[rlawry]

I would imagine RAAL 1995 to be happy with that positive review.

 

[fredfung28]

I've had a conversation with this Ish person, they gave me a bit more context, actually said it wasn't that bad like in the shared conversations from GoldenSound's server.
They prefer Speakers to Headphones, they like TH900 and thought Immanis had too much bass comparatively

adding the summary they posted:

I can confirm that the Raal Immanis is not cold, it really depends on your source chain and also the run in period of the headphone

 

[chinyue]

A few months back, I saw Alex's latest creation, the RAAL 1995 Immanis, and I knew I had to have them. As a big fan of ribbon drivers (including my SR1a and ProAc D2R which I use as near field monitors), I took the plunge without an audition.

The Immanis are undeniably gorgeous, boasting meticulous attention to detail. The RCDI even comes with a cap to cover the threading hole when not used as a headphone stand.

To explore the Immanis' full potential, I opted for both the RCDI-32 and RCDI-8 interfaces to test them with my headphone and speaker amps.

Early Impressions

The Immanis have only about 10 hours of burn-in so far so I won’t talk about any sonic comparison yet as that could still change.

Comfort first - despite their weight, the Immanis feel surprisingly comfortable. The clamping force is just right, and they stay put during normal head movements. I'd say the comfort level rivals ZMFs.

One interesting note: placing your hands near the cups noticeably affects the sound, similar to the X9000.

I experimented with various setups: HM1 with RCDI-32, WA33 with RCDI-32, and AHB2 with RCDI-8 (using HM1 as a pre-amp). The Immanis reflected the character of each amp, offering intimate vocals with the HM1 and WA33, and a bit more clarity and wider soundstage with the AHB2.

The Immanis are easier to drive compared to the D2R (also 8 ohms) on the AHB2. With the HM1, the Immanis require about 10 dB volume increase to match the volume of my Caldera. I use high gain for a touch more impact on the WA33.

The Immanis deliver exceptional detail retrieval. The bass resolution is particularly impressive. The lightning-fast ribbon drivers allow me to hear the double bass drum so clearly.

However, the Immanis are unforgiving of poor recordings. Poor recordings sound bad. The Immanis do no beautification.

I'm excited to continue exploring the full potential of the Immanis as they break in further!

 

[nwavesailor]

Nice intro write up AND photos @chinyue!

 

[innocentblood]

A few months back, I saw Alex's latest creation, the RAAL 1995 Immanis, and I knew I had to have them. As a big fan of ribbon drivers (including my SR1a and ProAc D2R which I use as near field monitors), I took the plunge without an audition.












The Immanis are undeniably gorgeous, boasting meticulous attention to detail. The RCDI even comes with a cap to cover the threading hole when not used as a headphone stand.

To explore the Immanis' full potential, I opted for both the RCDI-32 and RCDI-8 interfaces to test them with my headphone and speaker amps.

Early Impressions

The Immanis have only about 10 hours of burn-in so far so I won’t talk about any sonic comparison yet as that could still change.

Comfort first - despite their weight, the Immanis feel surprisingly comfortable. The clamping force is just right, and they stay put during normal head movements. I'd say the comfort level rivals ZMFs.

One interesting note: placing your hands near the cups noticeably affects the sound, similar to the X9000.

I experimented with various setups: HM1 with RCDI-32, WA33 with RCDI-32, and AHB2 with RCDI-8 (using HM1 as a pre-amp). The Immanis reflected the character of each amp, offering intimate vocals with the HM1 and WA33, and a bit more clarity and wider soundstage with the AHB2.

The Immanis are easier to drive compared to the D2R (also 8 ohms) on the AHB2. With the HM1, the Immanis require about 10 dB volume increase to match the volume of my Caldera. I use high gain for a touch more impact on the WA33.

The Immanis deliver exceptional detail retrieval. The bass resolution is particularly impressive. The lightning-fast ribbon drivers allow me to hear the double bass drum so clearly.

However, the Immanis are unforgiving of poor recordings. Poor recordings sound bad. The Immanis do no beautification.

I'm excited to continue exploring the full potential of the Immanis as they break in further!

by poor recordings, do you mean recordings with low dynamic range?

 

[chinyue]

by poor recordings, do you mean recordings with low dynamic range?

Poor recordings here refer to some pop music that sounds flat or has muffled instruments in the background that you can hear but unclear (probably due to poor mixing?). The D8000 Pro, for example, is able to make such poor recordings more consumable but the Immanis does not have such colorization.

Some of the songs I listen to daily have low dynamic range and they sound good with the Immanis so I don’t see any issues.

 

[XVampireX]

A few months back, I saw Alex's latest creation, the RAAL 1995 Immanis, and I knew I had to have them. As a big fan of ribbon drivers (including my SR1a and ProAc D2R which I use as near field monitors), I took the plunge without an audition.












The Immanis are undeniably gorgeous, boasting meticulous attention to detail. The RCDI even comes with a cap to cover the threading hole when not used as a headphone stand.

To explore the Immanis' full potential, I opted for both the RCDI-32 and RCDI-8 interfaces to test them with my headphone and speaker amps.

Early Impressions

The Immanis have only about 10 hours of burn-in so far so I won’t talk about any sonic comparison yet as that could still change.

Comfort first - despite their weight, the Immanis feel surprisingly comfortable. The clamping force is just right, and they stay put during normal head movements. I'd say the comfort level rivals ZMFs.

One interesting note: placing your hands near the cups noticeably affects the sound, similar to the X9000.

I experimented with various setups: HM1 with RCDI-32, WA33 with RCDI-32, and AHB2 with RCDI-8 (using HM1 as a pre-amp). The Immanis reflected the character of each amp, offering intimate vocals with the HM1 and WA33, and a bit more clarity and wider soundstage with the AHB2.

The Immanis are easier to drive compared to the D2R (also 8 ohms) on the AHB2. With the HM1, the Immanis require about 10 dB volume increase to match the volume of my Caldera. I use high gain for a touch more impact on the WA33.

The Immanis deliver exceptional detail retrieval. The bass resolution is particularly impressive. The lightning-fast ribbon drivers allow me to hear the double bass drum so clearly.

However, the Immanis are unforgiving of poor recordings. Poor recordings sound bad. The Immanis do no beautification.

I'm excited to continue exploring the full potential of the Immanis as they break in further!

Would be interesting to hear comparisons to Caldera in terms of bass, and also what's the sound signature, is it as "warm" ? or is it bright?
Also congrats on your Immanis Hope you enjoy them.

Also, that Headfonia review seems to have mentioned the Aegis as a good match for the headphones, as I have a Caldera as well and will most likely keep them, and I also have Utopia which apparently people mostly prefer tubes on these, and I do probably want to try a good tube amp to experiment with, I'll try to check it out as well

 

[Ultrainferno]

Do you mean the Caldera Open? I have that one as well

 

[Frankie D]

A few months back, I saw Alex's latest creation, the RAAL 1995 Immanis, and I knew I had to have them. As a big fan of ribbon drivers (including my SR1a and ProAc D2R which I use as near field monitors), I took the plunge without an audition.












The Immanis are undeniably gorgeous, boasting meticulous attention to detail. The RCDI even comes with a cap to cover the threading hole when not used as a headphone stand.

To explore the Immanis' full potential, I opted for both the RCDI-32 and RCDI-8 interfaces to test them with my headphone and speaker amps.

Early Impressions

The Immanis have only about 10 hours of burn-in so far so I won’t talk about any sonic comparison yet as that could still change.

Comfort first - despite their weight, the Immanis feel surprisingly comfortable. The clamping force is just right, and they stay put during normal head movements. I'd say the comfort level rivals ZMFs.

One interesting note: placing your hands near the cups noticeably affects the sound, similar to the X9000.

I experimented with various setups: HM1 with RCDI-32, WA33 with RCDI-32, and AHB2 with RCDI-8 (using HM1 as a pre-amp). The Immanis reflected the character of each amp, offering intimate vocals with the HM1 and WA33, and a bit more clarity and wider soundstage with the AHB2.

The Immanis are easier to drive compared to the D2R (also 8 ohms) on the AHB2. With the HM1, the Immanis require about 10 dB volume increase to match the volume of my Caldera. I use high gain for a touch more impact on the WA33.

The Immanis deliver exceptional detail retrieval. The bass resolution is particularly impressive. The lightning-fast ribbon drivers allow me to hear the double bass drum so clearly.

However, the Immanis are unforgiving of poor recordings. Poor recordings sound bad. The Immanis do no beautification.

I'm excited to continue exploring the full potential of the Immanis as they break in further!

They look beautiful and packaged well. I would love to hear more as to how they sound with the Zahl HM-1. Tks.

 

[Jon L]

Oh why...why. They pull you back in.

 

[ufospls2]

FYI, on its Facebook page, Solaja Audio posted pics of its new VM1a successor and new 300B, which Aleksandar has mentioned a few times. Looks like they'll be introduced at the upcoming Munich show. Top pic is the VM1a successor and bottom the 300B:

So the 300b amp I know we've heard it will need to be used with the transformer interface, but is the VM1a replacement a direct drive amp similar to the VM1a? It appears to have a female XLR plugged into it, so that makes me think it is, but also has a 1/4" output, so maybe it can do both? Does anyone know? They look really neat though.

 

[Ultrainferno]

so, that Headfonia review seems to have mentioned the Aegis as a good match for the headphones, as I have a Caldera as well and will most likely keep them, and I also have Utopia which apparently people mostly prefer tubes on these, and I do probably want to try a good tube amp to experiment with, I'll try to check it out as well

It does make the Raals very warm and smooth with added body and bass. It's nice and fun but not really reference

 

[gammi]

Seems like we have a pretty good idea of the Immanis vs Magna at this point, almost all of the reviewers are saying the same thing, Immanis has better technicals like soundstage and imaging while Magna has more punch. This also matches my experience with them at CanJam.

From the HFN preview:

I mentioned earlier that the Immanis was the best technical performer of both headphones and I stick to that point. If you’re looking for the highest resolution, spaciousness, layering, extension and decay, the Immanis is the headphone for you. It is a little lighter in body from top to bottom and it doesn’t have the same level of punchy, impactful bass of the Magna, but it makes up for that in pure quality. Immanis also is the one with the best sound stage depth and width, and it combines that with excellent layering.

 

[nwavesailor]

I am not a musician.
I do appreciate those that are and know what live performances should sound like.

I love detail, clarity and tight bass.

I listen to some classic but more rock, classic rock, jazz and a bit of alternative. No metal, EDM, dance or trance.

I have not read any reviews or opinions at this point that include these genres and I wonder if the Magna or Immanis might be the better choice for me?

My delivery is months away and I do hope to hear both prior to choosing one or the other!

 

[gammi]

I am not a musician.
I do appreciate those that are and know what live performances should sound like.

I love detail, clarity and tight bass.

I listen to some classic but more rock, classic rock, jazz and a bit of alternative. No metal, EDM, dance or trance.

I have not read any reviews or opinions at this point that include these genres and I wonder if the Magna or Immanis might be the better choice for me?

My delivery is months away and I do hope to hear both prior to choosing one or the other!

For rock and alternative probably Magna. Jazz is probably better on Immanis.
It also depends if you generally prefer punchy or airy, that's basically the difference between the them if I had to reduce it to two words.