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

A couple of ideas for you. First of all, and I should at pains here to point out that I don’t mean to contradict @generic’s advice, but do you enjoy the 789 + Elex pairing? If that combination’s not too bright for you, given your preferences, then the OG Clear might also work for you. I’ll defer to @generic’s insights here, though, as I’ve not heard either combination.

I had the Jot 2 on a loaner tour a while ago and very much liked it with the OG Clear. My sense is that the Jot 2 is a nice, versatile amp, one that would work well with a decent range of headphones, including planar as well as dynamic driver ones so you might find it to be a good pairing for the Clear and for other headphones in the future (for reference, my LCD2-Classic sounded excellent out of the Jot 2).

Another option is the Drop Cavalli Tube Hybrid, if you can find one used. It’s affordable, tube options are plentiful and inexpensive, and since it’s a single-tube hybrid amp, you don’t need to worry about the complexities of tube rolling. The stock one is great. I’ve had this amp for three years and use it specifically with my Clear. It’s a great pairing, and don’t just take my word for it - someone with vastly more experience than me has recommended it as having excellent synergy with the Clear (see here).

What’s your DAC? That might help us give other recommendations! And for the record, it might be a good idea to snag a Clear while you can! :grinning:

Edit: another good reason to snag the Clear is that it’s not really that amp-picky, as I understand it. The 789 may well be an exception; proper tube amps (i.e. those that are not tube hybrids) don’t work well with it. But otherwise there should be quite a few options. The Asgard 3 might be worth looking into, although I’ve not heard that pairing, and the Lyr 3 might also be good.

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