I haven’t heard the MG’s yet, but the originals slam really well, probably better than most headphones I’ve heard; all of the Focals I’ve heard have great bass impact.
The Audeze won’t slam/punch as hard, but it has better bass resolution, texture and speed, so it’s easier to pick out the different basslines.
Both Focal and Audeze headphones handle EQ quite well.
Just my $0.02 - hope it helps.
I bought my Focal Clear MG’s with very high expectations, but soon after listening to them I noticed had an issue the shoutiness of the voices on my MG’s. I had them paired with the Topping a50s D50s stack, and then also tried the IFI Zen Stack and the Hip Dac v2, But the shoutiness persisted. I then did some research of amp dac combos which lead me to purchase the Topping A30 Pro D30 Pro stack and Wow, I’m talking about night and day change for me. The pairing made the headphones sound fuller, clearer with a nice punchy clean bass, this combo seems to be a widening of the sound stage slightly, that seems to aid in smoothening of the sound, allowing me to listen at higher volumes without the shouting I previously heard. The shoutiness is no longer thier, and these headphones now sound amazing. I found the perfect pairing for these headphones for me.
They are going cheep.
Hi friends, I will share my impressions of the Focal Clear MG tomorrow morning at 8 am PT! This video will focus on the build quality, design, and sound impressions about the Focal Clear MG. I will also briefly compare them from a sound perspective to the Sennheiser HD800s, HEDD Audio HEDDphone, and the Focal Stellia. We will also discuss some synergistic amp pairings for the Focal Clear MG. We hope you enjoy it!
Marcello
My first post here, hello.
I bought a Dekoni Elite Velour pad for my Clear MG to test it out. I don’t notice much difference, if any, with the Dekoni Elite Velour Pads on the Clear MG.
Both pads are the same thickness - Dekoni and Clears MG. I belive this could lead to further tests and measurements since they have different materials. But I honestly can’t tell them apart.
I passed a sweep tone, with Dekoni pad in one side and original on another side and no weird panning. Listening to music I might notice something on the top end but could be placebo too.
I would be interesting if someone could do a further investigation - something like the Clears MG with OG pads, switch them around, something more than Crinacle did in his test, I couldn’t find any.
Anyways, the Dekoni Velour Pads are a good alternative to the MGs imo. Very good. Cheers!
I can’t seems to edit my original post so will write a reply here:
After hearing more and more, I think they elevated the mid bass by a notch and due to their material they tame the upper treble. Still a good pad, but not perfect right.
I really want to know what the old thicker OG pads (if it is still possible to buy them) would do in the MG.
I keep reading about channel imbalance on Focal headphones. Is this a reason not to buy? I really like the look of these.
Source: Joshua Valours YouTube review which lead me to several forum posts from a google search.
I don’t know what you’re reading exactly, but I have 2 pairs of Focals, the Clear OG Al/Mg, and Utopia 2020. No channel imbalance in either.
An old thread but here goes
I had set my mind on Clear Mg but just before Black Friday I saw an amazing deal on hi fi man Arya Stealth and bought them. Management Committed took pity and allowed another BF deal for Clear Mg
So I have 2 new pairs at the same time. My trusty HD800 taking a rest.
I am finding the Clear Mg a bit “dull” compared with the Arya’s . Is this me or is it to be expected. They are obviously different technology but even so.
I am using Roon/ROCK through a Naim Uniti Atom HE both on unbalanced cables as I don’t have a balanced one for the Arya’s
The Focal Clear were meant to be the design target for the Naim.
Is it a settling in thing (both are over a month old say min 40-50hrs play time am I missing something