I am a Carmel 1 user who currently have the Carmel 2 on loan from the dealer in Singapore. The 2s are way above the 1s. The first thing I noticed was the clarity and details. I thought the 1s were excellent in imaging and separation but the 2s brought this strength to a new high. Background darkness is even darker and there is more bite and attack. Unfortunately for me, I listen to a lot of black and thrash metal and the 2s being more unforgiving, can't do it for me. Really heartbreaking for me but for most audiophiles, this would not be an issue
