[Exekuhtor]

TOTL performance at half the price

I mean, in the case of Immanis it's double the price (and the CA-1a gets rated below the HEKv2 by Wavetheory).
I'm in the camp of: Just get a headphone that aligns with your preferences. There are enough options out there.
Of course you can use EQ, but playing around with the chain is the fun part of this hobby. If i don't like a headphone i get a different one instead of trying to fixing it. If it's good, it's good, even with some minor quirks like the small 1,2kHz bump of the LCD-4 or the recessed voices of a 1266. In the majority of cases, if you add something, it takes something away. Can be timbre, can be something else. Even if you don't get bothered by it and purely see a benefit using EQ (or filters), switching them everytime when i'm swapping a headphone / IEM would annoy me.
I'm not saying it's not useful, especially for checking your preferences, but if i pay 10k€ for an Immanis i would be angry if i would have to use some form of digital enhancement to have a good time.
I'm also quite the opposite of someone like Resolve, who EQ's everything. I have gear that i truly enjoy which people would call objectively wonky at best (1266, Valkyria, Trifecta, etc).

 

[nwavesailor]

I'll have Envy at Axpona, in Chicago, this week. Very fine amplifier and it pairs very well with ribbons.

Thanks Danny!!!!

Have a great show at Axpona!

 

[nwavesailor]

It was used in Heidelberg too for Immanis showcase, pretty sure it’s a dope pairing, further shaping the sound to your preference with tube rolls is as always a cherry on top.

Thanks!
I am fortunate to have Elrog TM and an assortment of great drivers in the Envy

 

[jlbrach]

Until ASR gets it in for review and proves, by Science, that Immanis is best with a Topping A90.

everything is best with the topping according the ASR and anyone who asserts otherwise is a heretic....my guess is ASR will review immanis and explain to us that some 200 dollar HP is better...bet on it

 

[Hiker816]

I mean, in the case of Immanis it's double the price (and the CA-1a gets rated below the HEKv2 by Wavetheory).
I'm in the camp of: Just get a headphone that aligns with your preferences. There are enough options out there.
Of course you can use EQ, but playing around with the chain is the fun part of this hobby. If i don't like a headphone i get a different one instead of trying to fixing it. If it's good, it's good, even with some minor quirks like the small 1,2kHz bump of the LCD-4 or the recessed voices of a 1266. In the majority of cases, if you add something, it takes something away. Can be timbre, can be something else. Even if you don't get bothered by it and purely see a benefit using EQ (or filters), switching them everytime when i'm swapping a headphone / IEM would annoy me.
I'm not saying it's not useful, especially for checking your preferences, but if i pay 10k€ for an Immanis i would be angry if i would have to use some form of digital enhancement to have a good time.
I'm also quite the opposite of someone like Resolve, who EQ's everything. I have gear that i truly enjoy which people would call objectively wonky at best (1266, Valkyria, Trifecta, etc).

I get that. But, when you say that "playing around with the chain is the fun part of this hobby", does that mean you'll play with different amps to find the one that will get the most out of your cans? Because for me, with the SR1a or CA1a (don't have the Immanis yet), I did exactly that by getting the VM1a. But I also get close to or equal sonic performance with my SR1a out of my other amp when I use the Mitch filters. So if you're open to perfecting the sound by switching amps, why not by implementing a convolution filter?

 

[Roasty]

I've been fortunate enough to try most of the summit-fi headphones out there. the Immanis is sitting at top tier for me.

even though it was at a convention, the showroom condition for the Raal room was great. seats were well spaced out and it was quite quiet overall. when I had my listening time, there was not more than 10 people in the room, vendors included.

it has a very life like and natural presentation. very large staging. great dynamics too. sounds sublime out of the Raal and Saeq amps. I had a friend who tried it with an Aune stack and didn't like it much. we managed to try the Immanis on the mass kobo 465 and also the Susvara as well and to me, it's no contest; the Immanis is really on the next level up.

I usually mull over big ticket purchases for a long long time before deciding to spend the big coin. this was a super rare occurrence for me ie putting down my deposit within a short time of listening to a piece of gear. but I truly enjoyed the music I heard thru the immanis and I knew straight away I had to have it.

The purchase was made much easier by knowing Saeq and Raal are helmed by people such as Dragan and Aleksandar. and of course Danny in the USA; I've exchanged emails with him a couple of times, and from what I've read from posts from other folks here, he is a great guy to deal with. the local distributor, Sean at SLTTech is also a class act! it's rare and wonderful at the same time to have such amazing and nice people to back their product. I've had some poor experiences with some vendors/dealers/companies in the past, but it does not feel as though the Raal or Saeq guys will leave anyone in the lurch at all.

 

[moha97]

@Aleksandar R. I remember it being said either by you or by Danny that every driver can play the whole frequency range. That it is not one ribbon for the bass, 1 ribbon for the mids, and 1 ribbon for the treble. Does this mean that all 3 ribbons are creating the same frequency in unison all the time? How does this work?

 

[Frankie D]

Ehhh, doesn't mean much.
For me Susvara belongs on a 300B tube amp. You also need to like the Hifiman sound signature to fully embrace it.
Susvara is also not the headphone that will "blow you away" after one listening session, get a 1266 for that. The Susvara excels in fatigue-free but highly resolving musicality.

I rewatched Wavetheorys review of the CA-1a and he mentions a 1-2kHz upper midrange peak that makes voices at least somewhat shouty and honky. That would be a no-go for me if the Immanis had it since i'm sensitive in that region...

Agreed, though I love the Sus on solid state.

 

[IgeNeLL]

From CJ Singapore, without information, I initially thought that RAAL and RAAL 1995 were the same company, but now I understand. The sound quality in the 2F room is quieter than in the 1F, making it more suitable for listening to music. The elderly gentleman is very friendly, and we had a chat with him during and after listening.

Overall, the sound has a warm and pleasant timber, and it effectively captures each instrumental sound. Although the laptop did not have the exact song I requested, classical music sufficed. The overall tonality is quite tubey, with a nice mellow tone that reminds me of an FM acoustic sound signature. When I inquired, I was informed that there is no tube in the amplification. Nevertheless, the sound quality is good regardless. However, based on my reference, the sound signature does not provide the ultimate detail and resolution due to the source chain and setup. I cannot deny that this room evokes the most emotion in the show.

 

[nwavesailor]

Overall, the sound has a warm and pleasant timber, and it effectively captures each instrumental sound.

Interesting take.
I believe this is the first post I have read where the new Raal hp (was it the the Immanis?) was described as 'warm'.

 

[IgeNeLL]

Interesting take.
I believe this is the first post I have read where the new Raal hp (was it the the Immanis?) was described as 'warm'.

It is dependent, actually it might result from the amplifier as I have talked with the old man about it. 'warm' same as analog notation people often described. The signal chain IMO is not perfect, while he is using the normal laptop.
Due to time constraints, I can only listen for about 10 minutes. In my experience, the Magna has fewer details and is not as warm or analog as the Immanis.

 

[yyzSB]

The Immanis has incredible detail. Danny and I both observed on the same song, When the Levee Breaks, the same increased detail. We both said that was the first time we heard the bass separated from the drums. That is pretty impressive given the age of the song and how many systems we must have heard it on. More detailed that the SR1a for sure.

Things are placed better in the soundstage with the Immanis.

 

[Mystel]

Placed an order for these out of FOMO from my fellow bros . @Roasty @innocentblood

Canjam conditions werent perfect : I was not familiar with the tracks , the source , the amps used .
As a firm believer in system synergy , I believe there needs to be a direct comprison on a familiar/similar setup before making judgement on gear.

However there were a few things I was quite sure about
-The Immanis is extremely chain dependent, and can probabaly scale. They sounded very different off the various amps/sources that were available.
-Headstage , due the the design, is absolutely massive. Presentation in this regard is similar to the 1266 mixed in with the previous RAAL stuff.
-Timbre (for me) is more spot on than the previous ribbon headphones. This was my main complaint about the previous RAAL stuff but the Immanis clearly doesnt suffer from this. As reference, i find the HE1/Susvara turning to be the most 'lifelike' , akin to what intruments/concerts sound like (TO MY EARS) .
-It did not lack slam .

Looking forward to hooking these on to some speaker amps

 

[Aleksandar R.]

The SG CanJam was great in every way!

Here's one of my favorite photos, with my buddy, Andrea Ricci of Spirit Torino (and Dragan od SAEQ in the background)!
He showed me a couple of ideas he already tried with Valkyrie...it's about stereo imaging and I'm very impressed with his way of thinking!

If I'm looking tired here, it's real
I was able to fall asleep in the middle of the conversation
Next time I go to SG CanJam, I'll come early and spend much more time there!

 

[simorag]

The SG CanJam was great in every way!

Here's one of my my favorite photos, with my buddy, Andrea Ricci of Spirit Torino!
He showed me a couple of ideas he already tried with Valkyrie...it's about stereo imaging and I'm very impressed with his way of thinking!



If I'm looking tired here, it's real
I was able to fall asleep in the middle of the conversation
Next time I go to SG CanJam, I'll come early and spend much more time there!

Wow, my two favorite headphones and headphones designers in a single shot, sweet!