Dan Clark Audio – DCA Corina Review

In this article we look at the DCA Corina headphone, selling for $4,499 USD.

Disclaimer: The DCA Corina was sent to us by DCA directly, in exchange for our honest review. DCA is not related to Headfonia in any way. 

DCA

Dan Clark Audio ought to be a familiar name to retuning Headfonia readers and aficionados of high-end personal audio. Hailing from San Diego, California, the boutique manufacturer led by former electrical engineer Dan Clark first made a name for themselves by modding Fostex headphones, and later for developing their own line of planar-magnetic (and later electrostatic) headphones.

If you’re curious about DCA and want to know more about them, you can do so here.

We’ve had the pleasure to review a multiple of the brand’s headphones. We covered the good old Alpha Dog and Mad Dog, the Aeon Open and Closed, the Ether 2, the Aeon 2, the Aeon 2 Noire and finally the DCA Stealth. Phew! Just a few days ago, DCA announced their newest headphone, the E3. I was so lucky to get to preview the E3 at the Head-Fi CanJam show in LA, and I have to say it sounds incredible for a closed-back headphone. We’ll try to get a sample of this newest creation asap.

The headphone we’re looking at today is the latest electrostatic headphone from DCA, the Corina. If this technology is new to you, you can read up on it here. The Corina is DCA’s flagship electrostatic headphone, while the same technology VOCE sits lower in the product range. I love reviewing full sized headphones and the older I get, the more I seem to appreciate electrostatic headphones. I first listened to the Corina at the High-End show in Munich and it impressed me so much that I gave it our Best of Show award.

I also promised to get a sample for review and here we are today. Let’s dive in.

DCA Corina

The DCA Corina’s dedicated website can be found here. You can buy the Corina directly from DCA there or you of course can get it from one of their resellers.

CORINA is a bold new take on electrostatic headphones. Featuring DCA’s patent-pending Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS), CORINA sets a new standard in delivering electrostatic resolution with a natural tone.

The driver inside the Corina is a re-engineered 88mm driver with more consistent diaphragm tension and uniformity for enhanced linearity and better channel matching.

The DCA Corina is using DCA’s state-of-the-art AMTS system, which stands for Advanced Metamaterial Tuning System. It – according to DCA – allows them to re-imagine the voicing of CORINA to deliver the most natural midrange in an electrostatic to date, with a top end free of annoying treble spikes.

We’ll find out more about that in the sound section of this review. For those not familiar yet with DCA’s AMTS system, here’s the short explanation:

Headphones are subject to standing waves in the higher frequencies, which can make instruments like strings, cymbals, even vocals sound unrealistic and fatiguing.

AMTS is Dan Clark Audio’s patent-pending inline device located between the transducer and ear. AMTS integrates waveguides, diffusion control, quarter-wave, and Helmholtz resonators into one compact structure to eliminate standing waves, dramatically improving system performance.

Diffusion elements reduce standing wave formation while resonators act as both precision and broadband filters to smooth and shape the frequency response from the midrange through the highest frequencies. By eliminating standing waves and smoothing system response, AMTS renders high frequencies with a refreshing accuracy and clarity with all genres of music.

DCA Corina features

• AMTS for a smoother midrange and top end.
• New self-adjusting headband for a more comfortable listening experience
• Re-engineered 88mm driver with more consistent diaphragm tension and uniformity for enhanced linearity and better channel matching
• Matched ear pads for better imaging
• New ergonomic ear pad design with suede contact surfaces for comfortable extended listening

DCA Corina Specifications

Driver Type : Electrostatic

Driver Size: 88mm

Capacitance with 2m Cable : 135pF

Weight   :465gr

Shipping Dimensions : 18x14x19

Frequency Response   : *Yes (flat to 6Hz)

Price, Box & Accessories

The DCA Corina is the most expensive headphone from DCA, and it is selling for $4,499 USD. The Corina comes in DCA’s typical classy box, which resembles the one of the EXPANSE.

The Corina comes delivered with a 2 meter cable though longer ones are available at an extra cost. There are no other options available for this headphone as far as we know. On the inside of the box I have found the following:

• The Corina headphone
• 1 x Plastic (temporary) headphone stand
• 1 x Quick user guide
• 1 x Cleaning cloth
• 1 x Certificate of authenticity
• 1 Hex driver and 2 extra screws (to replace the cable if needed)

The headphone stand is a nice extra, but it is mostly intended for shipping. It’s not the toughest stand, I do recommend using a sturdy stand at home, for safety measures. Looking at the price point of the Corina, the accessory pack at the same time is complete, yet simple.

Design, Build Quality, Comfort, Isolation

The design of the Corina is unique and especially the grill is the eye-catcher here. It’s a more modern and futuristic looking headphone, but I for one can appreciate that.

Dan Clark Audio has always taken pride in our industrial design innovations and CORINA is no exception. With a striking grey finish and elegantly sculpted grill, CORINA is nothing short of stunning.

The Corina features DCA’s self-tensioning headband design and it does an excellent job at distributing the 465g weight over the top of your head. On paper the Corina is a heavier headphone but it doesn’t feel like that at all when wearing it. The side clamping force I would say is on the higher side, though that will depend on the shape of your head. For me personally it sits just right, keeping the Corina perfectly in place when using it. It’s a very comfortable headphone, even for long listening sessions

Corina also comes with matched ear pads for better imaging and the new ergonomic ear pad design has suede contact surfaces designed to reduce heat and moisture buildup, delivering a comfortable extended listening experience. Corina’s build quality is excellent and you get a high-end headphone with the best possible finishing. The Corina feels sturdy and if you treat it well, I am sure it will last you a lifetime. Corina’s cable (custom silver-plated OFHC copper) isn’t plug & play though you could change or repair the cable if needed. It’s just not recommended to do on a daily basis as Corina’s cable system wasn’t designed for that. We in this review have used the original cable only.

Isolation wise the Corina of course is an open-back headphone, so all the sound will leak out and all the outside noise will come in. This headphone is intended to be used at home in quitter conditions, so you can optimally enjoy it’s resolution and precision.

This review continues on the second page with the part on sound. Click here or use the buttons below.