They look like the Clear MG pads (aside from color differences).
A shallower pad should smooth out the FR (minimally), but will also reduce soundstage.
My guess is that you are indeed hearing a difference.
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That is an appreciable difference in size; thank you for the great post.
I suppose the absorption of hair oils or moisture from the atmosphere, generally, might account for the difference. It might also be the microfibre material stretching or loosening up over time. But the size difference in the last two photos really is striking.
I wonder if a more likely explanation is simply that Focal switched to a new supplier for their pads?
If this is indeed a change in pad - and you mention the material feels less dense and of lower quality - then itâs depressing news if it also means a reduced soundstage for whatâs already an âintimateâ staging with the Clear.
And how great would it be [sarcasm cranked up to the max] if there is indeed only an inferior replacement pad now and that it still costs the price of an HD 6XX (more or less)âŠ
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The new Focal Clear Mg has been announced. Bascially the true successor to the Grey OG Clear over the Clear Mg Pro.
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I did read that the Pro and regular Clears only differ in accessories, not in sound.
Pretty sure, thatâs the case.
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Beware, very controversial opinion 
â Focal did it again! â 
Since 2016, with the Elear & Utopia models, Focal has been bringing headphones onto the market with a certain degree of regularity that are âopticallyâ at least miles ahead of all other competitors. This has also been the case in the past few months with the latest design series.
French and design, a symbiosis that has undoubtedly always been a perfect match. 
BUT, now comes an argument that I noticed when I was at school and that Iâve personally questioned again and again ever since. Experience has shown that the most visually attractive person has always been the âmagnetâ to which many others have attached themselves without really questioning their human as well as intellectual abilities.
It was assumed that âlooks good, has to be follow it to be good âand if enough participate, it has to be right.
In my opinion, this argument also applies to Focal headphones.
â I; Music lover with hat size XXL or 65 in Europe who likes to relax and enjoy the âacoustic artâ in his wing chair with a glass of wine and closed eyes and not sit analytically at the PC and every âsource of errorâ in the recording to penetrate. â
So I; have a problem with Focal headphones, i.e. all models in the series. Of course, the following criticism is related to the called price! 
So what is objectively being offered?
It starts with unpacking, what is offered there so âshiny and nobleâ is, in my opinion, a total âblenderâ, because actually I have to buy an after market cable for every headphone, because even if I use these cables regularly even after 2 years of intensive use, they are still as bulky as an Andalusian mule.
Then I put these headphones on my âskullâ and realize that even when the headband is fully expanded, it presses me hard in the middle of my head, 
it pulls the earlobes inside the auricles upwards and the auricle is whole rather designed for smaller ears.
Now I can widen the headphones, for example by putting them over a couple of books, but then Iâm missing a few centimeters in the depth to the ears.
Difficult! 
â Then the sound so highly praised by many â 
When you listen to music, as it is my habit, you inevitably ask yourself very quickly, why do I feel every time I close my eyes as if the musical performance is being performed in an modern industrial plant.
I really donât know any other headphones whose sound is presented so âmechanicallyâ. And by that I really mean all Focal models, with slight cuts in the Stellia, which comes across as reasonably âmusicallyâ.
Now one could argue that the synergy to the sound chain could play a role, everything from Chord Dave, to the Cayin HA-6, Feliks Audio Euforia MK2, Focal Arche to the AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt, the sound image was steadily âmechanicalâ every time there was a lack of ânaturalnessâ that every voice and every musical instrument has 
These headphones undoubtedly have their âtechnicalâ qualities and, if you like, also âdreamlikeâ frequency curves 
.
Although I also find the highly praised detail representation in many songs with Clear, at best, average.
If someone wants to know, I can immediately tell them at least 2 dozen songs in which even a Koss KPH30i provides more details in the higher and middle pitches than the Clear.
PS: Iâm not claiming that these are technically better than the Clear, god forbid!
In addition, few headphones tend to audio clipping as quickly as these focal drivers, you have to be very careful not to overdrive them in terms of input power and volume 
.
So if a pair of headphones was overrated for around ⏠1500, then it was the Focal Clear.
I got mine for ⏠899 at an anniversary promotion, which seemed like a reasonable offer to me.
However, it is still one of the least used headphones in my portfolio, because it is not really a musical âenjoymentâ, at least for me.
â I very much hope that all of these problems will improve significantly with the latest model series, especially with regard to the prices shown.
And this time Focal does not focus mainly on the visual appearance of these headphones. â
So, now âfire openâ, beat me for my opinion, but I stand by it.
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From my brief ownership experience with an Elex i agree with your points about comfort. My ears felt pinched and I had a hot spot on top of my head. It wasnât the most uncomfortable thing Iâve worn, but it definitely took something away from the experience.
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11 posts were merged into an existing topic: The Off Topic
Soooooooo. Anyone compare the cables of the Clear MG to the ones on the original Clear?
Also, which design /look do you prefer?
Clear vs. Clear MG design preference
- I prefer the design of the original Clear.
- I prefer the design of the new Clear MG
0 voters
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I will be getting something (almost) unknown next week, 4 headphones from Spirit Torino to test. Itâs their whole lineup. They are an Italian company, so they are close to Switzerland where I live.
Those headphones are truly special in looks and tonality. They are surely not everyoneâs cup of tee, but I am thrilled to be testing them.
I bought the Focal Clear a couple of weeks ago after a long time struggling with the purchase.
I am glad I did, because, together with my Burson amps, they are my reference point until now.
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Iâve been looking into the issue of changes to the pads over time, further to posts by @reallyoldcob and @ValentineLuke, among others.
As someone with short arms and deep pockets, as the expression goes, I was looking into pad options other than the stock ones, and have been reading up about the Elex pads. Interestingly, Drop had a tough time selling replacement pads to its customers, as one of its representatives stated last summer:
Our internal testing has confirmed that the latest batch of pads varies in weight from the âstockâ pads by as much as 15%. Although we have reported these concerns to Focal, they have not offered us a substantive resolution at this time, and weâre continuing to try to work with them on a solution.
I wonder if issues of consistency have affected the pads for the Clear. If so, then the $200 price becomes even more unpalatable.
At least Clear owners have had opportunities to buy replacement pads; I feel sorry for those who purchased an Elex and hoped to enjoy it for many years; it doesnât seem as though replacement pads are readily available.
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Is there any sense, or are there any signs, that the original Clear is being discontinued? I ask because the Elegia and Elear were sold at lower prices as they were being phased out - or sold on deep discount via Adorama - and Iâve not seen this happen yet with the original Clear.
If their sound signatures are different enough, it would be nice if the two continued to be sold alongside one another.
Iâve been thinking about this too. I think itâs unlikely that Focal would continue to produce 4 headphones at the same price point. Seems like a bad idea as far as manufacturing. So Iâm hoping to get an og Clear at a reduced price at some point. Also, from what was said, it seems the redesigning of the Clear, at least in part, was to a have a cohesive design throughout their lineup.( honeycomb pattern) So does that mean a redesign of the Utopia as well??..wouldnât surprise me.
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Actually, that would be awesome to get a Utopia at a nice discount. 
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Yes, youâre right, it doesnât make sense to have so many headphones in production simultaneously. I wonder how many of the original Clear are still to be sold. I suppose fewer have been provided to dealers in recent months so they donât have too much old stock to sell off.
I did a bit of sleuthing and found this on Moon Audioâs website:
If youâve been following Focal, you know the French headphone and speaker manufacturer has been busy lately. Theyâve introduced the Radiance and Celestee headphones while discontinuing the Clear and Clear Pro.
Hereâs hoping the Utopia gets discounted if thereâs a replacement forthcomingâŠ
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One problem is when you are cobstantly churning headphone models, the buyerâs end up with devalued product if they decide to sell them down the road.
Case in point Elegia. Started at almost $900. Used are now going for $400-500. ZMF is the other side of the spectrum. You can sell a pair used for almost what you paid new.
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Yes, agreed - and it was worse than that, for early adopters, when new Elegias when were selling on Adorama for $400-500. It was great for those who picked up deeply discounted Elegias, good for them.
But with a finite supply of replacement Focal pads, which are also exorbitantly expensive, ZMF looks like an ever better investment for those who want to buy a high-end headphone that can last them a lifetime.
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I bought my Clears and Elegias at a discount, both well under MSRP. TBH, I wouldnât pay full retail for Focal stuff. Itâs like driving a new car off the lot. Instant price hit.
Definitely not like the ZMF stuff on price retention.
I love my ZMFs. I have two Aeolus, and plan to add an Auteur or Verite.
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Would they be Aeoli? (Iâm kidding)
I hear you - I purchased my Clear used for less than half the retail price. Iâm seldom willing to pay MSRP but Iâd fork out the full amount for a VĂ©ritĂ© or other ZMFs.
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BingoâŠ
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Somewhat of a newb here but with all due respect, what is the difference in these terms?
BTW - enjoy your reviews!!!