RHA CL1 Ceramic IEM Review
January 2017
Intro
This is the second review I am doing on RHA’s new range of CL IEM range with the first one been the affordable £99 CL750 and now I am embarking on the other end of the RHA price scale as this is their new flagship IEM the CL1 which weighs in @ £349 which takes the design in a new direction with this IEM’s in terms of the build which I will touch upon in “Build, Design & Fitment.
I am going to include quite a long intro taken from the CL750 review which can be found here:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/rha-cl750/reviews/17775 as it is the same experience with both CL IEM’s I had when I heard these at a London show recently so if you have read it already from that review or just want to get to the nitty gritty then please scroll down to the “Unboxing” heading to roll on with rest of the review although I will refer to my experience of “the show” where I first heard these which relates to then and now as hearing them in a review two months on.
What’s in the box?, unboxing…
One thing RHA have done which shouts out we want this to be a flagship model is the packaging as even at £349 for an IEM I have seen far, far worse packaging than on here, it actually makes me wonder how much this cost alone as you have the outer card slip case cover which shows you your product.. Then once slid off you are left with a hard case presentation where the lid is magnetic and just flips open like a book to reveal the CL1’s both detached from cable sitting in their own foam protection housing on display and is a wow factor when opening up to see the high gloss polished finish of these ceramic shells.
Once that tray is lifted underneath you are then greeted with the carry case which has the tips inside which uniquely are in a steel sheet holder and just pop out which is a cool touch for tips RHA have always done with their tips.
In the compartment next to it a separate cardboard box which has the user manual inside. Take that box out and underneath on the bottom is the ¼ inch adaptor which is finally crafted and has a nice touch with RHA engraved on the side ( I wish RHA would also sell these separately!) then you have both the SE cable and the Balanced cable and almost forgot there is the cleaning cloth and a clothing clip, how dare I forget that!
The included accessories as listed below are:
- Custom detachable cable system (MMCX)
- Braided Ag4x silver-core (4-pin Mini XLR) with MMCX detachable cable
- OFC (3.5mm/6.25mm) cable with MMCX with detachable cable
- Case protector
- 11 pairs of silicone and Comply™ foam ear tips
- Clothing clip
- Cleaning cloth.
Build, Design & Fitment…
Design…
The design is pretty much the same in shape as you see their T20 shells but here the similarity ends with the CL1 to be the first shell to be done by RHA that is a ceramic housing shell which is injection moulded (Zr02 Housings) that uses a seven stage process to manufacture them which is meant to accumulate into a headphone with low acoustic chamber resonance thus eliminating distortion.
The driver is also a first for them using a dual transducer configuration which essentially brakes down into two components with one been the CL dynamic transducer which handles the frequencies below 8khz been the mid-range and the bass then for above that for the treble they have used a High frequency ceramic plate transducer to achieve extension in this area like no other and given RHA track record for liking to show off the treble more than some IEM manufacturers out there makes this interesting to see how it pans out.
Build…
The build is no different to any other RHA piece of gear, that is of course to the highest standard with what always seems a keen eye to even the little details throughout the whole design process and these feel and look like a flagship model and the drivers feel fairly weighty in the hand just detached from the cable.
I do like the shiny polished finish of these ceramic shells (just don’t leave them outside in summer with magpies lurking!) and they fit just like the T20 shell does which is easy and comfortable with overall comfort coming part of the way down to which tips you go with from the vast choice of silicone and Comply’s RHA provide with them.
Cables…
RHA have been kind enough to provide not just the standard 3.5 SE cable but also the balanced XLR cable that coincidentally fits into their new L1 Dacamp but I can actually imagine a few companies that would not of included this in the first place so is welcome to see this although it leads to shall I get the Dacamp as I’ve got the cable ready to go!?
Both cables are of good quality again with very well made machined plugs and the cable is kept simple with a clear PTE jacket which is nice as you can see the copper or silver wiring underneath on both the cables and are both finished off with the sMMCX connectors to attach to the CL1 shells and this was actually my first time in using them and have to admit it felt a bit clumsy to detach and attach that I thought it would be but guess and hoping if I was to own these it becomes easier like riding a bike after a while? Where did those stabilizers go?...
Most importantly I never noticed any micro phonics from them which actually makes a change of late from every IEM I have been come across with their cables which seems to be an afterthought.
Finally the ear hooks are something RHA take notice of any throughout their IEMS in the past and are a good quality build and design with RHA probably have made these even more ergonomically friendlier than the T20’s ear hooks and work a treat and help stay in place really well once on keep them in place without you knowing they are there.
Sound Impressions
To start with before we get to the Dacamp L1 combo I will run through with how the CL1’s performed with my gear to see how they pair for those who might not be able to get both.
The following impressions were done with:
Chord Hugo
Vorzuge Pureii+ amp
Sony ZX1 Walkman direct H/P out, and as source to Hugo/ Pure combo
HiFIMAN Supermini direct H/P out
HP X360 Spectre WIN10 laptop via Hugo/ Pure via Vertere DFI USB cable
Music files used: WAV, FLAC, DSD DSF
With already owning a pair of RHA T20’s I had been saying every time I was at their stand at a show was you guys need to really do a higher model, a new flagship that will just scale up on what they have and two years on almost they have done just that with the CL1 dynamic ceramic hybrid IEM with the ability to gain greater extension in the upper frequency region where 747’s cruise and UFO may be spotted (apparently?)
I must admit it was not quite what I was expecting as I assumed and envisaged it would once again be an IEM that was efficient friendly that would plug into a smartphone or your normal everyday DAP and go but no, RHA have decided it needs an amp to power these new CL IEM’s in order to get the best out of the 150 ohm demanding drivers but we touch upon this subject later on RHA direction of these new models a bit more in the conclusions section.
So, yes for anyone wanting for this to go with their DAP it will need to have a powerful amp built in to take advantage of getting the best from what the CL Dynamic driver can deliver to provide the gusto and guts in balance if what RHA want you to experience in terms of sound and feel as this is a dynamic driver that can and will rock if you feed it with a diet of Motorhead and Underworld.
This does however seem just a tad more easier to drive than the CL750 considering it is exactly the same to drive @ 150ohm but found on all devices the volume would be a couple of clicks down from what I had to have it on the CL750 yet saying that it still wasn’t enough for my Sony ZX1 (Japan version) to drive properly as like the CL750 even with the ZX1 feature to get more output power by disabling the sound enhancement feature which many ZX1 owners do to drive some headphones out of it still was not enough to listen to how the CL1’s are meant to be heard.
If in a quiet room with them you could have an acceptable listening session which would still be just a bit too low on volume still with them but it just does not have the guts to drive them adequately.
Just like at the show in London I had been to recently the CL1 was just like the CL750 and did not sound right with them been too much thinned out and coming across as too hot, I know these are showing a V shape to them anyway but it was still too much just unstable treble with not much bass present but was still doing better than the encounter I had with the CL750 at the show as it was sounding the more promise of sounding like a pair of musical IEMs out of the two as there was a bit more warmth compared to the CL750’s had despite still sounding somewhat too washed out in general. This was pretty much the case with both my gear and the L1 Dacamp.
Again like the CL750 review unit I have now received this has changed quite a bit since two months prior at the show to what I heard and is almost a different beast in many respects as there is a better balance now with a treble that is more coherent and tamer, not strained or thrashy anymore [and there is a bass presence that is there from mid bass to sub bass which is actually tuned quite low.
The mids seem to be the one that still takes a back seat and sits a little behind both the treble and bass energy but am hoping the ability to find air and space with the soundstage will help keep things clear and concise like some other V shaped equipment I have heard in recent months including the still slightly recessed CL750.
Treble…
So like the Cl750 I first wanted to try these with my Chord Hugo to see how they would be and much as I wanted it to work with my Chord Hugo which I love the only Achilles heel for me with the Hugo with what I was saying with pairings I find some sources or headphones/ IEMS that are prone to been bright with too much treble energy in the first place gets too sharp and strained on the ears. With the Hugo especially with Headphones I have found the Hugo cannot drive certain cans properly (and I’m not talking about volume levels here either, the Hugo has plenty of power in theory) it is having a detrimental effect when paired with the Hugo and is the same here with the CL1’s when paired although better than the reaction of the CL750 pairing with Hugo as that was more neutral/ flatter sound which was more brighter signature.
The CL1 ability to have great treble extension also does still not match quite right for balance together with the Hugo still resulting in an anaemic strained sharper treble to point of too sharp and uncontrolled with notes losing real definition there.
This is why I have for this scenario with the Hugo had to re-purchase a Vorzuge amp in the Pureii+ (sold my Duo originally) which are very good underrated small amps although they are not cheap is a good match with the Hugo in that it seems to counter balanced this issue I find with the Hugo.
With this In the chain the CL1 balance was more evenly matched all round with the treble has this pretty convincing ability to scale with great extension high and wide but it does still show a tendency even with the Pure to reveal a sharper side to the lower treble region like a typical RHA right on cue which will detract away from details more in this area which still might be too much for some even though the Pure calms it down a lot more than the Hugo it is still present which is a shame as the top end extension has a great amount of detail articulation with brilliant decay to top end notes.
The tricky balance here is trying to execute this with it still been cohesive to the rest of the audio range yet not sound hot which with RHA been known for having a more treble pronounced approach is a fine line to tread all round and this was always the biggest worry after what I had heard at the show and knowing from the way the T20’s are tuned in general which just keep it within the boundaries although at times does come close for me even with some stuff to tolerate on sharp treble as I am also prone to treble sensitivity in the past with certain equipment which I do mention some of them in the CL750 review.
My experience of RHA equipment they are one of those that can be tricky with their pairing but once you find the right partnership with equipment and found best tips for the IEMS in terms of comfort and sound then it can be the difference between chalk and cheese sometimes but even with the CL1 it is still there to an extent.
The CL1’s ceramic plate balances metallic sounds to sound tonally balanced with a shimmer and to yet it brings just the right amount resonance to trailing notes with plenty of air surrounding them to pick out above everything else playing as the soundstage and separation is also apparent and more vast in scope than it’s now predecessor flagship the T20.
This is the one thing that has surprised me from hearing these at the show is what I’m now hearing is now a more airy articulate treble that is a lot less piercing although it is still evident in the lower treble it is more detailed as it rises up the range and with the upper mid-range is with the right type of music can rise and soar with quite an climax when climbing the frequencies like a song I stumbled on with the Eurovision song contest winner 2014 Conchita Wurst “Rise Like a Phoenix” which should have the lead song for one of the James Bond films but anyway this really shows a lot of the good sides to what the CL1 can do with a song that climbs up the frequency range from the bottom and some of the bad all at the same time but it still managed to make this song sound powerful and big with an immersive feeling that makes the hairs stand on end.
They can still have the ability as any RHA with wrong tips and combination of bright or poor recording show symptoms of going over the edge like the T20 is able to but unlike I had heard them at the show it was not doing this in general across the board with my well known tracks with good to Excellent recordings.
Even though I am finding this area more acceptable now whether it will for others remains to be seen but I do stress to get this RHA balance of their treble more acceptable will be a combination that will depend on tips used, quality of the actual studio recording and file quality used and in general the paring of equipment synergy wise.
For those who like to EQ this will not be so much of an issue but for those who like me are a bit old school or just want their equipment to blend first time like a set of Hi-Fi separates used in a speaker set up it with not much patience for finding the right match may be turned off by this.
Bass...
Turning to the bass section next was another question mark I had from hearing them at the show originally as really there wasn’t much bass as such present which made them seem unbalanced which even when it was with their own Dacamp which was confirmation at the time it was not just my gear.
It was one of the things the RHA team did say the finished versions would have more presence in this area and I must admit I took that with a pinch of salt as I was not pessimistic about this happening but just more cautious of not getting my expectations too much after they had said that to me as I didn’t want to be too disappointed when I finally heard them again.
Well, the depth the bass now goes to is what I would actually call sub bass in a dynamic driver and has a varying level of range in dynamics that makes hearing a song easy to track when it goes from high to mid bass to finally delivering a good amount of sub bass which can rumble when it wants to.
The CL bass is quite layered in texture with what I was hearing, this section sounded good with the Hugo on its own anyway as it does not struggle here and delivers a controlled and punchy low end which can also extend further when required but it does it with a visceral feeling at times as we now have what if a more familiar dynamic type bass response with a nice amount of rumble in the low end without been over bloated.
One thing I cannot be critical off now with the CL1 is its ability to extend low with a good well controlled sonic boom when asked upon and have a punch to upper bass notes makes this signature quite energetic with a lot happening both ends on the CL1’s.
So… all this has been a revelation on the bass front to me from what I had experienced at the show and was just nice to see RHA had paid as much attention to this end of the spectrum as they have with the top end with the ceramic plates.
Only irony thing with the bass I was hearing and was thinking to myself now was some might find it a bit too much bass for those who prefer a flatter bass response but me personally I’m used to a JH16 bass which can sound boosted in an obvious sense much as I enjoy them but the CL1 does come across sounding natural enough with the way the sub bass is handled it does not sound boosted and has an organic free flowing feel when hearing it go down the FR range with songs.
With the Pure added into the mix with the Hugo the bass is same in quantity but is done with a slightly more broader dispersion of bass rumbles to the more linear controlled bass on the Hugo although the upper mid bass sounds to me at times to be more elevated which can be a bit distracting to the rest of the music especially when its the mid info which is already recessed especially with vocals been sat back makes it then more difficult to hear what they are singing.
Both Hugo or the Pure amp is good with the CL1 which conveys them well in detail which ever it is paired with here.
It still sounds good on the ZX1 but does not quite have that impact nor slam as when amped with the Hugo or Pure hence I didn’t listen to the CL1 too long with the ZX1 here.
With the HIFIMAN there is bass to be heard rather than felt as the Supermini is a bit like the Hugo in delivering a controlled tight bass but just lacks that more on the ability to portray the detail and depth to the Hugo but shows although it was not the perfect marriage with the Supermini it was far from been a bad one again and would still be able to have a session with just the Supermini and the CL1’s.
CL1 showed it was able to perform with another source although the 150 ohms was still pushing the Supermini towards the end of its volume settings depending on the level of the original recordings as quite a few older albums compared to most modern recordings seem to be a few DB lower.
The Supermini was a much better pairing with the CL1 to what the CL750 was here.
Mids…
Now the bass has finally arrived on the CL1 and the treble has articulated higher extension makes for a bit of a V shape sound going on but it still sounds fairly clear in the mid-range and gives the impression of more depth with the mids sunk in a bit more like an echo chamber of a bigger amphitheatre style sound.
The mids do sound a bit colder, more clinical with the Hugo stand-alone as it is quite a flatter sounding signature with a big open soundstage but is still engaging with enough detail in a dynamic enough presentation that gives the Hugo it’s crown for sounding fluid analogue in the mid-range but the CL1s still translate how the Hugo perceives its more neutral approach here quite well.
It was just as satisfying with the Pure in the chain with the Cl1s having a slight more forward feel to the mids as to with the Hugo as the Pure is a little above flat mid driven and fills out the CL1’s a bit more than normal in this area which may suit those wanting to bring forward the mids a tad more on the CL1’s which I personally welcomed without having to do EQ adjustments.
With the ZX1 and Supermini as daps direct they both sounded at home with the CL1’s here as they could still pick up on details fairly well without having to be driven hard but again not quite both having the extra juice with the amps they do not drive with enough authority and lack space, depth and body because of this and with this brings me nicely on to the,,,
Soundstage…
Soundstage and imaging is good in general as this is what the CL1’s do well with the assistance of these new ceramic plates with the ability to sound good with the treble extension it is capable off and just space for everything to breath and give clarity for detail and the Hugo compliments the CL1’s perfectly here for space and airiness despite the Hugo not pairing with that top end well with treble been too bright with the CL1’s whilst the Pure in the mix will reign it in compared to the Hugo as it is slightly more centrally focused but speed and timing with imaging is good on the CL1’s through the Pure with above average headroom allowing the CL1’s to be driven a bit more rugged if needed to without fear of losing detail and subtleness of dynamics in a song at louder levels.
Compared to amping the two DAPS are a bit more underwhelming with soundstage and imaging although the ZX1 is not poor it does not excel or shine like the Hugo or Pure does and the Supermini is a little flat and feeling condensed with soundstage even though stereo imaging is precise enough it felt unengaging to a degree with this combo for soundstage.
So with my combination of gear I own currently I found they do need good adequate amping and would take a really good amp section in a dap to be a one box solution for the CL1’s but unfortunately cannot gauge which DAPS they would be only owning the HIFIMAN Supermini and Sony ZX1 at the moment (can only say from experience maybe the HIFIMAN 901, Questyle QPR1 or A&R ARM2 possibly?) but it did show again this pair of RHA’s is no exception to having to find that fine balance of getting the paring right for synergy between the CL1 and the equipment feeding it.
In essence get the paring right the Cl1 will be fairly balanced with enough depth and width and height combined with clarity with good musicality is quite engaging but get it wrong will sound good as two cars colliding in a crash with metal on metal action going on.
So in a nutshell I would say they are fussy (quite fussy in fact) but get it right and they can sound more pleasant with a lot of musicality richness that is quite dynamically fun keeping a sense of tonal correctness along the way so is a bit of a mix mesh mash up between them trying to been linear and fun for a flagship but actually becomes more of the latter to my ears (which is not a bad thing, more just an observation)
With the Dacamp L1
Firstly in SE mode…
After going through the arduous impressions of how the CL1 reacts for those who can only get or want the IEM with other amps it was now down to how does this pair with the new RHA Dacamp L1 that was you can’t help thinking was primarily designed with this CL1 IEM in mind.
First thing I noticed was after comparing the CL1 on my range of gear was how the treble sounded with the Dacamp, again it was nothing like I had heard them when paired together at the show in London that is for sure!
Treble…
After a few hours of listening to the two paired together I was finding the treble on the CL1’s were less edgy with the Dacamp which made it more listenable in that hot spot area of the treble and felt like they were not going to scream at me and if anything these were a bit more friendly and sweeter than when I had them on the Hugo/ Pure combination as I think the Dacamp is to me actually warmish sound to the amp which I think is taking a certain amount of edge from the sharp lower treble section.
It is still dependant also on if the recordings are brighter the lower treble will accentuate this more so but I found not too many tracks were given me the normal ear piercing in this area.
The CL1 still retains a sense of tonal presence and clarity with enough extension to details in the higher frequencies and the Dacamp has been designed to go in hand with the CL1 to match each other in the higher extension range which almost supersonic in their range in a good way with the upper treble with that extension which is a shame it is still a tad hot in the lower treble to a degree. It’s like the good old days of Concorde breaking the sound barrier where it would be a cut-off point where it goes bang and goes hypersonic yet the CL1 is the opposite way round with its treble.
There is plenty of energy going on but it is very measured and even when notes rise up the octaves to a higher pitch there is a nice sense of it been on a crest of a wave where you really appreciate that area where the notes can hit higher with better accuracy.
There is a good amount of sparkle with clarity when chimes or triangles ring with a nice resonance. High notes are also positioned quite accurately and are easy to pick out in between busier passages and was great to hear things shot from left to right when they happened as the CL1 steering or panning was solid and effective in making you take notice when this occurred.
It still does not feel like the most expansive soundstage I have ever experienced but I think the perception of air and space it does create is partly coming from the hollowness of the recessed mids as well as the exceptional extension of these IEMs.
If I was marking the treble over all out of ten with the Dacamp L1 I would give it 7.5/10
Mid-range…
The mids which are no doubt recessed, more so than the Cl750’s are and would usually bug me as my perfect scenario if anything is to have the mids to the fore but I could still make out lead vocals clear enough although not as close as I would like them and they did have a good texture to their voices and was actually quite good tonally having a leaner sounding tone which is good for the upper mids in vocals but still enough body to have a fuller type vocal sound powerful enough without sounding too coloured as there is a sense warmth to these ceramic shells that was very noticeable after coming from the CL750’s.
Never overwarm but there was an obvious step up from the 750’s in terms of tonal finesse with notes and harmonics having better resonance and timbre yet it seems to have a little more trouble expressing some details as they seem to be getting hidden a little bit more than normal and was not sure if this is due to the mid-range losing this slightly as it is not projecting it quite enough as I would not say it is been drowned out by anything like the mid or sub bass as it does sound articulate and airy enough in general to pick things out but sometimes after hearing recently IEMS like the Mayas which have great mid articulation revealing everything you need to hear or even my JH16’s which are similar shape I can hear these details a lot more easier.
Other than that part detail in general that does come through articulated with enough grain and nuances in the details of notes from the twin Sabre dacs and there is good layering and imaging going on in the upper mid-range with good clarity and localization of instruments and upper mids lend to projecting songs that having good dynamics. If that loss of finer details and vocals been closer with maybe a little more body to them was there then this would be a more in balanced to the accentuated way both the bass and treble have been tuned.
Again if scoring the mids with the Dacamp I would say it would be 7.5/10 again.
Bass…
The synergy with this amp is good, no I will rephrase that… It is a match made in heaven (almost) and you can see it was meant to go together as the layering and timing is executed with an ease that makes the sound flow quite freely with good timing between the mids and bass as the improvement in this section is quite a vast one as it has gone from to lean as in I am a studio reference monitor to having quite a flexible response and can kick quite low with a thump which was more so when I heard film Soundtracks with sounded good anyway with the CL1 with my Pure amp but with the L1 it made it more explosive and widespread in bass note reverberations which made this in turn excellent for any live or rock/ metal as with the ability to have a very clear and prominent high treble range really suits those genres above as they exude those ends of the spectrum from which they thrive on those end of the scales for their energy and power.
The mid bass can actually sound like it did with my gear is a little lifted to me at times and was almost like I was been distracted by this. It is not flat at all and seems to have an bump with the upper mids bass which can sound a bit odd as in not maybe natural in relation to the lower mids and bass connection so may sound okay with beat driven music, dance and R&B tracks maybe but may be distracting a bit with music that has more natural rhythmic passages in the mids. At first I thought it was due to my Pure amp doing this when I first heard it but now it still shows signs of it on the Dacamp I know it is a trait of the CL1’s.
Apart from that he way bass notes can transcend through to the low bass is a joy to hear and is quite a flexible sounding bass which has good amount of texture and detail as well as subsonic ability to feel this bass when it hits ultra-low frequencies.
The one thing I thought I would never be saying about these IEM’s in this review from listening to them at the show is how much impact and range they do have which has impressed me as I thought with this been a new flagship when they said the finished version would have more bass I was thinking a conservative extra 1-2db extra but feels and sounds like more than that.
Put it this way I never had to turn the bass up on the Dacamp at any stage with these, if anything I would in general only of ever turned it down with the mids to come through or dial down the treble to counter act this a little but in truth with the amount of testing with different gear and music could not quite get this adjustment quite right to suit across the board and was actually better off leaving it all set neutral despite my only main reservation been with the mids area been a little recessed and missing that area with some detail retrieval just not coming through at times.
Out of ten for bass with the Dacamp for me would be an 8.0/10
Also taking into account sound staging and imaging out of ten would be 8.5/10
Over four sections that scored 31.5/40 (before going to balanced mode)
General findings….
The Cl1’s I think are still accurate with tonal reflections of instruments with guitars reproduced really well like the CL750’s can but it just adds a refinement and kid glove approach to the delicate string work with the CL1’s which can really buzz with fret work and make it come alive. Tonally maybe a bit more warmer and accentuated to the CL750 in this area but it still sounds pleasing to listen with string work.
Piano work sounded okay but sometimes actually sounded a little veiled than they should be on the CL1’s and never quite matched what I heard with string work unless it was a piano been strangled by someone like Elton John with one of his faster pop songs back in the eighties which was hitting the upper mids which would catch your attention then it would sound on key with clarity around the notes.
Classical pieces and some cathedral music showed it had enough space and air to move but its depth and head stage is more impressive of the four and is a bit like a see saw ride from top to bottom with this music with the frequency range the CL1 can operate at with the Dacamp.
I enjoyed it enough on here but feel the sort of genre if any that just slightly losses out with the recessed mids is jazz or blues music just where it was not quite bringing some of those mids info retrieval forward enough to bring it more forward in the soundstage.
On the whole this does sound good with most genres, I just think a couple just suffer a little bit more in been able to shine fully but I still enjoyed listening to Ryan Adams various albums as he has the ability to cover different sounds with each album he does…
Like the Live at Carnegie Hall suits the way the acoustic set has excellent reverberation and room echoes with the CL1’s excellent string work and feel the mids do not suffer here with this album because of this setting and minimalist amount of instruments needing to share that space to get the finer details out there.
Unlike his other self-titled album released in 2014 which had a dry course electric guitar sound led band filled studio sound then just struggled to hear some of the finer details here which from what I’ve heard with the Pure and Hugo is sometimes was easier to pick this out with the CL1’s so it also would point to the Dacamp also attributing to dealing with finer details which I have become accustomed to with the Hugo in recent couple of years. Yet on the Hugo with Pure amp the CL1 still could not quite reveal details as easier as the Mayas or JH16’s do in general.
Overall apart from the things I highlighted with the mids as I am admittedly a bit of mid centric lover anyway with choices like the JH16’s or my T20’s I am not always going to choose the most mid forward sound out there if it can still show the ability to produce details easily enough and the lower treble which was a little below par in comparison to the upper extension these CL1’s are capable of I really still enjoyed the combination of these with the Dacamp.
There is a good synergy on the whole even with the Hugo & pure set up which can gleam more detail and bigger soundscape this combination that made them still listenable for a good session as it was actually has the ability to be just musical enjoyment as the overall layering and tone with its warmish presence is quite an addictive listen with them together despite the CL1’s ability to still be a little too much in the lower treble area.
But how did this sound in balanced mode and I hear you ask as after all this is probably is its obvious point of interest in the armoury when people see this amp and dac has balanced added into the mix.
Well after four days of SE with the CL1 decided it was time to try them.
So beware the following is from my ears and not plotted using a super computer from the Star ship Enterprise! All I can say is I have had bad experiences of balanced (actual ownership) also before which actually did put me off for many years as I dispelled it in my head as anything worth the hassle of SE until I heard a balanced set up last year on a good set of open backs but was with a relatively cheaper desktop dacamp in comparison which changed my mind a bit on this so I went into this one with an open mind as I have been both ways with the thumbs for balanced so here is my findings using ear lobes only….
with Dacamp L1 BALANCED
I thought it might take a bit of time to start to notice any changes if there was any but it was quite immediate to my ears there was a difference in how the soundstage and headroom was flipped on its head to what I had been hearing as the CL1 becomes wider and more accurate with picking things out as the panning with stereo imaging.
It was another level but what also gave it like an extra dimension was how the sound approached in terms of depth and height in conjunction with the more accurate sound staging and stereo imaging for me to this pairing to another level really as there is even more room for everything to breath and work with just more accuracy of the sound filed and where sounds come at you from and where they are going.
It still does not bring back the area in the mids with some of those lost details but it helps give a bigger picture to paint with the bigger sound staging in width and height as well as more defined accuracy of where sounds are coming from. Nor does it at the same time seem to do anything to tame the lower treble which can still glow hot at times.
Going back to one track I have always used as one of my demo tracks for example is Yello - The Race track which just sound bigger with more space been able to hear things pan passed with more cohesion and easier tracking as the racing cars roar past from right to left and the lower to upper frequency’s seem to approach more from back to front with ability to scale over the top of you more in your head which made it feel like a more grandeur in its all-round delivery in terms of scope and scale.
It was a bit like; imagine being stuck under one of those Gazebos only enough room for two people but have only attached two of the three leg parts it takes usually to get the proper height they stand at, well that was SE ended mode.
…Then plugging in balanced mode was like adding the last third of those leg parts to get the full height and used a double width Gazebo that can now fit eight people under there and that was how I heard going from SE to Balanced just without the Sausages and Burgers (and indigestion!)
I tried this back and forth over my last four days at different times whilst still trying to keep the volume near damn it by ear and still even in balanced would hear the same effect whether it was lower or higher than the SE volume (more importantly lower to note) using same songs over again then some fresh ones out of the blue I was not hearing any different from my fist lot of findings so for me the balanced part of this despite not having a magic fix to some of the missing mid area of detail retrieval really made a difference so much so it was not the same going back to the SE way after hearing how the Dacamp running balanced performs with this.
I did try SE several times after but in short now this is killer mode for me this combination of balanced with the CL1 and L1 Dacamp and think RHA know that too!
For me in my heart this is a big boost in the arm for this EIM which will make it harder to weigh up things even more come the end of the review as this was a good pairing enough in SE mode on the whole and in some ways more enticing listening to the CL1’s with RHA’s own Dacamp despite the Hugo Pure combo bringing more air and soundstage with finer detail retrieval in the DAC area there is an obvious musical synergy going on between the CL1 & L1 and going to balanced has pardon the pun just tipped that balance of these two going together as a perfect marriage that will end up having listening sessions for hours at a time with ease with this combo of Balanced mode set up.
For me now the score is now 3-2 in favour of what I’ve heard from a balanced set up down the last several years and can say this one shines in balanced together as opposed to SE mode.
Pre - Conclusion
This is a hard one out of all of them really as this has so many different areas to take into consideration mixed together with what I heard.
There is the fact I have been used to the Hugo DAC which for me is still one of the best detailed DACS in this portable price range even two years on and have to take into account you do get used to a certain level of sound but on the other hand I never would of thought I would like a pair of £250 headphones until this year as much as some of the other cans out there that can cost three times that even if the resolution on some of those £1K cans are still edging the £250 pair (which was the Meze Classic 99’s by the way)
Then been a long awaited “Flagship model” from RHA does this mean is has to be linear and flat sounding? I honestly thought when I went to that show in London recently and heard these this was going to be a very flat reference sound especially as I did not feel that both these CL IEM’s sounded right at all… even it was aiming to be a reference studio flat sound it was far from that at the show and did get me quite concerned to where their direction was going at the time.
I do not mind admitting walking away from the their stand like out of that scene out of the Wedding Singer where Jon Lovitz has just done his audition in front of Drew Barrymore when Adam Sandler has his turn then breaks down singing “Somebody Kill Me Please!) and Lovitz peeps from behind the stage curtain to say “His Losing His Mind!) which is what I thought was happening to RHA at the show with the both CL IEMS but turns out like Robbie Hart RHA turned it around for a happier ending!
Now after having them for 10 days to strip apart like a mechanic does to an F1 car after a race I have found some surprises both bad and good which is where the struggle begins a little.
I have to say my expectations for quite a while of what their next flagship line would be something efficient that could be powered by a normal phone or any DAP like my rather weak powered ZX1 Walkman that was only ever designed for IEM to start with really so was taken back that RHA had decided to make two IEM’s that would need more power with at the end of the day would be in most cases a separate amp need in the chain hence the clever marketing here of the third addition of the L1 Dacamp.
I can see where RHA are coming from albeit it still relatively at the other end of the pricing ladder they still work in they wanted to cement themselves as been viewed as one of the more Hi-Fi seen companies revolving in the Head-fi world that reflects their British Hi-Fi culture way of thinking with sound and engineering as well as it been apparently the only way (amping) they could get this treble extension like they wanted was to go that route…
But I still feel their next step should have been a friendly efficient IEM we could all use with ease in terms of pairing with equipment which I am sure will be their next chapter now they have their showcase “look at what we can achieve” and they can by looking at what they have produced in the three new products that cater for different taste and needs.
And now I have tried the CL1 for almost best part of ten days shared amongst the CL750 and L1 for time I do like these new flagships and do feel they take off in some areas to the T20 que that does it without thank god making the T20 seem completely redundant as I just purchased one recently anyway!
But it has raised its game on these with overall refinement in sound quality as well with a change in signature but does not move away far from its previous tuning stable in FR shape although it has been tweaked here and there with some been for the better but at same time some oddly for the worse which is almost like giveth with one hand take away with another type scenario.
Nitty gritty now… I found they can match other equipment really well although I have decided to label RHA across the board they are fussy with what they pair with to get the absolute best from them as there is that fine line of them either sounding great or poor, so my Hugo – No, my Pure with Hugo or alone with ZX1 then they are magic and really suit the Pure amp despite the CL1’s couple of misgivings. Unfortunately I only had two daps that although one was better they both were not a substitute for a really good portable amp to perform as the Pure or L1 amps could muster.
There was a couple of surprises on a negative note with the way it sounds or has been tuned as even though the treble extension has been executed really well and that end sounds tonally good the lower treble was not quite right in detail and still has the RHA ability to come across hot.
For me it was actually not quite as annoying as the mids which like other RHA have sounded before it is somewhat recessed, enough with the shape of the signature as a whole there was an area in the mids where I could not make out certain details as easy to what I had done before with my fav old tracks I religiously use so did take away a bit from certain tracks you know inside out and enjoy the most so there was just a couple of things that do not quite make this perfect but then again all though not exactly not bottom end now even for a flagship this still far from the big boy’s shoot now days that seems to be standard fair that go above the £1k mark.
And there in my head lays trying to balance what I know how RHA are up till now to what this their next offering is in taking the next step and factor in if someone is also about to hear these for the first time and to top that off what I originally heard at that show which initially was a worry for me.
So bit of a combination of balancing there to do really.
For newbies to RHA I feel if pairing these with your own equipment might not be used to the “RHA” treble and understand where you would be coming from on that and would only say do give it time especially with these but it will be the pairing of your own gear and this which is the biggest hurdle also well as and I cannot stress enough getting good master recordings and file type plus the tips right also as this alone could be the barrier between good and evil in hearing them in conjunction with equipment pairing.
If that is not right you might not ever hear how the CL1 could sound like. This is not a fault of one or the other but it is just one of those Head-fi anomalies, after all look at my experience with them with the Pure amp in the mix, happy as Larry or should say CL1. Just with the Hugo then makes it a no, no!
But if you are open to a new Dac/amp combo and want to hear what it is like when two items are designed in house to work together then this is it and that is before I take into account the balanced side of the L1 Dacamps performance but I will not shy away from it will still not fix the only couple of real negatives I could find with the CL1’s which I will admit and not shamefully even with my bliss ownership of my Hugo and Pure amp for me I just love this combo of the CL1 with L1 which was cemented in stone for me with balanced mode.
If it was not for me buying some non Head-fi related boys toy recently (and Christmas!) thus not enough money left I would of looked at pulling the trigger on the two together for sure as it is a special combination they have made there when it is in balanced mode.
The CL1’s is a case if you can get to hear these for yourself then it is highly recommended so even if it is for the worse at least you know… but at same time it could be something you fall in love with and glad you did take the time to hear it as you just may like the overall way these sound.
For me this was far away from what I heard at the show two months before release and I have to say was relieved with what I heard with the finished retail versions as it was a big turnaround albeit still not quite perfect with a couple of imperfections that just blot it’s paper even at this moderately fair price for a “Flagship”.
So in a nutshell I would personally still have them but even with the gear I have now it would probably have to be with the Dacamp L1 together strange as that sounds as it does sound sublimely magical with that Dacamp L1 especially in balanced.
Final Conclusion
I feel it is like 85-90% there and just needs a couple of tweaks sound wise and would be there for me as perfection with this signature they have gone with and with what they have brought to the table I have actually now manage to overlook on the most part you need to use these with an amp to get the best from them although I should still be peeved with this from my stand point I feel next time is the time for them to deliver with a normal driven higher end IEM that does not need an amp still.
Over all taking into consideration the build quality and design (which is usual for RHA) with the overall fairly decent “musical” sound signature for Flagship with their highest IEM model to date even with the couple negatives with the sound I think this is still an enjoyable IEM which hits it’s peak performance when running balanced in situ with its mothership Dacamp feeding it.
It is taking RHA in the right direction for the future albeit shall we say a work in progress and factor in it has to be used with an amp to make it sing I would still recommend them as an IEM alone (but take head of the caveats I mentioned at your own risk!) and Highly recommend them if using with the Dacamp L1 balanced.
Interesting that you like CL1 - I wish I give them a spin sometime as well. I am curious to say the least!