I've had the RAAL SR1a for about 3 1/2 months now. I have heard a few other high-end headphones but for detailed/long-term comparisons own a set of Hifiman HE-6se and HE-500 headphones and some higher-end speakers.
The SR1a are clearly the best headphones I've ever heard, but they do indeed take some quality gear to drive them to their best, though I am going with overkill at the moment. My stack:
As to the cost of the stack, I use it for a high-end passive-crossover speaker setup as well, and the headphones are superior to it. I.e. if I'm willing to do it for speakers, then I'm willing to do it for the SR1a as well. (ok, yes, I *do* have speakers which are superior to the SR1a, but they are active crossover speakers which are in another league of cost for their stack due to the digital processor, multiple stereo amps, etc.)
To be clear, with lesser gear I'd tried them on, they still sound as good or better as the other headphones on that lesser gear, but with the overkill setup their differences become more stark. It just seems a waste to not go all the way with the awesome sound I can get. Why else would I have bought the SR1a then?
Having said the above... I haven't tried dialing in exactly where the "lesser" ends and "overkill" starts, and will probably not try to go there.
On a last note: For my HE-6se headphones I have a Schiit Modius/Magnius stack which should arrive in the next week or so (I have also run the HE-6se on the stack listed above and while they sound good on that, it's much less portable), and I admit to being just curious to try the SR1a out with some appropriate extra resistors added in to see if that will drive them to the quiet levels I use.
The SR1a are clearly the best headphones I've ever heard, but they do indeed take some quality gear to drive them to their best, though I am going with overkill at the moment. My stack:
- BluOS CI 580 - Digital source/using CD or higher quality, output as 24/96kHz
- Behringer DEQ2496 - 63 band digital equalization at 24/96kHz
- Sabaj D5 DAC - XLR outputs
- XLR < 1% balanced adjustable resistor level reducers
- Power amps with XLR inputs:
- Pass Labs X250.8 (sweeter but still pretty accurate)
- Purifi 1ET400A (king of accuracy!)
As to the cost of the stack, I use it for a high-end passive-crossover speaker setup as well, and the headphones are superior to it. I.e. if I'm willing to do it for speakers, then I'm willing to do it for the SR1a as well. (ok, yes, I *do* have speakers which are superior to the SR1a, but they are active crossover speakers which are in another league of cost for their stack due to the digital processor, multiple stereo amps, etc.)
To be clear, with lesser gear I'd tried them on, they still sound as good or better as the other headphones on that lesser gear, but with the overkill setup their differences become more stark. It just seems a waste to not go all the way with the awesome sound I can get. Why else would I have bought the SR1a then?
Having said the above... I haven't tried dialing in exactly where the "lesser" ends and "overkill" starts, and will probably not try to go there.
On a last note: For my HE-6se headphones I have a Schiit Modius/Magnius stack which should arrive in the next week or so (I have also run the HE-6se on the stack listed above and while they sound good on that, it's much less portable), and I admit to being just curious to try the SR1a out with some appropriate extra resistors added in to see if that will drive them to the quiet levels I use.