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Best or Most Interesting Speakers

I am starting to think that the best speakers I have ever heard are maybe the RAAL-Requisite SR1a Ear Speakers. The listening experience with these things is incredible. I have some $3k Meze Empy headphones that I really love but the RAAL Sr1a is a totally different animal. The 2 channel like sound right on your ears gives a sound that is so satisfying for someone like me that is room challenged.

I have a 2 channel rig that sounds amazing and maybe better than the RAAL but the RAAL is currently a more interesting listen. The SR1a has uber detail retrieval so that can be a fatiguing sound. The RAAL designer used the Benchmark AHB2 and DAC3 HGC to test and develop the SR1a so I was thinking this is perfect for me since I have an all BM stack.

It turned out that the all BM stack was too fatiguing on the SR1a. However, on my 2 channel system the all BM stack now sounds perfect. The SR1a has so much detail retrieval that fatigue is a problem with the wrong gear pairing.

So here are the things I have tried and learned. I used ROON to stream (using Fibre) and also added some ROON Parametric EQ. The DSP I setup had a slightly lowered treble and I also gave a small boost to the bass. I am waiting on some professionally calibrated DSP for these headphones in the future. I spoke with an engineer about this and he has the SR1a on his road map for DSP using some propriety sauce, I think using Convolution files.

1) The new RAAL-Requiste Silver cable is better than stock cable and you would think would make things even more fatiguing. Not exactly the outcome with all the gear pairings. It was bad with my all BM stack.

2) The RAAL-Requiste HSA-1b headphone amp is excellent with this SR1a. However, it has only 2 source inputs and cannot drive any 2 channel speakers I would be interested in. I cannot rate this yet because I was not able to use XLR sources when I had it in the house. I may try this again in the future.

3) I tried a single AHB2 in an all Benchmark stack was not good, Way too fatiguing even with the DSP enabled.

4) 2 AHB2’s in mono in an all Benchmark stack was not as fatiguing as the single AHB2 but was still a bit fatiguing. The SR1a like a lot of current so maybe that was the reason it was better than a single AHB2. DSP was enabled.

5) 2 AHB2 in mono but this time with the BM DAC3B replaced with the AudioMirror Tubadour III SE DAC (tube). This was not fatiguing at all and sounded very good. It has the uber detail as the DAC3B but softens up the SR1a top end. I tried with and without DSP. I liked both variants but in the future I will likely use DSP with this DAC. I give this combo a 8/10 in terms of sound quality.

6) CODA CSiB integrated Version 1 (first 18 watts in Class A, 150 watts @ 8 Ohm) + Benchmark DAC3B. This is what I was using for a few weeks and it was my best combo until the AMT3SE DAC showed up. There was a tiny bit of fatigue but I was enjoying the heck out of this combo. I give this pairing a 7/10.

7) CODA CSIB + AMT3SE DAC. This was pure perfection. A 10/10 and I crazily sold the CSiB today because I have no more space on m rack for the next integrated that is expected soon.

8) A Krell K-300i is expected soon and it will have 90 watts in Class A and 150 @ 8 Ohm. I hope it is in the class of the CODA.

Whenever I needed to use the RAAL amp interface box I used Audience Conductor SE speaker cable. A long one about 3 meters and then a shorter one about a meter. On the Benchmark AHB2 test I used a 6 foot Benchmark SpeakON speaker cable to the amp interface box. Of course with the RAAL HSA-1b headphone amp I did not use the amp interface box.

Check out these "Ear Speakers" they are something else. They are not like headphones and not like 2 channel. They are sort of in-between the 2. Put in a DAC like the AMT3SE and a clean warmish amp and you are off to the races.
yyzsantabarbara
yyzsantabarbara OP
4,917 posts
 
Spent some time listening to the same tracks as I had with the Krell + AMT3SE, but this time with the internal DAC on the Krell using RJ45 Ethernet streaming. The AMT3SE was streamed to using my best fibre optic streaming.

The Internal DAC is rather good with the Thiel CS3.7. I did not care for it as much with the RAAL SRIa. There is a very tiny bit of harshness with the internal DAC that was not there with the AMT3SE but that is really nit picking. I do think the internal DAC sounds better with the Krell than the Benchmark DAC3B did with the Krell. Likely because it is less resolving or some synergy issue. The DAC3B is a better overall DAC. Just doesn't play well as well with my Class amps as the AMT3SE and now the internal DAC in the Krell.

I am very impressed by the Krell and see my self keeping this long term. The lack of a rotary volume control on the Krell is a problem for me. However, with internal DAC the ROON volume control can be adjust the Krell's volume. This is a great feature. There is also the web server built into the Krell to allow some control of the unit by a web client.

Great bass on the Krell. I can see myself using the internal DAC on the Krell over the AMT3SE to free up the AMT3SE for the CODA CSiB. 
yyzsantabarbara OP
4,917 posts
 
In my previous post I meant to say, "Just doesn’t play well as well with my Class A amps as the AMT3SE and now the internal DAC in the Krell.".

Now listening to the same combo as before, Krell + Internal DAC + Thiel CS3.7, but this time streaming with fibre optic into USB instead of Ethernet into RJ45. That trace of harshness is now gone. A very relaxed sound. Sort like the AMT3SE sound which was also tested with fibre streaming.

Fibre streaming is the way of the future. I am steaming from a cheap DELL computer connected by a TP-Link PowerLine adapter in another room. So nothing fancy in the computer streaming department, except the fibre. i do not think I need anything more fancy for the server since I have fibre.
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,692 posts
 
Yeah that opticalRendu is a great product. I recently tested the Lumin U1 in my system, courtesy of my neighbor, and we both agreed that the opticalRendu does a much better job of reducing the noise floor at half the price. 
yyzsantabarbara OP
4,917 posts
 
The opticalRendu and my Ubitquiti Networks switch with 2 fibre cages is tremendous. In fact I will be setting up a friends system with 2 opticalRendu's and the same Ubiquiti Network switch as mine, but this guy will have 100 feet of fibre to 1 DAC and 40 feet of fibre to another DAC. The Sonore guy told me that the longer wire is actually better. I have 10 feet runs in my office. My friend has a warehouse so he needs a long run.
yyzsantabarbara OP
4,917 posts
 
I cannot do a test that I mentioned I would do earlier. That was the CODA CSiB with the AMT3SE. I sold the CODA again today so that won't happen.

I should add that the AMT3SE + Benchmark HPA4 + AHB2 x 2 + Thiel CS3.7 sounds much better that last week. The DAC must have need more burn-in hours. Today that veiled sound is not longer there. It is detailed and warmish. A very nice combo.

Only bad thing about the AMT3SE is that I cannot have the RCA and XLR outputs connected at the same time to the Krell and Benchmark HPA4. It was not recommended by the AMT3SE designer, Vlad, and my listening to that setup showed something was not right. So I have to connect the ANT3SE to one amp at a time.
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