Raal 1995 Immanis Ribbon Headphones – Early Impressions

[Ehrmantraut]

Raal 1995 Immanis Ribbon Headphones – Early Impressions

These (and sister Magna) are the latest iterations of ribbon speaker Aleksandar Radisavlievic’s pursuit of headfi perfection. 

Design
The newly developed R³ drivers of the IMMANIS use three units per side, which have a total surface area of 25.2 cm and thus have almost twice the area of the previous CA-1a 

The maximum SPL is therefore improved to 118 dB at the extremely low system impedance of just 0.057 Ω needing a suitable interface in the form of a cylindrical base with a screwed and padded top, which offers the respective playing partner a stable load impedance of 32 Ω and at the same time functions as an alternative headphone stand. 
The transformer-based RAAL interface also has minimal distortion values of -100 dB and acoustic processing of up to 6 watts per channel.
The ribbon drivers developed by RAAL are easily able to reproduce the entire frequency spectrum and do not require a closed housing construction even for the reproduction of the deepest bass ranges. A maximum deflection of the drivers of an astonishing 4 mm and the resulting high possible sound pressure level  means all genres are covered. These can go loud!
The three units connected in parallel always act as full-range ribbons without implemented crossovers. By using slightly different lengths of the drivers, Raal avoids identical resonance frequencies so that they do not add up. 
Since the drivers on the mounting plates are rectangular in shape, in contrast to the round ear cups, free spaces are inevitably created in front of and behind the ribbons, which are only dampened in the rear part of the housing - the front area next to or in front of the ears, however, remains open. This allows significant improvement to the spatial capabilities of the headphones during reproduction especially, since a certain acoustic crossfeed effect occurs, which expands the in-head localization accordingly. 
The RAAL 1995 IMMANIS impresses with its complete absence of any plastic components and its exquisite quality and selection of materials. The three ribbons arranged next to each other and firmly mounted are surrounded by hard-waxed American walnut veneer in the driver housings made of fiberglass-aluminum composite material - the protective grilles are made of gold-plated 3-phase stainless steel, the headband is made of titanium-aluminum nitride and again brushed steel. 

The memory foam ear pads are covered on the outside with perforated leather, while the inner part has a slightly softer lining made of rougher lamb suede. The softly padded and leather headband of the IMMANIS can be adjusted in five ways and therefore allows for a completely adequate adjustment to any head size. The generously sized openings of 110 mm, velvety soft padding and a well-balanced contact pressure result in excellent wearing comfort - despite the relatively high weight of 610 grams.

 

Chain: Roon>Aurender N200>Cen.Grand DSDac SC>Flux Lab Acoustic Dual Mentor Stack

Mutliple genres – my ears (old), my system YMMV

I purchased these on pre-order and have no financial links to any commercial HiFi.

Note: I value speed, resolution, clarity, tonal quality and timbre in HeadFi. Genres are biased towards singer-songwriter, jazz and piano based music, plus some 70’s (golden age) rock – sad I know!

 

TL:DR Immanis, adjective: huge/vast/immense/tremendous/extreme/monstrous – these may be the world’s best headphones

1.    Tonal Balance – Immanis presents a vivid, slightly warm of neutral, excellent tonal quality across all genres. Notes are easy to distinguish and piano and vocals are highlights in the naturalness of the tonal reproduction. Just lovely.
2.    Detail/Resolution – Immanis is incisive and superbly detailed with excellent resolution. SQ is well-controlled during busy passages and presents great clarity for the finer nuances in the music.
3.    Separation and sense of space – More like 2Ch than SR1-a! There’s an encompassing dense spatial sound image that  is holographic. Imaging, layering and separation is first class.
4.    Contrast/Punch – This is where Immanis really shocked me. I was surprised at how well it performed at rock and even hard hitting tracks. Bass is thunderous, addictive but well controlled with no bleed into the mids. Control of volume swings is well done, so that one can easily listen at louder than normal volumes – perhaps not so great!
5.    Timbre – Lovely tone and voicing. Great for female vocals and piano. Sounds “correct”. Some reviewers have mentioned treble inaccuracies. I’m sensitive to treble and found nothing but control. Maybe these people aren’t used to ribbons!

 

Ok, now to comparisons.
Firstly, let me discount some worthy TOTL makes. No detraction on what are great headphones in their own right but they’re not in the same basket as the ones I mention for speed and resolution. So, no ZMF, Meze or Focal (although Nutopia is probably worth some words). Likewise, Sennheiser and plenty of others, I’ve no doubt missed. 
Secondly, the comparisons are against HPs I’ve owned. Auditory recollections are for those not in my current stable, which is not necessarily a great reference point, but I’ve spent hundreds of hours with these phones. I haven’t heard Sennheiser HE1 or Warwick Aperio.

 

Abyss 1266 TC
1266 are the kings of bass reproduction with a “wall of sound” type of presentation. The fit is terrible for reproducing the SQ you want and expect. In some ways, the SQ is great and for some genres, tonal quality, resolution and speed is first class. But and it’s a big butt, they need plenty of juice and can be quite fatiguing. To me, they’re a one trick pony.
Immanis has everything the 1226 has, including near visceral bass. Combined with comfort and timbre, easy pick.

HFM Susvara
I think I’ve had 3-4 pairs of Susvara over the years driven as well as can be by nuclear reactors. I’ve sold them each time. I always thought they’re a great HP with a lovely timbre and tone but just a bit boring. Maybe “veiled”!
Immanis has the same qualities in timbre and tone with better bass , wider soundstage and a more holographic and denser image. 

T+A Solitaire P
My favourite go-to HP. Just does everything well, like a Nutopia on steroids but in a good way. Covers all genres, very comfortable and relatively easy to drive but appreciates the juice. Very well made. Classy.
This is closer to Immanis than I’d like. Raal wins on better resolution, speed, bass and soundstage but it’s a close thing.

Stax X9000
The best Electrostat I’ve heard. Wonderful reproduction of vocals and instrumentals as you’d expect with decent bass. Wide soundstage and pinpoint accuracy, imaging and separation with a somewhat ethereal quality. Needs a really good energiser.
Immanis has all of this and more. Presents with a more vivid and denser sound image. Deeper bass and warmer tone. Spped, clarity, resolution all estat-like.

 

One thing I’ve haven’t mentioned here is value and there’s no point. We’re talking TOTL and it is what it is. I love the HFM HE1Kse, a responsive, highly resolving HP with lovely voicing. A faster Susvara in many ways. Is Immanis worth 5x HE1Kse? Yes and no. I’ll leave it there. 

 

Gripes? Immanis is heavy (610g) but the headband does a good job of providing comfort with minimal clamp. The ear pads are soft and there’s plenty of space. I’d prefer to have more of a gimbal type design to give a little more rotation.
The Star8 cable is stiff but looks nice. The interface is a bit out of place. Doubling as a HP stand, it does a poor job with the stand being a small round pad that puts the ear cups directly onto the interface sharp edges leaving lines in the pads. 
Mention is made that Immanis pnly needs 2W @32 Ohm. That may be true but the fact is most reviewers and owners that highly praise Immanis run them on tanks like Feliks Envy, Viva Egoista, Niimbus, Zahl etc. I have the dual Mentor stack and I’m cranking it to 70%. So, it seems like it’s a Susvara story. You can run Susvara loudly off a dongle. It will sound like crap mind. Everyone who loves and keeps Susvara runs them off a reactor. 

 

In conclusion. Aleks as worked a miracle. 3 ribbons in a circular enclosure bringing HeadFi heaven. They’re vast, huge and immense and I love them!

 

 

 

[gammi]

Great review. I'm also someone who has found Susvara a bit underwhelming (I've tried it on up to 300W speaker amps...) and someone who loves the X9000, both of which are opinions I think we're in the minority for. Most people love Susvara and many seem to be torn on X9000, some loving it, some finding it "off". Anyway, it seems we have quite similar taste which makes me even more excited for mine to arrive!

I ordered a pair immediately after hearing them at a CanJam. I've been describing them as a dynamic crossed with an estat. All the impact and rock and roll of a dynamic with all the air and clarity of estats.

Btw, speaking of X9000 needing a good energizer, I've heard mine on both a DIY T2 ($15k) and a Mjolnir Novem ($4k) and surprisingly I liked it on the Novem more. I found the T2 added a fullness that I personally felt detracted from the ethereal quality I enjoy.

Edited June 29, 2024 by gammi

[Falcon 500]

Wonder if its in the same class as the SR-1b Headphone heard it at the Sydney show and thought it was very good .

[Ehrmantraut]

1 hour ago, Falcon 500 said:

Wonder if its in the same class as the SR-1b Headphone heard it at the Sydney show and thought it was very good .

Most reviewers are saying that the SR1-b is still the king of soundstage. Immanis may be equal for resolution and speed. As @gammi mentions, Immanis has the wood over SR1-b for dynamic reproduction of rock. 

[Falcon 500]

I didn't think the SR1-b lacked any bass as many have commented but again its subjective and only had a short listen with unknown music.

[Ehrmantraut]

If you can listen to SR1-b from a “direct drive” amp like HSA-1b or VM1-a, there’s plenty of bass, particularly if you’re listening to genres it’s best suited to like jazz, orchestral or singer-songwriter.

[Ehrmantraut]

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/raal-1995-immanis.27277/reviews#review-34545

 

[Ehrmantraut]

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/raal-1995-immanis.27277/reviews#review-34582

Another glowing in depth review of Immanis with lots of comparisons and amp choices.

[Ehrmantraut]

Well, a good 100 hours in and these are still very impressive, maybe more so. Can’t tell if it’s brain burn-in or physical but the sound is very  encompassing. Initially, I thought they were better suited to rock but now feeling they’re very good all around. I’ve put them up against my HFM HE1Kse (my fave detailed HPs) and the timbre of piano notes is better with Immanis. Coupled with better soundstage and bass to mids and hence the HE1Kse are for sale. Haven’t even thought about my T+A Soiltaire P. Now I’m looking for a suitable tube amp to listen to them on. Many Immanis owners are leaning towards tubes like Envy. I’d like to try the Woo WA23 Luna and WA33 as well, may have to go to Melbourne!

[Ehrmantraut]

Post 1048/1049 sum up Immanis perfectly:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/raal-1995-immanis.971583/page-70

[Bengineer]

How much is it again?

[Ehrmantraut]

46 minutes ago, Bengineer said:

How much is it again?

If you have to ask…..

Too much for a single HP really. You could buy 3 HFM HE1Kse at full retail and still have change. I got mine from Headphone.shop in Germany. 

[Bengineer]

Cheaper than having 3 TOTL on hand though I guess.

 

Hows the Cen.Grand?

[Ehrmantraut]

It's all relative. Most of us could (and should) live with a Focal Clear cost HP and be very happy - or Senn 650 anyone? But look at the cost of other so called flagships, ZMF can be 6K, Utopia 7K, DCA 7.5K, Stax X9K and Abyss 1266 over 10K. Then you need the gear to drive it. Streamer + DAC + Amp + HP= new small hatchback. Can you put a price on aural pleasure? (!!) Yes you can.....

Cen.Grand - I moveed from the Super Clock to the Deluxe for the extra refinement. That again is a lot of $$ for refinement on what, to my ears, is already an excellent upscaling DAC. I've fallen into the more "analogue" sounding converters, R2R etc over the last couple of years. Might be because the rest of my chain has been super resolving in general or my ageing ears!

Saw that at CanJam London, a retailer had the Deluxe with an Envy and Immanis......

[Bengineer]

Imagine how many hatchbacks you could have instead!

 

Flagship pricing is out of line now. $3000 used to be it, you'd get basically anything. Now $6000 and still sometime not even the top model!

[silversurfer]

As soon as I get my KiwiSaver out in 2 years I am determined to get the Immanis…life is short and headphones are the only way I truly enjoy music. 
At least that’s the plan for now….but I am a fickle guy…

[Ehrmantraut]

50 minutes ago, silversurfer said:

As soon as I get my KiwiSaver out in 2 years I am determined to get the Immanis…life is short and headphones are the only way I truly enjoy music. 
At least that’s the plan for now….but I am a fickle guy…

Whilst I hate (and am not qualified) to provide “advice”, IMO these are some of the very best HPs I’ve had. They’re not perfect but any imperfections are related mainly to a couple of distractions around the gimbal (or lack of) headband system. SQ-wise, once you heard them, you can’t un-hear them. Now, I haven’t heard HE-1 or Aperio but I’ve owned or extensively heard every other TOTL HP and these are my favourites. There’s always a place for other HPs but I’m not sure I’d reach for them…..ever. Maybe a ZMF or MH Tungsten for a different flavour. Like changing from a Ferrari to a Rangie. The Immanis are more Bentayga!

Now I need to perfect the chain. Are my dual stack Mentors with a mildly warm liquid DAC the right combo, or lean towards a tube amp? The search continues……

[Bengineer]

Shanling have a new stack out, looks neat. Maybe that?

[Ehrmantraut]

1 hour ago, Bengineer said:

Shanling have a new stack out, looks neat. Maybe that?

Too funny. Although, you look at the new Cayin stack, Topping, Ferrum etc and they make a great case for desktop.

[Bengineer]

They new Cayin is interesting. The older IHA6 was good. Though I almost blew up your D8KP with the one I had, it fried itself hour or so out of the box.

Edited July 26, 2024 by Bengineer

[Ehrmantraut]

Amplifier H2H with Raal 1995 Immanis

 

Flux Lab Acoustics Dual Mentor stack vs Cen.Grand 9i-906 Silver Fox

 

I won’t go into the build, design and topology of each amp as they’re well described here:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/cen-grand-9i-906-silver-fox.26606/

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/flux-mentor-class-a-dual-mono-headphone-amplifier.26826/

 

TL:DR – both amps drive Immanis to new immense and massive highs. You’d think you’re listening to tube amps in many ways because of the lovely harmonics. Hard to choose between them.

Chain: Roon (Qobuz, singer-songwriter, female vocals, jazz piano)>Aurender N200>Cen.Grand DSDac Deluxe>Silver Fox+Mentor>Immmanis>Volume matched to My ears

 

I’m going to briefly describe the differences between these two amps in my appreciation and dumb audiophile lingo of SQ as their merits and those of Immanis are well known. I mainly used BTL mode on the SF. Although, I did like Parallel too.

 

The extra power of the Mentors does bring a bit more grip and a sense of control. The SF has oodles of power too but it presents in a bit more bass depth and a warmer signature. The top end is less vibrant than Mentor. The Mentors bring a bit more soundstage, but lose a bit of layering and imaging to the SF in doing so. The SF is more intimate (in a very wide and holographic image) and a little denser. The Mentors have a bit more punch and slam.

 

The different modes on SF bring a bit more functionality than the Mentors but I did tend to stick with one mode. I listened to lots of genres over hours with each device and also quickly switched them out to try and focus on the differences. Ultimately, they’re actually very close in delivering maximum joy to the immense Immanis and I could happily live with both.

[Ehrmantraut]

[nopoweradeinusa]

Prefab Sprout! Steve Mcqueen is one of my all time favorite albums!

[Ehrmantraut]

Cayin Soul HA170 Headphone Amplifier early impressions:

 

This excellent, powerful KT170 based HP amp is beautifully built and drives the Immanis to new heights

Chain is Roon>Aurender N200>Cen.Grand DSDac Deluxe>Cayin HA170>Imanis
Cayin has about 100 hours with stock tubes for this review

Here's an excellent summary on HeadFi:

https://eddie0817.wordpress.com/2024/08/25/cayin-soul-170ha-unboxing-and-impressions/

 

There’s ample smooth power delivery for Immanis with a lovely volume control, allowing for small incremental change. 
Overall, there’s an excellent tonal response that has a lovely synergy with Immanis. There’s a real emotional connection between Immanis and the rest of the chain through this amp that amplifies (!) the best of the SQ of the Raals. A truly, lovely combination. 

I found little difference between the “soft” and “dynamic” modes but when it comes to the “Triode” (TR) and “Ultralinear” (UL) modes, there’s a huge difference in presentation. 
With UL, the soundstage is increased with a huge lift in dynamics and a harder hitting, more incisive attack. 
In TR mode, there’s a softer, warmer more holographic presentation. I think it’s nicer for jazz vocals etc. The UL mode with Immanis can be too much of a good thing on some tracks/genres.

 

I’m really liking this amp….and may have to sell my Silver Fox 

[Ehrmantraut]

Interesting article about the recent controversy from some influencer's opinions on the Raal Immanis. 

https://www.androidheadlines.com/unmasking-the-raal-immanis-critics-rushed-judgments-and-hidden-agendas.html