RAAL Requisite CA-1a Ribbon Headphone Review

After some initial hiccups with a pair of interconnect cables, I have done about an hour of listening tonight.

Right now it's PC optical out > Yggdrasil A2 bal out > MJ3 (on loan from JK47) > RAAL transformer box and CA-1A. Amp has been warming up for 2+ days.
Will do pi2aes > Yggdrasil A2 and Spring 2 > MJ3 / Magni Piety > RAAL combo later. Want to see how "sufficient" a small amp like a Piety would be with this.

Initial listening, I'm also liking it with the thicker semi-open pads, haven't tried the other one. But so far, in this set up at least, CA-1a isn't the super duper resolution master I heard in the SR-1a or even the Utopia. Guessing it's still between top 6 - 9 though in terms of overall ability to resolve though. Not sure how much of this is the MJ3 though - when I had the MJ3 loaner, that was probably one of the few complaints I had about it - good resolution, but not quite in the ballpark of "truly great" resolution. Otherwise, there's something "speaker-like" about the way this headphone presents sound to me despite it being a HP - I like this aspect of it. I will not comment about the other aspects of the sound yet as it's only been an hour.

Fit and comfort wise - I can actually fit this on my head comfortably at medium headband settings. It's actually a bit too loose using the large settings. The handband doesn't have a lot of clamping force so I actually have to be careful to not shake them off when listening. However, there is one problem with both size settings, which is more pronounced with the medium setting - because there's only a little clamp force and the rest of the weight just hangs down into the headband - this leaves a hot spot of the top of my head after about 20 minutes. Had to take a break, switched to the large, and now have one again after about 35 minutes. While we didn't talk much about the HP during hand-off, of the little we discussed, I think @JK47 had this same problem too and he has a very different sized / shaped head than me (that or it was with the SR-1a). This will most likely be a VERY easy mod (and as easily reversible as putting paper in the cups) or thing to fix though. Don't know for sure until I try it tomorrow though.

So far, overall, I'm liking it, but just like the SR-1a, I may not be able to do this HP personally long term due to fit / fitment issues that once again isn't just "b/c big head" - I hope this isn't the case.

 

Didn't get to listen for more than 20 minutes yesterday morning, but got some time in recovering this afternoon and evening. Some equipment notes relating to sound and then some stream of consciousness notes from here and there throughout the day listening.

Conclusion first because this post is longer than I wanted - I like this a little more than expected. I have enough HP for now... but if one were to stop working and I already had proper amplification, this would be a top 2 or 3 choice as of right now. I would need to play with the headband a bit but it's workable here.

Thinking back to the last socal meet, if I compare this to stuff there, the CA-1a was not as singularly impressive and "alive" in it's wall of sound as the properly amp'd HFM Susvara, not as "easily flowing" as the ETA "purple" on the Supernaut, not as impactful or "entertaining" as a properly amp'd ZMF Atrium, not an "mood capturing" as the Modi 2 MB with SW51 + JAR Sennheiser. On and on. Several more examples I could list or give. But like I said initially, I like this without really knowing why despite the fact that I can on paper also list many more small flaws. Maybe it's because all of the flaws I perceived were small.

Thanks again to RAAL and SBAF for making this happen.

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Equipment notes:
Adapter Sound / Other Gear: With the MJ3, I think I liked the 16ohm input more than the 32ohm input on the included adapter / transformer beyond. Slightly more detail, maybe, but also slightly less blackground. The difference in actual sound was not huge and the biggest difference was a small difference in the volume. I could not find any documentation with regards to any recommendations, so I assume just do what sounds better and is hopefully electrically safe. Don't want to use this with the Piety as ultimately, the Piety just isn't going to deliver the resolution I want here. The CA-1a just isn't comfortable enough even after playing around with the fit that I want to use it for casual listening where I care less about resolution.

Amp: After trying with a speaker amp briefly, I think a properly setup - don't blow your gear up - speaker amp and pre-amp setup is the way to go there.

Adapter Selection: I do see on RAAL's site that the TI-1c was meant for SET (tube) amps with Z out 4-8ohm, so it could probably be used with the Stellaris whereas the TI-1b looks like it's more suitable for SS headphone amps with specs similar to the MJ3. However, we got the 1b, so I can't see if I would like the 1c with the Stellaris

Headphone Fit Modification: this hasn't worked with most suspension type headbands in the past for me, but it works to a degree on the CA-1a. The headphone is big enough on the large strap settings that I have a little slack for this (and since it's just holes in leather, there does seem to be room to go a bit bigger if I punched my own holes) - If I put foam between the leather headband and metal band towards the ends so that it distributes the weight across the top of my head more evenly or in a way I find more comfortable - this headphone is much less uncomfortable. However, all my other HP are more comfortable than this regardless of how I play with the foam / other materials. Headphone is still loose in terms of clamp this way.

Open vs closed pads: I vastly prefer the open. The closed do have more and slightly better bass, but then everything in the mids and highs sounds like someone put a blanket over it to me. and not just because "more seal better bass" - the whole balance of the HP just sounded off. The first CA-1a I heard when it was debuted had the open pads as well, so I assume this was the "original vision".

Pad design: Also, this has a very simple pad design which I like. I can see it being very easy to make DIY versions of the pads if they wear out or someone wants to tune the sound. They're literally soft open cell foam stuck onto a thin plastic backing plate with two tabs on the plate that slide into two notches on the HP.

Paper / Foam: Tried the included paper but prefer open drivers slightly more. [[[edit: just tried the included foam for putting over drivers - I like the foam more than the paper. Very briefly, it takes a little more of the edge off, kills a tiny bit of detail, but makes the overall sound more cohesive than it already is. I can see this HP being 50/50 for me with the foam vs the bare driver.]]] If I get one of these though, I'll probably try some thin sheets of various materials to see what works best for me. Purrin is right though - the sheets do take a little bit of the initial edge off without drastically changing other sound characteristics.
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Stream of consciousness:
Most importantly - I can't say exactly why I enjoy this HP, but I enjoy this HP.

Resolution: I still like this HP with the MJ3 but it I think it does hold the HP back a little bit in resolution, which I mention above. Unfortunately I can't test more as my speaker amp is overall less resolving than the MJ3 (use the amp b/c good deal + good synergy with speakers). Either way, it's already resolving enough for me to be what I call in the "fun zone". If MJ3 = topped out resolution for this HP, then I would say resolution could be a little better for the price, but it's still acceptable.

Liveliness: The extra juice of the speaker amps did make this whole HP feel more alive though. Similar difference in sound as when you go from "sufficient" headroom and amplification on an amp to "way more than enough" amplification. I don't know if this can scale as much with amplification like the SR1a can, but it did scale here.

FR - there are a few dips that I heard but they're integrated well enough that I couldn't listen for a little bit and say "they're between X and Y". Unlike some other headphones were it's easy or easier to do this. I knew the highs were cut off maybe above 15-16k (last time I informally checked I can still hear somewhere between 18-20k) as cymbals and other instruments with energy in the highs had their "sizzle" removed, "air" was lacking in some tracks here and there, a little bit of color was missing in instruments that have energy in the highs. It's more obvious than some other headphones with a dip somewhere above 15k-ish. In particular, this actually made a few Native American flute recordings I like (sorry, I don't know the names of the specific flutes used) less "piercing" after a longer listen but with a Duduk (Armenian apricot wood woodwind), violin, and piano / harp / organ, the color was missing a bit in the upper keys / strings. After looking at CSD plots, it "makes sense" that there's a big dip between 2-4k and a smaller dip around 8k - but again, it wasn't glaringly obvious. Anyways, FR and CSD are already posted, so I won't go on about this. Decay was also clean enough as the CSD indicates.

Bass - quality is good, quantity within the range the range of good for my tastes (obviously more subjective), but doesn't reach down super deep, a little more slam than heft (I normally prefer a little more heft than slam).

Mids and Highs - same thing - quality is good, but the dip in the FR is noticeable.

Sounds somewhat dark tilted to me with the dips that it has, but is not in the category of "obviously dark sounding". Not warm and thick sounding though.

Not fatiguing in any way.

Layering is very distinct and clear / clean without being disjointed at all. Was better with more amplification. It's also really easy to inadvertently pick out any particular instrument even in busy music. Better than the Utopia at times for me. Maybe because of the FR dips (some stuff becomes easier to hear), maybe just the way the HP is, maybe the fit or the pads or this is just a characteristic of ribbon transducers in general - not sure.

Staging is more speaker like. I suspect I would like it even more with thicker pads - when I pushed the hp closer to my head, the staging became worse. I liked some aspects of the sound when I pulled the HP slightly away from my head, but obviously other aspects got messed up when the seal broke by that much more.

Positioning is also better than I expected. I could almost pinpoint instruments on a stage. Not sure if this would be even better with slightly thicker pads though.

Transients are very clean without being sharp or "fast sounding". Decay seems to be cleaner / faster than most dynamics without sounding somewhat unnatural like some electrostatics I've heard.

Tone and timbre (two different things to me) - you can hear the dips in the FR, but the tone and timbre themselves don't sound messed up if this makes sense.

There is, for me, a good amount of "presence" to the notes. I guess maybe the other word is tactility. Not too much to become fatiguing or annoying, not too little to sound thin. And it's different from dynamics drivers or planars. Also a good balance in that it's not overly grainy (sometimes dynamics for me) or plasticky (oftentimes planars for me).

Microdynamics are OK, but I can't say for sure if they're being held back by the amp. Macro is not as strong as most properly amp'd dynamics, but again, maybe this would be different if I were using something closer to a speaker amp.

PRaT is fine, beats Senn 600 series and mods. Doesn't capture the "mood" of the top 10% (being maximum energy / emotions / whatever) and the bottom 10% (melancholy, sadness, dark, etc.) of music though.
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edits: inserted more info above as I listened a little more today.

 

I enjoyed my time with the CA-1a. After a hiccup with no longer having a XLR out amp, @rhythmdevils generously loaned me his WA-33, a beast of an amp, which worked famously. The chain was Roon>Metrum Ambre>Sonnet Morpheus>WA-33. I found the RAALs very resolving with a huge headstage, and bordering on too bright for my tastes, although not harsh at all. Adding the foam filter pads to the split pads took a bit of the edge off, and was my preferred setup. The continuous foam pads also tempered the high end a bit, but I found they made the bass a bit flabby sounding. I was pleasantly surprised by the quantity and quality of the bass response. My only previous experience with RAAL headphones was a brief listen to the SR-1a, which I found somewhat lacking in bass.

Some comparisons:

CA-1a vs Tungsten - Remarkably similar sounding to me, with the CA-1a being a little more resolving with a bit bigger stage, and the Tungstens a little sweeter sounding. Of course, the Woo amp had no problem driving the Tungstens.

CA-1a vs Verite Closed - Like comparing apples and oranges. They both sounded wonderful to me on the WA-33, but they come from completely different places.

CA-1a vs Auteur Classic - The RAALs are in another league when it comes to resolution, transparency, and headstage. The ACs might be a little more fun, and a better long term listen for me, with my sensitivity to overly bright and analytical headphones.

Thanks for setting this loaner up! These are excellent headphones that are a little different from much of what's out there. Definitely a worthwhile listen.

 

During my loaner with the Morpheus it sounded really thick but very resolving to me. Sounds like this synergized at least somewhat with the CA-1a?

 

There was nothing I would describe as thick with the Ambre+Morpheus+WA33+CA-1a combo. However, I could say the same about my usual chain of Ambre+Morpheus+DIY Aegis+Tungsten. I do connect the Ambre to the Morpheus with I2S, which I find is slightly more nimble than AES or RCA

 

Loaner Impressions
I stuck with the smoothest option (thicker pads, black filter) due to my tendency towards sensitivity issues. I found these comfortable and reasonably light.

Chain:
Roon->Metrum Ambre->SFD-2 MK II->Stratus V3

Vs Auteur

• Both strike me as going for "neutral" tuning
• Ca-1a has sharper transients, more resolution, and is faster
• Auteur is more cozy, a bit more boomy, and smoother. Worth noting the Auteur is my favorite ZMF, I've heard them all and still prefer the Auteur.

Vs HD 800

• Ca-1a has surprisingly good classical tuning, I preferred it over the HD 800 which is a first for me
• Ca-1a has a fuller sound and the staging is good even in comparison to the HD 800's massive stage

I intentionally omitted more opinions to prevent any conflicts of interest.

 

My loaner impression is very positive because my prior prejudices were flipped, proving that sometimes, hands-on experience can radically change perceptions. Let me elaborate a little more.


Fit and Comfort:

Initially, the fit of the CA1a felt a bit unusual. The fixed angle of the ear cups and the exceptionally plush ear pads took some getting used to. However, I quickly adapted and found them very comfortable for extended listening sessions.


Sound Quality:

Let me first restate my own preference. For quite a while, I’ve pretty much settled on the combination of Hifiman Susvara (with Dekoni perforated lambskin pads) and Benchmark AHB2, paired with some decent delta-sigma dac. This combo double-circles all my checklist items effortlessly, reproducing spatial sound with high technical yet emotional style in ways I can easily comprehend. Of course I like more damped presentations from ZMF Caldera or DCA Stealth, but the least damped Susvara’s sound always has a special place in my mind.

Impressively, once properly amped, the CA1a holds its own against Susvara. It shares similar qualities of airiness, spaciousness, and openness, making it a viable alternative in the same league. The CA1a's unique driver placement, set further forward than most headphones, contributes to more excellent staging depth and less upfront imaging in some tracks than the already awesome Susvara. Nonetheless and doubtlessly to me Susvara still outperforms in a number of ways including delinearation, detail retrievals, nuance resolution, and cohesiveness.


Customization:

I don’t think CA1a is easily treated by digital corrections (i.e., EQ). While bass adjustment was straightforward, treble manipulation was tricky due to the intricate relationship between frequency response and spatial qualities

I rather like some acoustic adjustments. The loaner CA1a came with two pad options ("Donut" and "Coffee bean") and two filter choices (black and gray) -- I don’t think these filters are official. After some back and forth, I settled on the black filters and Donut pads because of the overall maximized balance.



Amplification:

The amplification experience was sorta surprising to me.

First, I initially thought the TI-1b transformer box might equate amplification and upstream quality. However, the pairing performance varied significantly across owned/borrowed amplifiers I examined (SMSL HO200, Schiit dual OG Aegirs,Schiit Mjolnir 3, Benchmark AHB2, Topping OG LA90).

Second, while I enjoyed each amp’s bringing out different qualities in the CA1a, AHB2 and OG LA90 significantly stood out among the bunch, which was unexpected as I thought warmer amps might pair better based on earlier impressions in the thread. CA1a surprisingly benefited from transience and clarity that the two mentioned amps contributed. CA1a’s inherent spatiality doesn’t appear to need more adjustment from upstream. Between the two amps above, I leaned more toward OG LA90 due to mildly richer harmonics albeit rounder and less clean presentation. Based on settings, gears, synergy, and/or preference, YMMV.


Conclusion:

After thoroughly enjoying CA1a for days, I am very tempted to own a pair for myself. Yes, if I start over with a 2k-ish budget, they will be the first candidate I would shortlist. My curiosity toward Raal 1995 Immanis has also grown extensively, which was completely out of my radar before.

 

Loaner Impressions

First of all, I want to thank SBAF for the opportunity to participate in this loaner tour. It's an incredible opportunity to be able to experience a wide breadth of headphones, and the experience is indeed invaluable in learning what's out there.

Background

My impressions are based on the context of my listening to all genres, and in the search for gear that serves as an all arounder. My gear is mostly modest, and up to now, I have not heard any headphones north of 1K value. My current headphones are a modest Elex and Grado SR225x, as well as an HD8xx.

Bouncing around the Mid-Fi space, I've learned that most gear comes at a compromise of some sorts, and if you're lucky to get (let's say) 2 out of 3 check boxes ticked onto your checklist of audio characteristic wants, then its mostly a win. It's the age old "I have different headphones that suit different genres, different presentations, etc. that play tug of war between sparkly detailed treble, low/extended bass, rich and present midrange and vocals, etc." To mildly put it, for me, especially with headphones, its always a compromise somewhere, where I always felt the tuning is good at lets say 2 out of 3 ranges in the spectrum, at the expense of the third. And the headphones that claim to be more neutral across the board always somehow sound too clinical/analytical and not engaging.

Stream of Consciousness

I'm running this on a Gungnir MB > Oblivion setup.

Within minutes of trying this headphone, it's literally the first time I could say that this headphone has it all for me. This ticks all boxes for me in what I would be looking for, and it is a no-compromise headphone for me. No one range dominates, it feels that everything shines equally across the board.

Bass/Sub-Bass

Sub-Bass effortlessly extends deep, controlled, and visceral. Mid-Bass is rich and fills in its entire space, never intruding in the mid-range, its tactile. You can feel the rumble in the right amounts, in the right moments. Getting this right really lends to the overall immersive feel of the CA-1a, and just adds something special to the spatial depth and experience.

Midrange and Vocals

Upfront and present, does not feel recessed. This is a headphone that makes me feel I am literally in the front/first row (rare for me). (Too often other headphones throw me a few rows back or on-stage/in-head). Vocals sound natural.

Treble / Upper

It comes across very clear and detailed. Not to the point of it being "sparkly" or to the fine line where it produces etch or gain. It's absolutely non-fatiguing. The treble and details cut true clearly, it sounds effortless and natural, had great ability to resolve and present details.

Soundstage and Resolution
Still not as a wide as the HD8xx/HD800 series, but not too far off from it either. CA-1a for me has better depth in all the other directions (front/back/height), and imaging. I can clearly pinpoint different instruments and hear details easily. The richness and fullness of the mid-bass also somehow helps add to the immersive experience. Probably hard for me to explain, but this is what comes to mind.

Conclusion
I have half a mind to try to sell off all my headphones and gear to try to get this in the near future. It's the first headphone I have heard that actually presents the entire sound spectrum nearly equally, but also cohesively and in an engaging manner. For me, the Sub-Bass/Mid-Bass is the best I've ever heard to date where it gives all the notes the proper weight/heft, has the proper punch and slam, but presents in a full (controlled) but not obtrusive way the midrange. And in addition, the midrange does not feel recessed, and the treble and upper spectrum comes through clearly. The terms, speaker like and immersive are what sticks in my mind the most.

 

Just getting started. Pardon my mess, but this is gonna be a multi part thing. These headphones deserve that.

First off, getting to audition and have a listen to a TOTL headphone like this is amazing. I'm very appreciative and I thank SBAF and if Raal sent these out for a loaner then thanks to y'all too! Very awesome.


Day 1 impressions.

Gear is Holo Red with Gentooplayer/Diretta > AES to Allnic D-5000 DHT DAC > Ic0n 4 Zen pre > DNA Stellaris with my preferred tubes > Raal Requisite CA-1a

After listening for an hour or so, my initial impression is that this is a give and take headphone compared to my daily driver which is a Speshul cherry picked very low SN HD800 that's been given the JAR V3 treatment by Jupiter.

The plus is that the plankton is even better on the Raal. It's not a large delta, and it's mainly in vocals that I'm picking up on it. But the comfort and the balance of my daily driver aligns more with my preferences. I do prefer the 16ohm input on the Raal interface to the 32ohm, but I haven't messed with it enough yet to say exactly why. Just that when I switched to 16ohm I liked it more, so I have stuck with that so far.

I'm curious what the transformer materials are on the Raal interface and what could be achieved by experimenting with different materials. Special custom transformers is kinda getting off in the weeds, but if one were to pick this as their forever headphone, I'm guessing leaps and bounds could be achieved here since this system was built to hit a retail price point. $2k retail (on sale from $2.5k) for headphones and transformer and everyone makes a profit along the way tells me that there's more juice to squeeze for people who really want the best they can get.

I (so far) feel like my 800 is more balanced. Both headphones have amazing staging for headphones. I'm not picking up a totally speaker-like stage from either headphone because when my speaker experience is staging at it's best (analog side of my system), it's a room filling experience when maximized IMO. Both headphones have sound coming from all around the front and behind the ears, but there's something about sitting 10-12 feet from speakers and letting the sound wash over you.

If someone were to break my daily driver headphones and tell me I'm stuck with the Raal forever, I could be happy with that. However, so far I'm good with what I have while I also recognize the specialness of the Raal CA-1a. It's better than almost all of the headphones I've heard in my journey, and I haven't even dug into synergy yet. I'm just trying them off my daily driver rig.

Coming up I have a Maxxed out Elekit TU-8800 to try them from, a well-modded Super 7, and a one-off Moth speaker amp. If I had the right connector to try them from a 1/4" headphone jack I could do even more, but we play the cards we are dealt and I'm not going to make a special cable because I don't own this headphone and therefore don't want to blow it up if I mess up the Frankenstein cable somewhere along the way.

Looks like the included Raal interface was meant to use a 16-32ohm out speaker amp and is also for headphone amps, while a different interface was meant for SET tube speaker amps? All my speaker amps are tube amps (though not all are SET) and I'm just going to cross my fingers that everything works alright.

A good question would be whether tube speaker amps will give the best showing to the included equipment by being a good match with the interface since it's meant for 16-32ohm loads. The speaker amps I have are meant for 4 to 8 ohm loads. Guessing not a problem. We'll see. The one that was included seems to be a good match for headphone amps, and that's what I'm using tonight.

Going into this, I read nothing about the Raal because I wanted to truly go in blind. However, before hooking everything up I had to dig into SBAF reviews and the Raal website to make sure I wouldn't damage anything. After all, apparently it's a totally different kind of headphone and now I know.

Regarding fit, it's weird that the earcups don't rotate and I'm guessing that there's some leakage out of the back. Though now that I've worn them for a couple hours the foam seems to have compressed and I likely have less leakage. So maybe these need time to warm up like most other audio gear.

I dig em, and I'm curious how my experience will change with different amps. I could also try them with the May DAC and I likely will, but it's just more plugging and unplugging, and ain't nobody got time for that shit.

Edit: After listening to Dr. Michael White's live album after posting this, I totally get the "it sounds like speakers" thing. It's still not the same thing but I get it.

 

From Elekit TU-8800 all Maxxed out & with Speshul caps-

First impressions are that I'm more drawn to this combo off the bat. It's more immediate, electric and alive. This matches with my choice to have a Pentode not a Triode amp for my speaker amp. Nothing changed in the system but the amp. The Elekit is solid state rectified and that helps the Pentodes kick out the more linear jams as well.

Think (dialed in) Supernaut instead of (dialed in) Stellaris if you've heard both in terms of sound signature. Elekit has some old wartime Ken-Rad metal sleeve JAN-CKR-6F6 driver tubes and Valvo ECC81 input tubes.

My chain is dialed in to my treble sensitivity so I'm not getting the crazy treble harshness some report with this headphone. I've settled on the more open pads, with the foam liners. I think 2 different foam liners shipped with this loaner but haven't made it yet to dialing in the foam liners. My nervosa in this stage of my journey is basically non existent to the point of "ok it sounds good, let's keep it that way." Still enjoying 16ohm input on the headphone's trafo box.

Been listening to a live New Orleans Jazz album that's become a test album for me, which is the aforementioned Dr. Michael White album just called "Live". As much as is possible with headphones, I'm just chillin in the club while these guys play a super good set and I relax and enjoy at the end of the day.

It's a more believable experience with the right speaker setup, but this gets probably as close to the real thing as one can get with headphones. These Raal are great for well recorded live acoustic music. Stringed instruments being plucked instead of strummed have a very immediate and crisp pluck, very well defined which isn't surprising considering these are ribbon transducers.

They are very vocals-forward headphones which I imagine means they either have a lifted FR in the human voice region or a lower FR in other regions, but I pay no mind to measurements so I'll leave it to y'all to suss that out. I know Marv has already provided extensive measurements and it's already sussed out, so y'all make of "vocals-forward" what you will. You won't be left wondering what the singer is singing, let's put it that way.

Just switched over to the new Godspeed You! Black Emperor album and holy hell it's going well so far. That's enough for tonight and I'm sorry to say that you'll get more with the different amps I'm going to try. I know this is too much content for one impressions thread but I'm still going to post impressions for the hell of it. Stream of consciousness is apparently my jam.

 

Having now tried the Raal headphones on 3 different and all really good amps, I can see why they may not gel with everyone - especially if they can't try different components to figure out synergy.

They're perfectly fine and enjoyable at their worst with all of the amps I have tried them with, but I blame the fact that my whole system is tempered towards my preferences. I can see how these could easily sound thin, grainy or elsewhere just lacking in punch because they're so revealing of upstream gear. Just depends on what is upstream and how curated that is.

I do enjoy these headphones the most on less complicated music. I'm sure there are many layers to peel back to really get to the bottom of what's going on, but a several day loaner isn't going to get me there. If I try them again from the Elekit (which has surprisingly been my favorite so far), this could change.

I still have one more amp I need to test them on, but honestly I feel like I've had plenty of time to hear and evaluate them. The end result is that (like most things) synergy matters a ton and you can have great sound or less than acceptable sound based on the component, what else is in the chain, what it wants and responds well to.