[Kitechaser]

Dude, I have a pure silver litz 8-wire cable for my i4s (EA Thor II 8-wire bespoke). You may have listened to it in passing. It's the bomb but it's a 2-pin cable.

We never tried it on the CL2. Itll be very interesting to see what you think of this cable. Next time we meet up...itll be fun.

 

[cj3209]

Good looking cable...

 

[Kitechaser]

Good looking cable...

It is probably one of the most comfortable and flexible cables I have ever used. I love the black jacket, matches the CL2 really well.
The thing that I am trying to get my head around is that it sounds really smooth all the while maintaining crazy resolution.
I think it must have something to do with the insulation used, OCC Copper should all sound about the same. This clearly does not.

 

[Kitechaser]

will update after 200 hours of burn in.

 

[JMR77]

Hope the following impressions are helpful to someone:

I bought a CL2 for 540 Euros through an Amazon warehouse deal (in like new condition), I really wanted to like these earphones, but I returned them in 24 hours as they didn’t stand-out in any way to me (I decided not to spend additional time trying to like them).

As a package they are great, two cables and Bluetooth dongle included, other brands should learn, although I found the 3.5 and 2.5 cables to be too thick and the slider felt choppy to use, it was not smooth. Construction and finish felt great as expected from RHA, fit and comfort was also great to me.

It’s worth noting that the left earphone could fail to make contact with the cables included and needed some initial readjustment, maybe the left MMCX was faulty and that’s why it was previously returned.

To me for the price (or less) there are other better alternatives. The CL2 did not feel like a significant improvement or complimentary sidestep to other earphones I own, e.g. IE800s, R1 Zenith or Xelento.

Bass was great, notable defined and textured, just as expected from a planar technology based earphone. But to my ears the CL2 lacks some air/instrument separation, soundstage and resolution or detail retrieval. I tested them with a Chord Hugo 2 for the most part and a little bit through an XDP-300R, using both Comply and silicon tips. CL2 sound signature/tonality sounded somehow off to my ears, maybe this is due the frequency response as it has been discussed.

In terms of sound signature and based on my experience, someone looking for (better) soundstage, instrument separation and detail retrieval should also consider the IE800S. In case of needing more substantial bass presence than with the IE800S I would consider the Xelentos (at the expense of some soundstage) and if you want bass slam consider the R1 Zenith which also come with interchangeable filters, CL2 may have more defined or layered bass than the Zenith, soundstage is about the same and the Zenith have more air and the tonality was overall quite better to my ears.

 

[cj3209]

Hope the following impressions are helpful to someone:

I bought a CL2 for 540 Euros through an Amazon warehouse deal (in like new condition), I really wanted to like these earphones, but I returned them in 24 hours as they didn’t stand-out in any way to me (I decided not to spend additional time trying to like them).

As a package they are great, two cables and Bluetooth dongle included, other brands should learn, although I found the 3.5 and 2.5 cables to be too thick and the slider felt choppy to use, it was not smooth. Construction and finish felt great as expected from RHA, fit and comfort was also great to me.

It’s worth noting that the left earphone could fail to make contact with the cables included and needed some initial readjustment, maybe the left MMCX was faulty and that’s why it was previously returned.

To me for the price (or less) there are other better alternatives. The CL2 did not feel like a significant improvement or complimentary sidestep to other earphones I own, e.g. IE800s, R1 Zenith or Xelento.

Bass was great, notable defined and textured, just as expected from a planar technology based earphone. But to my ears the CL2 lacks some air/instrument separation, soundstage and resolution or detail retrieval. I tested them with a Chord Hugo 2 for the most part and a little bit through an XDP-300R, using both Comply and silicon tips. CL2 sound signature/tonality sounded somehow off to my ears, maybe this is due the frequency response as it has been discussed.

In terms of sound signature and based on my experience, someone looking for (better) soundstage, instrument separation and detail retrieval should also consider the IE800S. In case of needing more substantial bass presence than with the IE800S I would consider the Xelentos (at the expense of some soundstage) and if you want bass slam consider the R1 Zenith which also come with interchangeable filters, CL2 may have more defined or layered bass than the Zenith, soundstage is about the same and the Zenith have more air and the tonality was overall quite better to my ears.

If you've read this thread, you will find that the CL2s work best with a copper-based cable, good tips that insert fairly deep into your ear canals, and some burn-in.

With a 24 hour 'try-out,' I'm not sure what you were expecting. Many items such as my new iBasso DX220 sounded not so good upon initial listening but after around 50 hours of burn-in (if you believe in it), the sound picked up nicely. The same would have probably been true with your CL2s from my experience.

The CL2s are one of the better bargains out there for sub $1,000 iems but they need a bit of care to sound their best but they will reward you in spades.

In any case, good luck in your search for the next IEM and enjoy your music.

 

[Kitechaser]

Hope the following impressions are helpful to someone:

I bought a CL2 for 540 Euros through an Amazon warehouse deal (in like new condition), I really wanted to like these earphones, but I returned them in 24 hours as they didn’t stand-out in any way to me (I decided not to spend additional time trying to like them).

As a package they are great, two cables and Bluetooth dongle included, other brands should learn, although I found the 3.5 and 2.5 cables to be too thick and the slider felt choppy to use, it was not smooth. Construction and finish felt great as expected from RHA, fit and comfort was also great to me.

It’s worth noting that the left earphone could fail to make contact with the cables included and needed some initial readjustment, maybe the left MMCX was faulty and that’s why it was previously returned.

To me for the price (or less) there are other better alternatives. The CL2 did not feel like a significant improvement or complimentary sidestep to other earphones I own, e.g. IE800s, R1 Zenith or Xelento.

Bass was great, notable defined and textured, just as expected from a planar technology based earphone. But to my ears the CL2 lacks some air/instrument separation, soundstage and resolution or detail retrieval. I tested them with a Chord Hugo 2 for the most part and a little bit through an XDP-300R, using both Comply and silicon tips. CL2 sound signature/tonality sounded somehow off to my ears, maybe this is due the frequency response as it has been discussed.

In terms of sound signature and based on my experience, someone looking for (better) soundstage, instrument separation and detail retrieval should also consider the IE800S. In case of needing more substantial bass presence than with the IE800S I would consider the Xelentos (at the expense of some soundstage) and if you want bass slam consider the R1 Zenith which also come with interchangeable filters, CL2 may have more defined or layered bass than the Zenith, soundstage is about the same and the Zenith have more air and the tonality was overall quite better to my ears.

Everything that @cj3209 said.
Your description of the CL2 sounds like a fresh out of the box iem. This iem requires a break in period, as has been said on this thread time and time again.

On a different note, I know most of the people on this thread would never consider buying a 1000 dollar cable (I paid 1100 for the 4.4mm), but the PW Audio 1960s cable has proven to be such a great match to the CL2, that the only regret I have is not buying it sooner.
Going back to the other cables after having an extended time listening to this one, is a telling experience. The hybrid cable in particular sounds grainy, bright and harsh. The sound is so soo smooth and full, with great transparency and incredible resolution. Every genre sounds great, from Rap, to Classical, jazz, blues, edm you name it. The bass response is to die for, and treble is rich and extended. Mids are silky smooth, and vocals come across with an emotional content that was lost with the other cables. Soundstage is incredibly wide, and deep.
Diana Krall, Beth Hart, are artists that I have been listening to on repeat, same albums with my other cables sound somewhat lifeless in comparison, and are missing that special something this cable is bringing to the table.
Tonality is perfect, instruments sound distinct, crisp, and stand out in the mix, separation is better than I have heard as of yet, and this is 8 months into listening to this iem.
I have tried 8 different cables with this iem so far, and they all sound different and change the character of this iem, at times dramatically.
Copper as I listen to it, is the only way to go, at least for me.
As I stand here listening to this combo, I feel more than ever, that this is an end game sound quality.
If money is not an issue, and you want to hear what this iem can do at its best, you owe it to yourself to at least try it with the PW Audio cable, it is that good, and makes a dramatic difference.

This cable requires a period of burn in, the first 50 hours, the sound was swinging back and forth (and so was my heart, and my wallet), The manufacturer recommends at minimum 200 hours.
I think I am at about a 125-150 or so.
I'll be writing a review for this iem soon, and will be taking an extended break from head-fi.
Enjoy the music

 

[Kitechaser]

Wanna add. If you are looking for a great album to listen to....
Rodrigo y Gabriela "Mettavolution" has me damn near breaking out in a spontaneous break dance routine in the local whole foods grocery isle
High res sounds particularly nice.

 

[cj3209]

Wanna add. If you are looking for a great album to listen to....
Rodrigo y Gabriela "Mettavolution" has me damn near breaking out in a spontaneous break dance routine in the local whole foods grocery isle
High res sounds particularly nice.

Ahh, you made me laugh...

 

[Kitechaser]

Damn, that was trip and a half.

 

[sorrick]

FYI, if someone is looking to get a CL2, I just saw that Touch of Modern has em available for $69 off—
https://www.touchofmodern.com/sales...cl2-planar?share_invite_token=02JS7TWA&open=1

I have no affiliation with them, just saw it and it’s a good price.

 

[Kitechaser]

Beat drops at 1:40. The texture of the bass, God damn!!
Sorry my new cable has me going through a trance phase, and it's good music to listen to when I am going animal mode at the gym

 

[Aeskualpio]

I just picked up the CL2s after running into a post from @Kitechaser on the Sony WM1A/1Z thread and reading all the posts in this thread.

I do most of my listening to the WM1A wired or via BT paired to the BGVP DM6, MoonDrop Kanas Pro or iSine 20s depending on environment and circumstance.
Like most of us in this hobby a thirst for more detail, larger soundstage, etc typically drives my acquisitions.
Reading about @Kitechaser’s experience with the WM1A and the CL2 piqued my interest.

I’ve had the CL2s for less than 10 hours, so I won’t go into sound impressions now. These need and benefit from burn in.
I took them out of the box and paired them to a custom OFC MMCX to 4.4 pentacon cable and plugged it into the WM1A.
I used one of my usual test playlists with an assortment of genres and then did a bit more critical listening.
Wow! That’s all I’m going to say for now.
I’ll share playlists and some listening notes as I get more hours with the CL2s.
These may just be where I stop buying IEMs and I may even start selling a few that get little to no ear time.
Thank you to all of you who have shared your journey with these IEMs.
Feels like RHA knocked it out of the park with this one

Cheers

 

[Tragic]

I just picked up the CL2s after running into a post from @Kitechaser on the Sony WM1A/1Z thread and reading all the posts in this thread.

I do most of my listening to the WM1A wired or via BT paired to the BGVP DM6, MoonDrop Kanas Pro or iSine 20s depending on environment and circumstance.
Like most of us in this hobby a thirst for more detail, larger soundstage, etc typically drives my acquisitions.
Reading about @Kitechaser’s experience with the WM1A and the CL2 piqued my interest.

I’ve had the CL2s for less than 10 hours, so I won’t go into sound impressions now. These need and benefit from burn in.
I took them out of the box and paired them to a custom OFC MMCX to 4.4 pentacon cable and plugged it into the WM1A.
I used one of my usual test playlists with an assortment of genres and then did a bit more critical listening.
Wow! That’s all I’m going to say for now.
I’ll share playlists and some listening notes as I get more hours with the CL2s.
These may just be where I stop buying IEMs and I may even start selling a few that get little to no ear time.
Thank you to all of you who have shared your journey with these IEMs.
Feels like RHA knocked it out of the park with this one

Cheers

Congratulations!
You won’t be disappointed.

 

[szore]

Beat drops at 1:40. The texture of the bass, God damn!!
Sorry my new cable has me going through a trance phase, and it's good music to listen to when I am going animal mode at the gym

Check out Andy Stott