FullBright1
Headphoneus Supremus
Edited : 10-19-2022
Raal-requisite Ca-1a - Mini Review.
1.) Box. (2) Black Substantial Cardboard Boxes. .. One contains the ohm converter Brick and a short 4 pin cable . The other black box contains the RaaL Headphones and 2 sets of custom pads and a nice black cloth headphone cable.
2.) Cable : 3 Meter obo. Black Cloth, nice.
3.) Pads.. 2 Sets ..... Slanted, comfortable, total black foam design
4.) Headband : Its Leather, and very soft
5.) RaaL Ca-1a overall comfort : Its Good. The headphone pads are comfy and the headphones frame design sits well balanced on your head. The clamp force is soft. The Ca-1a will fit larger heads, smaller heads and any size ears.
6.) Build Quality : Solidly Retro
.........
-------
I am reviewing the Raal right out of the box, first listening impressions. Call it "Honeymoon" if you like.
Let me say that Ive never heard the Previous Raal Ear Phones, so i can't comment by comparison regarding if these sound better, similar, or etc.
Now let me get right to the gear.
Its quite possibly a classic in the making. And what i mean by that, is that this one is going to take time to appreciate, because what it does is very special and it often takes time for the special to stand up and be counted.
IN this last 12 months, ive owned or own the Susvara, the ZMF Verite closed, the Final Audio 8000 Pro, the Abyss TC, my 3rd set of Rosson Rad-O's, the DCA Stealth, DCA Noire, Senn 800S, The Hifiman Stealth and XS and HEKSE and HEKV2. Ive owned again the Empyrean and for the 1st time and not the last time....the Meze Elite. And i can say with assurance that this new Raal sounds nothing like any of those gears. It has a uniquely engineered reference sound that i wager will eventually become a "keeper" regarding real Audiophiles who will take a chance on it.
Its not a set of headphones that break music into bits and pieces of FR for you to dissect.. Instead it sounds more like floor standing speakers.
Its a unique gear that offerers a beautiful sound that is easy to listen to for long sessions because of its warm and natural sound that yields ample detail.
Overall the new RaaL's are designed strictly for excellent sonic performance.
Within 2 mins of listening to the Raal's fine sound, you realize that you are listening to something special.
There are 2 sets of Pads.. One is designed to somewhat simulate the Previous Raal headphone's sound, and is aimed at listeners who prefer outstanding neutrality + excellent detail.
The 2nd Set, produces more richness in the low end and slightly more soundstage.
The first few days i owned the RaaLs, i used the solid pads and for the last month ive used the slotted pads that proved the most neutral sound.
Having tried a lot of amps i can say that any amp that has decent power will easily power the new Raal's. They us an "OMN" Brick rated at 16 or 32, and you plug it into your Amp's Balanced Headphone out, and then you control the CA-1a's volume with your Amp's volume knob. .
Im using a Ferrum ERCO, a Fiio K9 Pro, and a TEAC UD-505 and the Topping A90 Discrete, and they all work perfectly with the Raal's setup requirements.
This Raal sounds good with every amp-dac combo ive used.
So...."how does this RaaL gear sound"? And is the CA-1A, worth : $2500.00
Well, you will be the final judge upon ownership, but i'm happy to provide you with some basic idea of what to expect when you hear them for yourself.
Now, what does this gear do for sound.... how to describe it?
A.) Natural and Beautiful.
The new RaaL sounds natural and beautiful based on its Ribbon Driver Tech.. Ribbon Tech sounds nothing like a Planar and nothing like a Dynamic. The new Raal also sounds nothing like the HEDD-phone Ribbon system or any set of headphones that use Beryllium drivers.
The new RaaL delivers a very natural sound.
The best way i can describe it's sound, is that its slightly warm, sweet very natural, nicely detailed. and not dry.
There is no hyped treble, there is no sucked out mids, and there is no lack of bass extension.
No one frequency is dominate. The CA-1A's sound is balanced, detailed, natural, and has a mildly "analog" tonality that i was not expecting to hear from 2 RIBBON drivers.
Frankly i was expecting the Raal to be a treble canon, and its not that at all.
Its a immersive audiophile sound that offers warmth and fullness and nice detail.
Its not a Hifiman, whereby the treble is trying to overcook the detail. Its not a recent Abyss whereby the upper mids are hyped for the same reason... The Raal Gear uncovers what is in the music and plays it for you beautifully. Some headphones push the sound into your ears and the new Raal's present it to your ears.
-
1.) Treble.: Its detailed but its not etched. Its not dominate. Its a fatigue free Treble. RaaL has designed the Treble to be accurate vs hyper extended.
All the micro information is there but not like a Planar where you often get too much..such as what Hifiman Treble produces.
2.) Midrange : Its sweet and natural and smooth and non forward and non aggressive . This was my 2nd biggest surprise regarding the Raal, as i had anticipated that the Ribbons would produce a bit of edge in the midrange, but there is none. In fact its in the Midrange that the CA-1As produce their tonal sweetness.
3.) Upper Bass : I dont detect any bloat, but because the Ca-1a's overall tone is quite warm, it could be that the upper bass is the reason. It does not encroach upon the midrange, but there is a balanced fullness regarding the upper bass frequency.
4.) Deep Bass : Its textured. Its very full when using the non-notched pads. Its dynamic but not quite a "slam". Bass is in no way lacking in extension or resolution.
5.) Soundstage : Immersive. Its not so wide that you lose "in the front", and there is a deepness to the SS that helps the overall sense of "Euphoric" that this gear presents.
6.) Instrument separation : Very accurate.
Micro Detail : Revealing but not clinically hyper-detailed.
Macro Detail : Again, no shortage.
Timbre : Sweet and Natural
Overall Resolution : Able to deliver a natural sound that is also accurately detailed.
How does this gear stand up against the BEST : Audeze, Hifiman, Final Audio, Abyss, & Meze, To my ears, its in the same league but does not sound like any of those.
The Raal CA-1a certainly performs at a high end "audiophile gear" level. It's tonal balance and the beautiful naturalness that it presents as its sound make this gear very special.
The lovely sound it produces is unlike Planar or Dynamic sound, but in a good way.
It offers a richness in the overall tonality that is soundly unique, which is it's magic.
The Ribbon Tech inside these new RaaL's brings out the beauty in your music, and also offers very insightful detail.
Verdict : If you were not quite satisfied with the Empyrean or Elite,...... and the DCA Stealth, The LCD-5, and the Susvara just weren't 'it"... then you should give the Raal CA-1a a listen for a few days.
Its very good.
-
-
-
-
Raal-requisite Ca-1a - Mini Review.
1.) Box. (2) Black Substantial Cardboard Boxes. .. One contains the ohm converter Brick and a short 4 pin cable . The other black box contains the RaaL Headphones and 2 sets of custom pads and a nice black cloth headphone cable.
2.) Cable : 3 Meter obo. Black Cloth, nice.
3.) Pads.. 2 Sets ..... Slanted, comfortable, total black foam design
4.) Headband : Its Leather, and very soft
5.) RaaL Ca-1a overall comfort : Its Good. The headphone pads are comfy and the headphones frame design sits well balanced on your head. The clamp force is soft. The Ca-1a will fit larger heads, smaller heads and any size ears.
6.) Build Quality : Solidly Retro
.........
-------
I am reviewing the Raal right out of the box, first listening impressions. Call it "Honeymoon" if you like.
Let me say that Ive never heard the Previous Raal Ear Phones, so i can't comment by comparison regarding if these sound better, similar, or etc.
Now let me get right to the gear.
Its quite possibly a classic in the making. And what i mean by that, is that this one is going to take time to appreciate, because what it does is very special and it often takes time for the special to stand up and be counted.
IN this last 12 months, ive owned or own the Susvara, the ZMF Verite closed, the Final Audio 8000 Pro, the Abyss TC, my 3rd set of Rosson Rad-O's, the DCA Stealth, DCA Noire, Senn 800S, The Hifiman Stealth and XS and HEKSE and HEKV2. Ive owned again the Empyrean and for the 1st time and not the last time....the Meze Elite. And i can say with assurance that this new Raal sounds nothing like any of those gears. It has a uniquely engineered reference sound that i wager will eventually become a "keeper" regarding real Audiophiles who will take a chance on it.
Its not a set of headphones that break music into bits and pieces of FR for you to dissect.. Instead it sounds more like floor standing speakers.
Its a unique gear that offerers a beautiful sound that is easy to listen to for long sessions because of its warm and natural sound that yields ample detail.
Overall the new RaaL's are designed strictly for excellent sonic performance.
Within 2 mins of listening to the Raal's fine sound, you realize that you are listening to something special.
There are 2 sets of Pads.. One is designed to somewhat simulate the Previous Raal headphone's sound, and is aimed at listeners who prefer outstanding neutrality + excellent detail.
The 2nd Set, produces more richness in the low end and slightly more soundstage.
The first few days i owned the RaaLs, i used the solid pads and for the last month ive used the slotted pads that proved the most neutral sound.
Having tried a lot of amps i can say that any amp that has decent power will easily power the new Raal's. They us an "OMN" Brick rated at 16 or 32, and you plug it into your Amp's Balanced Headphone out, and then you control the CA-1a's volume with your Amp's volume knob. .
Im using a Ferrum ERCO, a Fiio K9 Pro, and a TEAC UD-505 and the Topping A90 Discrete, and they all work perfectly with the Raal's setup requirements.
This Raal sounds good with every amp-dac combo ive used.
So...."how does this RaaL gear sound"? And is the CA-1A, worth : $2500.00
Well, you will be the final judge upon ownership, but i'm happy to provide you with some basic idea of what to expect when you hear them for yourself.
Now, what does this gear do for sound.... how to describe it?
A.) Natural and Beautiful.
The new RaaL sounds natural and beautiful based on its Ribbon Driver Tech.. Ribbon Tech sounds nothing like a Planar and nothing like a Dynamic. The new Raal also sounds nothing like the HEDD-phone Ribbon system or any set of headphones that use Beryllium drivers.
The new RaaL delivers a very natural sound.
The best way i can describe it's sound, is that its slightly warm, sweet very natural, nicely detailed. and not dry.
There is no hyped treble, there is no sucked out mids, and there is no lack of bass extension.
No one frequency is dominate. The CA-1A's sound is balanced, detailed, natural, and has a mildly "analog" tonality that i was not expecting to hear from 2 RIBBON drivers.
Frankly i was expecting the Raal to be a treble canon, and its not that at all.
Its a immersive audiophile sound that offers warmth and fullness and nice detail.
Its not a Hifiman, whereby the treble is trying to overcook the detail. Its not a recent Abyss whereby the upper mids are hyped for the same reason... The Raal Gear uncovers what is in the music and plays it for you beautifully. Some headphones push the sound into your ears and the new Raal's present it to your ears.
-
1.) Treble.: Its detailed but its not etched. Its not dominate. Its a fatigue free Treble. RaaL has designed the Treble to be accurate vs hyper extended.
All the micro information is there but not like a Planar where you often get too much..such as what Hifiman Treble produces.
2.) Midrange : Its sweet and natural and smooth and non forward and non aggressive . This was my 2nd biggest surprise regarding the Raal, as i had anticipated that the Ribbons would produce a bit of edge in the midrange, but there is none. In fact its in the Midrange that the CA-1As produce their tonal sweetness.
3.) Upper Bass : I dont detect any bloat, but because the Ca-1a's overall tone is quite warm, it could be that the upper bass is the reason. It does not encroach upon the midrange, but there is a balanced fullness regarding the upper bass frequency.
4.) Deep Bass : Its textured. Its very full when using the non-notched pads. Its dynamic but not quite a "slam". Bass is in no way lacking in extension or resolution.
5.) Soundstage : Immersive. Its not so wide that you lose "in the front", and there is a deepness to the SS that helps the overall sense of "Euphoric" that this gear presents.
6.) Instrument separation : Very accurate.
Micro Detail : Revealing but not clinically hyper-detailed.
Macro Detail : Again, no shortage.
Timbre : Sweet and Natural
Overall Resolution : Able to deliver a natural sound that is also accurately detailed.
How does this gear stand up against the BEST : Audeze, Hifiman, Final Audio, Abyss, & Meze, To my ears, its in the same league but does not sound like any of those.
The Raal CA-1a certainly performs at a high end "audiophile gear" level. It's tonal balance and the beautiful naturalness that it presents as its sound make this gear very special.
The lovely sound it produces is unlike Planar or Dynamic sound, but in a good way.
It offers a richness in the overall tonality that is soundly unique, which is it's magic.
The Ribbon Tech inside these new RaaL's brings out the beauty in your music, and also offers very insightful detail.
Verdict : If you were not quite satisfied with the Empyrean or Elite,...... and the DCA Stealth, The LCD-5, and the Susvara just weren't 'it"... then you should give the Raal CA-1a a listen for a few days.
Its very good.
-
-
-
-
Last edited:
