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

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by purr1n, Jul 12, 2019.

  1. Collusion

    Collusion Friend

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    It seems this might be the case. I just wore the headphones for one hour without listening to anything and felt only slight discomfort. Part of this was probably just psychological fear of getting a headache soon. But it didn't come this time. And like @Galm stated, the upper pads are the ones causing the most of the pressure.

    The worst side of this is the headache won't go away immediately . My head hurt a good part of this day, even when I stopped listening yesterday evening. I even had a good night's sleep.

    I guess I've have to just juggle with my equipment some more and give it a couple of weeks. If the symtoms won't go away, I guess I've to rethink my priorities and equipment...
     
  2. Thomas Seok Hwan Kong

    Thomas Seok Hwan Kong New

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    I had lived with Sr1a driven by Jot R for 3 months with Dave and HMS as source.

    It sounds open and exciting but close to hot from time to time.

    Thus I had pulled the trigger for Schitt Freya to be in front of Jot R.

    I also placed an order of Nos quad Sylvania 6sn7 GTB made in 1955.

    I hope it will give relaxed tube flavor to both Sr1a driven by Jot R and 009s driven by Kgsshv Carbon amp.

    But Freya is backordered so that I may get it on next Thursday or later.

    I also have quad Sylvania vt231 made in 1940's but two of them are in my 2 channel amplifier and I keep one more pair as spare



    I had chosen Sylvania vt231 in Line Magnetic 508 amp after comparing with Nos Kenrad, Tungsol and modern Shuguang Treasure cv181-z.

    Shuguang Treasure sounds warm and organic but falls slightly short of vt231 in details.


    Sylvania "Bad boy" made in 1952 are hard to get with exorbitant price which I had not tried in my system.

    But I am happy with Sylvania vt231 which give excellent details, nice dynamics, wide and deep soundstage.

    I will also make comparison between Sylvania vt231 made in 1940's and GTB made in 1955 in Line Magnetic 508 and Freya.
     
  3. Galm

    Galm Still looking for Little Red Riding Hood

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    Ah yeah that reminds me I've got the same source and amp set up as you. But I've found the SR1a to be too hot for my normal tastes. I've been using Roon to create a pretty aggressive EQ to lower the high end and increase the lower bass.

    I've been doing this to work towards getting a universal tuning that sounds good with orchestral and acoustic pieces as well as rock, electronic, and hip hop tracks that tend to be much more harsh or are intended to be bass heavy.

    I'm still fine tuning, but I've been really enjoying some of the profiles I've created, they EQ like nothing else I've heard I'm sure due to the open baffle design. I generally like a studio monitor sound of close to neutral with perhaps a bit elevated rumble from a sub. I've found even with these tuning adjustments SR1a still sounds very convincing.
     
  4. tusing

    tusing New

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    Could you please share your EQ settings?
     
  5. Galm

    Galm Still looking for Little Red Riding Hood

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    upload_2020-4-21_20-15-31.png

    upload_2020-4-21_20-15-48.png

    These are a couple examples of my more aggressive high frequency EQs. I've done some with just bass elevation (and I've done more than this) but I've been working towards trying to make the treble less harsh.

    I think in particular cymbals and some guitars were like annoyingly loud, where impacts would be like jarring.

    They look as they do because I was attempting to basically invert the measurements from Torq's headphones.com post of the SR1a. Though, more subjectively and not a granular inversion. And then the bass boost just because when it's so open you definitely lose some low end.
     
  6. Thomas Seok Hwan Kong

    Thomas Seok Hwan Kong New

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    I received Freya+ this morning

    I skipped JJ stock tubes and inserted Nos Amperex 6sn7gtb in gain stage and Sylvania 6sn7gtb in buffer stage.

    After running demagnetization tracks twice( 6min each) on Freya and Jot R, I started listening to Capricio Italian (Tchaikovsky) directed by Bernstein.

    Wow, Freya with Jot R sounds much better than Jot R only with more relaxed and nuanced details but with minimal loss of transparency

    While it sounds slightly thin with Jot R only.

    Old Jazz recording by Benny Goodman sounds more relaxed with less hot edge from Freya and Jot R.

    My digital source is Dave and HMS.

    I use 20ft Purist Audio Design balanced cable between Dave and Freya and 6ft Synergistic Research balanced cable between Freya and Jot R.

    I still have several choice of tube rolling with Sylvania vt231, RCA gray glass 6sn7gt and all quad Syl 6sn7 gtb.

    Audio depends on personal preference, but Freya fitted with Nos tubes and Jot R sounds much more musical to my ears than Jot R only with overall nuanced presentation.

    Although I had enjoyed fast and exciting sound out of Sr1a driven by Jot R for the last three months, I keep going back to 009s driven by Kgsshv Carbon amp to get more relaxed sound.

    With Freya and Jot R, Sr1a move halfway between Jot R only and 009s with relaxed presentation.

    I will also apply Freya to Kgsshv Carbon amp later today to find its effect on sound of 009s.

    Out of curiosity, I am driving HD 800s out of Rca output of Freya using "Hosa TPR-257" adapter bought from Amazon.

    Wow, Freya+ is also a killer amp for HD 800s.

    I had driven HD 800s by headphone output of Dave and HMS.

    It sounds transparent but with one note bass.

    But with Freya in the chain after Dave, HD 800s sounds almost perfect with nice soundstage, clean details and full and textured bass.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 23, 2020
  7. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Glad Freya is working out for you to tone down the intensity and relentlessness of the SR1a and Jot R. Freya is a bit too bloomy for my tastes, but I do have a Saga so maybe I will try this out.

    Never thought of using Freya SE outputs for high Z headphones. At 75-ohms not terribly high for HD800. Dave DAC headouts suck - convenient, but really deserves something better.
     
  8. Thomas Seok Hwan Kong

    Thomas Seok Hwan Kong New

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    I had not tried stock tube with Freya.

    But with nice Nos tube, Freya never sounds boomy in my system.

    Dave sounds pretty tight.

    Thus Dave and Freya may work well together.
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2020
  9. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Not boomy - bloomy. I tend to dislike certain kinds of bloom. For example, I prefer well implemented FET microphones to most tube microphones.
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2020
  10. Thomas Seok Hwan Kong

    Thomas Seok Hwan Kong New

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    Dave sound neutral but on the cool side, Thus bloomy Freya could have synergy with Dave.

    I am also happy to drive 009s with combination of Freya and Kgsshav Carbon amp with tuneful bass and graceful treble.
     
  11. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophile™

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    It has been one year when I first got SR1a and enjoyed them enthusiastically. Looking at Raal's initial victory (I've never seen such an unanimous agreement from all audiophile groups -- which K1000 wanted to achieve), I thought other companies would follow Raal's approach.

    At least expected so for Audeze, HFM, and HEDD. Because these three companies had very good planar technology that show excellent performance in the free air: HEDD's AMT doesn't need any explanation; And I've measured SPL for Audeze and HFM drivers in the free air. Impressive enough for their uniform and clean response (including evener sub-bass response than current sr1a). In other words, these three already have technology to make a full-open dipole headphones. But as of the first one third in 2020, Raal is still the only player of full-open non-dynamic headphones. A little discouraging.
     
  12. Vtory

    Vtory Audiophile™

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    Speaking of SR1a, I'd leave some of my notes taken during amp-pairing experiments last year and this spring. It's a shame that I had no chance to hear Jot-R or HSA to date though.

    Disclaimer: Note two popular things (in the sr1a threads here and there) never worked for me include (1) Benchmark AHB and (2) Hypex semi-diy dual mono. So please adjust against my bias if necessary. Also because not every amp was tested with my rig, dac confounding is possible, although I got some consistent results when testing my amps with dacs I usually hate.
    • (Older) accuphase class-As: all of original, replica, and DIY-variants (the latter two are obtainable via Ali) nailed to my liking. Somewhat Japanese-ish colored highs, relaxed presentation, and darker than others listed here. Tad less resolving though.
    • Schiits (except jot r): Risk-averse folks favoring neutraliness, balance, and no critical shortfalls must go for this road. My preference order is Aegir x2 > Vidar >> Aegir x1. If having no idea about what to pair but still want speaker-amp versatility for the future, take Vidar. Aegir x2 is the most high-end sounding among I tried. Yeah even more so than f**ing expensive vintage? accuphase.. But to me it was occasionally too neutral or cold. They would never satisfy warm-poo lovers...
    • Class-Ds: I would avoid anything with Hypex modules any day. Ice-power things are a little mixed bag. Some worked. Some not. Two things that impressed me were (1) Crown XLS1000 and (2) Emotiva PA-2 (dual mono). Both sounded rather more similar than different. Emotiva being a little more cleaner and refined, and crown being a bit rough but engaging. These things are less preferred to the two groups above.. but bass lover should go for this road. No idea why class-D was strong in bass. Also top end extension is technically better with this group. Why technically? Cause to my ears their airiness felt quite artificial and less cohesive. Not sure if this comes from their relatively cheaper costs, class-D nature, or ice-power character. While this group showed greatness of class-Ds (very low heat, very lightweight, and visually more satisfying for non-audiophiles), neither presented typical BS points of class-D or H.
     
  13. Thomas Seok Hwan Kong

    Thomas Seok Hwan Kong New

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    I had also been impressed with Crown XLs 1502 which has cleaner and faster transient than Jot R.

    But I am using two bridged Xls 2502 to drive my two 18 inch subwoofers.

    I had been impressed with Sr1a for the first two months, then I started getting the impression that it sounds too aggressive from time to time.

    But adding Freya with Nos tubes in front of Jot R seems to tame the problem pretty well.
     
  14. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    The class D stuff has power. I loved everything about dual mono Aegir except the bass - too soft.

    The Jot R is super dynamic and super detailed with a veiled lifted. Unrelenting unless EQ or tube preamp is used.
     
  15. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    I wasn't even close to the first people who put ears on the SR1a. In fact, the first time I heard it, the Jotunheim R was already in production. However, the Raal left a big impression with its visceral impact, tactility, and stage. It sparked a desire to eventually buy one (despite the jokes about it needing a chin strap at a meet). So, now that the SR1a and Jot R is in the house (thanks to @Bloom!), I've had a few days to listen in and run some comparisons. *Do note that I neither own the speaker interface box, nor do I even have any speaker amp that can properly drive the SR1a, so the Jot R is going to be used for all listening. It's been noted that the SR1a does respond differently to different amplification.*

    I've read some of the comments here regarding ergonomics, which initially was cause for concern. I can say that for my head though, I find the SR1a among the most comfortable pair of headphones I've tried once I got used to wearing it (it does feel very strange in the beginning). It's not the most lightweight thing, but the suspension strap sits nicely on the head, and I find the cushions on the baffles comfortable. Also, the open baffle means that there's plenty of airflow around the ears and absolutely no heat-build up (especially important for me since I sweat a lot). However, I will say that the SR1a needs tons of fiddling with to actually find the right setting, mostly due to its design. Be prepared to sit down for a good while and fiddle with the baffle angle, position on head, and straps. It is also worth noting that the SR1a will slide off your head even more easily than the Utopia, which means absolutely no head-banging unless you like having really expensive accidents.

    It's not easy for me to describe how I think the SR1a sounds because of two reasons: it doesn't sound like any other headphone I've listened to, and I don't have the two-channel experience necessary to even use the cliché of "speakers strapped to your head." However, timbre-wise, it is among the most righteous that I've heard. There's absolutely none of the plasticky stuff from some planars, and none of the grain from most dynamics; straight down the middle. The timbre has none of the richness of the Verite, but it also doesn't have the slight beryllium timbre of the Utopia. I do agree with Marv's sentiment that it's not easy to tell if the Raal ribbons have a timbre (they definitely do, every material and transducer does). This timbre might just be its own thing: ribbon timbre (which we don't quite understand yet because, well, we have a sample size of one). I will say that the SR1a tends to have a slight edginess to its sound regardless of volume level, but not in the sense of treble edge or glare; perhaps this is the third order distortion seen in the measurements? This, in conjunction with its transient character, does give it a relentless sound where it brutally delivers music and presents everything upfront, which may or may not be to your liking.

    The tonality of these things is right down studio neutral, kind of like its timbre. In the very beginning, I thought that there might be too much upper mid emphasis, but after adjusting I find it fine. Yes, I played around with EQ, and it does respond fantastically. However, I do kind of like the stock tuning with Jot R; seems like it's part of its charm for me. I can hear the upper mids and maybe mid-low treble being a bit much for some though. The bass performance, while of great quality (the pitch differentiation is better than the headphones I have at home), does somewhat noticeably roll off a bit, but honestly, I can't hear those super low 20 Hz notes with even subs, so I don't really care about this. That, and the bass notes are really only a few dB below the mids, nothing that my brain couldn't just get used to. A definite strong suite though is the SR1a's treble performance; there's essentially no roughness in the FR and the treble performance is free of ringing or other nasties.

    The transients of this thing though is absolutely bonkers. I haven't listened to any electrostats, nor any of the really fast, thin-membrane planars, but the SR1a does seem to edge out the Utopia while still having the fantastic weight to the sound of traditional dynamics. The way transients are presented is absolutely clean and the pitch differentiation is way better than any other can. Despite that, it doesn't sound square unless the music calls for it; this thing has both macrodynamics and microdynamics nailed. In a headphone, I haven't heard better in these regards.

    Now about stage, the SR1a actually has real soundstage since, you know, open baffle and drivers hanging in front of your ears. This makes it almost impossible to really compare to other headphones since I haven't heard things like the MySphere or K1000. I will say that I found the ribbons to accurately convey positional queues in games, and the stage actually existing somewhat outside your head is really cool and not something that I've heard in any headphone.

    I'm not sure if the SR1a is any more or less resolving than Utopia or Verite, but it's certainly up there in performance. Part of why this is hard to ascertain is that its presentation is just so different than traditional headphones that certain details of songs jump out that wouldn't jump out in other headphones. That makes it a bit difficult to really see if the SR1a is pulling up information that isn't heard in other headphones, but it certainly is not bad in this regard. If I had to give it a rating now in resolve, I'd put it in the same ballpark as Utopia and Verite, but I really need more time to assess.

    Comparisons To Other Cans:
    • Focal Utopia: Initially, I kind of thought that these cans would compete for a place in my system, and after a while one would supplant the other. While I'm not completely sure whether or not I feel they overlap yet since I just recently got the SR1a, the reality is that they're very fundamentally different and offer vastly different presentations. The Utopia is a top-performing dynamic driver with a Be driver, with all the good and bad that comes with it. The SR1a is something novel. They sound different even down to the fundamental level, where one is a traditional headphone and the other is an open baffle. Ultimately, someone who has a TOTL SET amp with the Utopia should rest assured that you have one of the very best dynamic driver headphones systems on the planet, with the SR1a and Jot R being something different (and ultimately, not sure if it's better).
    • Sennheiser HD 6XX: These are super, SUPER different. Honestly, I wouldn't compare these, although I'd say the SR1a is the better headphone. And well, considering how much it is in comparison, it better be. The HD 650 has noticeably bloated bass and bass bleed into the mids; SR1a does not. HD 650 isn't zippy, the SR1a is. Fundamentally different on so many levels. I'd say the nod to resolve goes to SR1a, although once again, the SR1a's relentless presentation is going to be undesirable for some.
    • ZMF Auteur: This is a more interesting comparison. More so than the Utopia, the Auteur is kind of everything the SR1a is not; it's laid-back in transients and FR, is slower (definitely not as fast as Aeolus or Atticus), and doesn't slam nearly as much, all while having this very intimate stage and cup reverberation. The SR1a has no cup reverberation, is forward, and has amazingly clean, sharp transients with a timbre that gives in a relentless presentation (the Autuer is emphatically NOT relentless; it's laid-back and romantic). In fact, the only thing that might be in common is that the Auteur is the most neutral of all ZMFs, but even then, if you said the Auteur was "studio neutral" I'd call you deaf. The SR1a is definitely studio neutral.
    • ZMF Verite: Kind of a mash of the Utopia and the Auteur when comparing to SR1a (well, I've also always thought the Verite sounded like Zach's take on the Utopia). The Verite has the Utopia's speed, but presents transients in a more rounded manner. On top of that, it has none of the Be timbre; instead having this rich harmonic timbre, plus cup reverb. The FR on Verite (with Verite pads) is kind of neutral, but generally downward sloping with a tickle at 8k. The SR1a has none of that and plays things very straight-down. I'd classify the Verite as visceral headphone with plenty of punch, but compared to SR1a it's downright polite. SR1a grips you by the balls.
    I should also add a note about the Jot R with SR1a. I've read that Marv called this pair relentless and all my impressions line up with that. Using Euforia as a preamp added some tubeyness and honestly it sounded REALLY good. I can say that if you want the Jot R but want to add a little bit of tubeyness, investing in either a Saga+ or Freya+ could be the more inexpensive-ish way to add some tubes in the setup and cut back on some of the relentless character.

    Overall, I really like the SR1a, despite the Jot R giving it this unrelenting feel. In a way, it's refreshing from my other cans; all my other cans really don't give this sensation (the Utopia kind of gets out of the way, the Verite is seductive, and the Auteur is relaxing). All in all, it may look like that instead of selling Utopia, I might have a 4 can rotation up from 3. However, I'm not necessarily complaining; at least I get to have something that legitimately sounds amazing that doesn't burn up the Starlett's tubes!

    Edit: I'm beginning to think the combination of Jot R + SR1a might be just a tad less resolving than the Utopia + Starlett. From what it sounds from reading other impressions, I'm suspecting this is the limitation of the Jot R, but honestly, the combination is absolutely fantastic (and really, I'm comparing the Jot R/SR1a combo to a TOTL SET amp with a super resolving dynamic. Not 100% fair). What would be interesting is if there was some way to direct drive the SR1a via a SET amp, and I have no idea if that's even possible.
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2020
  16. tusing

    tusing New

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    Edit: I have decided to redact this review for now. My unit might have issues and I want to give RAAL a chance to investigate before I post my review. I would appreciate if a mod could delete this reply so we can clean up the thread.
     
    Last edited: Apr 26, 2020
  17. tusing

    tusing New

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    RAAL SR1a Thoughts

    I recently spent about two days with the RAAL SR1a, running it via a Jotunheim R via an RME ADI-2.

    [​IMG]

    Positive thoughts

    Most immediately impressive to me about the SR1a was the bass quality. I was originally very concerned about the bass quantity of the SR1a coming from a Verite C, but with some EQ I was able to bump this up to reasonable levels. What really blew me away is the level of control the bass had, this is the most precise bass I have ever heard in a headphone.

    The speed of the SR1a was also fantastic. It was quite fast, and I was hearing things I didn’t entirely make out on the Verite C. Now, I’m not sure if this is because the SR1a emphasizes different frequencies more, or if it’s genuinely significantly faster than the Verite C, but I always love hearing new details, so this was a win either way.

    RAAL seems to have placed a special emphasis on repairability and maintainability. The ribbon cartridges take seconds to replace and it looks like the unit is designed from the ground up to be user maintainable and replaceable on the cheap. This makes the price of the headphone much easier to swallow as you know it’ll be chugging along for many years to come.

    The Jotunheim R is very well built, looks stunning, and has the most satisfying volume pot I have ever used.

    Other thoughts

    Some things about the SR1a + Jot R didn’t entirely appeal to me.

    The first thing I noticed is that the sound felt thin. This is expected, coming from the VC, which has a very thick, layered, seductive sound full of resonance and decay. After a few hours, I got a bit more used to this, but I still found myself missing some substance. The HD800S felt weightier here, as does my stereo speaker configuration (KEF LS50W with an SVS sub), and I think I prefer the slightly weightier presentation as it also seems to lend itself to better imaging. I should also note that the weightier presentation and resonance led to a much more “encompassing” sound in all 3 systems described, whereas with the RAAL SR1a it often felt like the sound was distinctly coming from my front left/right. You could, however, argue that the thinner sound is a feature and not a bug, as resonance is less accurate even if it might be more pleasing to some ears.

    I also felt that sound had a sort of a harsh edge to it, and some parts of the treble felt a bit sharp or even grainy. Cymbals hit a bit too hard, and some of my treble-heavy songs, while they felt supremely detailed, were not the most comfortable or pleasing to hear. I ended up using the RME’s treble EQ feature fairly often to take the edge off of some songs, something I never needed to do with my HD800S. I suspect you might get used to this at “native” volumes over time, or you could just EQ this away.

    Unlike others I didn’t find the SR1a particularly comfortable. The headaches reported elsewhere in the thread also struck me after my first few hours, mainly headaches around my temple that dissipated after removing the SR1a. My neck also felt occasionally strained when wearing the SR1a, despite it being fairly light. I think that because the SR1a fits a bit loosely, my neck “felt” like it was constantly slipping off (it wasn’t) and kept on trying to adjust. Adjustability on the SR1a could be better. The headband only has 3 positions (wasn’t much of a problem for me), but the backstrap only has one position and it was rendered ineffective for me when I tightened the headband.

    The last thing was volume. This was actually the worst part for me and caused me to send my headphone back to RAAL for inspection (they determined the unit to be normal). Approaching my upper listening levels (~84 dB, I think) I found that the SR1a started to pop when attempting to play sub-bass and crackle/buzz when attempting to play modulated piano. Example song for the buzzing: Radio Ballet, from 2:12 onwards. Try listening at your highest comfortable listening volume, what you'd have on if you were jamming along with a song.

    Interestingly, the right side popped more than the left side, even with the ribbons swapped or DAC L/R channels swapped. I’ve seen other users report the popping with sub-bass, and I’ve talked to at least one other user that was encountering similar issues playing back at a slightly higher volume than I was. RAAL support was understanding and fast with the RMA process, but unfortunately in the end, said that the unit seemed to be fine.

    Note: I linked them to the example song after they told me all was nominal, so they might have yet to find problems with my unit. Regardless, the volume issue was a dealbreaker and the reason for my return.



    All in all, I think the RAAL SR1a is one of the most interesting headphones to hit the market in recent years. It’s also near universally praised, which is why I feel very strange writing this review. Maybe my ears are just different. Maybe my unit needs a repair. But for now, this wasn’t a straight upgrade from the HD800S as I was hoping. I hope this serves as a reminder that no matter how universally acclaimed a headphone is, you might be one of the few people for which it doesn’t click!
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2020
  18. Collusion

    Collusion Friend

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    Just an update on this matter: I am no longer getting headaches while listening to RAAL's. Whatever I had is now gone. Decided to chime in before people start to bash SR1a's for inducing migraine.

    I listened for 3 hours the day before yesterday and probably for an hour yesterday. Really missed these!
     
  19. Ksaurav402

    Ksaurav402 Friend

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    Did you notch up sub bass thru EQ?
    If yes, at what frequency and by how much?
    That might be the reason for pop. You are trying to achieve what this headphone drivers are not supposed to do
    I feel thicker sounding NOS or multibit DAC would be better option then bumping bass with EQ for this combo
    Or if you really want to EQ then bump up mid bass rather then sub bass that will give some thickness to vocals
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2020
  20. tusing

    tusing New

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    California
    The popping happened even without EQ, but the buzzing was the real offender. Popping was fairly rare and you might not have always noticed it unless you listen to songs with a healthy amount of sub bass, but the buzzing in the mids made some songs in my library unlistenable, which becomes a dealbreaker for me. RAAL also determined my ribbons were healthy so it can’t have been those.

    The other thing is that when the headphone starts to buzz at slightly higher volumes you can’t help but wonder if it’s really performing optimally even at your normal listening volumes, or if there is some popping/buzzing you aren’t picking up on but it’s actually there. Now, whether it matters if you can’t exactly pick it up is a philosophical debate, but it did create some uneasiness for me.
     
    Last edited: May 5, 2020

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