Focal Clear Mg - Open-Back Dynamic Driver Headphones - Official Thread

I don’t have the MG clear yet but the OG clear tonally was more enjoyable to me than the Utopia. However you are correct the Utopia on detail, imaging, stage, or basically technical performance to my ears was far better! There was a bit of a peek in the upper midrange or lower treble region that could bother me at times with the Utopia especially with some vocals as well that wasn’t present with the clear. I believe I mentioned it in both my YouTube reviews of the Clear Pro and the Utopia. However maybe this could have been remedied some with a better amp/Dac pairing. @jfx

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@crinacle’s take comparing the Clear Mg to the original Clear

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“That is to say, the Clear Mg sounds noticeably mushier and “slower” than the original Clear, and a tad bit less resolving too.”

That was very far off compared to my experience as an owner of the Clear MG Professional for a couple of weeks now. I just don’t see how that’s what he heard (not regarding his preferences, but his observations on technicalities).

It actually was one of the things that inspired me to create this post:

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Everyone has their personal preferences and, most important, a unique set of ears.

If you hear something different and you like it, great. Enjoy your new headphones!:+1::tada:

Also: Professional reviewers will give an opinion, just like the rest of us. They might have heard a lot more gear and can compare. Still, it’s just an opinion.

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The video was done very very well indeed. I don’t doubt the colors were correct. Maybe it’s just me, but I still am not content with that color.

Good thing is : everyone had different tastes! :blush:

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Did you make it to the end of his review? Crinacle adds this important point (emphasis added):

Are the pads different from the original Clear? Whose Clear Mgs are representative, mine or the others who received sets that measured almost exactly like the originals without a pads swap? Did I just get a dud set? If so, is there a chance that you , the buyer, would also get a set like this?

Edit: additionally, it’s not entirely clear from his impressions what’s going on with the pads. It seems as though he’s assuming that the Clear and the Clear Mg have the same pads, and based on your observations @ValentineLuke, the Clear Mg pads are of a different shape and size.

Then there’s the question of variation among pads. This is a potentially worrisome issue, if true. Focal seems to have form here: note the controversy on Drop about the Elex pad variations (the following comes from a Drop representative responding to complaints):

We understand how frustrating the situation with the Focal Elex replacement pads has been. We share in those frustrations and have been trying to come up with a satisfactory resolution for months.Our internal testing has confirmed that the latest batch of pads varies in weight from the “stock” pads by as much as 15%. Although we have reported these concerns to Focal, they have not offered us a substantive resolution at this time, and we’re continuing to try to work with them on a solution.

We also have the example of potentially different dimensions to the original Clear pads, as noted on our forum. And, as with Crinacle, the issue here may have to do with the aging of the pads and how that affects the pads’ size as well as the headphones’ sound. So the jury’s still out, I suppose.

I’ve ordered a new replacement pair of original Clear pads and will see how they compare to the original pads.

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All good observations - the plot thickens.

I find it interesting that Crin’s pair of MGs measured noticeably worse than Resolve’s or Jude’s; they then measured a little better after putting the OG Clear pads on. As we all know, pads can drastically change the sound, so something is definitely amiss here.

All of this confusion has honestly prevented me from ordering a pair of Clear MGs. What a shame…

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In having owned or demoed the Clear, Utopia, Elex, Elear, and Elegia – they all have the Focal house sound. I’m not ordering a pair because it seems the MG mostly updated the driver manufacturing process and style. It makes me wonder whether the new driver is ‘better’ than the old one, or just more suitable for manufacturing in some way.

And everyone hates the old cables…

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I completely agree with this! I’d hoped the move to the MG driver was for performance increase, but perhaps that’s not the case.

Since you own/have owned the OG Clear and Elex, in your opinion is it worth moving from the Elex to the OG Clear if I’ve already “fixed” the frequency response issues in the treble region of the Elex using PEQ? In other words, do you hear enough of a difference in technical performance to warrant it?

If you are not troubled by the treble peaks and glare on the Elex (e.g., female voices, brass instruments) it may not be worth it. The Clear is gentle to my ears from most sources and more communicative of air and air movement. This shifts my perception of drums or bass guitar some times. While the Utopia is plainly superior to the Clear on technical grounds, I wouldn’t want to use it regularly with most music.

See my Utopia review and comparison for details.

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Thanks!

I’ve had the opportunity to listen to both the Clear and Elex, but never a side-by-side comparison so my memory is a bit fuzzy on the former. I recall thinking the Clear was more detailed while being a little smoother, but I don’t remember specifically how much so. With the OG Clear being $999, it’s very tempting!

I’ve largely been able to reduce the treble glare on the Elex using PEQ, so it makes this decision all the more difficult. Regardless, I appreciate your insight and will go read your Utopia review.

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Same for me.
I’m having a very hard time figuring out which one to choose knowing that the sibilance of the OG Clear reported by some scares me a lot, but I have a good deal on it which expires in 2 days. :sob:

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There is no sibilance whatsoever from my experience for what it’s worth…

Edit: Could be the amp I’m driving it with (Burson Soloist)…using Clear on 789 then I do hear slight sibilance (rather, it’s more prominent).

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The Clear has less “sibilance” compared to the Focal Elex from what I recall, but you may hear things differently - such as @hifiDJ who doesn’t hear sibilance at all. It’s also something some very minor PEQ can fix.

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If you check headfi sales listings (https://devbrada.com/classifieds/), the Clear is selling for $900 regularly. You might not lose too much money, if any, on the resale of a $999 Clear if you decide it’s not worth it.

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I don’t like that pairing at all. The 789 is my least favorite amp for the Clear. I hear that pairing as edginess without smooth flow from note to note rather than sibilance. The attack phase of each note comes on too loud and too abruptly. The Clear is fast and the 789 is fast, so they are too much of the same.

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Oh, definitely! Awhile back I saw your earlier posts about it and I doubted it at first. But I told myself, why not experience and find out if what this @generic guy was saying is true. I was looking for another amp anyway and ended up with the Soloist. Plugged in the Clear and yup, I definitely hear what you’re saying now…so I oughta thank you for putting it out there!

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You know what, you’re right. And I was going to just order the Clear OG then, until I saw this:

Fuuuuuuudge…that’s my primary amp.

And we’re back to square one. I’ll find an upgrade to my Elex someday…

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I find generally the THX stuff doesn’t pair very well with brighter headphones as it gives them too much of an analytical sound, despite measurements maybe showing otherwise.

I’d honestly recommend taking a look at the Rebel Audio Rebelamp. Differences were night and day for me with a number of headphones, the Clear included.

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Once you get past that thx stuff you’ll notice there’s a lot of other better amps out there…

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