[normie610]

Yes to both questions.

I just want to add the 8 Ohms interface is not needed for vast majority of speaker amps.
It is needed only for the ones that aren't capable of delivering 3W at 32 ohms.

Got it. If the tube amp has 2x20 watt output (but it’s not clear whether this is at 4 or 8 ohms), is it ok to use TI-1b’s 16 ohm interface, or would it be better to use 8 ohm RCD interface?

 

[Aleksandar R.]

T+A PA2000R

I use it as pre into the Envy for the loudness function (volume dependent EQ) as I usually listen at low volume.

Or via Zynsonix Speakertap Adapter Box for my headphones.

I really don't think that you need 8 Ohms interface with that one.
I very much doubt that it changes the sound as the load impedance changes, plus, it will develop 25W at 32 Ohms, far more than needed.
I think that in your case, it would be a completely unnecessary purchase.

 

[Aleksandar R.]

Got it. If the tube amp has 2x20 watt output (but it’s not clear whether this is at 4 or 8 ohms), is it ok to use TI-1b’s 16 ohm interface, or would it be better to use 8 ohm RCD interface?

Since it's a tube amp, if it has separate speaker outputs for 4 and 8 ohms, then the power is the same at 4 and 8.
In any case, you can load a tube output transformer with double the impedance, and you can stretch it up to 4x the nominal load impedance.
Either way, you're good with 16 ohms any way you turn it.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I really don't think that you need 8 Ohms interface with that one.
I very much doubt that it changes the sound as the load impedance changes, plus, it will develop 25W at 32 Ohms, far more than needed.
I think that in your case, it would be a completely unnecessary purchase.

Thank you, very good to know

 

[nfandi]

Oh yes, keep an eye out for my GoFundMe campaign! I'll also create a Discord channel with sneak peak impressions for my Immanis-level Patreon contributors


Absolutely. If the GoFundMe disappoints, I can take my time to save some pennies. One temptation is to get a used, old-version Susvara - now that it's no longer any good and has to be sold off by those needing to upgrade to the new one - and then re-selling it if one of the Immanimagna pair should prove more appealing.


Agreed. I've been in the hobby seriously since the end of 2015, roughly around the time Tyll Hertsens held his Big Sound event, in which he gathered a group of enthuasiasts with good ears to compare a selection of the best gear on the market at that time. I think the headphones included the HD 800, Abyss 1266, Ether, HE 1k, LCD-3, and a Dharma (what happened to them?!). Compare that selection with the list of totl headphones available today. Of course prices have shot up since then, and sometimes without justifiable improvements in sound quality. But we really are spoiled for choice now, especially when you consider how good the more affordable gear has become (I see CA-1as going for $1.5k now). I'm curious about far a relatively modest setup, like an Yggy with an HSA 1b - which could be had for $4k used - could get you with one of new Raals. Exciting stuff!

That ‘budget’ set-up you mention along with the CA-1a would indeed be a very cost-effective way into the world of ribbons. I would personally have to add Mitch’s convolution filters for my ears but it’s still a very high quality set-up for the money. I tried Immanis with my HSA-1b but that was directly after using the Envy and it was less preferable to my ears than with the Envy. Using the Envy as a pre-amp into the HSA improved things considerably for my ears. I look forward to hearing what Mitch has to say when Danny can send Magna and Immanis to him.
On the subject of the Susvara it might be worth waiting a few weeks to see if there’s a flood of them on the used market. The power of words and their impact on the brain is very strong and once people realise their Susvara has been ‘veiled’ they will indeed need to replace it with one that is unveiled.

 

[simorag]

The mystery of ancient recordings ...

It's fascinating how recordings like these, with their tape hiss and relatively grainy sound compared to the best modern audiophile recordings, can draw me into the 'event' of music making in a real space so effectively. They sound raw, alive, spacious ... they seem to breathe, almost smell, in a way which I find extremely rare in today's products.
Perhaps, it's just because of their imperfections that they appear more real to me.

Immanis and Valkyria are both capable to deliver this sense of almost carnal connection with the music in two very different ways. One by opening a clear, open, illuminated window from which the event can be not only observed, rather participated. The other by conveying the energy of the performance, densified and concentrated, straight to the guts.