Focal Clear Open-back Headphones - Official Thread

Micro BL and Honey H1 quell it a bit, but tbh, id rather just listen to other cans than avoid songs with piano or intense cymbals. My other sources are a L&P P6 Pro, Hugo 2, and a Qudelix 5k.

What I have learned is that we all here differently…and often have different chains and music tastes etc…

One thing really stood out in this review:

" You should keep in mind that I’ve been listening to the original Clear religiously for about a year. It’s entirely possible that I’ve spent so much time listening to music on the original Clear that my perception of neutral headphones is skewed, mirroring the Clear’s explicit tonality."

I too have listened with the OC Clears for hundreds of hours and just sold my Clears and have a set of the MG version on order.

Human beings being ā€œcreatures of habitā€ often dont like changes…so I too am anxiously waiting to listen with these new ā€œstudioā€ headphones.

When people ask my why I buy something I often state " I bought these for what they are not what they arent…and if I dont like them they will be sold.

These cans were designed for use in a recording studio, not casual listening.

They should be light saber efficient in telling a good recording from a bad or medicore one…like a surgical tool. Knowing this, these may not be acceptable to some.

Also there is that rumor that a consumer version is possible as well…?? Will it sound the same or just be a color and cable difference?

Time will tell…

Alex

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Phantastic review. Thank you for that! I just bought my original Clears and am happy I did.
What you describe sounds like the original Clears will still suit me better sound wise than the new ones.

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I agree that ā€˜Pandering’ may be too strong a word to use. Maybe I should have said ā€œa nod towards a more consumer oriented soundā€. Lol.

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I agree with you so to me ā€œpanderingā€ or ā€œcateringā€ to the masses seems like an ok term to use.

I think it’s true that many manufacturers tend to
promote a certain sound signature nowadays that can be described as warmer and more bass heavy pleasing a certain (mostly younger) and less critical audience.

A while ago highend head- and earphone manufactures tended to define their own house sound and experimented a lot along the way.
Their products were different, some big hits, some controversial.

Now it seems they try to reduce risk by catering a more ā€œpublicā€ target group. Hence products within one company tend to sound rather similar and between different companies get closer sound wise.

This is just my personal observation, of course.
Me personally, I like a good surprise once in a while rather than knowing what I will get.

I like a little sugar and spice in my life. :grin:

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I’ve always put Detail,Clarity and Resolution at the forefront of my listening preferences but as of late I have developed a better tolerance for the ā€˜Consumer Sound’.

I’ve also grown to really like great bass too. This has no doubt come about with the acquisition of the EE Odin and EE Hero and their excellent use of Dynamic drivers.

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It definitely feels like there’s been a gradual acceptance in audiophile circles of the Harman approach to bass, namely mild mid bass dip plus elevated sub bass, and more products tuned in that direction. I’m largely projecting based on my own preferences, but I think the traditional objection to ā€œconsumer bassā€ comes from the fact that it often involved massive mid and upper bass that bleeds into the midrange.

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In the pre-electric folk, classical, acoustic era, all instruments generated sound per their physical materials. In the 20th century, electric instruments made new sounds and tonal balances possible. However, before 1964 and The Kinks You Really Got Me mainstream commercial music did not stray far from the traditional profile. Then all sorts of random intentional modifications happened. Some of those changes involve booming, bleeding, and boosted bass. Some people prefer to feel the music rather than hear it (or their hearing has already been destroyed).

While I have limited interest in boomy genres, I do like heavily distorted and noise-based music. So, who am I to judge?

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I guess what I’m saying boils down the the growing acceptance that with a well targeted sub-bass boost, you can both hear and feel the music. In practice, I’m finding that this is quite difficult to achieve in open backs.

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As did I! Awesome! :slightly_smiling_face: Excited to hear how they sound with the idsd neo → schiit magnius balanced out (though only reason I have that set up is for the Sennheiser HD650’s…)

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I only have Burson gear to pair with, but the synergy is great. I guess the Clears will play nice with a lot of gearšŸ‘

Can’t wait to get mine back … :pleading_face:

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It will work fine with Clear.
Actually I believe that apart from crazy hard to drive unsensitve terrible headphones Magnius will do the job.
Ifi and Magnius are a nice pair, good synergy.

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boomy, or boomer? :slight_smile:

Looking forward to getting my my ears on a pair of the New Clear Pro!

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So I was asked earlier by a friend how I was liking the Clear MG and I thought it was a simple summation of my thoughts, that’s why I’m posting here.

ā€œ Hey, I like it a lot.

They’re still neutral-bright, but they’re smoother now with a warmer/better bottom-end. They have a larger soundstage, and much better detail and speed, imo.ā€

When I stated speed I was referring to how the Clear MG recreate harmonics, and the transient decay. It’s extremely impressive. With the right solid state amp these will sing. Tubes almost do too much in the way of harmonics.

Anyhoot, I just wanted to elaborate on what I’ve already posted. I’m really looking forward to hearing others impressions.

Cheers

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@ValentineLuke and @reallyoldcob This is really interesting, I believe that the two of you are describing completely different reactions to the same sound. Which just goes to show that we all like different things. Or perhaps you were both looking for something different in a Clear version 2.

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Yeah, I noticed that too. It goes to show that we all hear things a little differently.

For me, the more impressions the better. I enjoy hearing people’s take on things, even when they differ from mine.

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It’s really good to have both your perspectives because it helps others, like me, triangulate your impressions. This is why it’s ideal for people posting impressions to tell us something of their preferences, which I get from both @ValentineLuke and @reallyoldcob. It also helps that both of you have heard the OG Clear, so we have a common frame of reference.

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To that end, I’m guessing the @reallyoldcob wants a quite bright tone, per use of the Schiit Heresy. I find the original Clear to be too bright on the THX 789.

Following prior discussion with @ValentineLuke, I’d likely have a similar impression. We previously compared notes on the Utopia; I seem to have a slightly greater tolerance for brightness. Just slightly.

Based on these impressions, it seems the Clear Mg is moving in the direction of the Utopia for bass and speed, but perhaps less tonal change on the top end.

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I posted my impressions of the Clear MG Pro on Head-Fi a few days ago, for those interested in another opinion: Focal Clear headphones | Page 599 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

My impressions have not changed much, I still prefer them over the original Clear. Keep in mind, I prefer a lower treble response, which is why I love the Sennheiser HD600 series so much.

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