I got a pair of the Drop Elex pads to A/B on my Focal MGs, and I really can’t hear a dramatic difference. Perhaps there’s a little more detail in the treble areas with the stock pads? The Elex pads seem, maybe, to integrate the different sounds such that each stands out slightly less from the others as compared with the stock MG pads.
Are folks really hearing a gigantic difference? Personally, because I like that detailed separation, I’m going with the original MG pads but again, for me it’s a difference so minute as to be possibly be fictional.
I didn’t hear any meaningful difference in swapping my factory Clear pads with Dekoni velour pads either. I heard bigger changes on other headphones when swapping cloth/velour pads for leather/pleather pads. Smoother surfaces can reflect more treble and seem brighter.
Comparing the MG and the OG Clear, I definitely prefer the MG. The Clear and the Elex had some of that grating treble texture that I could not get over, even with EQ. And while EQ helped, it did not get rid of it completely. The MG on the other hand, to my ears just doesn’t have any issues with metallic/gritty texture. The Clear MG to me is even more deserving of the direct upgrade to the Sennheiser HD600/650 than the original Clear and Elex, due to the timbre improvement. But I can easily see Resolve and others preferring the original, the MG does sound warm compared to most cans.
Hey @Resolve , what in ear mics did you use for the Clear MG measurements? The ones I’ve been using for DIY measurements are not working anymore, wondering what I should replace them with.
I have a bit of a problem that I wanted to put by everyone. I currently own both the Focal Clear Mg, and the Focal Celestee. I knew going in that the Celestee wasn’t going to have strong bass, which is why I bought it. But from all accounts that I read, I assumed that its bass would be more than any of Focal’s open backs.
But my Clear Mgs have absolutely pounding bass compared to the Celestee. Or maybe its that the Celestee have anemic bass compared to the Clear Mg. Did I get a defective unit?
@Resolve I know you tested them both. What are your thoughts on the difference in bass?
Several things could be going on there. 1. the Focal open-backs tend to have better dynamic contrast in general, 2. if you wear glasses and break the seal, you will lose some bass on the Celestee, 3. the Celestee has a dip around 200-300hz, but it’s actually more elevated at around 100hz (and below). So if your music doesn’t token frequencies in the mid and sub bass below where the dip is, it’ll sound anemic.
Interesting, for me the Celestee has noticeably stronger bass than both Clears listening to classic rock (wtf happened, we used to call this just rock, didn’t we?) and prog rock. I would describe it as stronger with less detail. It’s not close, I don’t have to listen back to back to pick up on minute differences.
Ok, so @Resolve had the right of it. My glasses have super thick frames, and as soon as I take them off, I get better bass. Also, when I eq the Celestee to have that 200-ish hz peak like the Clear Mg has, then it sounds just as good in the bass department.
How does the Onyx compare to the 789 using the Clear MG? I know it’s controversial here but I LOVE the Clear OG + 789 combo. It’s not forgiving at all but I really enjoy it w a little EQ. I would definitely be interested in checking out the Onyx if it’s on the same level of resolution as the 789.
Let me start by saying I’m not a professional reviewer, but I did want to share my first impressions with the Clear MG’s… in a mostly non-technical way.
First, they are crafted and presented to the highest standards. A beautiful set of cans. Comfortable… even over long periods of time with very little “clamping”. I’m even able to wear them with my “readers” making it possible to wear them while I work… which can be uncomfortable with some headphones. I know that “breaks the seal”, but sometimes I have to make that sacrifice. Bottom line… I need corrective eye surgery.
I played a number of albums right out of the gate. First, I pulled up Bobo Stenson’s Cantando on my A&K SE180 using the SEM2 DAC. As audiophiles, we often talk about frequency attenuation, and sound stage, and notches here, and roll-offs there. I’m guilty of the same. But music is an emotional experience… or at least it should be. Listening to the acoustic bass and the brush work on this track through the Focal Clear MG’s just brought a smile to my face. I was immediately hooked by the detail and separation I heard just seconds into the first track. From there, I spent hours revisiting albums and rediscovering them in a new way through the Clear MG’s.
I find them to be very transparent, but not without a degree of excitement and panache. I’m sure that means different things to different people. “Transparency” can sometimes be suggestive of a “dull” listening experience. Quite the contrary. The MG’s are dynamic and pretty easy to drive. Nevertheless, there is no artificial attenuation of the low end here.The excitement comes instead from the pristine separation of the instruments and the detail they present.
Bottom line. There is nothing artificial here. From the materials right down the sound signature, they are (to my ears) exceptional.
Thought I would reach out to the community here to see if I am alone on something I’m experiencing.
I have the MG Pro’s and love the sound. I have had them for about 5 months now. The pads are already pretty dark in color compared to the original color. Tried to wash them using a method I found online to be safe. Didn’t bring any color back…in fact the red dye bled out quite a bit into the water and onto the microfiber towel I used to let them dry on.
So, dark in color almost what I would call dirty. I’m just really disappointed that these 200.00 pads are not holding up very well at all. Again, sound is great, this is purely a QC issue with the pad material itself.
I do have a replacement set that came with the headphones which is another reason I got the MG Pro version. However…to already replace the pads after not even 1 year of use is downright awful. I suppose I will keep these pads until they actually start to wear down to where they don’t sound as good.
Anyway, not trying to dog on Focal or detract anyone from buying these…just curious if I am alone on this experience? I’ve read the OG Clears definitely wore out over time.
I believe Focal does have a pair of leather pads that will fit other models. I’m just not sure whether or not they would affect the tuning of the MG Pros.
for edm/dance style music, single player video games and other media such as movies, would the focal clear mg or the lcd-2 fazor offer more impressive bass in regards to overall bass quality and bass slam/impact? and which overall would you recommend between the two for the uses i mentioned?
