DCA CORINA Announced (New Electrostatic Headphone)

[isostasy]

Basic crossfeed blends the the left and right channels being mono or close to it lower frequencies and increasing channel separation at higher frequencies. The bass is usually in phase between both channels so it sums and gives it's own bass boost. Depending on crossfeed implementation and phase relation that could be up 6dB boost on top of the Harman curve, which was developed without crossfeed.

Interesting, my main listening is with foobar on Android and I find the crossfeed setting appears to reduce the bass. (purely my impression, measurements could show otherwise).

 

[maverickronin]

Interesting, my main listening is with foobar on Android and I find the crossfeed setting appears to reduce the bass. (purely my impression, measurements could show otherwise).

I haven't tried that one, but they may have a more sophisticated implementation that corrects for the bass boost.

 

[Jeromeof]

Sorry if this is off topic but this new Fiio IEM is a hybrid DD + BA + EST - would love peoples opinions on it:

1 Dynamic 1 BA 4 Electrostatic Tribrid IEMs FX15

“Dare to be at the top” is an important part of FiiO’s corporate culture. FiiO does not merely use new techniques or materials simply to attract attention with new gimmicks, but rather chooses to fully research new methods to come up with products that fully utilize the potential of such new...

fiio.com

I like the idea (if only to A/B Test it) that there is switch to enable/disable the Electostatic drivers.

The marketing page (while bad English) seem to show that they are only using the EST drivers for the HF (and possible the switch toggles between the BA and the EST) with the DD obviously handling the bass?

I will move this to a new thread if this drags the conversation somewhere where it shouldn't go. It just this seems more like this thread was more a discussion of the "lack of benefits" of Electrostatic drivers and I thought this IEM was interesting if only for the A/B testing toggle.

 

[solderdude]

You can ask one of the moderators to move your post to a new, or more suited, thread.

 

[lewdish]

What is the strength of electrostatics? I never looked into it because portable amps are a little harder to come by

All e-stats measure insanely low in distortion across broad frequencies & SPL even the crappiest of estats have actually sub 1% thd, whereas planars are generally lower distortion than the lowest distortion dynamic drivers but can generate higher THD with more loudness than estats (not that you typically play anything super loud conventionally). Allegedly subjective but this might lead to the so called "transience" that some folks coin for estat sound.

 

[Carlo2AC]

Allegedly subjective but this might lead to the so called "transience" that some folks coin for estat sound.

I was going to say this friend, because most modern planars already have distortion levels below audibility

So the only positive I found is.. Weight, which compared to the XC that is a godsend

 

[lewdish]

I was going to say this friend, because most modern planars already have distortion levels below audibility

So the only positive I found is.. Weight, which compared to the XC that is a godsend

While its generally considered inaudible, there may be other metrics we havent really looked too deep into w/ most Estats since there are so few on market and so few really examined & measured w/ public data. I know its not saying much since there isnt enough evidence out there, but w/ estats missing that last 1-5% of THD in bass frequencies could be a discussion as to why estats have this psychoacoustic perception of "transience". Planars have decent control of their distortion relative to other driver technologies, but in bass frequencies they're really on par w/ the best of Dynamic drivers.

All of course speculative interpretation of the existing data found in Amir's measurements, but thats the only correlation that I can draw...

I'd like to see more measurement data, in addition to subjective interpretation, but we'd need to see a market where cost is no longer an object for that to happen I think.

 

[milosz]

I just bought a pair of Corinas, I found a pair of open-box at about an $1,100 discount. I have a Carbon electrostatic amp and a pair of nice early version Stax SRM-007's. ( I also have some Stax Lambda Signatures and a pair of Koss ESP-950's with Stax cables. These others are interesting 'phones and fun to listen to at times; they all need a little EQ. )

I use a Schiit Modius DAC, and usually listen to FLAC files copied from red-book CDs via JRiver.

For non-electrostatic 'phones I use the Modius with a Monoprice Monolith balanced amp. For "conventional" phones I have Dan Clark Stealth, Sennheiser HD-600 and 600 ohm Beyer DT-880. I have a bunch of other amps, including a couple of Beta 22's, a Bottlehead Crack, a Cavalli Bijou, and an amp I built from a Nelson Pass "Zen" single-ended MOSFET design. These were all fun amps to build and are fun to play with, but clearly the Monoprice Monolith has the best objective performance.

SO... Once I get the Corinas I will report back my subjective impression of their sound.

Right now, the favorite in my collection are the Dan Clark Stealth 'phones. I like the Stax SR-007's also quite well, but with them it's a matter of enjoying certain colorations they have, even after careful EQ.

All the other headphones and amps that I have are fun to play with, each sounds different and I enjoy them for what they are. (Though the Beta 22 amps don't sound any different to me than the Monoprice Monolith. I'm sure the Monolith measures better, but I can't hear the difference. The other amps all introduce some kind of coloration which, again, I can enjoy for what it is. )

 

[Human Bass]

Most affordable planars sound incredible on the bass but rather bad in the high mids to treble to my ears.

I was going to say this friend, because most modern planars already have distortion levels below audibility

So the only positive I found is.. Weight, which compared to the XC that is a godsend

 

[nerdemoji]

Most affordable planars sound incredible on the bass but rather bad in the high mids to treble to my ears.

Oh please. This is a headphone problem, not a driver type problem

 

[Human Bass]

Oh please. This is a headphone problem, not a driver type problem

Some problems are more common in certain drivers. Am I saying they cant be fixed? No, just that it is harder to avoid.

 

[milosz]

I got a pair of Koss ESP-9's in 1971, drove their transformer-bias-interface with a Citation 12 amp using an SAE XXX preamp, Philips 212 turntable with ADC XLM cartridge; also had an Akai GX-365 R-to-R deck and a Dynaco FM-5 tuner. Before the ESP-9's I had Koss PRO-4AA. The ESP-9's sounded really great to me, and since having those I had the feeling - the ASSUMPTION - that electrostatic 'phones offered something special compared to dynamic models. I think that in the early '70s this was actually true, but here 53 years later this prejudice is still at work in my mind. I UNDERSTAND that there are great dynamic headphones, and wonderful planar types too - and that driver type is not the major factor in sound quality. But even though I KNOW that to be true, I still FEEL that there are positive qualities which are unique to electrostatic headphones. I don't know that there is an objective basis for this.

So much of this hobby is subjective - our ears are not microphones and our brains are not analytical instruments*- so emotion and ideas greatly influence what we listen for and what we think we hear. One can't just "decide to be objective" - human hearing does not work that way.

My perception that electrostatic headphones were "more detailed" and had greater "transient clarity" was cemented when I got the Stax Lambda Signatures in about 2004. They have what has been identified as "Stax etch." It's a kind of exaggeration of detail and transients. Doesn't show up in FR sweeps AFAIK, so I suspect it to be some kind of dynamic behavior. I rather like it! HAHAHA I enjoy listening to those Lambdas from time to time specifically because of the "Stax etch." It's kind of a fun coloration and while it's clearly audible it doesn't "get in the way" of listening. But when I hear it, I know it's an artifact. The diaphragms in the Lamda Signatures are only 1 µm thick, this may be the thinnest / lightest diaphragm of any headphones ever made. (Let me know if I'm wrong on this). Like all headphones, I use EQ on the Lambda's, I use https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results/oratory1990/over-ear/Stax SR-Lambda Pro as a starting point.

I am very interested in hearing the Corinas, and as I said I will report my subjective impression once they arrive to me in a few days. They have had many positive reviews and won several awards.

* NIST refused to grant a traceable certification for mine.

 

[milosz]

The Corinas have arrived and I did a little listening tonight. Need to do some more listening, but my early impressions are positive. Their overall sound reminds me of the Dan Clark Stealth 'phones, which is to say they are quite neutral and transparent. They are similar to the Stealths- but different. Hard to describe, as I listen more I will likely be better able to offer descriptive comments.

I always expect electrostatics to sound somewhat bright- most of the ES 'phones I've used have had some extra treble energy. Smooth treble, but extra trebe. All of the ES phones I've used have been at least a little bright - and some QUITE bright. The Corinas are NOT bright. The sound is neutral, highs are not emphasized. Sibilance that I hear on some recordings on all my other ES headphones is not heard on the Corinas - seems that sibilance I was hearing on other headphones might be a treble response peak or some ringing which gets excited by sibilance in the vocals. On the Corinas I heard the sung "s" but it doesn't sound like a short burst of treble noise like it can on other ES 'phones.

The Corinas really reveal recording technique that was not noticeable on other phones. Some recordings that were sort of OK on other phones sound overcooked on the Corinas. At the same time, some recordings sound transparent on the Corinas in ways I never noticed before with other headphones. I heard this effect strongly tonight on some recordings, it seems like ECM jazz recordings reveal a naturalness that I hadn't heard in them before- very open sounding which seems to be from a very clean and smooth high end response. I had not heard this on other phones, this openness. Choral works and orchestral pieces reveal some extraordinary texture I hadn't heard before. Slide acoustic guitar sounds realistic in ways I'm not used to hearing. Perhaps I could characterize the sound of the Corinas as offering warmth, texture and open clarity. Warmth without being plummy.

The bass is extended and taut but I want MORE bass, ha ha a personal preference. I added a few dB of low end EQ which I liked but I need to experiment more to tune the EQ more to my preference with music that benefits from a little extra punch, like Alex Cortiz. But, even though I found myself wanting a little more bass on certain tracks, when listening to some Alpha Blondy it seemed like the headphones reproduced all the bass the music had in it with aplomb- no EQ needed.

I really can't say much about their soundstage yet. I'll need more listening and some comparison with the Stax SR-007 MK 1's, and maybe the Stealths too.

Comfort is good, though they are a little heavy as headphones go. Their earpads and the over-the-head suspension work well so although they do have some mass, it's well distributed.

Build quality is top-notch, it's quite evident that this is a top-tier product- without being gaudy.

I'll say more in a future post after I've spent more time with them.

 

[Yasuo]

It must be good since it has reference it the product's name.

 

[Svperstar]

I was considering the Corina but I got the Audeze CRBN from a headfi sale for less then half price so I couldn't pass it by, plus I love my LCD-2 / Classic so I figured the CRBN would be a better fit.

Love the CRBN, it for sure sounds a bit brighter then the 007.

 

[milosz]

After more listening, and +3 dB low shelf boost at 40 Hz in Jriver 31, I have discovered more about how these sound.

Now, I am almost 70 years old and I can only hear up to about 12 kHz. So there's that.

After listening to a number of different recordings ( all Red book FLACC ) I noticed the following:

• On certain recordings there's a VERY natural open sound that I have not heard before, really. Some subtlety to that, but there it is. This is mostly on classical, small group jazz, world / folk and some blues that is recorded with care.
• On some electronic music - William Orbit, for example - I heard some really extended treble at times in the production. Not natural, but with electronic studio productions "natural" doesn't have meaning. THey stuck these sounds in there and I can hear them, not in an exaggerate "bright" way but they stand out as separate elements in the mix as opposed to being blurred into the overall sound. EVERYTHING in the mix is "separable" when listening. I can hear it all and focus my attention on separate elements in the sound if I like.
• Something else is true with the Corinas that I have experienced with other top-quality 'phones: distortion is vanishingly low in level, and this tends to allow me to turn up the level more than I should. We become so used to distortion in sound reproduction that we tend to use it unconsciously as a gauge of loudness. But with a low-distortion transducer and playback chain, well, you turn it up TOO loud and there is still no distortion to speak of..... I have to rein in my SPL lust.

So, now, my opinion regarding the Dan Clark Corina's vs. the Dan Clark Stealths, now that I own both. The Corinas are a bit more open sounding, with not quite the same bass level. Bass extension is there, but the Corinas benefit from a little EQ down in the bottom octave. I think that the Corinas are also more revealing of any flaws that exist in the recording - you can really hear how some production is just "overcooked" and in a sense overcrowded with sounds that just don't work together.

Great headphones. Glad I got them.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

to allow me to turn up the level more than I should.

Oh yes, that definitely was the case with Stealth. Often I was listening at much higher levels than I should.

 

[Soria Moria]

After more listening, and +3 dB low shelf boost at 40 Hz in Jriver 31, I have discovered more about how these sound.

Now, I am almost 70 years old and I can only hear up to about 12 kHz. So there's that.

After listening to a number of different recordings ( all Red book FLACC ) I noticed the following:

• On certain recordings there's a VERY natural open sound that I have not heard before, really. Some subtlety to that, but there it is. This is mostly on classical, small group jazz, world / folk and some blues that is recorded with care.
• On some electronic music - William Orbit, for example - I heard some really extended treble at times in the production. Not natural, but with electronic studio productions "natural" doesn't have meaning. THey stuck these sounds in there and I can hear them, not in an exaggerate "bright" way but they stand out as separate elements in the mix as opposed to being blurred into the overall sound. EVERYTHING in the mix is "separable" when listening. I can hear it all and focus my attention on separate elements in the sound if I like.
• Something else is true with the Corinas that I have experienced with other top-quality 'phones: distortion is vanishingly low in level, and this tends to allow me to turn up the level more than I should. We become so used to distortion in sound reproduction that we tend to use it unconsciously as a gauge of loudness. But with a low-distortion transducer and playback chain, well, you turn it up TOO loud and there is still no distortion to speak of..... I have to rein in my SPL lust.

So, now, my opinion regarding the Dan Clark Corina's vs. the Dan Clark Stealths, now that I own both. The Corinas are a bit more open sounding, with not quite the same bass level. Bass extension is there, but the Corinas benefit from a little EQ down in the bottom octave. I think that the Corinas are also more revealing of any flaws that exist in the recording - you can really hear how some production is just "overcooked" and in a sense overcrowded with sounds that just don't work together.

Great headphones. Glad I got them.

Do you still have them? Ever get any driver 'farting'?

 

[milosz]

Do you still have them? Ever get any driver 'farting'?

Yes I still have them. No farting noises like my Stax 'phones make when you move them on your head.

 

[milosz]

A quick note several months on:

My Stax SR-007 (mk 1) are quite enjoyable, especially with the Carbon amp which has lower distortion and more voltage swing than the Stax amps. I use a little EQ. Hard to describe the sound, but it is fun to listen to, exciting. There is coloration. I'm OK with that, it's a good sound, if a little exaggerated in some aspects, rich. I use https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results/oratory1990/over-ear/Stax SR-007 as a starting point, but I tone it down just a little, some EQ points are a little overboosted in those settings in my opinion.

The Corinas are a different headphone. They produce a more "natural"sound, less colored. And they reveal more in the recording than the SR-007's.

They are both excellent 'phones. Sometimes I want the Stax sound and sometimes the more natural sound from the Corinas. It's nice to have a choice.

I think that if I were evaluating recordings for some professional purpose, the Corinas would be a better choice, though. I did production work for radio long ago, and the Corinas would have been great for judging that. Nowadays I listen just for enjoyment, not for pay.

Are they worth the money? That's kind of a silly question, isn't it? Life-saving drugs, nutritious food, quality education - these things are worth the money. But HiFi gear is just a hobby, not terribly important in the great scheme of things.