Sure. I had a modified version of the Raven super tweeter on my Tonian Labs TL-D1s and since I still have them and the Clearwaves are new, I think my comparisons are valid.
The Tonians don't have the lower mid and bass presence of the Clearwaves so the upper mids and tweeter dominate, giving an incredible look into the nuances, detail and ambience of a recording. There's such an insight into it that if you're a detail freak (like I am), then the Tonians are what you want. I believe the crossover is higher than usual (Tony Manasian won't reveal where it's at but he did hint that it doesn't add much) so coherence plays a big part in those upper mids and whatever lies in the upper ranges.
But there is a price one pays for detail and that'a the dominance of said detail over the heft and weight of the music. It's a trade off I've lived with for almost 5 years and have no regret since what the Tonians do in the lower registers benefit as well, what with all that tone, detail, nuance, etc.
With the Clearwaves, I get lots of detail and nuance but not at the expense of the rest of the frequencies. It's a much better balance. Yes, there is what seems to be a lose of air or ambience but once I had acclimated to the sound, it seemed as if that lose was nothing more than a different perspective. I can still hear deep into recordings. There's lots of decay and hall or room reflections. There's just an absence of a slight and airy sheen to everything.
I've come to realize that that slight and airy sheen, though informative, was unnatural, too microscopic. It's like I've taken a step back, got more weight and heft, and still kept enough detail to satisfy.
I've always wanted to try tubes again and with the Tonians, I'm told it's a match made in heaven. It's just that my room is on the small side and tubes heat it up way too much for comfort. I believe that tubes would go a long way towards ameliorating that upper end sheen.
I hope that helps.
All the best,
Nonoise
