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Upon its release (Feb. 2024), IMMANIS quickly caught the attention of headphone aficionados everywhere. Superlatives began appearing as IMMANIS was making the rounds at the various audio shows. The praise and appreciation was further spread as bloggers began posting their impressions of this revolutionary development in headphone engineering.
It only takes a few minutes of listening to discover why this triple-ribbon design is so talked about. The soundstage is enormous. It’s fast. It’s transparent. It’s lively and exciting.
Regardless of the size and calibre of your headphone collection, if it doesn’t include IMMANIS, you are missing a significant chapter in the book of top notch headphones.
More than five years after the SR1-A headphones, the adjustable-panel headphones that delighted many music lovers with their open sound and exceptional clarity, RAAL comes back with two new models.
These two headphones still rely on the ribbon technology that the brand particurlary likes, but have been significantly optimized to overcome the inherent flaws of the first model's design.
Indeed, the SR1-A was unparalleled when it came for headphones to offer a speakers like listening experience, with an exceptionally wide sound stage (for headphones) and phenomenal treble extension. However, the presence of only one ribbon (per side) and the absence of an acoustic chamber made it difficult to perform a solid bass response and sufficient body in the midrange (which was nonetheless refined).
These two new models, IMMANIS and MAGNA, now feature a circum aural design (around the ear, like the vast majority of hi-fi headphones) and double (2 for MAGNA), and even triple (3 for IMMANIS) the number of ribbons per side. Thus, the limitations mentioned for the first model are no longer present in these two new models.
Immanis are the top-of-the-line model with three ribbons on each side.
It manages the feat of performing exceptionally well into almost every area and pushing nearly every parameter beyond what current headphones are capable of. In addition, Immanis most effectively overcomes the limitations that headphones can present when compared with a pair of speakers… The breadth of its soundstage, the depth of its bass response, and the impact of its low end are astounding for headphones.
In my humble opinion, these headphones are a clever blend of Abyss 1266 and Hifiman Susvara.
They share the impressive sound stage, the remarkable bass, exceptional resolution, high energy, and ability to render texture and grain of Abyss 1266. However, they surpass Abyss 1266 in these areas, and above all, they do so in a significantly more natural and controlled manner.
From Susvara, they borrow the natural timbre, the soundstage depth and the richness in the midrange.
These are the reason why, in my opinion, Immanis truly stands out from the crowd.
These headphones will leave no one indifferent.
You can't help but be captivated by their boundless yet perfectly balanced energy, their vast and almost holographic soundstage, their excellent dynamic range, their ability to bring out the textures of voices and instruments, and their extreme extension! But above all, by their skill in achieving all this with great respect for the music and remarkable naturalness.
Immanis package set
Headphones: IMMANIS (triple-ribbon)
Ribbon Current-Drive Interface / Stand: RCD Interface 32 Ohm (8 Ohm & Viva by request)
Cable (Amplifier to RCD Interface): RCD-XLR (XLR4 to XLR4) 1.5m
Cable (Headphones to RCD Interface): STAR-8 MkII Pure Silver 1.8m
Case: Anodized Aluminum / Plush Lined
Motor specifications
Configuration : Complimentary Tuned Triple Ribbon
Ribbon Type : Corrugated Pure Aluminum (True-Ribbon) with Viscodamp™ “Silent Metal” Viscosity Dampening
Surface Area : 25.2 cm² (3.9 in²)
Excursion : +/- 4mm (0.157 in)
Maximum SPL : 118dB
Impedance : 0.057Ω
Impedance with Specialized HP Cable : 0.29Ω
Note : Cable Connector : Female XLR 4-pin. Gender not compatible with Standard Amplifier Output Connector. Due to pin-out arrangement and 0.3 Ohm load, do not make adapters and plug it directly to Amplifiers, as that will destroy both the Amp and the Headphones. Connect only to RCDI-32, RCDI-8, RCDI-Viva or to specialized Direct-Drive Amplifiers for RAAL Headphones (HSA-1a/b/c, VM-1a,).
Headphone body specifications
Body Material : Glass Fiber Composite, Aluminium
Finish : Anodizing, Hard Wax on American Walnut Veneer
Grille : Gold-plated 3-phase Etched Stainless Steel
Headspring : Brushed Stainless Steel with TIAlN (Titanium Aluminium Nitride) Hard Coating
Polished Stainless Steel by Special Request
Headband : Soft Cushion Band, underside in Diamond Pattern Cushion Stitched Suede
Height Adjustment : Gold-Plated 5-Position Click-Stop
Earpads : Face: Lambs Leather Suede, Fill: Memory Foam, Inside: Textile, Outside: Perforated Sheepskin
Input Connectors : High-Current Gold Plated 3.5 mm TRRS Female Connectors
Weight without a Cable : 626g
Ribbon current-drive interface
Purpose : Converts low impedance of Headphones + Cable (0.29Ω) to impedance usable to Amplifiers (32Ω and 8Ω)
Configuration : Toroidal Transformer + Specialized Headphone Cable (STAR-8, STAR-8 MkII)
Drive Type : Converts Voltage-Drive from Amplifier to Current-Drive for Ribbon
Supported Amplifier Type : Voltage-Drive Amplifiers with low Internal Output Impedance and DC-offset less than 10mV
Impedance that loads the Amplifier : 32Ω Nominal (8Ω & Viva by special order)
Recommended Amp Power, RCDI-32 : Headphone Amp of 2-6W or Loudspeaker Amp of 8-25W at 8Ω
Recommended Amp Power, RCDI-8 : Loudspeaker Amp of 2-6W at 8Ω (SET or similar low-power Amps for Loudspeakers)