[Ciggavelli]

Well, going by the 6moons article, there is also going to be the 2 ribbon "Magna" and I would assume it will be less in terms of cost than the 3 ribbon Immanis. I don't know though, just guessing.

The problem with the 2 ribbon version, is that if I got that instead of the 3 ribbon version, I'd always be wondering how much better the 3 ribbon version would be

 

[yyzSB]

Danny told me that the new phones are going to be pretty amazing. He tends to understate how good this gear is. So, I am getting the new phones without hesitation. One reason I am getting the VM-1a tomorrow it is the best amp I have heard with the CA-1a and SR1a. I want to use what I consider the best amp with the new phones. I already owned and sold the VM-1a, so I know exactly what I am getting tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I just did an A+B comparison of my new Benchmark AHB2 vs CODA #16 on my 2-channel speakers with some new speaker cables I got yesterday, the Audience FrontRow. My fear of the #16 being the king with the new cables came true. Now I am not selling the #16 anymore, which would have paid for the new phones, and I likely need to look for some additional work to raise cash.

If anyone is looking for a silver AHB2 (late 2022 build) send me a message. Though the AHB2 would likely be great with the Schitt Mjolnir preamp and RAAL TI-1b. I use the Schitt Aegir at the moment in this setup.

Tomorrow I will compare the following using CA-1a (sold the SR1a for the new phones).

• VM-1a | Schitt Yggi+ LIM DAC
• Schitt Mjolnir preamp | Schitt Aegir amp | RAAL TI-1b | Schitt Yggi+ LIM DAC
• Peachtreee GAN1 (modded) | TI-1b

 

[Ciggavelli]

I wonder if they are going to make a new amp for these new headphones.

Hopefully our VMs don’t become obsolete…

 

[SteveHulk]

So, I switched the ribbons from left to right, and the same problem occurs. I think you are right and it's not the ribbons (though I'm concerned about the dents, but I guess maybe that doesn't matter). I think it's a cable issue, because after I switched the ribbons, I also switched the left and right cables again, and I was able to move the issue from my left ear to my right ear. I let Raal know via email, so hopefully I can get a new cable soon

I had the same problem with the star8. An intermittent rustling sound in the earpiece and occasional cutting out of the sound.

The cable has 8 silver hair-like and very fragile conductors for each earpiece. Four of these are signal and four are ground. They are interleaved and surround a central plastic dielectric core which presumably also gives some tensile strength overall to the cable.

If the cable is handled at all roughly they will break. If the cable is handled gently but repeatedly they will break due to metal fatigue.

It is best to handle it not at all if possible, or at least handle it to the absolute minimum.

I reterminated it myself using different plugs and several layers of shrinkwrap to protect and reinforce the join. It's always easier to solder from new than trying to recover a piece that's already been soldered. The new plugs also give a better grip using knurled rather than smooth casings so I can grip and push them solidly into the earpieces without risking a push on the cable as well.

I was careful to remove only about a centimeter of the star8 cable in this process.

Touch wood, it seems to be working fine.

I must say, for the life of me, I cannot understand why RAAL used a four-pole plug when a two-pole plug would have been sufficient, and much easier to solder. Maybe they think that four contact points (two signal and two ground) are better than two ie one each of signal and ground.

 

[gghirardi]

I had the same problem with the star8. An intermittent rustling sound in the earpiece and occasional cutting out of the sound.

The cable has 8 silver hair-like and very fragile conductors for each earpiece. Four of these are signal and four are ground. They are interleaved and surround a central plastic dielectric core which presumably also gives some tensile strength overall to the cable.

If the cable is handled at all roughly they will break. If the cable is handled gently but repeatedly they will break due to metal fatigue.

It is best to handle it not at all if possible, or at least handle it to the absolute minimum.

I reterminated it myself using different plugs and several layers of shrinkwrap to protect and reinforce the join. It's always easier to solder from new than trying to recover a piece that's already been soldered. The new plugs also give a better grip using knurled rather than smooth casings so I can grip and push them solidly into the earpieces without risking a push on the cable as well.

I was careful to remove only about a centimeter of the star8 cable in this process.

Touch wood, it seems to be working fine.

I must say, for the life of me, I cannot understand why RAAL used a four-pole plug when a two-pole plug would have been sufficient, and much easier to solder. Maybe they think that four contact points (two signal and two ground) are better than two ie one each of signal and ground.

I had mine repaired as well. The issue lies in the fact that it is a solidcore cable and it is super easy to break. I had to change 4 out of 16 of the inner cables. The guy that repaired it said he could not understand why Raal chose such a delicate type of cable, instead of a non-solid core. The bottom line is that this cable will break very easily, no matter how you handle it.

 

[rlawry]

I never disconnect my Star 8 cable from the phones and gently place them in a drawer each time, so hopefully mine will not break.

 

[gghirardi]

Attached is a picture of my broken Star 8 cable. The guy who repaired it said you need to change the solid core entirely when it breaks. Youi cannot simply cut out the broken section. This lies in the nature of a solid core. He also said the lutz cable (which is used in the Star 8) is great, but is hugely delicate

 

[Hiker816]

The problem with the 2 ribbon version, is that if I got that instead of the 3 ribbon version, I'd always be wondering how much better the 3 ribbon version would be

FWIW, I asked Danny about that. I got the impression the 2 ribbon was to hit a lower price point with the lower labor costs and will be very good. But he also said that the 3 ribbon is "on another level" or something to that effect. He seemed to suggest the improvement going from 2 to 3 ribbons will be very noticeable.

 

[adrianm]

I never disconnect my Star 8 cable from the phones and gently place them in a drawer each time, so hopefully mine will not break.

No issues with mine either, and i've handled it quite a bit.

 

[gammi]

FWIW, I asked Danny about that. I got the impression the 2 ribbon was to hit a lower price point with the lower labor costs and will be very good. But he also said that the 3 ribbon is "on another level" or something to that effect. He seemed to suggest the improvement going from 2 to 3 ribbons will be very noticeable.

Complete and total speculation here but with the idea that these separate ribbons are supposed to cancel out each other's errors it's theoretically possible to achieve that completely with the two ribbons, one would just need to have the exact inverse errors as the other. Of course in practice it's difficult to be that precise I imagine and thus the idea behind the three driver. What I'm getting at is the two driver should accomplish most of what the three driver does. But again, this is all total speculation based on what little info we know about the multiple drivers cancelling out each other's errors. It's fun to speculate.

Also I'm not sure it matters how close the Magna is to the Immanis assuming the Magna is only a grand or two less, I suspect even if they're close, most people will buy the Immanis because why spend $7k (maybe?) on second best, you know? If you're spending that much, you want the best.

It's like how most people buy the KTE models of Holo products. The non-KTE Bliss is probably 98% as good as the KTE but when the base model is $3k and the KTE is $3500 most people just spend the $500 extra cause that's not worth worrying about what you're missing out on. I personally wouldn't want to drop $7k (again, I'm assuming) on the Magna and then wonder what I'm missing vs the Immanis.

 

[Aleksandar R.]

Yes, we have noticed the STAR-8 fragility.
In about 2 weeks from now, we will start converting all STAR-8 cables that come back broken to Danny to a far more reliable version.

We will be using 10" long stranded wire from Y-split to the headphone connectors. It just took some time to figure out what sounds the same as the original, but we are aware of the problem for the past month and worked on it.

So, with my apologies, every broken one will be converted to the new version.

 

[Roasty]

and then all of a sudden, there are going to be a lot of broken star8 cables..

 

[gammi]

Yes, we have noticed the STAR-8 fragility.
In about 2 weeks from now, we will start converting all STAR-8 cables that come back broken to Danny to a far more reliable version.

We will be using 10" long stranded wire from Y-split to the headphone connectors. It just took some time to figure out what sounds the same as the original, but we are aware of the problem for the past month and worked on it.

So, with my apologies, every broken one will be converted to the new version.

You guys are awesome
I don't even own a star-8, I just appreciate how committed you are to offering a good product/service.

 

[jlbrach]

I wonder if they are going to make a new amp for these new headphones.

Hopefully our VMs don’t become obsolete…

danny mentioned to me that the VM should be wonderful with the new HP...

 

[Spawn300Z]

Yes, we have noticed the STAR-8 fragility.
In about 2 weeks from now, we will start converting all STAR-8 cables that come back broken to Danny to a far more reliable version.

We will be using 10" long stranded wire from Y-split to the headphone connectors. It just took some time to figure out what sounds the same as the original, but we are aware of the problem for the past month and worked on it.

So, with my apologies, every broken one will be converted to the new version.

Thanks, I feel confident again in my Star 8 purchase. Great customer service.