Alclair Audio Curve 2.0 Quick Review

Alclair Audio Curve 2.0 Quick Review

Thanks to Alclair for the sample.

Brief:  Alclairs not custom, not monitor.

Price:  US$250 or about £165 before HMRC gets you.

Specification:  22 Ohms, 10Hz to 20kHz, 110dB@1kHz.

Accessories:  Err, a little case, a carabineer and 3 pairs of Comply’s

Build Quality:  Very nice.  Cable is very nice, jack is too and the buds look nicely finished.  Plus they have a removable cables if you do manage to kill them.

Isolation:  Very good.  They are BA’s so while they aren’t Ety’s they are easily good enough for long flights or a daily Tube commute.  Learn to use your eyes when out or you’ll get yourself run over sharpish.

Comfort/Fit:  Given their shape I’m sure they can’t work for everyone.  They just can’t.  However for me they were pretty awesome.  Perfect fitting and could wear them all day long with no issue.

Aesthetics:  Weird, I like them.  A bit attention seeking but I’m okay with that.

Sound:  Ahh you know v1.0, those I loved soooooooooooooo much.  They were in no way monitors but they were basically what I would have made for me if I ran an IEM company.  The 2.0 however, they have presumably the same drivers so I know they are capable but…… these are tuned differently.  These are the monitors that I think the 1.0 was meant to be.  These have the acoustic balance of that on the Westone W4.  Yes it’s technically bass boosted and the treble edged down a fraction but due to how we hear, it sounds perfectly natural on the ear.  It is a dual BA Mary Poppins.  Practically perfect in every way.  It really is a little acoustic masterpiece and that a little company hidden in depths of Fargo land.  Okay so actually in Minneapolis which has like 4 million people but I can’t help thinking Fargo.  There is nothing that the Curve 2.0 cannot do, or does wrong.  It’s a pretty flawless monitor.  Sure its treble doesn’t extend uber far, no BA does but its decline is linear and impeccably behaved.  It’s bass too is a paragon of well-behaved with enough capability to oomf when it must.  Bass heads will want more air movement but again, it’s a BA, massive air moment isn’t what they do.  The mids are neutral.  Middling tonally and adding so little flavouring that it’s perfectly happy to play smooth or raspy.  It’s beyond exceedingly capable.  Over all it’s a monitor with a touch of dynamism.

Value:  Sounds frighteningly close to a W4 but at half the price.  It’s a fabulous monitor.

Pro’s:   A paragon of sounding acoustically natural.  Practically perfect.

Con’s:  Isn’t an aggressive sound.  Won’t thrill bass heads.