RAAL requisite audio SR1a Review: HOLY MOLY! Buy this now!

How likely is it for Raal to sell it without the direct drive? Did Danny mention this or just a speculation.

 

An equally interesting question is how much of a discount for opting out. It would depend on the manufacturing cost of the interface box. Has anyone opened it up and looked at the complexity and construction of the circuit?

It would be great if RAAL offered headphone+JotR as a bundled option. It might be a little more work for RAAL and Schiit to deal with, but as a consumer it is appealing that a single order gets you everything you need.

 

Neither my unit nor my pic, but here you go.



Lots of resisters, some L/Cs, and a couple of transformers. I doubt discount is meaningfully large.

 

Was able to try Raal SR1a yesterday with @netforce at TSAV. Originally wasn't going to write anything since I only had ~1-1.5 hours of listening time, but after reading through here it looks like there's a general sense of IDK so hopefully this helps some people here.

Summary / Short Version:
- Best sounding headphone I've heard to date. I've heard most TOTL level stuff before although I don't own any transducers that others would consider true TOTL due to various flaws (summarized below) so take that into consideration.
- Some headphones may be slightly better in one or two areas, but as a whole in all areas, the best I've heard.
- Needs a proper amp. When running on the MHA 150 (50W into 8ohm, not sure what the voltage/current ratio is on that though) I heard a little of the magic but also immediately thought "underpowered". See below for more details.
- Others on this thread and netforce mentioned (and demo'ed) running a subwoofer concurrent to this if possible. I completely agree that this is great for non-critical listening. For critical listening, sub may still be needed as the bass isn't all there (better than e-stats though).
- I will not be buying right now as it was very uncomfortable to me to the point where I had a mild headache after wearing (and had to stall some time before trying to drive after). If your head is big or above average (long up/down), current headband may not be for you. Keep in mind that I took short breaks while listening.

 

Long version:
Comfort - Addressing this first b/c why wouldn't I want to buy the best headphone I've ever heard? In summary, the headphone stays on by applying pressure above your ears. With the leather strap on "large" (3 settings) those sat right at the pressure point on my temples but it doesn't clamp super hard. It was comfortable for the first 10 min, OK for the next 10, then uncomfortable after. Taking a break, repositioning, etc. didn't help.
2 possible options for me: 1) would be wait for Raal to come out with a bigger or different headband that works/clamps a little differently. It definitely looks like it has room for change and 2) which I initially thought of doing but then realized that the sound might be quite position dependent, would have to design and make my own headband. If position dependent then my own headband may make this sound like crap. If it's not as position dependent as expected, if you look at purrin's photos, you can see that a metal rod that acts as a hinge connects to the metal "box" above which then connects to a thin piece of metal that is the bottom of the rest of the headband... given that a large % of people on the forum have technical backgrounds or have seen a lot of different headphones, this is enough that IMO other people on here can see where I'm going.

Sound:
Let's just say that when I listening to my own transducers yesterday and today (Clear, HD6xx, Ether Flow 1.1 Open, Auteur, LCD3)... they all almost sound mid-fi in comparison. I've also heard most gear that would be considered TOTL but don't own it for various reasons (or maybe it means I have mid-fi plebian tastes... whatever). Most of my tastes happen to align with what is currently "1 step below" flagship.

For reference, here is what I think about some flagships and why I don't have them. Oddly (but not oddly) it seems like the flaws are worse in the flagships than their 1 step below models to me:

Spoiler: Somewhat tangential

-SR009, 2 different versions?? I have heard only have a 6/10 frequency response to me. Also, not enough in the bass (slam, macrodynamics, texture, and presence/"thereness"). Unresponsive to EQ to fix this response. Also e-stats have a kind of artificially fast decay to me (most instruments don't seem to decay that fast). Otherwise great technicalities, but for $3.5-4.5k + ~$6-7k for a nice e-stat only amp, it needs to have at least a 8.5/10 freq response.
-SR007, about 3-4 different versions I've heard have a 7.5 frequency response for me, but they're showing their age. Technicalities aren't that great anymore. Same thing, a bit unnatural sounding sometimes and lacking in bass. If I *had* to buy a Stax, it'd probably be the L700... but add in extra e-stat amp - not worth it IMO.
-Mr Speakers Ether 2 and Abyss Phi don't fit my head well enough to get even close to proper sound so no comment. Haven't tried the Diana.
-Utopia - fatiguing highs and general listening fatigue, sibilance
-HD800 and 800s (no mods) - different sound from Utopia, but also fatiguing. I may get a HD800 and mod it to hold me over until SR1a has a new headband.
-LCD4 and derivatives/family - don't like the sound and IMO not technically competent enough for the price. Get a good deal on a LCD3 or LCD2 instead.
-HFM HEK and Susvara - I'm not spending this much $ on something that may or may not be broken in a year with what I'd practically consider no warranty. I'm not as bothered by the soft and inoffensive "trying to please" sound and slight "plastic-y" sound as others here. Prefer HE6/se or Arya.
-Verite - Not a fan of W shaped sound signatures in general, Verite has too much mids to me, greatly prefer Auteur and Aeolus.
-Orpheus - too much $
-Shangri-la - Haven't heard it, but having seen/examined the headphone, I'm not buying something that costs more than my car and may fall apart as fast as other HFM stuff...
-For those who consider Beyer T1 and T5 high end, I haven't tried due to reviews indicating that I probably won't like the sound.
-Do not own a K1000 only due to hard to find but I agree with others saying SR1a exceeds K1000 in most/every way.
-I have not heard the Sony R10 enough to make valuable informed comments. Enjoyed it the little I've heard it but too hard to find, like K1000.

Onto the actual sound of the SR1a - sub-bass is lacking but again, running a nice sub in conjunction will fix this. Need volume control on the sub though - when running on McIntosh MA252 and sub (I don't know what model), it was too much bass after a while. Keep in mind all comments are on an both amp AND dac that I AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH. CONSEQUENTLY, DISCOUNT THIS PART vs my normal impressions. Amps were MA150 (not sufficient amp) and MA252 and a full size McIntosh CD player that I'm not familiar with.

-No Fatigue - No fatigue at all after ~1.5 hours soundwise. No sibilance. No digital nasties sound, no cheap slappy bass headache sound, no shrilling mids. 1/10 in terms of actually wearing these - never before has a full sized headphone caused a physical headache. Not a 0 b/c it was still ok for 20 minutes.
-Clarity / Resolution - 10/10. More clear and resolving than anything I've heard to date. Hence why my stuff almost sounds mid-fi now.
-Timbre - 9.5/10, most instruments sound natural enough (for reproduced/non-playing the instrument sound). Overall timbre felt natural. Probably helped by the great transients. -0.5 b/c Female vocals felt slightly uneven here and there for a moment but oddly were wayyy toooo good at other times. Granted 1-1.5 hours so I didn't get to go through all my music I brought
-Tonality / Tonal Balance - Preliminary 9/10. Not sure yet though, need to try with a few more amps. Also varies per fit of headphone.
-Transients - 9/10. No, e-stats are not 10/10 as they decay too fast (not to mention lack of UMPPPHHHH, edges sound rounded sometimes). The reason these aren't 10 is I couldn't hear continuous ringing on cymbals or say pluck a guitar string and just listen to it twang / decay. I don't consider any of the above 10/10 either, need actual instruments for 10/10 unless I just haven't heard good enough recordings with good enough gear.
-Texture - 7 / 10. Mostly dragged down by lack of bass texture. Also slight loss of texture with cymbals and a few other instruments. Like at most 0.5 points. Due to open nature, can be resolved by running in conjunction with right sub.
-Low Level Detail / Plankton / - 8.5 or 9 / 10. Similarly, I feel like a tiny bit of detail is lost in vocals (the natural rawness / dirtiness) and other low level stuff. But good overall.
-Microdynamics - Not sure actually, somewhere between 7 and 10. It was 9 at first. But it wasn't as good at unexpected moments, and better than I expected at other moments. Need to hone in on this next time I listen.
-Macro - 8 / 10 - Lose a little for not having quite enough bass slam. Big changes in highs also felt SLIGHTLY uncontrolled. Note that I'd also say none of the above is 10/10.
-Stage - Maybe 9/10?? But flat out IDK due to unfamiliar amp/dac. Also b/c these are very different given that these float over your ears... it's almost like this should be N/A b/c these sound way more speaker-like but I can't use a rating system for speakers either b/c these aren't quite speaker sounding.
-Layering - 9/10. Solid when properly driven. Everything comes out.
-Clinical vs engaging / musical signature (not referring to capability to be musical or technically competent): -2 to 0 depending on track and recording. -10 is maximum clinical, +10 is maximum musical, both extremes are bad IMO. To me, this can change a lot depending on DAC/amp with most headphones so this is not an end all/be all answer.
-"Fullness" of sound -10 min, 10 max, this is -2 to 0. This is not a good or bad thing, just a thing. For reference, Cavalli house sound on a LC or LG to me is closer to a 7-8 (despite this little extra fullness it is still probably my favorite house sound).
- Wet vs dry sound - May just be the amp, but about -1 to -2 (-10 max dry, +10 max wet). About the same level as EC Af.
- Frequency response: Sound is a little more reference to me , you won't have a giant bass hump, general warmness, zingy and energetic mids, etc. but it's not perfectly flat either. I agree with others - not quite perfect, but nothing drastic that +/- 2 or 3 dB here and there in EQ can't fix (if you add the sub).

Purposely used some "good but not great" recordings - I can hear all the imperfections, but it's still enjoyable and musical. It's more like what I said about Stellaris - will show you the imperfections but won't make them nasty enough that you want to upgrade all your gear at once and only listen to perfect recordings - although SR1a works slightly less in the forgiving department than Stellaris. Not like Solaris that's closer to "all your equipment is crap upgrade now" after listening.

Lastly, I only skimmed the first 2 pages of this thread in terms of sound impressions (skip posts that refer to sound impressions). The sense of "idk" in this thread came from the fact that it seems like a lot of tangential questions are being asked and I didn't have to skip that many sound impressions.
Edit: after seeing measurements - wow, I realized bass was rolled off (hence running a sub) but not THAT rolled off. And yep, mids sounded slightly hot to me - Purrin's chart showing bump between 1-2k confirms.
Edit2: Current plan is to listen to SR1a a few more times, maybe talk to some knowledgeable people here eventually to see if I want to attempt making my own headband. If I don't make my own and buy now, going to build my gear around eventually having an SR1a (i.e. SR1a is main headphone, other 2-3 are what I consider supplementary flankers). A lot of thinking to do now...

 

@fp627 that’s the most useful headphone review summary I’ve read.

 

these work on similar tech to the "linear magnetic" ribbon drivers i was developing and posting about on changstar a decade ago. It sounded ridiculous even when I was toying around with it, but I could never make them robust enough to survive shipping. major props to RR's design. they did what I couldn't and kept the sound too!

 

they are likely still more fragile than other types of headphone though even with the strides they've made. a forum loaner is...not recommended.

 

funny story, i remember I was talking about how to drive it and (I think it was) Marv literally said "put a bunch of resistors in a box" and I said that was a stupid idea...and yet here we are...

 

Very nice impressions, glad I was able to help out with the demo.

The SR1a comes in a giant and quite heavy duty pelican. I wondered if it seemed like overkill to go for such a case but now see it was for safe keeping and shipping. Talking with Danny, he mentioned he hasn't had issues just yet. A tour for the SR1a I would love to see happen but also would be smart to go over how to handle the SR1a safely.

I stuck a message on our SR1a demo on the resistor box to not unplug. I have had silly situations where I walk away and some people do silly things in the store. I think the worst was when one guy I thought killed our Blue Hawaii but luckily just blew the two fuses by unplugging the umbilical cord between the PSU and amp.

What has been interesting to me with the Raal or tech as of recently. People are taking more risks but throwing out these unique ideas and coming up with unique solutions to them. Me and fp627 spent quite a bit of times just discussing the SR1a and how we could try different things to get the SR1a a bit better fit on a big head.

 

Now about the amp (which I've already seen some discussion on here):
Is it at all possible to generalize requirements for an amp for this? x number of watts? y amount of current or z amount of voltage? Class A, AB, B, D, etc? Or since I'm in no rush, do I take the wait and see route as I'm sure 1 or 2 amps will be out for this by the time the headband is revised?

Ideally I would also like to be able to use the same amp to possibly drive a HE6/se or LCD3 (with careful use of pre-amp, etc.).

 

I've had good experiences with 100w pure A (Lamm monoblocks), AB (a bunch of amps) and D (Esoteric I03), the main thing for me seems to be that they really need a big, robust power supply solution otherwise bass and dynamics suffer. That to me has been the biggest step up going from cheap stage amps to more powerful setups.

Neither the HE6 nor the LCD3 should present any issues with most high quality power amps these days. It's pretty hard to actually damage a planar driver at planar loads, a good amp will go into protection before presenting any kind of potentially damaging load to a pair of 40-100 ohms cans.

 

For those who have heard these: are they easy enough to listen to where you could use them for 90%+ of your home headphone listening time?

 

Got to listen to these very recently at The Source AV. Thank you to the two staff members, who were kind, patient, and interested. Thanks.

These were immediately the most normal, "right" sounding headphones I've put on. The absolute maximum and minimum dynamics are barely short of Utopia and HD800, but the sustain and speed at which those sounds are rendered feel like 25-30 % (subjective percent!) more palpable.

The steel structural headband diameter is the smallest in a headphone I've seen for a long time, so comfort wise, I'll stick with the Sennheisers. I believe I recall that the headphone is modular, and I would expect some sort of headband replacement to eventually come. For my head, the leather suspension headband was not taught, so the weight was on the two upper foam cushions. The headphone was also splayed. So the headphone did not for an upside down U, but rather a more slight V sort of shape. So if you tend to not like hotspots, that may occur. Still, the sound was excellent.

The headphone was out of a Mcintosh 50 watt amp, if I remember correctly, playing from a Mcintosh CD-player. If I remember correctly. I didn't make careful notes.

The biggest strength of the headphone is indeed textures and dynamics. I did not feel that the bass extension was distracting. In the 12 track playlist, there were some choral parts and sforzando (sfz, or suddenly loud) that I have never heard as dramatically and suddenly loud in a headphone system. The increased texture simply sounds like all the tiny sounds I've strained to hear are now, again, 25-30 % more apparent.

In terms of headphone soundstage, I don't think I'm particularly good at picking sound-space apart, so no comment on that.

They are the easiest non-modded headphone to listen too. And I would put them in my very top tier of both easy and interesting to listen to.

Test tracks included Daft Punk's "Give Life Back to Music" (Track 1) and "Game of Love" (Track 9). Track 10 was a really heavy bass guitar riff in the beginning. Track 11 was upbeat reggae. I remember there being a country track, a techno electronic track, a female vocals track, "Fly me to the moon" likely sung by Sinatra, a drum set or precussion track. And others that I don't remember. I can tell you I enjoyed the bass on the bass track, if that tells you about the bass. I do like the dynamism to the bass, which makes me like it more than the first gen Abyss I listened to a couple years ago.

Although these are the best headphones I've heard, I don't feel a need to upgrade my system, at least because I don't need a speaker amp to run my current setup (Hd 650 / 600 / 800 all modded).

I listened to the Utopia and Audeze LCD-4 (the heavy one) through the same amp. I imagine not ideal pairings. But the ribbon headphone sounded, again that 25-30% more engaging and easy to listen too. Way less fatigue than other headphones I've tried, sound wise.

The headphone itself is so unlike other open back headphones I've seen. There's this fiberglass looking foam / tiny strands on the inside facing surface of the driver. There is a thin black fine foam on the back facing surface. The metal structure has a machined knurling in the sub millimeter range that I imagine helps diffusion of sound and helps to reduce peakiness. The carbon fiber feels very stiff. Each of the drivers has a cylinder with stiff give that allowed me to pivot the angle. The headphone would flex a bit before the angle would change, if I didn't secure both sides close to the joint. The headphone connects to the headband by a flexible piece of metal, like a spring, that adds clamp to my head.

I think I'm happy where I am with headphones, but for the rest of you I imagine that these are very exciting. I feel it exceeds the electrostatic textural rendering (sustain of low and intermediate dynamics) and transient response of the both planar and electrostatic. It does fall short of the top most dynamic driver dynamic ability to get the a higher peak and lower lowest signal, but the benefits of the exchange are novel, and worthwhile to hear.

Oh, and I raised the volume loud enough that it started to distort as if it were bottoming out, so there's that.

 

@jazglers The headband is designed to be malleable and bend outward (by your hands) to the desired circumference. They don't advise it during events of course.

It's replaceable by the user too ( it's threaded onto the driver baffles with a small drop of loctite), so there's no risk of metal fatigue after repeated bends.

The drivers will go to 120+ db on maximum excursion with the box's limit of 150w into 6 ohms, with an amp that's 100% up to spec (not the Mcintosh) the limit is far, far above safe hearing levels.

 

With regard to excursion limits, I had realized something was wrong when there was the popping in "Game of Love" that I didn't remember. It sounded similar to when I bottomed out the bass on a Audio-Technica AD 900, or having a hair on the diaphragm of the HD600 (but more severe). I had been turning up the volume knob to listen at different volumes, and reached around 70% of the amp's volume. The headphone sounded similar at each volume until the excursion limit was reached. So I resumed listening at 50%.

I liked listening to the wings fully closed because it had the most immediacy, which were definitely due to increased bass and probably mids, and based on the measurements here, I will say that was the case.

Because I felt that the dynamics digged deeper, they yielded more dynamic range extension of lowest and highest sounds. Due to that, the Utopia did harder, if only for a brief moment than the Raal. So if you appreciate that aspect of the sound, the dynamic range, dynamics still have that domain. Similar with the HD 800 and it's treble. I feel that the LCD-4 and planars often have a euphony like a chorus with extremely tiny pitch variation that smears the sound, but this does good to me, too, though I think less realistic. If you felt that headphones tend to sound hollowed-out or limp, the Raal fills in and sustains the sounds between the lowest and highest dynamics and speeds them up to the max. It's almost as if it sounds louder. What comes to mind in similarities is maybe like compressed dynamic range like in mastering (but by far, not to the same extent).

I can't say much of decay other than the headphones don't sound hashy or peaky in the treble, nor honky in the mids, and sound the least hashy or honky that I've heard. The HD 800, LCD-4, and Utopia sounded less filled in these mid-dynamic range sounds. I guess that they are still there, though, and I would like to somehow hear them at elevated volumes like with the Raal.

What's new in the Raal is how sounds that I've heard before in dynamic headphones are more apparent. The lowest level cues (the barely audible, are-they-really-there ones) are present in dynamic headphones and harder to hear in the Raal, based on the setup I listened to. At least in the cues I can seem to hear. It sounds like 94% (subjective!) of the dynamic range of top dynamic headphones is present in the Raal. And about evenly divided between the highest and lowest dynamics.

It's hard to think of a negative coloration that the headphone has, aside from the above character. I didn't notice lack of extension in the last octave of the treble. I know I can head up to 18K at least, but to what dB, I don't know.

The only decent analogy I can use to describe and compare dynamics and the Raal is a 1-D shaded line where the axis is dynamic range and the shading is sustain at that volume. The dynamics have a longer line at both ends and 70% shading. The Raal has a 6% or so shorter line in total, and 100% shading (normalized to the Raal, because that's the best I've heard). They share the same center point in the dynamic range axis. A 2D graph could work, but I thought this was easier to understand for me. Not sure for planars or electrostats.