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.