Well, I finally bit the bullet and placed an order for the Clear. I thank you all dearly for your enablement.
There is a definite risk that they will be too forward and trebly for me, but even in a world where we are absolutely spoiled for choice in mid-high end headphones, I can still see dealbreaking flaws in many of the direct competitors. LCD-X is just too damn heavy. HD800s too analytical and thin for my tastes. Arya too expensive for comparable quality. Auteur expensive, and while they may be amazing, the 'unknown' factor was a bit much.