Comparisons

The Dan Clark Audio CORINA is a true flagship in its sound presentation and cost alike. This means the target customer who can afford to purchase one is hopefully already aware of their specific preferences and dislikes to be able to see whether this is the set for them or not. Testing the CORINA at trade shows is also highly recommended since it is unlikely there will be many demo units at stores. For those who are simply too far from a trade show or a CORINA demo unit, perhaps this page will help shed more light. I have been privileged enough to have listened to multiple flagship headphones and they are here on long-term/indefinite loans to allow direct comparisons too. The first set involves other e-stat headphones such as the $4500 Audeze CRBN, the $4000 HIFIMAN Shangri-La Jr., and the über expensive $18,000 HIFIMAN Shangri-La (Sr.), with the latter two getting their own reviews soon. The two HIFIMAN offerings are relatively long in the tooth with the CRBN and CORINA both using novel engineering and materials design. The Shangri-La might as well be out of the picture here because it's a halo product very few will even consider, let alone purchase. It's a set that uses larger teardrop-shaped ear cups and pads that are comfortable but can be overly large on the head. I am also not sure the laminate wood and headband assembly can be classified as premium, let alone flagship, but there's no denying it does present a larger-than-life sound which can rival some speakers to my ears. It's best paired with classical music given the tonality and is light on impact in the bass to where the CORINA bests it in this regard, albeit not by much. I'd give the CORINA the win from a tonality perspective as well as vocals reproduction too; it's simply a better all-rounder than the the Shangri-La which is more suited for some music genres. Depending on your music preferences, you may look at one over the other even assuming money is not a factor.

The HIFIMAN Shangri-La Jr. is far closer to the CORINA in cost but also build quality and tonality. It uses an all metal chassis too and is easier to accommodate on heads large or small alike. This set goes for a more neutral sound but you do lose out in the mids where it also exhibits a more uneven response from 1-6 kHz and has to be paired with a warm tube amp to add some heft to vocals and instruments alike. This is also why it ships with a specifically paired amplifier for $8000, and more neutral amplifiers are not as good a pairing. You can't save money with the EHA5 if you want to make the most of the Shangri-La Jr., for example. It does have the typical HIFIMAN upper mids scoop which can result in female vocals and opera singers coming off somewhat shallow and yet I can see some people preferring the base tonality more than that of the CORINA. Both put out a relatively smooth sound, with the CORINA getting the win on being far easier on the ears for longer periods of time while also being more detailed too.

It's the Audeze CRBN that was the strongest competitor to the CORINA in my books, especially with both looking and feeling luxurious while being very comfortable to wear. I mentioned in its review how the CRBN ended up being my favorite Audeze set besting even the technical masterpiece that is the LCD-5. It offers not only more bass out of the box but also good quality bass that is not just a gimmick. The increased CNT-based charge carriers makes it fantastic for those who want to experience a highly dynamic set with a more natural presentation. The CORINA is not bass-light but you can feel the difference during A/B testing fairly easily. Pretty much everything else is better handled by the CORINA though, be it vocals that are not shouty as the CRBN can be for some, or instruments that come off less emphasized owing to a darker mid-treble. The emphasized ear gain on the CRBN makes the upper frequencies feel further depressed relatively—more so than the graphs suggest. That is the reason why I ultimately could not recommend the CRBN despite being a fan of it with some EQ work. I will also mention here that I have listened to several STAX sets as well as the Sennheiser HE-1, but those were in public settings and I'd rather not compare them to the CORINA given the different testing/listening environments.



There are many more expensive headphones that go with dynamic or planar magnetic drivers and these are also competitors to the CORINA when it comes to convincing you to part with your hard-earned money. These headphones also allow you to go with more readily available amplifiers that are available at different price points too, but I would say the typical end user who is actually purchasing a set of headphones that costs multiple thousands of dollars is also more likely to purchase an expensive amplifier to go with it. So while there is potential savings to be had upstream of the headphones—especially if you decide to swap cables—ultimately it's best to do a direct headphones:headphones comparison here. I have three such comparisons here in the form of the $4500 Audeze LCD-5, the $4000 Focal Utopia, and the $6000 HIFIMAN Susvara. Note that the Susvara, as with the Shangri-La duo above, can be had for less by simply contacting dealers about a better price. I also have a few other flagship headphones here in different stages of testing, such as the Meze Audio Elite, so I will share more thoughts on how the CORINA stacks up to other products in upcoming reviews. I do not have a lot of expensive dynamic driver headphones here though and of course I am also missing out on the DCA EXPANSE too when it comes to a natural open-back comparison from the same company.

The Focal Utopia and DCA CORINA complement each other quite well. If you were so inclined, you could purchase both sets and have something to cover pretty much every use case when it comes to headphones. The Utopia with its pure beryllium speaker-style drivers is the most dynamic set I have listened to, allowing good appreciation of both leading and trailing ends of tones. It also helps highlight where the CORINA can be found somewhat wanting when it comes to punch and slam in the lower frequencies. EDM, for example, hits so much harder even at lower volumes and bass guitar strings also have that harder hitting twang up in your face. I also quite like the aesthetics of the Utopia but there are less favorable tales when it comes to Focal headbands and ear pad replacement costs, let alone channel matching that no one on this page does as well as Dan Clark Audio. The Utopia comes off warmer overall which can be nice for vocals too, although it strays away from a technical perspective in the higher frequencies when it comes to detail retrieval, to where I would choose many other sets for the likes of pop, jazz, and classical music. It is one of the more comfortable sets albeit I did take it off after an hour or two for a break owing to the weight on my head and my ears getting slightly warm—no such issues with the CORINA.

The Audeze LCD-5 is probably the most technically competent set of headphones I have listened to. It's a true flagship for those who prioritize accuracy for music mastering as well as those who want to listen to every last detail in songs and recordings. It takes EQ like a champ and can be tweaked to fit everyone's preferences with some work. The default tonality can be less pleasing though, especially if you go in expecting to see an old school Audeze bass-heavy sound. The ear gain can be a bit much for many compared to what you have before and after, so it can make for slightly shouty vocals akin to the CRBN. It's also darker in the lower and mid treble and is a classic case of the jaggy peaks in the higher frequencies taking away from what people expect with timbre. Lastly, and this can be a dealbreaker in itself, the smaller size of the LCD-5 with the increased clamp force can make it less comfortable for those with larger heads/ears. I was fine in this regard and I like to tinker with EQ, so the LCD-5 holds a high spot in my personal rankings for shorter, more intense listening sessions. I am not sure this is the set to go for a more relaxed use case though since the amount of detail being thrown at you can be overwhelming if all you want to do is come home from work and relax to music—the DCA CORINA does that job much better.

If I had to pick one other set of headphones to compete with the CORINA as my best all-rounder set, I would choose the HIFIMAN Susvara any day of the week. There's a reason this set from over 7 years ago is still considered an end game for many and often gets discussed/recommended more than the others on this page. The Susvara is not the easiest set to drive though, so there is a real chance you will have to spend more on the amplifier here than with the CORINA. Both are equally comfortable in my opinion albeit I would have taken the all aluminium of the Shangri-La Jr. chassis on the Susvara if I had the choice compared to the wood veneer used here. The Susvara also comes with two cables, albeit both are questionable and the DCA CORINA cable handles much better, but the Susvara unboxing experience does feel more premium compared to the CORINA if you care more about it. Then we get to the sound where the two have a lot in common. Both can be very smooth with vocals and detailed with instruments while not necessarily being the best for bassheads. The instrument separation and layering on the Susvara is slightly better in my opinion, especially when dealing with rock music and acoustic jazz, whereas the CORINA sounds more natural and has a wider and taller soundstage. This one is hard to choose from and will ultimately come down to your amplifier of choice. Since I already had the BHSE here, I found myself reaching for the BHSE/CORINA pairing more so than Susvara with the less expensive amplifiers I have here.