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

I have only listened to 2 amps with my Sr1a, the Vidar and Jot r.
The vidar had some very nice mids, and I have never listened to so many female vocals while I had it. The Jot R didnt have have the enphasis on the mids as the Vidar and I can also hear some very slight sibilance on some records. Mind you I am using a Gungnir MB A2 which doesnt help.

IMHO its a very different experience from regular headphones. Also dont use them to try to work from home because you will not get anything done.

 

From my short audition I've found the SR1A are an upgrade to some of the best HD800 setups where one wanted even more HD800ness...soundstage, plankton, hifi amazement. Even on a lower tier setup they'll sound head and shoulders above a mid-fi HD800 stock setup and still retain their defining characteristic. HD800 needs too much work and love to sound at 90% capabilities were it really starts to shine.

If I have to fix broken excel files I could listen to wilson sashas on plinius sa reference and not give a damn.

 

The HD800 was my absolute preferred headphone but I got tired of the endless catering to their needs... and eventually found the sound too thin.

I love the Verite, but it can come off as too rich sometimes... but this could be with the Bifrost 2 as DAC, not sure. Would love a second option and the Raal seems like it could be the ticket.

 

Maybe try the Hifiman Arya?

 

For a little different taste for @ColtMrFire , I'd rather take HE6 (regardless of # screws or se/non-se) over Arya as usual pad rolling options are ZMF pads. He6 is also both cheaper and better than Arya by any means.

Borealis could be also a worthy consideration if he6 is too difficult to pick up reasonably.

 

HE-6 is a lot tougher to get sounding right and even then, Arya's tonality might be a better fit for many people.

 

OK, so for a fun experiment I tried using the SR1a with a normal powered subwoofer, crossing over at a few different values: 80 Hz, 60 Hz, and 40 Hz. It was an older servo-based sub with a passive radiator (so not the level of the Rythmik sealed subs I plan to get later), but still figured it was worth an attempt to see if it would play more "accurate" bass. It worked reasonably well after I got the levels matched.

My experience was that the subwoofer gave inferior bass to the Eq'd SR1a (again, at the levels I listen to). True, the SR1a didn't quite reach as low, but it played well down into the 30Hz range cleanly. Any thrumming I heard on the SR1a was played the same by the sub, but with less control.

So, while they aren't quite the "bass head's dream" that one might want to go with the exceedingly good mids and highs the SR1a can produce, when the bass isn't played too loudly it seemed pretty decent.

 

I’ve had my pair for several months now with JotR and they are the best for me.

Basically Marv’s posts and Torq’s review on Headphones.com sum everything up that needs to be said.

All I can tell you is that these headphones caused me to upgrade my analog setup and buy a lot more records (mostly audiophile pressings). I’m now way more focused on music than gear which is the way it should be.

I continually talk with people here and other places about concerns over poor fit and ergonomics issues.
I just found this video from Raal about adjusting the headband and it is helpful in addressing any potential concerns. I thought I had my set dialed in pretty good, but now after learning new tricks in the video, the fit is excellent.

 

Hello Everyone,

Once every 2 to 3 years Marv asks us to throw a bunch of expensive TOTLs in the trash because of a new release and I usually pay attention 'cause he's usually on to something

I was kindly lent an SR1a by a dealer in Madrid and I got them in the house this morning to compare them to my Utopias.

I'd like to preface my impressions by saying that I don't have the most refined ears and I even like the Harman Target

Raal SR1a early impressions - Laptop playing Deezer (320Kbps)> Jot R with MB DAC> SR1a

Detail Retrieval: The Raal has excellent detail retrieval, I'd say on par with the Utopias. Is it better or worse? It's too close to call for me and I don't have a setup where I can instantly switch with volume matching so that's all I can say.

Soundstage: This part surprised me. As these are the first earspeakers I've ever tried I expected to be blown away especially compared to the Utopias but soundstage was around the HD800 level I guess. It was still an 'in and around' your head experience. Switching to the Utopias I didn't suddenly suffer in terms of enjoyment due to this factor so I guess I'm one of those people who don't care that much for soundstage.

Bass: As has been said by many others bass extends surprisingly well but the quality is lacking due to the design. I eqed in a 4 db shelf at 80hz and 40hz and this made things better.

Vs the Utopia

After listening to the Raals for an hour going to the Utopia was a bit shocking. It was like going to the LCD4 after listening to the Utopia for an hour.... Utopia added what felt like a layer of bass quantity and warmth.

As has been said before at this level of performance it's more of a flavour and presentation difference than straight up upgrades.

I'm pretty sure people who love the HD800 family type sound signature will love the Raals. I like the bit of extra warmth and heft provided by the Utopia and of course you don't need to worry about the angling of the wings and sitting perfectly still and all that stuff. I guess you do sacrifice a bit of soundstage and micro details but it's a trade off that is ok for me.

I hope these guys can squeeze this tech into a more traditional form factor. I'd definitely be interested in that as it is clear that the drivers are very capable. Maybe that will dethrone the Utopia by a clear margin.

The Raal + Jot amp/dac package is $5600 in Europe. With the Utopia widely available lightly used (now with transferable warranty) for around $2200 to $2500 the Raals don't make sense for my tastes.

 

The Raal isn't a headphone, so comparing them to headphones seems a little unfair to me. They are just something else entirely. In the end I sold them because I missed headphone listening. If I could afford it AND a nice headphone setup I'd probably still have them... they are pretty extraordinary if you can mentally "get with the program" so to speak. There is a large learning curve involved. The bass can be EQ'd to be more substantial with little to no downside. And replacing the stock cable added some warmth (moon audio black dragon).

 

Did you miss the 'intimacy' and 'personal experience' of regular headphone listening? Or was it more about the brightness and incisiveness of the Raal?

 

After 5 minutes with SR1a's on my head I also realized there's no way I could live with it. If you can afford it, just keep headphones and use RAAL money for 2-channel.

 

Was this all you used DAC and source wise? Gimped source files and widely acknowledged gimped on-board DAC and still similar to Utopia?

What’s your Utopia setup?

 

I get that the fit, etc may not be for everyone. I’m at the point trying to determine if using Raal money for 2-channel is realistic. I have a small listening area and I’m wondering what amp/speakers in that price range would even get close to the clarity and level of detail the SR1a offers.

 

The brightness was alleviated with a cable swap. The incisiveness gives it the "live" feel, so that was welcome. It's not just the intimacy of headphones, but there is something akin to a "removed from reality" feel about them that I like.

 

In a near-field configuration, you'd be surprised. And don't forget about spatial resolution

Would you be able to set them up for a proper soundstage? I know these numbers can be stupid, but say you take a 5-10% hit in clarity and detail. If you position your speakers for 2-channel soundstage, you're basically going from 0-to-100 in a whole new category.

 

Agree with @AdvanTech.....youll gain a lot in spatial resolution and also decay, which i find every headphone to sound unnatural due to physics.

 

Utopia used the same source files. Dac was rme ADI 2 and amp thx 789 so I guess the Utopia wasn't "maxed out" either.

I cannot tell the difference between 320kbps from Deezer and flac.

Sr1a is definitely totl material but a different not better presentation to the Utopia imho. I don't think any amp/DAC/moon audio magic dragon cable will counter the earspeaker design which is the main contributor to this presentation. I could be wrong of course but with pandemic I have no opportunities to try somebody's totl chain.

 

As many have already mentioned, the SR1A isn't for everyone, BUT in case it does work for you - its value proposition is hard to beat in the TOTL realm.

I considered dipping my toes in something like a little-to-no compromise used Utopia setup, but most of the combos I wanted to try still ended up costing a bit more than the SR1A + Jot R combo NEW ($4,000 US with a full 5 year warranty). I realize some folks shopping TOTL aren't all that concerned about a grand here or there... or even out-of-warranty equipment failure... but it seems like that doesn't describe the majority of SBAF.

 

Ok just finished another listening session with the SR1a and the Utopia. Both headphones EQed to the Harman Target using Oratory's measurements.

Raal sounds magnificent on it's own. It is so easy to pick out micro details, on female vocals the voices have so much texture and you can hear every breath. This is good stuff. After 25 mins I switch to the Utopias.

Ah, so much more perceived ''warmth'' and ''meat on the bone'' vs the Raals. Microdetails are definitely still there but a bit more obscured and harder to pick out individually. In a way this reminds me of the time my primary cans were the HD650 and I bought an HD800 to compare. 800 had technical advantages for sure but I enjoyed the 650s much more. Here things are much closer. Raal is super enjoyable on all kinds of music but the Utopia has that bit of body to the tonal balance that I'm not willing to sacrifice. I'm also not willing to spend $5000 on Raal's amp. That feels like a Hifiman like cash grab. Maybe somebody more technically inclined can someday open one up and tell me why it has to cost that much....

I'm thinking if Raal can make the ribbon a bit shorter and stick it in a long oval chassis like the HE1000 family.......how good could that be?