The Golden King: RAAL 1995 Immanis Review

The Golden King

What is the gap between flagships? That is something I always felt to grasp with, with everyone claiming to be the next best headphones. What if there is truly something above the current flagships? Today we will look at the non-electrostatic headphone that truly supersedes my Abyss 1266, the new golden king for me, the Raal 1995 Immanis.

Video Review

This is a Ribbon Headphone. As such specs do not really say much as there is a need of a transformer in between. Unless you have a HSA-1X series amplifier, the lost of power is expected.

Note: This is on loan to me from SLT Technologies. I got to know them during the last CanJam. They were kind enough to lend me this demo copy here. I have this copy only for a few days, so all impressions are for that few days in comparison with headphones I own.

TLDR: 

This is probably one of the best headphones one can buy. It has a great build, a great sound and it is actually comfortable without quirks. The only issue is it needs a lot of power and either a transformer or specialized amps. Considering the flagships out there, this to me is probably the most balanced in all aspects in delivering a great headphone experience.

Introduction:

Ribbon headphones have been in the market for quite some time. Raal Requisite introduced the SR-1A/B series followed by the CA-1A. Both are true ribbon headphones and require an interface to operate due to their ultra low impedance. Raal decided to spin up a new group, named RAAL 1995 and with it launch 2 ultra premium headphone, the Immanis and Magna. Today we will look at the Immanis, which to me since CanJam Singapore, was the better Raal.

Build

The demo I had came in a hard case that holds the headphones and the transformer. The Ribbon headphones will need a transformer to run via a normal amplifier unless you own one of the specialized HSA-1X amplifiers which I just happened to purchase last week. What a coincidence! 

Back to the build, let’s first look at the transformer. This is technically the box transformer put into a more classy container with only 32 ohm choice. The older T1-B had both 32 ohm and 16 ohm input options. The good thing about the new transformer is that it looks way better and can also act as a headphone stand. If this headphone is your goto everyday, this transformer will be its throne on the table. The stand can be removed if you just want a paperweight on your table. 

The Immanis headphones are really classy look with a luxurious nearing pompous feel. The golden grills, blackened metal headbands,  the luxurious leather head support with stitchings that match the color scheme, the plush perforated leather earcups and lastly the really large housing and its triple ribbon driver that can be seen. Everything is well built and put together to convey its luxury status. One of the best thing I like is how forward facing the input plugs are. This ensures even with the big earcups, they will clear my shoulder unlike something like Warwick’s Bravura. Overall, build quality is just superb. 

Power Requirement

The Immanis is not as power hungry as the older CA-1A. From the volume knob perspective, it takes ⅙ less turn of the knob for similar loudness. Additionally when trying out with the broadway which is specced for 1.5w at 32 ohms, the CA-1A distorts when played at a peak volume of 91db while the Immanis only start distorting over 94db. Just note on the HSA-1C, both won’t distort before your ears give up . 

Sound Quality

Tested with

Chord Hugo TT (DAC)

SAEQ HSA-1C (Amplifier)

Isotek V5 Sirius (Power Conditioner)

M17 (Transport)

Songs

Backlight by ADO

Ibara by ADO

Unravel by ADO

Eien no Akuruhi by ADO

Yuusha by Yoasobi

Heart Beat by Yoasobi

The Witch from Mercury Sound Track

Diamond Crevasse by May’N

Ultima Soundtrack FF14

Compared against

Abyss 1266

DCA Stealth

Raal Requisite CA-1A

Tonality/Timbre

Neutral with a touch of warm, a full bodied sound thats relatively balanced throughout all frequency. Very good timbre with instruments sounding very natural with good extension. This is noticeable in tracks like The Witch from Mercury, where the instrument feels like you are sitting in a live concert with very good accuracy, especially when compared to other headphones.

Sound Stage: 

One of the larger sound stages for headphones. Its characteristics are more of a big sounding mids with a good amount of extension to the edges. Listening to Diamond Crevasse, you can hear the singer sounding as if you are in a large concert hall, where the vocals surround you and the vocals just extend outwards. Similarly instruments are spread relatively wide apart giving you a “In the music at a large hall” experience. 

Separation and Positioning 

For both of these parameters, I feel they are Ok. Very similar to my experience with CA-1A, when listening to soundtracks where instruments are placed all around, the Immanis portrays a large wide sound, but not very precise in terms of its positioning. You can tell where all the instruments in large bubbles spread around you and what they are doing, but you can not tell exactly where they are in those bubbles. Separation is just OK in comparison with other flagships. They are distinct enough in a track where you can focus on them, but not separated enough that you can follow them constantly. Do note that no details are lost, it’s just that at times it can sound like multiple instruments placed in very close proximity to each other. 

Dynamics 

The Immanis does very well in dynamics. From really quiet regions to those blasting with energy, it cleanly showcases the range of sound the headphone is able to. From soundtracks like ultima to wild tracks like unravel, the Immanis showcase great control and dynamics from low to high regions, 

Bass 

The bass is really good on the Immanis. It has decent quantity and really good quality of bass, with a good amount of slam in the mids region and lows that are clear and well texture. The mid bass slam sounds responsive and precise, with good control and no flabby or bloated feel to it. Bass detail and texture is great. Listening to rock songs like Backlight by Vaundy is highly enjoyable with bass guitars playing in the background and drums thumping at the side, all the while maintaining great clarity and separation at the bass region.

Mids

The Immanis have a slightly forward and full body sounding mids. The first impression while listening to songs like Heart Beat was how full the female vocals were yet still sounding big and full of air extension. It makes everything in the mid region carry weight with good realism. One thing I did notice in regards to mids is that it does not have a very tight focus, which means all the sound is slightly dispersed throughout making it sound bigger but less precise in positioning. That creates an atmosphere very similar to a large hall that makes the mids a little more soothing and smooth to listen to. 

Highs

The highs are very well extended. Giving air to female vocals and realism in treble instruments and their decay. Things like cymbals and bells are bright but smooth sound, with minimal harshness in their sound signature. Compared with headphones like abyss, you can tell how good those treble extensions are without ever turning too hot and spicy. But that said, this headphone does have some emphasis in the upper mids/lower highs, and in some tracks it may come in the form of sibilance or over emphasis in the trailing edges of certain higher pitched vocals. 

Other Notes on related sound quality items

Using the new provided transformer and the old one do not provide any sonic differences when compared. The new one is fixed at 32 ohms and when compared to the 32 ohm input of the older T1-B, it sounds nearly identical both in loudness and quality.

Listening on the HSA-1C direct ribbon out was great with a better separation and sound stage. However using the transformer will allow some freedom of utilizing other amplifiers and inheriting their sound signature. Also notable is using the transformer requires more power then the direct ribbon out on the HSA-1C, though both never quite ran out of power to drive the Immanis. 

Cables for the Immanis and Ribbon based headphones are tricky due to their really low impedance requirement. RAAL has the standard copper and star 8 series cable. This test has been done with the star 8 series of cables which gives a slightly more focused and bodied mids. I personally own the CA-1A and the standard cable there is actually more enjoyable to me. On the Immanis, it exchanges a drop in focus and body for a larger, wider and more relaxing sound. It is a personal taste but at least for me, the cheaper (it’s still pretty expensive cable) SC2 standard cable is my preferred choice. 

Comparison

Abyss 1266:
The Abyss has a wider soundstage and better positioning of sound that stretches out more. It also does have more bass and impact then the Immanis. However when listening to it side by side, the Immanis made the Abyss feel like many things were lacking, such as body of sound, smoothness of highs, the tight and natural sounds of the bass, and depth of sound in terms of front and top. Overall I think the Immanis is ahead of the Abyss 1266 and with better comfort. 

DCA Stealth

A close back pros and cons are quite obvious here. In general tonality, the sound is quite similar. The amount of bass is more on the stealth though less defined. Both mids are full bodied and large sounding but the Immanis felt more effortless and a touch bigger. The highs are extended but the Immanis feel like they have a touch more air up top though I feel the stealth maybe at times a touch clearer. If anything the choice between them is a close back vs open back, but given a quiet personal space I will pick the Immanis, though the stealth is not a far behind.

Raal Requisite CA-1A

This to me is the predecessor with very similar feels to the sound. Large sounding with very good treble extension. The Immanis just improves over the CA-1A in terms of body of sound, an overall better bass and a generally better timbre for instrument sound. The Immanis is also more comfortable to wear. That said, the CA-1A may still be your choice if you like a lighter and airier sound, with a sound stage that sounds more forward, likely due to the tilting of the drivers and less sealed pads. 

Summary

The Golden King. This is what I feel about the Raal 1995 Immanis. To me Susvara has never moved me enough to purchase it. Even the latest version to me wasn’t really special enough to get me thinking. But the Immanis is different. It got me thinking about which equipment to release so that I can have one on my hands. To me it’s the sound perfection I’ve been looking for in a form factor that does not tie me down to a single amp. The perfect balance of a large soundstage with mids and highs that outpaces most other headphones and still performing well in every other matrix. The only challenge really is its price, which today just got superseded by the Susavara Unveiled. The Immanis is definitely the new king of headphones for me.