Solaja Audio Amplifiers Impressions Thread

[Hiker816]

Solaja Audio is a Serbian amplifier and preamplifier manufacturer that offers, among other things, headphone amplifiers. It designed and manufactured the now-discontinued RAAL-requisite VM-1a direct-drive amplifier for RAAL-requisite ribbon headphones. The VM-1a thread can be found here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/raal-requisite-the-official-vm-1a-discussion-thread.962611/

Solaja Audio is bringing to market two new headamps--an EL34-based amplifier intended to be a VM-1a successor, and a 300B amp which uses a pair of 300Bs to drive the 300B output tubes. It announced these new headamps on its facebook page:

(Word on the street is that these photos may not reflect their final appearance). Unlike the VM-1a, these amplifiers are designed to drive a variety of headphones, not just RAAL-requisite / RAAL 1995 ribbon headphones.

Solaja is showing the new amplifiers at the High End Munich Audio Show in 2024. Please post your impressions of the new Solaja offerings, and any details about them, here.*

*I have no connection to Solaja Audio, but did receive its permission to start this thread. Sadly, I am not at the Munich show, and cannot provide any impressions myself. If you are able to put ears on them, please tell us!

 

[Jon L]

a 300B amp which uses a pair of 300Bs to drive the 300B output tubes.

The old 300B driver for 300B trick... Pair of Elrog 300-Mo driving a pair of WE300B in my dreams..

 

[Hiker816]

The old 300B driver for 300B trick... Pair of Elrog 300-Mo driving a pair of WE300B in my dreams..

Why? Do you mean because of the expense? Or you don't like the concept from an engineering or sound perspective? Other than the expense, a pair of Elrog 300B-MOs driving a pair of WE300B sounds pretty intriguing to me. (Though I've admittedly never heard anything like that).

 

[Jon L]

Why? Do you mean because of the expense? Or you don't like the concept from an engineering or sound perspective? Other than the expense, a pair of Elrog 300B-MOs driving a pair of WE300B sounds pretty intriguing to me. (Though I've admittedly never heard anything like that).

More of expression of my curiosity. Does the Solada 300B amp have speaker outputs in the back or headphone only? For speaker amps, 300B has too low of a Mu and suboptimal as driver to another 300B, not to mention the unnecessary cost and existence of better driver tubes/topologies. If strictly for headphone use, the low Mu would start to make more sense but not the cost. Then again, if one is crazy enough to make 300B-drive-300B amp, one would need to opt for Elrog-Mo-drive-WE

 

[domi]

Did anyone hear about the pricing of the new amps? Also, did they share if the units in the show were prototypes or the actual/final design?