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Introducing CL2 Planar (Impressions Thread)

Dec 11, 2018 at 3:15 PM Post #1,756 of 3,158
TRue
Im still burning thease copper
So my impressions may change on clarity and details
Right now enjoying Kryptic mind :cant sleep album
Whou the bass, overall very enjoyable
 
Dec 11, 2018 at 8:10 PM Post #1,757 of 3,158
Just got The Eagles "Hotel California" DSD.
Jesus Christ, so beautiful. The CL2 and the ZX300 combo does it justice. Match made in heaven. :)
After listening to this recording, seals it, this is my end game iem.
Let's see what @RHA Team does with The CL3, this is gonna be hard to top.
Well done, I am really in awe.
 
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Dec 12, 2018 at 11:07 AM Post #1,758 of 3,158
Kitechaser said:
And also if you can try out the SPC 2.5mm stock :) that'll be a very interesting comparison.
Click to expand...

I have done a comparison today between the Null Audio Vitesse (8 wires of OCC cryo copper, with upgraded mmcx connectors and 3.5mm plug), the stock copper cable and the stock silver-plated copper cable using my iBasso DX150.

The bottom-line result, ranked by sound quality from best to worst: Null Audio Vitesse > stock silver-plated copper > stock copper

Audio material:
"I.G.Y." by Donald Fagen, from "The Nightfly" album, and - as we are in mid-december- "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" by Ryuichi Sakamoto, from the "Three" album. All 44.1khz / 16 bit flac CD rips from my collection.

Some notes about each cable:
The stock copper cable is kind of "easy" on the ears, it's got a nice voicing but sounds also a bit dull, veiled and muddy. Bass has the least impact and there's a lack of overall detail. It performs best in the lower mids, piano chords hit with a good amount of weight.
The silver-plated copper cable is much closer to the Vitesse in detail retrieval and articulation. There's clearly more power in the low frequencies compared to the stock copper cable. It's slightly bright in general and sounds exciting at first, but becomes a bit fatiguing over time.
The Vitesse is clearly the best cable out of the three. It sounds like a superior cross-breed between the stock copper cable and its silver-plated sibling: it's just as comforting as the copper and as detailed and exciting as the silver-plated cable, but without the imprecisions and lack of involvement of the former or the annoying sharpness of the latter. It's imaging is bigger and more accurate than what both of the stock cables can deliver, and it brings out great overtones and articulation in all instruments. It's also more comfortable around the ears and more flexible, so it's the obvious winner in this comparison.

Generally speaking, the stock cables are not bad though. None of what I wrote above should lead you to believe that the CL2 is horrible with them on and I still think that RHA did a good job in that regard. It's just that the CL2 is so damn revealing that it can improve considerably with better cables. It is one of the few things that actually get better if you throw money at it (ha ha).
 
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Dec 12, 2018 at 11:28 AM Post #1,759 of 3,158
AManAnd88Keys said:
I have done a comparison today between the Null Audio Vitesse (8 wires of OCC cryo copper, with upgraded mmcx connectors and 3.5mm plug), the stock copper cable and the stock silver-plated copper cable using my iBasso DX150.

The bottom-line result, ranked by sound quality from best to worst: Null Audio Vitesse > stock silver-plated copper > stock copper

Audio material:
"I.G.Y." by Donald Fagen, from "The Nightfly" album, and - as we are in mid-december- "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" by Ryuichi Sakamoto, from the "Three" album. All 44.1khz / 16 bit flac CD rips from my collection.

Some notes about each cable:
The stock copper cable is kind of "easy" on the ears, it's got a nice voicing but sounds also a bit dull, veiled and muddy. Bass has the least impact and there's a lack of overall detail. It performs best in the lower mids, piano chords hit with a good amount of weight.
The silver-plated copper cable is much closer to the Vitesse in detail retrieval and articulation. There's clearly more power in the low frequencies compared to the stock copper cable. It's slightly bright in general and sounds exciting at first, but becomes a bit fatiguing over time.
The Vitesse is clearly the best cable out of the three. It sounds like a superior cross-breed between the stock copper cable and its silver-plated sibling: it's just as comforting as the copper and as detailed and exciting as the silver-plated cable, but without the imprecisions and lack of involvement of the former or the annoying sharpness of the latter. It's imaging is bigger and more accurate than what both of the stock cables can deliver, and it brings out great overtones and articulation in all instruments. It's also more comfortable around the ears and more flexible, so it's the obvious winner in this comparison.

Generally speaking, the stock cables are not bad though. None of what I wrote above should lead you to believe that the CL2 is horrible with them on and I still think that RHA did a good job in that regard. It's just that the CL2 is so damn revealing that it can improve considerably with better cables. It is one of the few things that actually get better if you throw money at it (ha ha).
Click to expand...
Any particular reason you went 3.5mm and not 2.5mm balanced?
Are you also using it out of your desktop setup? Thank you for the breakdown

Edit: I haven't even touched the stock cables, both my 4.4 mm SPC and OCC Copper cables are from ALO Audio.
So the breakdown will be very helpful for when I write my review over the holiday break.
There is no real way for me to test out the 2.5mm stock cable, and a test for the 3.5mm cable will not be fair one out of my ZX300.
 
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Dec 12, 2018 at 11:49 AM Post #1,760 of 3,158
Kitechaser said:
Any particular reason you went 3.5mm and not 2.5mm balanced?
Are you also using it out of your desktop setup? Thank you for the breakdown

Edit: I haven't even touched the stock cables, both my 4.4 mm SPC and OCC Copper cables are from ALO Audio.
So the breakdown will be very helpful for when I write my review over the holiday break.
There is no real way for me to test out the 2.5mm stock cable, and a test for the 3.5mm cable will not be fair one out of my ZX300.
Click to expand...

I bought the Vitesse in that configuration from a fellow head-fier for a very good price, so I accepted that it's not balanced. The 3.5mm plug is also such a universal connector that it gives me much more options, as for example my desktop setup. And if I wanted to, I could put on a balanced plug later.
 
Dec 12, 2018 at 11:38 PM Post #1,761 of 3,158


Stevie Ray Vaughan "Gone Home"
Hits home on the CL2 :)
Just a classic.




Sky is Crying
One of the best guitar players of all time.



Roughest Place in Town
Whew..
 
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Dec 13, 2018 at 1:17 AM Post #1,762 of 3,158
AManAnd88Keys said:
I bought the Vitesse in that configuration from a fellow head-fier for a very good price, so I accepted that it's not balanced. The 3.5mm plug is also such a universal connector that it gives me much more options, as for example my desktop setup. And if I wanted to, I could put on a balanced plug later.
Click to expand...
Just to double check something, never use an adapter that turns a 3.5mm cable into a 4.4mm or 2.5mm balanced connector for use with a balanced out from a player.

It's okay to us an adapter to switch from balanced to a 3.5mm SE output, but going the other way could damage equipment.
 
Dec 13, 2018 at 4:38 AM Post #1,763 of 3,158
SciOC said:
Just to double check something, never use an adapter that turns a 3.5mm cable into a 4.4mm or 2.5mm balanced connector for use with a balanced out from a player.

It's okay to us an adapter to switch from balanced to a 3.5mm SE output, but going the other way could damage equipment.
Click to expand...
I should have been more precise, I didn't mean put on an adapter, but actually soldering a new plug to the cable without any adapter in between. I am aware of the issues when mixing different output topologies, it's no fun!
 
Dec 13, 2018 at 3:33 PM Post #1,764 of 3,158
Adaptors on the CL2 will degrade sound quality. This iem is so transparent, you ideally would want to have your chain of components to be all of high quality.
Music quality, to DAP, to cable, to ear.
This sony CL2 combo is incredible, and I can't wait to hear what it does with the big brother WM1Z.
 
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Dec 13, 2018 at 4:03 PM Post #1,765 of 3,158
I have about 815 hours on the CL2 NW-ZX300 combo. I know, I've turned into an addict :)
The texture of the bass is now so incredibly detailed, I first thought it was because I am now mostly listening to DSDs and High res tracks, but last night turned on some EDM, The best of critical state of trance 2017 Flac 16/44. It's still all there, put me on my @$$ literally.
Maybe the ZX300 has fully matured, or the CL2, or a combination, because I don't remember the bass being this textured before.
I am 800 hours in, and instead of starting to be bored with it all, I am enjoying it even more.
Get to check out a bunch of high end gear on the 22nd. Let's see if I feel the same way after that.
Edit: this is all on direct sound. 0 EQ and no DSP.

Try this on for size.
 
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Dec 14, 2018 at 9:46 PM Post #1,767 of 3,158
Dec 14, 2018 at 9:51 PM Post #1,768 of 3,158
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Dec 15, 2018 at 2:40 PM Post #1,770 of 3,158
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