With almost 60 hours on the Jotunheim R (burned in from Friday mid-day to 10PM last nite, as I was out more than in over the weekend) and 200 hours or so on my SR1a over the past 90 days, I did about 9 to 10 hours total listening yesterday with SR1a / Jotunheim R combo. Giving my ears and brain a rest today so just some of my thoughts on the pairing. I didn't focus much on matters related to imaging or sound field but this combo may be more competent at displaying a sense of width and depth that escapes many combinations of other gear I have and imaging is precise if maybe a little closer in than I would prefer. But it is early days...
The SR1a plus Jotunheim R Combo Day 1, Jan 27, 2020
I generally like 100 hours playing time before I come to a conclusions with new gear (may not be necessary but so what?), but with 60 plus hours on the Jotunheim R (burned in all weekend as I was out more than in) and 200 hours or so on my SR1a over the past 90 days, from somewhere around 60Hz (guesstimate) on up thru the highs, or at least as far as my hearing goes, this combo bests all my other gear in almost all sound aspects that matter most to me. The lack of coloration's (the interface is not quite as transparent as the R is) gives superb clarity and inner detailing, and its ability to remain unflappable even with the most complex and demanding music passages make it my number one for Late Romantic and 20th Century classical music for full blown symphony orchestra which is my primary meat & potatoes, as well as for Jazz genres.
I want to note here that I don't listen at levels that can be compared by db numbers (although I've tried in vain in the past). Unless two listeners are side by side how can they actually know what too loud means for themselves and the other person they are with? For every CD there is a point where I move the volume control from off to a fully present sound. Any lower and the sound takes on a washed-out character, any louder and it gets shout-y and over bearing. This range for me seems to be pretty narrow and can vary wildly from one CD to the next and even within tracks on the same CD in some instances.
This SR1a seems made for digital recordings to my ears. I spent about 9 hours yesterday with my usual evaluation CD's which are mostly sourced from original analog tapes and a few from direct to disc cut safety tapes. They sounded as good top to bottom as it gets until I get somewhere below say 50Hz (?) and the lack of air movement or impact with large bass drum, tuba, horns, contrabassoon, etc. at the bottom of their registers and possibly the double basses and cellos, cause them to lose some small amount of presence on the very bottom end. The notes are all there just not with the same level. Not a lot of instruments go that low but the dryness of the sound is noticeable as the range gets deeper especially with analog source material. But then I put on some digitally made recordings and the bass really filled out, still a hair dry or lacking a little air or oomph, not quite as shuddering or impactful as with my other phones, but very nicely detailed and textured.
As I think about it the deeper ranging bass available from digital recordings makes sense. In the analog heyday of LP’s the master tapes that the LP’s were cut from probably contained deeper bass than could be cut into the lacquer masters used for making vinyl pressings, in some cases, without risking having the tonearm stylus jumping in the record groove or perhaps cutting right through the disc vinyl when mastering the disc. I remember this especially with the first edition of the Solti /Chicago /Mahler 5 LP on Decca (LP 1970, AAD CD 1984, ADD CD reissue 1991), some of those bass drum thwacks perhaps combined with some airborne feedback, depending on the volume level and speaker’s capabilities and structural rigidity of my listening rooms in those days, would make the tonearm jump (this was back in the 70’s and 80’s). Another LP I had to be cautious with was the opening of track 4 on the Sheffield Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet. The “Introduction to Act III“ begins with two tremendous full orchestra crescendos. No such issues with digital recordings when they were transferred to CD (track 8 on the Sheffield CD7/8). That CD can reach down as far as my other components in my chain will allow for and the usual weak spot will be the HP or speakers where congestion/distortion goes way up if played too loud and I’ve heard several very expensive quality speaker systems brought to their knees with this passage in years past. The SR1a never loses its composure but I also believe it is possible to play so loud without distorting (especially with the R) your ears may try and shut down to protect (?) themselves, which may or may not work, and that could result in permanent damage over time and with continued exposure to such levels.
Then I play Stravinsky’s “Rite” on DG with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the LA Philharmonic, a more recent all DDD recording. The bass drum sound was way over the top with say the 1266 or Utopia. I laughed out loud the first time I played this through my other HP amps and HP’s, when I acquired it. The same with Paavo Jarvi’s “Rite” with Cleveland on Telarc. Both sound like a spotlight mic was placed inside the bass drum. But the SR1a puts much tighter control on that bass drum and gets really close to my expectation of what it should sound like (especially with a little bit of 20Hz Loki in the mix).
We audiophiles can fuss and fret and stress and argue over different boxes of electronics, the wires that connect them, the source types (LP, CD, SACD, high def streaming and downloads), “burn / break in”, as well as any “magic” accessories that are sold as a panacea for the best sound or to correct problems that may or may not exist. For me it is the quality of the original source recording followed by the capabilities of whatever transducer I use. I think those two two make up the lion’s share of input to the overall end sound I hear. And, inevitably, compromises in sound characteristics have to be allowed for. Having attended a live concert just yesterday paints those compromises in bold relief for me as I listen for the first time to the SR1a plus R combo. All that stuff in between the source and the transducer is the smallest part of the whole, but different pieces parts can work in harmony or against each other so the overall system balance needs to be taken into account when putting it together. But that’s just my thoughts on the subject.
The almost completely sold out performance yesterday at the old Academy of Music in Philly (original designed and built for opera) was of the Rachmaninov Symphony #3 (plus an amazing Beethoven 4th Piano Concerto with Yefim Bronfman, who for an encore played the entire” Allegro, ma non Troppo – Presto” from the “Appassionata”! Stunning!!) That hall is like 150 years old with wood and plaster construction with lots of velvety-like fabrics on seats and in the decorative draperies, and a brick exterior. Its sound is warm, lush, romantic, and never edgy in the highs.
I’ll be back down in April but a few blocks up the street at the Kimmel Center Verizon Hall for the Shostakovitch 5th Symphony. Both works make good use of large bass drums, double basses, horns in their lower registers, etc., that give a solid sound foundation to the sound of a symphony orchestra. The Kimmel is dryer in sound with clarity of inner detail that never seems get absorbed so no blurring slightly as can happen at the Academy (except at certain points on the curves at the rear corners of the 1st Tier balcony with solo piano sound that I and others have noticed). The sound in the Kimmel is brighter overall, and that puts a sharper impact to transient sounds. That building was completed construction in 2001 (I think) with modern techniques and materials and a glass and steel exterior.
The Academy is round and soft, the Kimmel angular and firm. I’m lucky to have two such different venues like this available to me.
I suspect the combination of SR1a plus Jotunheim R may improve with more hours of play, but as of right now it already gives me the least amount of compromise in the sound with my preferred music.
But! That being said, I do also listen to classic Rock and some electronic music, (especially film soundtracks) probably around 5% of my overall listening time. I can see how a more prominent bass response could lead to a more satisfying experience if not necessarily a more accurate one. Up until the R arrived I was driving my Ragnarok 1 Balanced and SE simultaneously from my Yggdrasil and the Ragnarok into the interface. I inserted my Loki on the SE run. It made for some interesting comparisons with just a modest tweak of the 20Hz knob. One consequence of the accuracy of the SR1a plus R combo dynamically is it’s more revealing of subtle differences in recording levels than I’ve experienced with my other gear from one CD to another, and even differences on tracks on the same CD. I sometimes find myself twiddling the volume knob as well as that 20Hz knob on the Loki to re-balance the volume and amount of bass levels. As I just sold my Ragnarok 1 I will be running both Balanced and SE with Loki on the R with SR1a starting today. See what shakes out over the upcoming weeks.
Let me wind up all this hot air with the suggestion that if you have an opportunity to hear the SR1a do so, if you can hear it with the Jotunheim R definitely do so, and if you can, try a little Loki for some fun. See if the SR1a plus Jotunheim R meets your expectations of what sound you want with your chosen music. It may not be the solution for all listeners but at least you’ll know for yourself.
Happy Listening.
