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Frequency response is better than I expected. I would be curious how they do with the Schiit Jotunheim R. Seems like a much better way to go than the resistor cap network. I agree they look garage made. They are probably the perfect choice for a narrow market segment and a poor choice for many other consumers. Thanks for the interesting review.
Thank god for this review. I had lukewarm impressions of this headphone for exactly the reasons described. I felt like I was going crazy because I’ve seen this headphone receive nothing less than universal praise.
It is exactly as Amir describes - “satellite speaker(s) in dire need of a subwoofer.” I was unable to reach enjoyable listening volumes because the drivers would bottom out when playing bass notes. And the highs sounded a bit tinny/grungy, just like a pair of decent satellite speakers without the front and center channels.
In my opinion, the HD800S is a better SR1a than the SR1a.
Overall sr1a looks like kind of a joke. It bottoms out way too early and that distortion is atrocious.
I like that you are running IMD test on headphones. Most people only measure THD, but IMD is almost never measured, and that's probably more relevant for actual reproduction of music. Would be cool to see a full multitone as well!
Some understanding of the adaptor box would be interesting. I would have expected a transformer, which it looks as if there is. But the RC network is a surprise. It suggests some complex impedance correction. I would imagine that performance of the transformers would be a significant limitation on the results.
I don’t know if the AP can usefully characterise a transformer. I would hope it could manage something.
For the money Invested in these headphones I would be thinking in terms of a dedicated current source amplifier rather the lash up of bits here. It is reminiscent of the cheaper Stax setups with a transformer. I had a pair of SR lambdas and upgrading from transformer to the dedicated amp was significant.
Some understanding of the adaptor box would be interesting. I would have expected a transformer, which it looks as if there is. But the RC network is a surprise. It suggests some complex impedance correction. I would imagine that performance of the transformers would be a significant limitation on the results.
I don’t know if the AP can usefully characterise a transformer. I would hope it could manage something.
For the money Invested in these headphones I would be thinking in terms of a dedicated current source amplifier rather the lash up of but here. It is reminiscent of the cheaper Stax setups with a transformer. I had a pair of SR lambdas And upgrading from transformer to the dedicated amp was significant.
Oddly enough I sold my 6.5' tall electrostatic speakers (downgraded to Magnepans) after picking these up on a whim as I realized I trusted them more for mixing ... Especially for details, than the ESLs or Magnepans or JBLs I had at the time. I do miss the giant electrostatic speakers though as they were fun to listen to and probably would get more use for general listening: but If I was going to keep one ... I kept what I trusted the most.
I think in their design they were aiming for something catering to audio professionals moreso than audiophiles which I'm happy they did. I personally don't mind the looks and it's the most comfortable headphone I've ever owned. Everything is easily replacable and built solid. Though if you jump around they will fall off. Its also the first of it's kind with a ribbon transducer and the user can replace the ribbon which is nice unlike other headphones if a driver goes bad you need a new set. I was always worried about rolling over the non replacable stax headphone cables with my chair! Obviously it's not for everyone but for the few who do certain types of work like listening to noise reduction plugins and dialog editing all day long or does pro audio work on the go and can't bring speakers with them: it works great.
I gave up on planers. There is a reason dynamic speakers dominate the market. Well designed dynamics will provide accurate imaging and soundstage. Ribbons and electrostates do not accurately image and stage. I don't won't to listen to a speaker with an alleged one square inch sweet spot. A speaker absent base below 100 hz sucks.
I’m very excited to see a headphone review here, I hope to see more going forward! Regarding this specific headphone, it’s hard to see the appeal. The poor ergonomics, the unusual source requirements, and the exorbitant price, might be justified if the sonic performance made up for it, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. It brought to mind this comic.
I'm quite surprised at the lack of fit-and-finish apparent in these. Especially odd in the age of home CNC-milled and 3D-printed products, many of which look extremely professional (often moreso than mass-produced goods).
Granted in many areas of audiophilia, $3500 isn't considered excessive... but for HPs that's definitely getting up there. Luckily my ears are dumb enough that they think my Beyer 990's sound plenty good enough for the few times when I'd rather not disturb the neighbors.
I disagree with using the Harman curve as a target because, as far as I have been able to find, it is based on listener preference rather than true objective neutrality. My personal ideal response is: the response that produces the same response at the eardrum as that produced by a loudspeaker that has a perfectly flat response at the listening position.
That was the Etymotic approach. Guess what, it resulted in too little bass, which is not just perceived by our ears alone (though the rest of the spectrum was OK), so the measurement simply does not accurately reflect our perception down there. Also, differing pinna shapes are going to result in considerable individual variation that has to be averaged out.
Ultimately what we want is a response that sounds as much like a very good pair of loudspeakers as possible to as many people as possible. Maybe with a tad of loudness built-in. This is inevitably a preference rating as long as we don't have a measurement that is a 100% accurate reflection of human hearing.
I see that Raal have a dedicated driver amplifier coming. Which makes sense. They list the impedance of the phones as 0.2 ohms. The transformer box presents 6 ohms. That would be turns ratio of 1:30. But I don’t think this is the design.
The need for a 100 watt amplifier is a bit mysterious. Flat out it would cook the transformers or the headphones or both. There is a lot of heat dissipation designed into the resistors in the adaptive box. One suspects that is what the amplifier is driving. May be a lot of passive tweaking of the response going on in there. Overall the contents of the box are just as interesting as the build of the headphones.
With the shishitos you gotta try roasting them over high heat and in the last minute or two pour in fish sauce, salt and msg. Let the fish sauce boil off and you are left with a delicious crispy coating on the outside that enhances the sweetness.
With the shishitos you gotta try roasting them over high heat and in the last minute or two pour in fish sauce, salt and msg. Let the fish sauce boil off and you are left with a delicious crispy coating on the outside that enhances the sweetness.
The use of these is included in the ticket price at some drive-in movie theaters of yesteryear. They are tethered to the audio post that you park next to, so you can catch the soundtrack in hi-fi. But they won't filter out the sounds of the couple making out in the car next to yours. amiright? amiright? [Joe Pesci voice]
My dad was in the room when I was reading this. When I showed him the headphones, his first words were- "Is that forum reviewing headphones made in peoples' garages now?"
