Alclair Curve 2.0 Review
Thanks to Alclair for the sample.
First Impressions: Oooooh it has a
box!!! I totally get why they are moving to havening a box but I
actually found something so refreshing about them previously just coming
in their little case. Still if you want to get them into a real life
shop, well or sell them anywhere really, you need a box. Its err a
functional box. Spartan. Ahhh and there is that little case. Awwww no
carabiner. Okay so it wasn’t really needed but it was so different I
grew to really like it. Inside we got the Curves. Comply something’s
on them and two pairs and a cleaning thingy. Though honestly, could you
not just have left the medium Comply’s in their little bag rather than
put them on? I know they fit me but it saves leaving a pair of tips
that otherwise might have no way to keep together and clean.
Anyway, in the ears, Studio V in hand and
hmm. Can I put my finger on what they have changed? Erm no. They
feeling darker and a bit more staid. Okay 40 min later I still can’t
quite say what the diff is, though these do seem firmer and darker in
the bass a bit but yeah, v1 were great and these are great too. I was
expecting rather more treble, not that I felt the needed more but I know
others did. You know I want to be all “oooooh yey these are so
exciting” but they aren’t. That’s the thing with a version 2.0 you have
a pretty good idea of what’s coming so you just can’t get all excited
as there is no surprise. Given that on my recent CanJam London trip the
IEM I used for the entire trip (though I had several with me) was the
Curve 1.0, so it’s fair to say I like them and think highly of them.
Its pretty fair to say I’m going to feel similarly about 2.0 too. Burn
in time.
Source: FiiO E7/E9 combo, Hisoundaudio Studio V 3rd Anv., HiFiMAN HM-650, 1G Ipod Shuffle, Nexus 5 and Graham Slee Solo Ultra Linear.
Lows: As these are a version 2 to the original Curve its likely what I’m most going to compare to. The bass on the 1st
Curve was big, really rather big, rounded, warm and rich. Frankly the
old one did all the things that it’s hard for a BA to do and it made it
all look so easy. The 2.0 however is aiming for a different sound.
Think of the 1.0 as the rich, bassy Curve and this 2.0 as the much more
“neutral” Curve. The bass is lighter, still a bit on the boosted side
but it removes the excesses of the 1.0’s flavouring. This is much
cleaner, firmer, cleaner and it therefore feels more nimble. All BA’s
have rather swift bass but this retains a touch of the body and depth of
the first one but…… I miss the first one. I love that rich, warm, bit
slow bit, bit rolled off highs etc etc that the 1.0 did so amazingly
well. I recognise that this is much more in the middle ground. I get
that therefore its arguably “better” certainly its less flavoured but I
miss it nevertheless.
Quantitatively its big for a BA, for a
dual BA especially as most of them are lightning fast and just as
bright. These are still quite KC3 like in the presentation and
elevation. If you’re after a bass monster a BA isn’t the way to go but
these are very capable. If you want to push them you can greatly
elevate their bass output. I’m sure it’s the same innards in the 1.0
but it’s very much more restrained in comparison. Anyway, it’s still
pretty bassy by BA standards.
Mids: Excellent. BA’s always tend to
shine in the mids and these do so magnanimously. I’m a pretty much a
midhead so I’m possibly a little biased at times, I try not to be but…..
well you know. When you personally love something and it plays to
your own likes it’s hard not to maybe a little too praising. The mids
here are practically perfect. I know they are missing a certain level
of detail and they aren’t giving me quite the openness in certain vocals
that there ought to be. Blah blah blah whatever. These are on their
own merits fantastic. They are just a hint warm, like the flavoured
waters with a hint of peach. Mostly its plain water but there is that
little dash of something wonderful just to impart a light dusting of
flavour. That being a dash of cream in this case and thus vocals are
for the most part, open and clean but there is a creamy base layer.
Sadly it’s not as creamy and luscious as the 1.0 but these just have
enough of a hint to sound gorgeous.
Quantitatively they are overall
middling. A little ahead of the treble and a smidge behind the bass but
overall it’s a relatively gently slope. If your used to V shaped
monsters then you’ll likely find the mids to me wildly prominent but
strictly speaking these are a slightly middy, lightly bass centric IEM.
Highs: Ahh the highs. They are probably
why there is a v2.0 to begin with. Now I loved the 1.0, I still do,
they are probably my favourite thing from 2015. You see I’m fairly
treble sensitive, so for me, rolled off treble is a good thing. While
the 1.0 had detailed treble it was rather subtle and unspectacular.
Something that it was a little bashed for. The response it would seem
is the 2.0 and it’s much more gentle acoustic curve. The treble here is
as good as before but it’s been bumped up in quantity and its warmth
stripped away. It’s not a treble monster by any stretch but where I
found the Curve 1.0 with my bright Studio V a most splendid pairing, the
slightly more cool toned 2.0 plays up the Studios V upper end
eagerness. It’s not like its DBA-02 levels or anything close but I so
loved the melty creamy chocolatey notes of the 1.0. I miss it. This is
the more grown up product though, I get that.
With the 1.0 having been called a
“universal monitor” it really was a bit of a misleading name because it
was too flavoured to be a monitor. Sure it was super easy on the ear
but the 2.0 is almost as easy but it is acoustically something that you
can legitimately call a monitor. Still if you want the furthest highs
this gently slopes off and if you want aggressive detail, again look
elsewhere.
Soundstage: For a BA these sound damn
big. They aren’t so big and instrument separation as some BA’s do which
is a little unusual. Everything is a very full, full bodied and
weighty with a hint of space and air. Still while the mids are quite
convincingly centre stage the bass feels a little more difficult to
place. It’s just there, all around you even. The treble is very near
the centre stage, just behind and flanking the mids. Integration though
is great, seamless. If they have a crossover in there I’ll be buggered
if I can tell where.
Comfort: Like the 1.0 these a have a
shape that makes you double take. Sure it’s weird and a friend who
tried them, he couldn’t wear them at all. I, however found them to be a
perfect fit. Supremely comfy.
Fit: In the ears, a little shove and
boom! Done. I know they won’t be for everyone but they fit me
perfectly, completely perfectly.
Aesthetics: Well cables aside, for I
like the silvery one much better, these look almost exactly like the
1.0. The difference being these have a black back to the earbuds rather
than grey. They also came with a black cable but the cables are
replaceable so that’s just what I happened to get. Honestly though I
really like the buds. They just look so peculiar and I do love that
transparent outer shell.
Microphonics: Erm, none. The cable, plus the ear guides meant that you got nothing, well, I got nothing.
Amped/Unamped: Just like the 1.0, they
in no way “need” a lot of power. You can run them easily out of any old
thing you have to hand. They will still sound excellent. However………
they were noticeably at their best when amped well. They just gain an
extra layer or two, their breadth and depth, the dynamics, every aspect
just seem to be more, better extended, wider, cleaner, etc etc. It’s
the difference between a good, solid, perfectly competent performance
and one that can enrapture the soul. When you power it well it’s just
that bit better in every imaginable capacity and way you can possibly
conceive.
Personally I’d edge towards warmer amping
but hey that’s just me. It’s a pretty even itself so you can push it
happily in either direction.
Isolation: It’s a little so so for o BA
but it’s still a BA. That means it beats practically every dynamic out
there. So while it wouldn’t probably be my first choice for a daily
Tube commute I used v1.0 when last in London quite happily, every day
too. So naturally more than easy enough to use for most activities and
certainly enough to not hear traffic. So for god sake do use your eyes
people when near traffic least you become a roadkill statistic.
Build Quality: It all looks good to me.
Nothing I’m oooohing and aaaaaahhhing over but nothing I can find to
complain about either. Maybe it’s the braided black cable but I can’t
help but be reminded of the UM3x. Looks all fine to my eyes and
fingers.
Accessories: Well now that Alclair are
trying to make these more “retail” they now come with a box. If I’m
honest I miss the quirky no box thing but I do get that if you want to
put in a shop they have to come in some form of packaging. So you get 3
pairs of Comply’s (diff sizes,) a cleaning thingy and a little case.
No carabiner??? Aww, sure not it was really that useful but again I
liked its quirkiness. It’s a clean basic bundle.
Value: At US$250 or £165 at todays
exchange rate. I gushed over the 1.0 and technically this 2.0 is every
bit as capable. It’s basically flawless and I think its nearest
acoustic comparable is the W4 which is considerably more costly. So yes
the value is excellent for a higher end product.
Conclusion: I think it’s probably come
across pretty clearly that I have not loved the 2.0. It’s not that
there is anything wrong with it, far from it. It is only behind the
q-JAYS in abilities of a dual BA IEM and its waaaaaaaay more expensive.
My issue is that I absolutely adored how the 1.0 sounds, it wasn’t by
any stretch the “monitor” its name would have you thinking but it was
perfectly matched to what I personally love most. This 2.0 is the
monitor its name would suggest. I dearly hope that the two products can
coexist as they are acoustically so different and I would be greatly
saddened if the 1.0 has come to its end.
Tonally the 2.0 is pretty much flawless.
While it’s slightly slanted towards the bass, the way human hearing
works, particularly the not “hearing” but feeling aspects, this bass
boost and slant serve to make it “sound” like what you might get form
real life. So while it’s not actually “neutral” it feels natural. Ah
the human brain and its silly tricks it likes to play on us all. What
this is, is a dual BA version of the W4. It may lack a little in
resolution but it has a teeny bit more dynamism when well driven. It
wouldn’t surprise me if Alclair used the W4 as a benchmark to aim for.
Should
you buy? Well if you want a practically flawless acoustic monitor this
is it. It gets you near everything the W4 can but at half the price.
So if that’s what you’re after, boom! Uber bargain right? Still while
my brain says Mary Poppins (practically perfect in every way) I so fell
for the original Curve that I can’t stop myself from thinking
usurper!!! It’s totally my own bias and I realise that, it’s not fair
to the 2.0 as it really is a superb product, it’s a superb monitor
however that means it’s not got the same passion and joie de vivre of
the original. Its dynamics give you a hint of wonder but it’s a monitor
and it tries to retain composure. It’s a fantastic product, a
fantastic monitor with just a smidgen of excitement.
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