Obscene reply withdrawn by author.
Edit: There wasn’t really an obscene reply. We should have done this yesterday, on April 1.
Obscene reply withdrawn by author.
Edit: There wasn’t really an obscene reply. We should have done this yesterday, on April 1.
Finally, a post on my intellectual level!
Neener neener ptthbbbt.
I know we all hear differently and have our own preferences, but the Focal MG sounds absolutely amazing to me. They have very articulate and punchy bass. The midrange and treble sound…clear. You are on the stage with the singer and surrounded by the band. I have never defined a headphone as having a small soundstage based on how close you feel you are to the stage. I prefer to be up on stage right in front of the singer and surrounded by the musicians and instruments. But I want the stage to be wide and spread out. Well these do that in spades. The stage may be right in front of you, but it is not narrow by any means. The HD600/650/660/6XX are vastly more narrow. These image at least as wide as my Verite Open. In fact, I like these so much, I may be selling my Verite soon…
These are built well, look gorgeous, and sound like they look. To my ears, these are underrated.
I couldn’t agree more. Across all genres, they’re punchy, detailed, have a surprising bass presence (though not overpowering), never harsh, and I haven’t even burned them in yet (assuming that’s a thing).
I’m in agreement as well. They’re so dynamic, and very detailed. Their speed is another aspect that has gone underrated, imo. The timbre is another thing that trounces the previous Clear as well.
I liked them enough to purchase an amplifier for them (it’ll work with other headphones of course, but the Clear MG is the reason for the purchase).
I’m glad so many are enjoying them. I love hearing everyone’s feedback.
Cheers.
Don’t be a tease. I’ve had a long & hard week, I don’t wanna have to go searching for a “top recommended amps to buy to pair with the Focal Clear MG” thread to find out what that amp is.
Haha!
I wanted a nice amp that would go with most cans I own and landed on a Decware Taboo MKIV. They’re so slammed with orders that it’s going to take about seven months.
Some day in the distant future you’ll get a box dropped off by your front door. You’ll say “what the foo is this, I’m not expecting anything.” Then you’ll check the shipping label, and you’ll think “Merry Christmas to ValentineLuke, from ValentineLuke.” [or other holiday as appropriate.]
I admire your patience.
I don’t want any of it.
But I admire it.
I’m taking delivery of a Hagerman Tuba tube amp next week and I’ve heard lots of folks saying they make the Clear shine. And the ZMF Aeolus, which I’m (sorta) patiently awaiting.
After a few weeks with the Clear MG Pro, I can say that it’s more of a side grade over the Clear OG. I think the overall signature is a bit shifted: a bit bassier and less present in the upper mids / lower treble region, which can be a good or a bad thing. Out of the Bifrost 2 + Jotenheim 2, I quite like what I’m hearing, but I feel like the timbre, especially in drums and guitars, isn’t as good as the original. You’re definitely losing out on what made the Clear OG special: the sense of engagement and the note weight. Vocals and pianos seem a bit more present though, which could be a reason why some prefer this new version.
I have not tried this headphone with tubes yet, but, for my personal tastes, I think the Mg is “warm” enough and would pair better with a quality solid state amp. I’d like to experience this headphone with a good tube amp in the future though.
It should be noted that I have not experienced with pad swapping yet, but I should be able to in the next few weeks. I will try Utopia pads, Elex pads and Clear OG pads. In case you guys don’t know, Focal pads are known the make a big difference in sound, and there’s even quite a bit of unit variance between pads of the same model (especially in thickness). Anyway, if there’s enough interest, I can make a quick post detailing my observations.
Magnetism.
No wonder they’re so good.
Wow, this is telling given your prior moves:
I really like them. To my ears, I really like the Verite because of its timbre and laid back tuning while still being detailed. I am very sensitive to elevated/harsh upper mids and lower treble. The Verite is not a bright headphone, but it still sounds detailed and has a very nice soundstage as well. But one of the weaknesses of the Verite is that it’s not the most open headphone and it has a bit of cup reverb. Normally I’d take that trade off for tonality any day of the week. But the Clear MG has a very open cup design and everything sounds cleaner with very fast decay. That, plus the mids and treble not hurting my ears, makes for a very intoxicating listen.
They’re brighter than the Verite but always stay just below my threshold of bothering me. I wouldn’t call them “bright” though. They’re more neutral/warm. I would call the Verite slightly dark.
Those are helpful comparisons, and make me interested in the Mg and Utopia. I prefer the Eikon over Clear OG, and VC over Eikon for most music genres.
For those that have had these for a few weeks now…how are the pads breaking/wearing in? I only ask because I listen to these daily and I get sad that they don’t look like day 1 when I first opened the box. Yes, I know that is never going to happen…but just curious on other’s experience on this?
Absolutely loving this HP!
Has anyone A/B’d them against the Utopia?
Maybe a couple of minor wrinkles, but not compressed - it’s keeping its shape and seal, in other words.
I have, and the difference is very noticeable. The Clear Mg is tilted towards the bass a bit more and you don’t have as much detail & air as the Utopia. To my ears, the Utopia is closer to the Clear OG.
That’s the thinking I had based on reviews. Was wondering if this would be a nice complement to the Utopia but I’m not convinced.
I’m not yet clear on my thinking what a complementary headphone for the Utopia actually is or even if the term complementary is appropriate to use regarding headphones. I’m not a multiple headphone listener anyways so it’s more a thought experiment.