Dan Clarck Audio Expance Headphone
$3,999
V-Planar Driver Processing
Improves Bass Response And Lowers Distortion
TrueFlow V2
Increases Resolution and Improves Dynamics
Travel friendly
Packs Small!
Titanium, Aluminum, & Carbon
Ultralight, Yet Ultra-Strong
EXPANSE
Introducing EXPANSE, our new flagship open-back headphone. EXPANSE sets a new standard in open-back headphone musicality, soundstage, detail retrieval, and comfort. Featuring Dan Clark Audio’s all-new 4th generation planar-magnetic driver and our breakthrough Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System, EXPANSE delivers a stunningly smooth presentation to bring new depth and breadth to all your favorite music.
And we didn’t stop at improving the sound; we also redesigned our headband to deliver a big step up in ergonomics and comfort!
Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS)
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.
With AMTS the upshot is high frequencies are rendered with a refreshingly smooth, accurate, and detailed delivery across all genres. OK, bad recordings are still bad, we’re not magicians!
EXPANSE Redefines “Detail”
EXPANSE’s planar driver delivers incredibly low distortion throughout the listening range with levels of detail heretofore found primarily in the top-of-the-line electrostatics. Unlike many headphones where “detail” is created through exaggerated high-frequency energy, EXPANSE’s AMTS delivers industry-leading resolution without fatiguing highs users may be used to.
Together, our 4th-generation motor and AMTS deliver a sonic performance best described as “effortless.” From a delicately plucked string to the most intense dynamics of an orchestra, or the weight and attack of a kick drum to the overtones a decay of a crash cymbal, EXPANSE delivers an amazing balance of delicacy, nuance, and punch that will have you reaching for all your favorite recordings, and maybe staying up a bit too late.
And last but not least there’s the soundstage; EXPANSE is all enveloping and can compete with any open headphone in depth, width, and imaging, with instruments occupying a correct volume in space instead of being rendered as “points”.
EXPANSE’s effortless sense of space and instrument placement allowing the headphone “disappear,” so you can simply relax into your musical experience. Let the headphones, equipment, and yes, your daily stresses melt away, leaving your music to be enjoyed the way it was meant to be heard!
EXPANSE Mechanical Design Innovations
We set out to make EXPANSE a real design statement,” said Dan Clark, Founder and CEO. “EXPANSE design takes its cues from our STEALTH headphone but adds an exciting and unique grill based on mathematical functions derived from the principals of generative design, for a truly unique and stylish look.
The top grade black leather headband features fine blue stitching to create a quilted head-strap that’s not only gorgeous but is also functional and comfortable. The elegant embroidered EXPANSE logo adds a dash of color to EXPANSE’s all-black aesthetic.
EXPANSE, the Ultimate in Comfort
Gone are the mechanical sliders for fit adjustment; Dan Clark Audio has designed a stable yet comfortable “self-adjusting suspension system” that seats the headphone just right, with no muss or fuss
At just 418g EXPANSE is also one of the lightest super-premium headphones on the market. Taken together, our new vegan suede and “leather” ear pads, self-adjusting suspension, and lightweight chassis make EXPANSE so comfy you can just ignore it and “vanish into your music.”
And for portability or storage we incorporated AEON 2’s elegant folding gimbal structure into EXPANSE, allowing it to conveniently pack into a compact custom case that’s small and easy to stow
EXPANSE Key Features and Benefits:
- Patent-pending Acoustic Metamaterial Tuning System (AMTS) delivers unprecedented high-frequency detail and clarity for the ultimate in smoothness, tone, and detail retrieval
- 4th generation v-Planar driver with our largest planar diaphragm to date, delivering exceptional dynamics with vanishingly low distortion for a natural and “easy” listen
- Improved driver tensioning system creates a driver with incredible consistency across units for superb imaging and balance
- FEA and CFD optimized motor structure increases driver motor-force uniformity and smooths acoustic flow
- All-new auto-adjusting suspended strap design makes EXPANSE hassle-free to wear
- Pre-formed ergonomic strap design spreads weight evenly across the head for incredibly comfortable extended listening
- Strap quilting improves comfort and reduces heat buildup
- Composite synthetic suede and protein-leather pads offer a sung fit with minimal clamp, with a pleasant touch on the skin
- Stylish grill reduces weight and creates a visually stunning design aesthetic
- Folding gimbals allow EXPANSE to be packed in a compact case for safe and easy transport
- Uncompromising industrial design uses aluminum and titanium to maximize strength while minimizing weight
- EXPANSE is designed and built by hand in San Diego, California, and is backed by quality and support you can count on
EXPANSE
The Evolution of Dan Clark Audio Design
Dan Clark Audio’s design goal is to never compromise on sound, comfort, or aesthetics. EXPANSE is our ultimate open headphone statement and embodies everything we’ve learned since our inception.
We hope you enjoy it and invite you to take a listen to the all new EXPANSE, and vanish into the music!
Performance
- Driver: 76mm x 51mm single-ended planar magnetic
- Driver matching: 0.25db weighted 20-10,000Hz
- THD: less than 0.03% 20-20KHz, ref. 1KHz at 94dB
- Headband: Nickle-Titanium
- Baffle: Carbon Fiber
- Ear Pads: Synthetic Suede and Leather
In The Box
- EXPANSE Headphone
- Carrying Case
- VIVO cable
- Certificate of authenticity
- Manual
THE BOTTOM LINE
The flagship space is getting pretty crowded these days, with an ever increasing number of headphones in the $4000+ range looking to be your endgame. Expanse breaks into this space by giving you a highly accessible tuning mixed with incredible performance. And Expanse isn’t just about its huge soundstage, it walks the tightrope over that massive space it created to deliver a sound that’s both technical and engaging.
Overall
Try as I may, I find it near impossible to poke a hole in any element of the Dan Clark Audio Expanse. Balance? Analytical, vibrant, transparent. Imaging? Simply enormous. Style, portability, fit: clever and thoughtful. Ah, price? Yeah, $3,999 is just a little more than most of us can afford. It’s a scary price, but, and I truly mean it, it’s absolutely worth it’s weight in $1 bills. This obviously isn’t a my-first-headphone: this is a worthy crown jewel piece for any audiophile looking for an open-back with next-level specs and a sound character that manages to be as unique as it is precise. I would even recommend these to some one looking to make a serious investment in a mixing headphone, as the accurate-yet-creative sound character of the Expanse really cannot be overstated. It’s rare for me to feel like a headphone truly has it all, but Dan Clark Audio completely knocked it out of the park this time.
Dan Clark Audio EXPANSE Planar Magnetic Headphone – Open Horizons
I don’t have a STEALTH or VOCE on hand to do direct comparison, but I suspect the audiophile in me will prefer the sound of the VOCE but the music lover in me would probably prefer the EXPANSE for daily listening. Like all Dan Clark Audio creations, the EXPANSE reflects Dan’s wide range of musical taste in that it sounds fantastic with all genres of music. I cannot recommend the EXPANSE enough and I’ll be very surprised if I hear anything I like as much any time soon.
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