RAAL 1995 Immanis
RAAL 1995 Immanis
Raal 1995 arriving with a flagship that can compete with the Susvara Unveiled, perhaps even with greats like the Warwick Acoustics Aperio: The Immanis triple ribbon driver.
RAAL 1995 IMMANIS
Next-generation true-ribbon R³ triple-driver
Upon its release (February 2024), IMMANIS quickly drew the attention of headphone enthusiasts around the world. As IMMANIS made the rounds at audio shows, superlatives followed. Praise and recognition spread even further as reviewers began publishing their impressions of this revolutionary development in headphone technology.
It only takes a few minutes of listening to understand why this triple-ribbon design has created so much buzz: the soundstage is enormous. It’s fast. It’s transparent. It’s lively and exciting.
What’s in the box?
- Headphones: IMMANIS (triple ribbon)
- Ribbon current-drive interface / stand: RCD Interface 32 Ohm (8 Ohm & Viva on request)
- Cable (amplifier to RCD interface): RCD-XLR (XLR-4 to XLR-4), 1.5 m
- Cable (headphones to RCD interface): STAR-8 MkII Pure Silver, 1.8 m
- Case: anodized aluminum / lined interior
Specifications
Motor
| 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 | ± 4 mm (0.157 in) |
| Maximum SPL | 118 dB |
| Impedance | 0.057 Ω |
| Impedance with specialized HP cable | 0.29 Ω |
Important note: cable connector
Female 4-pin XLR. Not compatible with standard amplifier output connectors. Due to the pin-out arrangement and the 0.3 ohm load, do not make adapters and do not plug it directly into amplifiers—this may 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, Jotunheim R).
Ribbon Current-Drive Interface (RCDI-32, RCDI-8)
| Purpose | Converts the low impedance of headphones + cable (0.29 Ω) to an impedance usable by amplifiers (32 Ω and 8 Ω) |
| Configuration | Toroidal transformer + specialized headphone cable (STAR-8, STAR-8 MkII) |
| Drive type | Converts voltage-drive from the amplifier to current-drive for the ribbon |
| Supported amplifier type | Voltage-drive amplifiers with low internal output impedance and DC offset below 10 mV |
| Impedance loading the amplifier | 32 Ω nominal (8 Ω & Viva by special order) |
| Recommended amp power (RCDI-32) | 2–6 W headphone amp or 8–25 W speaker amp at 8 Ω |
| Recommended amp power (RCDI-8) | 2–6 W speaker amp at 8 Ω (SET or similar low-power speaker amps) |
Headphone body
| Body material | Glass fiber composite, aluminum |
| Finish | Anodizing, hard wax on American walnut veneer |
| Grille | Gold-plated 3-phase etched stainless steel |
| Headspring | Brushed stainless steel with TIAlN (titanium aluminum 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 cable | 626 g |
