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.
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.
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. 
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).
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.
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.
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.
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!
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…
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.
Once you get past that thx stuff you’ll notice there’s a lot of other better amps out there…
Some time back I literally compared the Clear on the 789 versus phones and tablets. They were more pleasant than the 789 IMO…
The 789 has a split personality. I honestly like it with mid-grade headphones that have issues or need support. This includes the HD-600 and Elex. I don’t like it with higher tier models (Clear, Utopia) or planar drivers. If the headphones are technically straight already, an ultra technical amp seems to exaggerate small quirks. Planars benefit from current delivery and tonal thickness – the 789 is not thick.
Do buy the Clear, sell/swap the 789 if you are on a tight budget… Both have reasonable resale values.
Thanks all! Perhaps I should just ditch the 789 for the Rebel, as everyone I trust seems to like it. Then I could just get the Clear like I originally wanted
Edit: Rebelamp is sold out. What other amps pair well with the Clear around that price range? I’d prefer to stick to solid state for the time being.
For the record, I absolutely adore my Focal Clear + 789 combo. The Clear also sounds great with a Schiit Heresy + Motu M2. Both sound much much better (to me) than coming straight out of a MacBook which sounds pretty meh in comparison.
The OG Clear is not forgiving of bad music production quality because it’s midrange/treble really exists on the forward edge of neutral.
The Clear MG is extremely forgiving of bad music production because it’s way more laid-back sounding. I think Crinacle calling it mushy is somewhat of an exaggeration but I agree that it’s softer than the OG Clear because of the difference in tonal balance.
It is CRIMINAL that Focal is discontinuing the original Clear. If someone makes a petition for Focal to continue production of the original Clear I will absolutely sign it!
I concur with the Clear + 789 paring as offering value for production. Perhaps Focal plans to position the Utopia as a production tool – it’s a serious knife blade.
The recent models seem to be headed in the style, luxury, branding direction. Hmmm.
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! 
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.
According to the trend it seems that the combination of OG Clear and 789 Amp is not very appreciated, but what about the MG with this amp?
Will this combination give it a less laid-back and a more detailed sound? Would you recommend this association? @reallyoldcob
Focal is continuing production of the Focal Clear for the next little while, it will just only be going through one vendor.