Fit and Comfort

Seen above is the Dan Clark Audio CORINA placed on a mannequin head, to help show how these headphones would look on the human head. Note that the head is slightly under average sized, so account for the discrepancies accordingly. As with all headphones, getting a good fit and seal is crucial, so make sure to properly use the available height adjustability of the headband and the swivel/rotation of the ear cups themselves. This section is mostly a summary of the points expanded upon in more detail on the previous page and I will mention here that the CORINA is relatively heavier than average at ~465 g, but feels lighter than that on the head. This is a testament to the design and weight distribution achieved here, so I'll give props to DCA. The CORINA feels solidly built and sturdy more than heavy and bulky. Part of this comes down to the lower center of gravity too, with the headband effectively two thin wires of titanium and a wide and cushy suspension band helping spread the weight nicely. I also got a very good fit and seal of the ear pads around my ears courtesy the sculpted pads that have a large opening which also follow the shape of the ears. Indeed, the ear cups and pads are large enough to accommodate even those with massive ears and the clamp force was just right for my average-sized head to where I could easily listen the CORINA for hours. The ear pads are plush with foam and the suede contact surface also did a good job adding to the comfort and reducing any heat/moisture build-up around the ears and the open-back e-stat design also meant there wasn't any pressure build-up either. I would still encourage using a dust shield over the headphones if you are using them on a stand rather than placing them inside the box or an aftermarket travel case. Also, it goes without saying but it's best to use the CORINA in a quiet environment given the open-back design.

Audio Performance

Audio Hardware

Please refer to the equivalent section of this review to have a short primer on how electrostatic capacitive headphones work and how they differ from dynamic and planar magnetic driver headphones. E-stats are extremely rare compared to the other headphone types—on par with ribbon/AMT headphones when it comes to how many companies produce them—and even here there isn't a specific standard when it comes to the operating voltage fed to the drivers. The vast majority of e-stats on the market do conform to the STAX Pro Bias at 580 V which allows more amplifier options and the CORINA follows the trend too. It uses a 2.4 µm thick 88 mm diameter diaphragm which Dan Clark says has more consistent tension and uniformity for enhanced linearity and better channel matching, presumably compared to the VOCE. DCA also makes sure you realize the CORINA is the first of its kind in using the brand's patent-pending Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS). Acoustic metamaterials (AMMs) have been the subject of many research labs in the recent few years with the goal being to develop artificial materials of specific structures/morphologies to to control, direct, and manipulate sound waves or phonons in gases. KEF is one such brand that has used AMMs in its products and Dan Clark Audio is the only one I am aware of to do so with headphones.

The DCA AMTS implementation is an in-line device that sits between the driver and the ear as we saw on the previous page. It incorporates waveguides, diffusion control, quarter-wave, and Helmholtz resonators into one compact structure. The diffusion elements help reduce standing wave formation whereas the resonators act as both precision and broadband filters to smoothen and shape the transducer frequency response from the mids through the highs. The goal here is that AMTS renders high frequencies with "a refreshing accuracy and clarity with all genres of music." It's been used in the DCA STEALTH and EXPANSE before and I've seen people like the sound but not as much the lack of impact/detail there—I have not listened to these sets in a controlled environment, if at all, to make a judgment one way or another—but overall I understand that the AMTS implementation behaves differently in e-stats so it's best to treat this as a separate thing. Indeed, the AMTS device render seen above seems to differ from what is used in the DCA STEALTH and EXPANSE while also being contoured similar to the ear pads themselves.

E-stat Sources, Frequency Response Measurements, and Listening

In my experience, electrostatic headphones have been far more receptive to performance changes in their behavior depending on the source they are connected to. Sure, the CORINA can be plugged into any e-stat amp that has a 580 V 5-pin output but there are many more things going on here. For example, the CORINA loves its bias voltage—the higher, within reason, the better it will fare. There should also be a base minimum output current that scales with output voltage too. Dan Clark Audio has a Headamp BHSE in house to test and develop its e-stat headphones and I can easily recommend it for those wishing to purchase a great e-stat amplifier to pair with the CORINA. I listened to quite a few different e-stat amps before deciding on the BHSE for a reason. It has plenty of power for any 580 V e-stat headphones I've plugged into it, and even enough to have two running simultaneously for easier A/B comparisons. The tube-based output stage also adds a bit of warmth in the lower frequencies that I adore with brighter headphones. I even replaced the stock Mullard EL34 tubes with upgraded Psvane EL34C red label tubes that help add that tiny bit more bass extension in the lower frequencies, which was the only thing that good solid state amps such as the Kevin Gilmore-based Carbon do well. The Eksonic Aeras is another contender but I thought it was not as detailed and a touch too warm with the CORINA which is already not a bright set. The same could be said about the likes of the HIFIMAN Shangri-La Jr. amplifier, although I have not done much tube rolling there. On the other side of this discussion would be more dead neutral solid state amplifiers that use a step-up transformer inside. There are some offerings from STAX which never impressed me, and the recently released TOPPING EHA5 is another such example. It uses NFCA discrete amplifier circuitry from the TOPPING A90D with two transformers on the output side to put out as much as 2000 V but I found the output current to be lacking and thus you'd need to push up the gain and volume compared to others. The CORINA isn't that hard to drive compared to a few other e-stats I have here so the $400 EHA5 can be a good starter option to try if your budget is limited—I always recommend prioritizing the transducer first. The EHA5 won't be a bottleneck in the user experience but the BHSE and Carbon go the extra step in better appreciating layers and nuances with complex tracks.

Objective testing was conducted similar to other headphones including the DCA Aeon Closed X. I used the BHSE as the amplifier of choice for measurements as well as subjective listening, and this in turn was fed off the iFi Pro iDSD Signature and Gustard A26 DAC/streamers. I will also mention that I have a general preference for a warm-neutral signature emphasizing a slightly elevated bass and smooth treble range with detailed mids and good tonal separation. I also generally prefer instrumental music over vocals, with favored genres including jazz and classical music.


As per usual, you can find my headphone frequency response measurements on VSG.squig.link, along with all the earphone measurements. Scroll to the bottom and choose different targets there, including two from Harman Kardon, developed after years of R&D. The Harman 2018 over-ear target in particular is a reference curve many headphone makers aim for now, but I find it too bass-boosted. As such, I am opting for the Harman 2018 curve with the bass target from the Harman 2013 curve, which is what is being referred to as the "Harman Combined" target there. Before we get talking about the sound signature of the Dan Clark Audio CORINA, I want to first talk about the channel balance achieved here. You will notice how the left and right channels are basically identical to each other throughout the entire frequency range of interest from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. DCA has made a point of driver matching its headphones with tight tolerances regardless of the cost of the headphones and we saw this on the more affordable Aeon Closed X before. With the CORINA, the new e-stat drivers are custom made to begin with and then we have the matched ear pads to further go on this road to where I was expecting to see near-perfectly matched channels and DCA ended up exceeding those expectations too. Suffice to say that the CORINA is not a bulk mass-produced set so all retail units should have a similar lack of imbalance. I will also mention that using the headphones for ~250 hours didn't change anything either for those who would undoubtedly be curious about burn-in.

Those who have followed my reviews would have perhaps spotted that I did my second set of measurements far longer than usual—I typically re-measure after ~25-50 hours. With the CORINA, and indeed the main reason why this review took so long to write, was that I simply could not put it down long enough to write about it! Apologies for the unabashed gushing here but my first impressions were "this is so good" and it did not change over 500 hours later. I will go as far as to say the Dan Clark Audio CORINA is my favorite all-rounder set of headphones I have ever listened to so please allow me to explain why. I followed the company's advice on placing the ear pads such as the top rear corner of the ear pads lined up with the top rear of my ears too. This allowed for the AMTS device to be in-line with my ear canals and allowed for the waveguides and resonators to work as intended in producing an extremely smooth yet resolving sound. Do play around with the positioning to see if you have a similar such effect. Also, for those wondering if the AMTS implementation results in an overly dampened sound here, I would say no—there is still a decidedly e-stat natural presentation from the CORINA and I did not feel the soundstage was cramped or the dynamics were lost in any way.

This is not to say the CORINA is a perfect set and will meet everyone's requirements. The bass from the CORINA is not necessarily its strong point, for example. It's not a bass-light set and has good extension down to the sub-bass but is not a punchy or overly dynamic set. I could say the same about pretty much all e-stats on the market though, especially when it comes to micro-dynamics and weight behind bass notes. Those who prioritize electronic music, for example, may find the impact from the CORINA to be slightly lacking compared to a few other sets as we will discuss on the next page. The CORINA does take EQ quite well and has extremely low distortion to begin with, but I would still refrain from changing the stock frequency response too much since this already presents a sound signature that is different enough to merit consideration as-is. Indeed, and this is where the CORINA really gets you, the mid range is excellent in reproduction while also making you realize the timbre on offer is very, very good too. I have not heard a single e-stat set that offers a more natural sounding timbre, especially with brass instruments until now, and I can pit this against the Sennheiser HD 600 series in that regard.

Vocals are ridiculously good on the CORINA. As someone who prioritizes instruments over vocals, this is the only set which got me to add vocal-centric tracks in my daily playlist. There's a great balance of smooth playback without compromising on details here, and I can only imagine the updated drivers with AMTS have a lot to do with this. Nothing came off honky or shallow despite what that small 1 kHz bump may suggest. What it can do, combined with the dip immediately after, is create for a wide sense of space for instruments. I would not say the soundstage here is extremely wide but that it comes off realistic instead. A jazz club recording sounds like it's in a smaller room, for example. Imaging is spot on in a wide cone in front as well as around the ears and mono-channel recordings are depicted as well as binaural recordings. In this regard I can also see the CORINA working out as a good set of workhorse monitors, but of course the e-stat chain can be a detriment outside of a studio. This can also explain why the CORINA comes with optional cables as long as 5 m to allow music engineers to use it with their DAWs in front and the amplifier placed elsewhere out of sight. Of course some might also simply want the longer cables to lounge on a couch/recliner with the CORINA at home!

The pinna gain matched my HRTF quite well so the upper mids came off neutral to me. Your mileage may vary here though so it can determine how some female vocals may sound to you. For example, Beyonce's "Single Ladies" could have the chorus lines sounding somewhat further away for some if your HRTF demands more ear gain from 1 kHz itself. One thing in common to everyone is a lack of any sibilance or harshness with the tonality leaning the opposite direction of typical STAX/HIFIMAN e-stat headphones. The CORINA is not a bright set and yet I would not say it's dark in the treble either even if I did find myself adding a broad 2 dB shelf filter at 6 kHz for my Chopin and Mozart tracks and it also seemed to add positively to acoustic jazz too. The end result is a non-fatiguing set that handles fast orchestral tracks such as Flight of the Bumblebees very easily and now you know why I was spending more time just listening to the CORINA rather than getting work done.