ohms via the TI-1c.

 

[Arathorrn]

I joined the club

Lots of tests ongoing but I can confirm the synergy with the AIC-10 through the TI-1c interface is very good.
More impressions later on.

Congratulatios to @Aleksandar R. and team for developing these amazing headphones. Also, great customer support!

Dear all, just wanted to confirm these observations - I have the nearly identical setup only with a Rockna Wavelight DAC and can confirm that the synergies - and the quality of the output is fantastic!

 

[yyzSB]

I got the Schitt Mjolnir preamp this afternoon. I have it cooking for the last 7 hours and started listening to it now. I did a quick listen for 10 min earlier in the day and the preamp out was great and the headphone jack not so great with my 2 RAAL phones.

I feel like I won the audio lottery yesterday and today. During the process of selling one of my old RAAL adapter box yesterday (I have 1 left) I had a eureka moment and realized that my incredible Audience FrontRow speaker cables (ONLY 41 inches long), may fit between my Magtech amp and my Magnepan LRS+ speakers. I was very happy to see that it did fit with 1 cm to spare on both speakers. What this means is that I have just improved the sound of my LRS+ by a huge amount. Luckily no one bought the FrontRow in the 6 months I had it for sale.

The second lottery win is the Schitt Mjolnir. This is great on 1 set of gear.

1) Schitt Mjolnir ($1200) | Schitt Aegir amp ($800) | Schitt Yggi+ Less is More ($2200) | RAAL TI-1b + baffle compensation on RCA + SR1a phones + RAAL Star8 cable

The above combo is incredible. Almost as good as my now sold RAAL VM-1a. It may lack a bit of the body of the VM-1a, but it seems a bit cleaner. The Schitt Mjolnir in comparison to the Benchmark LA4 and the Holo Serene preamps used the same way is warmer and a better fit for the Aegir and SR1a. However, I will take the LA4 and Serene every single time for my two 2-channel systems. The Schitt Mjolnir is not as quiet as the other 2 though in the scenario I listed above (headphones) it does not matter.

2) Schitt Mjolnir ($1200) | Schitt Yggi+ Less is More ($2200) | RAAL TI-1b + CA-1a phones + RAAL SR728 cable + headphone jack on Mjolnir

The sound is OK, like a cleaner Schitt JR (I was listening to this while the Mjolnir was delivered). Actually, the JR is way more dynamic but also more fatiguing and just so-so in terms of sound quality. The issue with the Mjolnir and the CA-1a seems to be the lack of watts on the jack. Now I earlier said that the 2-watts on the Holo Serene preamp was good enough on the CA-1a via the TI-1b. After a bit more listening it is very similar to the Mjolnir and the jack. Both are under-powered. I have the volume at almost 100% in this scenario. There are 3 options to increase power or sound with the Mjolnir in this scenario. The first option of increasing GAIN causes distortion. The second option of changing the Class A mode makes the CA-1a sound more alive and how I am now listening. The third option of increasing feedback did not have much effect, so I turned it off. In summary, the CA-1a via the headphone jack is underwhelming and a disappointment.

Now I do have a new cable that Danny made for me to connect the Mjolnir with the headphone jack to the TI-1b. Though that is not likely a big factor in the sound in scenario 2 (regarding break-in).

For my CA-1a, I have an PeachTree GAN1 'amp' (modded) that does not support baffle compensation, so only used with the CA-1a. This setup will be as good as Scenario 1 (maybe almost, I forgot now). I have set this up before and loved it. Just waiting on my mom to deliver a streamer from Canada on her next visit (Sonore OpticalRendu).

3) I ordered replacement foam pads for the SR1a (arrived today). The SR1a is rather old now and the foam is dead with tons of hours. The new foam really improves the enjoyment factor. In the future, I think I will be replacing the pads in shorter durations.

I have a Schitt JR in the same room as the gear mentioned, except the PeachTree GAN1. I think I will use the JR to listen to the CA-1a and not the Mjolnir. The Mjolnir is staying, Scenario 1 is amazing and what I really wanted to succeed with.

BTW - my prior 2-channel champ on the SR1a was the following:

KRELL Duo 175XD | Mustec 005 DAC | CODA 07x preamp | old RAAL adapter box + FrontRow speaker cables = approx $20+k (all sold now, except FrontRow). Scenario 1 listed above is better. I also used to listen to a Lumin X1 DAC/streamer into a CODA #16 amp + LA4 or Serene preamps + TI-1b. Scenario 1 is better. I like the Yggi+ more than the Lumin X1 though the CODA #16 is better than the Aegir on the SR1a (and everything else).

 

[yyzSB]

The level of music detail on Scenario 1 is ALMOST as good as the VM-1a. I guess there is always a slight penalty to pay going through the TI-1b. However, if I did not know the sound of the VM-1a, I would have said that Scenario 1 is the most detailed sound I have heard from the SR1a.

 

[cfisher]

The level of music detail on Scenario 1 is ALMOST as good as the VM-1a. I guess there is always a slight penalty to pay going through the TI-1b. However, if I did not know the sound of the VM-1a, I would have said that Scenario 1 is the most detailed sound I have heard from the SR1a.

Thanks for the report. Disappointed to hear Mjolnir 3 as an amp was no go.

 

[nojwe]

The level of music detail on Scenario 1 is ALMOST as good as the VM-1a. I guess there is always a slight penalty to pay going through the TI-1b. However, if I did not know the sound of the VM-1a, I would have said that Scenario 1 is the most detailed sound I have heard from the SR1a.

Also bummed the M3 was a no go as an amp. Did you try scenario 1 with the CA-1? I just picked up an Aegir that I’m planning to use with my CA but have to wait a bit on the cable to ship.

 

[yyzSB]

Also bummed the M3 was a no go as an amp. Did you try scenario 1 with the CA-1? I just picked up an Aegir that I’m planning to use with my CA but have to wait a bit on the cable to ship.

I have not tried scenario 1 with the CA-1a, I think it will be great. At the moment, I am listening to the M3 as a 2-channel preamp to my Magnepan LRS+ via the Magtech amp. It is a bit thicker sounding than either my Holo Serene and Benchmark LA4. Now this thicker sound maybe preferred by a lot of people. I actually like it a lot, though the other 2 preamps are really reference class on the LRS+ (and Yamaha NS5000). The M3 is reference class on the SR1a + Aegir. The SR1a is always nicer to my ears with a bit of warmth. The M3 and Aegir work perfectly together to match perfectly with the SR1a.

I will listen to the CA-1a and the M3 + Aegir later tonight.

Also bummed the M3 was a no go as an amp.

For some people it could be more than good enough, but my frame of reference is the RAAL VM-1a and in comparison, the M3 amp part needs more power for the CA-1a. I used to listen to the VM-1a in Pentode Mode and that was 20-watts, same as the Aegir.

Given how good the preamp part is, my disappointment in the amp part is rather low.

BTW - I used to own the Schitt Freya+. The M3 is much better to my ears.

 

[nojwe]

I will listen to the CA-1a and the M3 + Aegir later tonight.

Looking forward to hearing back!

Given how good the preamp part is, my disappointment in the amp part is rather low.

BTW - I used to own the Schitt Freya+. The M3 is much better to my ears.

Good to know. I’ll use my iFi as a pre for the time being, but I’m very interested in the Schiit Kara if I stick with the Aegir (and they release the Kara in silver)

 

[number1sixerfan]

The Ca-1a is an incredible value. I still haven't tried the filters, and it's only because of a lack of free time. I've been listening to my headphones, but have also been traveling like every two weeks for work. I've only heard them with the star8 cable, haven't tried stock for more than a bit. But if I wanted a TOTL system that could nearly rival anything (I still have a *few* premium phones quite a bit ahead, but at more than double, triple the costs etc.) at a decent price, I'd start here.

During a landscape where most headphones are severely overpriced, Raal imo doesn't get the credit deserved for the value the give.

Just a few thoughts after a stat and Raal session tonight

 

[normie610]

I still haven't tried the filters, and it's only because of a lack of free time.

You're missing quite a bit without the filters

 

[number1sixerfan]

You're missing quite a bit without the filters

I have one more ten day work trip coming up end of Sept, and then I'll check them out I promise lol (like in Nov lol)

 

[yyzSB]

I spent about 8 hours listening to the M3 on my Magnepan LRS+ speakers and Magtech amp. The sound in some ways the best I ever heard on the LRS+. I was shocked. It was not as clean sounding as the Holo Serene or Benchmark LA4 but I was enjoying the sound more than ever. So the preamp out of the M3 kicks butt. However, there is one variable that is helping the M3. That is the FrontRow speaker cables I saved myself from selling.

I put the Serene preamp back with the Audience FrontRow cable and the extra power in the bass that I heard, the massive soundstage, the clarity was either the same or better than the M3. So, it was the FrontRow cables that was the real source of improvement. However, the M3 laid the music in a way that was amazingly enjoyable. At one point I was thinking I should sell the Serene to get my money back. Now that the Serene is back in the system it is not going anywhere, but the M3 was such a fun listen. I got bit of fatigue since I kept cranking the tunes real loud. I also need to lower the volume level on the KEF KC62 sub since the FrontRow deliver so much more bass than I had before.

I did a comparison of 3 fibre streamers a few months back, Lumin X1, Sonore Optical Rendu, and PlayBack Designs Streamer-IF (only used SPDIF). This comparison reminded me of what I heard today between the Serene and M3.

- the Lumin X1 was like the M3. It is loud, brash, fast, and tons of fun. It had a very full body sound. The power of the sound was the most glaring characteristic (a huge compliment)
- the Sonore Optical Rendu is like the Serene, not as loud, more refined or strait-laced, cleaner sounding
- FYI, the Streamer-IF is the best of both worlds with the Benchmark DAC3B (via SPDIF), and I am looking forward to getting a PBD DAC and using fibre streaming

I can see myself toggling between the M3 and Serene on the Aegir and Magtech. Both are great and sound different.

I start job # 2 now, and will be listening for the next 5-6 hours via the CA-1a | M3 | Aegir. I have the filters but stopped using them with the VM-1a. I have not considered them for the Aegir. I did not feel I need it with the SR1a.

 

[yyzSB]

Looking forward to hearing back!


Good to know. I’ll use my iFi as a pre for the time being, but I’m very interested in the Schiit Kara if I stick with the Aegir (and they release the Kara in silver)

Based on features, the KARA was really the preamp that I needed to get (the M3 amp part was not essential for me). However, after reading the Schitt description of both, it seemed like the M3 was their better preamp. Compared to the Freya+ which the KARA is compared to by Schitt, the M3 is much better. I only kept the Freya+ for a few months after I got over the novelty of the tube sound. The M3 is something I will definitely return to day-after-day.