Dan Clark Audio CORINA Electrostatic Headphones

[VSG]

Dan Clark Audio pushes its patent-pending AMTS design into the e-stat headphone world with its flagship CORINA. This is an open-back set of headphones that aims to deliver an extremely smooth yet resolving sound across the board with accurate instrument playback and engaging vocals to make for a compelling end game audio solution.

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[Space Lynx]

If I ever become super rich someday, as in like 70k salary and my house is paid off.

I will buy these.

 

[bug]

Do you think the not-so-punchy bass is only due to e-stats? Afaik bass isn't a strong point for open backs in general.

 

[VSG]

Do you think the not-so-punchy bass is only due to e-stats? Afaik bass isn't a strong point for open backs in general.

There are open back sets with a pronounced bass boost (DCA EXPANSE, FiiO FT3, Philphone etc) as well as those with an extremely punchy bass regardless of if there's a bass drop-off or not (Focal Utopia, for example). So it's possible but of course not as easy. The e-stat driver topology doesn't make it easy either since you need to get enough motion of the driver either way for bass but that can result in the diaphragm sticking to the stators.

If I ever become super rich someday, as in like 70k salary and my house is paid off.

I will buy these.

Hopefully you'll get there one day, this is legitimately a good product that I want more people to be able to try out at least.

 

[evernessince]

These are pretty crazy, I'm patiently waiting to see what they do with their Aeon 3's though.

 

[VSG]

These are pretty crazy, I'm patiently waiting to see what they do with their Aeon 3's though.

Yeah that should be interesting too.

 

[Dr. Dro]

This looks crazy good. Hopefully one day the technology will become more affordable.

 

[Space Lynx]

This looks crazy good. Hopefully one day the technology will become more affordable.

There is a $499 e-stat system from Koss, maybe it was a sale somewhere, don't remember it was several years ago.... I tried that and it was quite horrible, ended up returning it. Not like the high end stuff at all, e-stat must be a tricky beast, because no one seems to be able to bring an affordable one to market.

 

[cellar door]

Great review as always, thanks!

PS - have you tried any UItrasones? I'm curious to hear(no pun intended) your thoughts on their S-Logic technology. Thanks!

 

[bug]

There are open back sets with a pronounced bass boost (DCA EXPANSE, FiiO FT3, Philphone etc) as well as those with an extremely punchy bass regardless of if there's a bass drop-off or not (Focal Utopia, for example). So it's possible but of course not as easy. The e-stat driver topology doesn't make it easy either since you need to get enough motion of the driver either way for bass but that can result in the diaphragm sticking to the stators.

Let me rephrase: given that neither e-stat nor open backs excel at bass, are you sure in this case it's all on e-stat?
It's an honest question, I know you do a very through job, have equipment I don't dream of and have listened to more quality cans than I ever will.

 

[Dr. Dro]

There is a $499 e-stat system from Koss, maybe it was a sale somewhere, don't remember it was several years ago.... I tried that and it was quite horrible, ended up returning it. Not like the high end stuff at all, e-stat must be a tricky beast, because no one seems to be able to bring an affordable one to market.

Most mid to high-end headphones today have mostly come down to your average neodymium magnet with a mylar diaphragm, and these sound just fine for 99% of people... and when it comes to people who listen to lossy audio, down to the last person who thinks MP3 is still fine to listen to. Even now, planar magnetics are only starting to lower in price a little bit (probably due to intense competition from Chi-Fi and the tech being old enough most of the R&D costs have already been paid off by the industry in general), so I imagine affordable electrostatics will still be quite a ways off. The accuracy and fidelity this set is capable of is simply mind-blowing.

If you want something that's better than your average neodymium/mylar monitor, you will quickly run out of options. Vintage Sony MDR-V or MDR-CD series headphones are the only thing that come to mind, but those which remain, especially in good condition, are unicorns with a price to match - the stupidly high rate of counterfeit units in the wild (particularly regarding the MDR-7506, which doesn't even qualify because it is a neodymium/mylar set anyway) make buying these a particular shot in the dark if you haven't been thoroughly studying them.

 

[mab1376]

Do you think the not-so-punchy bass is only due to e-stats? Afaik bass isn't a strong point for open backs in general.

I tried the new Stax SRx-9000 with a Woo Audio 3ES and, at can jam, was very surprised at the amount of bass they produced. The x9000 definately had more weight than these did (which I also demoed with a blue Hawaii as was used in this review) and were better suited for the rock music I listen to. Still, miles above my price range, I personally own HE-500, 660s2, and rs1x, and a Woo Audio WA22 amp; all those combined, including my Bifrost DAC, don't even come close to the cost of the setup reviewed here. This would be my choice if I suddenly won the lottery: https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/bundle-z10e-electrostatic-headphone-amp-stax-sr-x900

 

[Space Lynx]

I tried the new Stax SRx-9000 with a Woo Audio 3ES and, at can jam, was very surprised at the amount of bass they produced. The x9000 definately had more weight than these did (which I also demoed with a blue Hawaii as was used in this review) and were better suited for the rock music I listen to. Still, miles above my price range, I personally own HE-500, 660s2, and rs1x, and a Woo Audio WA22 amp; all those combined, including my Bifrost DAC, don't even come close to the cost of the setup reviewed here. This would be my choice if I suddenly won the lottery: https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/bundle-z10e-electrostatic-headphone-amp-stax-sr-x900

win the lottery indeed. I have to agree with you, if I had that kind of money I'd probably just do the highest end STAX

 

[Dr. Dro]

I tried the new Stax SRx-9000 with a Woo Audio 3ES and, at can jam, was very surprised at the amount of bass they produced. The x9000 definately had more weight than these did (which I also demoed with a blue Hawaii as was used in this review) and were better suited for the rock music I listen to. Still, miles above my price range, I personally own HE-500, 660s2, and rs1x, and a Woo Audio WA22 amp; all those combined, including my Bifrost DAC, don't even come close to the cost of the setup reviewed here. This would be my choice if I suddenly won the lottery: https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/bundle-z10e-electrostatic-headphone-amp-stax-sr-x900

Speaking of the Schiit Bifrost, is yours the original or the new multibit model? There's someone selling the original version in my region for a rather decent price (more or less what the Topping DX3+ Pro goes for here) and I've been considering buying it. It caught my eye because I know the current model is $799... and this guy is asking what would be $200 on his. It's in pretty good shape too.

I would be moving from an EVGA Nu Audio, of course, so that's the consideration. Think it's worth it?

Edit: well, apparently not

 

[VSG]

Great review as always, thanks!

PS - have you tried any UItrasones? I'm curious to hear(no pun intended) your thoughts on their S-Logic technology. Thanks!

Afraid not. I can try to reach out to them and see.

Let me rephrase: given that neither e-stat nor open backs excel at bass, are you sure in this case it's all on e-stat?
It's an honest question, I know you do a very through job, have equipment I don't dream of and have listened to more quality cans than I ever will.

But open backs can excel also at bass, that's what I meant above. If you purely mean a bass shelf, that's still possible with examples I've shown. Closed-back sets just make it easier to do so.

I tried the new Stax SRx-9000 with a Woo Audio 3ES and, at can jam, was very surprised at the amount of bass they produced. The x9000 definately had more weight than these did (which I also demoed with a blue Hawaii as was used in this review) and were better suited for the rock music I listen to. Still, miles above my price range, I personally own HE-500, 660s2, and rs1x, and a Woo Audio WA22 amp; all those combined, including my Bifrost DAC, don't even come close to the cost of the setup reviewed here. This would be my choice if I suddenly won the lottery: https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/bundle-z10e-electrostatic-headphone-amp-stax-sr-x900

SR-X9000 is really great. The only issue is, outside of the wait time, I've noticed different samples sounding different. I can only imagine there's some sample variation going on.

As for the LTA Z10e, I wasn't sold personally on its sound for e-stats. It can do both standard headphones and e-stats but there are a few other options too such as the new iFi Phantom.

 

[Aynsley]

SR-X9000 is really great. The only issue is, outside of the wait time, I've noticed different samples sounding different. I can only imagine there's some sample variation going on.

I remember listening to a pair of Stax Sigmas, back in the early '70s, and I see from the Stax website that they're still making models with the same distinctive rectangular design. Something, however, has changed. The website gives a contact address in Hong Kong, even though the company is/was Japanese. I'm guessing it was acquired by a Chinese company, although the headphones and amps are still made in Japan.

 

[bug]

I remember listening to a pair of Stax Sigmas, back in the early '70s, and I see from the Stax website that they're still making models with the same distinctive rectangular design. Something, however, has changed. The website gives a contact address in Hong Kong, even though the company is/was Japanese. I'm guessing it was acquired by a Chinese company, although the headphones and amps are still made in Japan.

You're right, Chinese for almost 12 years now: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stax_Ltd

 

[VSG]

Edifier has bought STAX because the owner of Edifier is a massive fan of the brand and didn't want to see it die. STAX continues to be operated independently btw, if you want proof you can see my lack of STAX reviews here whereas I can get anything from Edifier I'm interested in. Likewise, Edifier also invested in Audeze so they have some ownership of dynamic, planar magnetic, and e-stat drivers now.

 

[bug]

Edifier has bought STAX because the owner of Edifier is a massive fan of the brand and didn't want to see it die. STAX continues to be operated independently btw, if you want proof you can see my lack of STAX reviews here whereas I can get anything from Edifier I'm interested in. Likewise, Edifier also invested in Audeze so they have some ownership of dynamic, planar magnetic, and e-stat drivers now.

Good to know, thanks.

 

[mab1376]

Speaking of the Schiit Bifrost, is yours the original or the new multibit model? There's someone selling the original version in my region for a rather decent price (more or less what the Topping DX3+ Pro goes for here) and I've been considering buying it. It caught my eye because I know the current model is $799... and this guy is asking what would be $200 on his. It's in pretty good shape too.

I would be moving from an EVGA Nu Audio, of course, so that's the consideration. Think it's worth it?

Edit: well, apparently not

I have the Bifrost2/64 in my headphone system and the original Bifrost with the uber analog upgrade (not multibit, and the review doesn't specify if they had the uber upgrade or not) in my stereo system. I personally like the sound of both and mainly upgraded for the balanced outputs. I would just make sure you get one with unison usb upgrade if you plan on using usb. No drivers are required like older revs, I have gen 2 usb on my original Bifrost (I use coax now) and it was a bit finicky. My original Bifrost was bought in 2012 and the order number is pretty low, meaning the company was still young, and it's still working just fine.

As for measurements, Schiit is known for building products by their subjective sound rather than seeking better measurements as Topping is known to do.

Schiit Audio Bifrost Uber w/ Gen 2 USB DAC review | Darko.Audio

Schiit Audio Bifrost Uber w/ Gen 2 USB is the best $500 DAC on the market right now

darko.audio

 

[mechtech]

Nice review. Unfortunately out of my budget as well. Any chance in the future of powered speakers/monitors reviews?

I seen some tempting ones from $250-$750 but no clue how they would be for classical music?

ie like the klipsch r-41pm and r-51pm etc.

 

[VSG]

Nice review. Unfortunately out of my budget as well. Any chance in the future of powered speakers/monitors reviews?

I seen some tempting ones from $250-$750 but no clue how they would be for classical music?

ie like the klipsch r-41pm and r-51pm etc.

I have a couple of those being tested: FiiO SP3 and Edifier S1000W. I don't have any contacts with Klipsch unfortunately.

 

[cellar door]

Afraid not. I can try to reach out to them and see.

Awesome! - if you have never tried any Ultrasones, you're in for a treat

For the past year and half, my daily has been a set of OZMA 7 - a Alienware/Ultrasone colab, that I was able to pick up BNIB old stock. It's a based on a Ultrasone HFI-700 but with a more powerful driver.

I basically sold almost all of my other cans, except OG Sennheiser 595 and a pair of my trusty CCA C10.

I think I've reached that point at which I don't seek anymore improvement. These do everything exceptionally well. Already converted couple audiophille friends to Ultrasones

Check out this Amazon review of 2 Pack Aux Headephones, Compatible 7 8 X Max Plus Sound Quality and Ensure The Stability of The Transmission

Ultrasone HFI-700 headphones are my first pick for audio engineering, production, and critical listening tasks

www.amazon.com

 

[Miiksuli]

Nice review! I liked when you compared solid states and tube ones. Can you also do some gaming tests too? I have noticed that estats are best for gaming imo. Dynamic and planars are too slow to produce some nyances that just get easily blurry or saturated. From new production tubes I like TAD the most these days. Very clean sounding, quiet and distortion levels are well controlled. But they may not have the nice classic tube sound.

 

[VSG]

Nice review! I liked when you compared solid states and tube ones. Can you also do some gaming tests too? I have noticed that estats are best for gaming imo. Dynamic and planars are too slow to produce some nyances that just get easily blurry or saturated. From new production tubes I like TAD the most these days. Very clean sounding, quiet and distortion levels are well controlled. But they may not have the nice classic tube sound.

Anything with a good tonal balance, wide soundstage and nice imaging should be fine for gaming. I had no issues using this for some FPS games, for example. Depending on what you are looking for, there are some specialized gaming headsets that do have ANC and game-based EQ which could be more competitive such as the AceZone headsets I am currently testing.