Gollux: can you get Superior equips if you leave the Hell head map?

Sad, sad movie.
But no, what I mean is much more mundane. I know people who periodically leave the Head map during the fight, in order to rebuff decent skills or whatever, and then go back in to continue fighting.
The question is whether this causes the "clear level" to change. So if you do it while fighting Hell head, you can only get Reinforced (or lower) equips, and if you do it while fighting Hard, you'll only get Solid (or lower).

I think it does lower the clear level down to 4. I don't know if that makes a difference on the drops at all.