Focal Clear Open-back Headphones - Official Thread

[Hifi_and_Headphones]

Hi,

bought the Focal Clears some months ago. I had heard them a few times at stores and hi-fi shows. I really enjoyed the clarity and separation and thought to myself: I wonder if these would pair really well with the right tube amp?

So I am currently testing them out with my collection of DACs & amps. And I might as well post it here, as it might be of interest to someone else.

Source is desktop PC running Spotify and Tidal Masters. Tidal should be on a bitperfect chain. I dont EQ. Interconnects varies but USB is usually Supra or Wireworld Ultraviolet. Power when not on battery is using Supra Lorad cables connected to Supra LoRad MD06-EU MKII mains block.

I use the Focal Clears for music and casual gaming. Music ranges from proper hifi stuff like Agnes Obel, Leonard Cohen and tracks i Shazam at hi-fi shows to lots of electronic music, folk-pop, acoustic, hip-hop, some rock and then many other genres which I don’t even know the name of. I’m pretty open to any tune as long as it sounds good. But not much Classical or Jazz.

All impressions are my own. And I might even change my view when I revisit a combination later after more listening . Likely many will be of different opinions on which pairing they prefer.

Anyway here goes:

Focal Clear pairings pt1: Geek Pulse Xfi (2x ES9018K2M, 2x Femto clocks) + SBooster 12V doing quite well. Perhaps bit more weight to the sound is needed. Amp part of the Geek Pulse Xfi is kinda light weight.

Focal Clear pairings pt2: The search for magic synergy continues. Added JDS Labs Atom to the mix. A great entry-level amp. DAC is still Lh Labs Geek Pulse XFi + SBooster 12V PSU. This combo sounds good. But (to my ears) something is still missing, need to try out the Focal Clears with more gear.

Focal Clear pairings pt3: LH Labs Geek Out 450. This is now a 7 year old DAC & AMP, but still extremely good sounding to my ears. It uses a very well implemented ESS9018K2M DAC chip. I think a lot of stuff released after and to higher pricepoint than the original $149-199 RRP simply does not compete. The GO450 drives the Focals with really good authority, clarity and a nice tonal balance. Some slight tizziness on hi-hats and such on poorly recorded stuff, probably due to the clarity from both headphones and DAC/AMP. Soundstage could be bigger not getting the holographic feeling I am looking for. But considering these can be found used for 60-120€ it’s a solid budget/starter option for the Focals. And actually for almost any headphone, as my GO450 and GO1000 play well with everything I have tried them on Denon, Fostex, Audeze, Hifiman, HD6xx etc. For Focals I’d stay away from the Geek Out 1000 (usually red coloured) model as its get loud too quick. It’s really sad the Geek Out is not produced any more, maybe a steady revenue stream would have saved the company?

Focal Clear pairings pt4: Cavalli Tube Hybrid + Hegel HD12. Things are falling into place. I think it’s the best combo so far. And instantly I start thinking of better tubes Hmm what to get?

Focal Clear pairings pt5: Chord Mojo. Highly enjoyable. There is something with the slightly grainy Mojo sound character that I really like together with the Clears. Soundstage is quite big with sounds coming in from around the head. Maybe a bit more authority in the bass department is needed, not sure need to compare with more amps & dacs.

Focal Clear pairings pt6: iFi Micro iDSD. Dual Burr Brown PCM1793 equipped DAC/AMP. Pretty good synergy to my ears. Enough weight to the sound, soundstage is ok and tonality is good. Somewhat similar grain/crisp as Chord Mojo but authority is better, likely since the iFi Micro iDSD has more power. Flip the Xbass switch for even more grunt. From what I have read the new iDSD Signature and Diablo are differently tuned than the old Micro iDSD silver, hopefully they play nice with Clears aswell. Still have at least 16 amp pairings to try out, this gonna take a while…

Focal Clear pairings pt7: THX AAA789 + Geek Out V2+ Infinity (ES9018AQ2M DAC). Great clarity and separation but something just sounds off with this combo. It’s like parts of the midrange is sucked out, some sounds and instruments sound really flat and lack weight. A bit weird, enjoyable and not enjoyable at the same time. I think the THX Amp tech just doesn’t pair well with the Clears. Anyway the THX amp is really nice with other headphones, so no worries.

Focal Clear pairings pt8: Chord Hugo. I like this pairing. Instruments have the proper weight and the sound is pleasant. I think 3D and soundstage might be improved with adding additional amplification. Like tubes or a coloured solid-state.

Focal Clear pairings pt9: Chord Hugo + Cavalli Liquid Carbon. Almost instantly when the music started I felt “I might be onto something here”. Instruments and sounds were more 3D and presentation was more live and realistic. Compared to some of the flatter “music pushed into your ears” presentations from previous combos. I think the Liquid Carbon expands the Focal Clear sound like I’ve only heard tubes do before, but its still able to maintain the punch and authority of a solid-state. To my ears this is the best combo for the Clears so far. Let’s see which of my DACs work best with the Clears and Liquid Carbon, more on that later😄

Focal Clear pairings pt10: Chord Hugo + Eddie Current ZDT Jr (Laconic Night Blues Mini). This is the way Another favourite combo. ZDT Jr makes the Clears sing. The sound reminds of the Liquid Carbon but slightly sweeter, less grainy without getting tube mushy or losing dynamics. And then the 3D-ness of tubes, instruments and sounds can be felt rather than just projected from distance, everything I play just sounds so nice. A “just one more tune” moment. It makes me want to turn up the volume and I can play this combo for hours without ear fatigue. Once you hit that tube magic synergy between amp and headphone, life is good. My ZDT Jr is the revised version with steelband wrapped around the main transformer, but it did have some hum issues with the stock tubes, louder in the right channel. Rotating tubes left/right did not help. Tried with some GE 5654W as the front tubes, hum is more or less gone with the Clears! Tried 2nd pair of Voshkods and those are silent as well. Weird that switching left/right did not help but replacing tubes did. Need to investigate more but I’m not a tube doctor. So anyway…amazing amp, no hum, just had bad stock tubes (the smaller Voshkod 6ZH1P ones). Although still some hum with 124db inears, which is expected as it’s the same even with many solid state amps. Let’s see if I can fix it with some additional modding. I have some Woremor WMF-200 shielding which was suggested at some forums.

Focal Clear pairings pt11: HRT Headstreamer. A combined DAC/AMP using Burr Brown PCM1793. Needed some perspective after enjoying the ZDT Jr for a few days. Initially I felt this is surprisingly good with nice dynamics and detail, considering the price (140€) and it’s age. But after a while the Headstreamers limitations start to shine through. Volume is not an issue but compared to previous devices the sound is quite harsh sometimes. Imaging, soundstage, tonality etc is also better on most or probably all of the previous amps/dacs.

To be continued…

[ValentineLuke]

Really nice write up.

I find tubes in general really add that layer oof realism (harmonics) that solid state tend to lack. Focal seem to especially open up when matched with the right tube amp. I’m glad you’re enjoying them.

Cheers.

[Tchoupitoulas]

Great impressions - thank you!

I use my Clear with the MCTH amp and it’s a great pairing. I found the ZDT Jr to make the bass a bit too strong for my tastes but I’m going to go and check out that pairing again this evening!

You may find that the ZDT Jr’s hum has to do with EMI. I have the same revised version as you and it’s dead silent when kept at the right distance from other components.

If placed where the Jot 2 is in this photo, i.e. on the shelf below, my ZDT Jr. hums because of its proximity to the components next to it (an Airist RDAC and the MCTH). So vertical as well as horizontal distance between components can make a difference.

[prfallon69]

Really fab writeup @Hifi_and_Headphones.

[Hifi_and_Headphones]

Thanks guys!

I have done some experimenting trying to reduce the hum on the ZDT Jr. As I wrote earlier replacing the smaller faulty tubes made it almost fully silent on the Focal Clears, up to a level where many wouldn’t care. But it is audible when using IEMs. And as I like problem solving and DIY I went on to see if the hum could be reduced even more.

I have disconnected all cables expect power, moved the unit to reduce any interference from other electronics, even switched between rooms and power outlets (earthed / unearthed). No change.

So I went on to start modifying using Woremor WMF-200: Magnetic Shielding Film for LF and HF Radiation. Inspiration was found on another forums ZDT Jr thread.

• Wrapped WMF-200 around the back output transformers.
• Back output transformers are raised slightly. Unfortunately the cables to the PCB did not have much slack on my device.
• Inside I have tried to shield below the output transformers with WMF-200 and sheets of PVC to keep the WMF-200 in place. Its ugly at the moment using electrical tape. Final solution after testing will hopefully look better.

Caution: This is risky business as the WMF-200 is conductive at the edges. You might ruin your device or create an electrical hazard. You may also electricute yourself as the device can be electrically charged even if you have disconnected the power cable.

Soundwise I think the device is quieter now. Shielding the bottom of the transformers was probably the biggest improvement. Lifting and shielding transformers was really hard to tell if it made a difference. Using the Focal Clear and other headphones the hum is barely audible. With IEMs its still there but I can now even use IEMs on the ZDT Jr. I have started to hear the slight buzz from moving the mouse around on my PC, this could not be heard before. This is USB EMI or ground interference I believe, but solving that will be another topic.

Anyway getting off topic but hopefully this of interest to any Eddie Current ZDT Jr owners, as I think its a great pairing for the Clears. Also the mods do not need to be performed for the ZDT Jr to sound good with Focal Clears.

[Tchoupitoulas]

I’m not sure if it’s possible to get rid of hum altogether with sensitive IEMs out of the ZDT Jr. I’m no EE so I can’t claim to know. From reading threads, I see plenty of folks using the iFi IEMatch with desktop and tube amps. That might be an option for you, although you may not like the effect on the sound of your IEMs.

[generic]

I just installed Dekoni Elite Velour pads on my Clear. Their initial quality is equal or superior to Focal’s factory pads. My ears don’t hear meaningful differences with my everyday listening setup (i.e., Lyr 3). I can’t perform a valid A/B test because my factory pads are worn and flattened. In any case the tonal differences are too minor for me to care. I’ll definitely try other Dekoni pads in the future.

Dekoni Pad Rolling Adventures with the Focal Clear

[generic]

Update: The foam in these Dekoni pads seems to make my Clear less susceptible to this model’s infamous chassis creaking. Is it memory foam? Is it just a function of having new and more resilient foam?

I’ll probably never buy the grossly overpriced and stain-friendly factory pads in the future.

[Tchoupitoulas]

Here’s some potentially good news about replacement pads for the original Clear.

In a post above, @reallyoldcob’s new, replacement pads were of a different thickness to his old, worn-in ones. He and I were concerned that these difference might affect the sound of the headphones. I was also concerned that Drop and its customers had encountered unit variations in Elex pads a year ago (the ones currently on sale are said to be fine). Did all this speak to problems with Focal’s QC (or its supplier’s, if the pads weren’t made in-house)? Did it mean you’d be forking out a bunch of cash for replacement pads that might not, in fact, be exact replacements?

I picked up a new, replacement pair of the original Clear pads a couple of weeks ago. Lo and behold, they’re of a different size to my worn-in pads, which are at least two years old (I purchased my Clear used). In both photos the old pads are on the left:

I realize these aren’t the best photos (and my phone’s camera isn’t exactly perpendicular or perfectly horizontal/vertical to the pads). But I measured the pads and had the same findings, more or less, as @reallyoldcob:

• The old, worn-in pads: the outside thickness of both the pads at the bottom, i.e. where the seam runs across the pad, is 23 mm. (The seam faces down when the pads are on the headphones).
  Both pads’ thickness on the side, i.e. 90 degrees around from the seam and where the pads are the thickest, is 26mm.

• The new replacement pads: not only are the pads different in size to the old worn-in ones but they’re also different to each other at 20 and 22 mm. The thickness at the sides again varies, at 21 and 22 mm. Put another way, that’s a 4-5mm difference in thickness, which would seem to be pretty significant.

The good news is that, in some slapdash A/B blind comparisons, I couldn’t reliably hear differences in the sound of my Clear with these replacement pads vs my old ones.

Admittedly, I don’t have the best hearing - I’m in my mid-40s and have suffered some hearing loss. Also, my testing was far from scientific or rigorous. (My wife indulged me and switched the pads over without me seeing which ones were which). And before deciding to do a blind test, I’d compared the pads and had convinced myself that the new replacement pads were slightly bassier and warmer, and that treble was less well extended with them. When I did the blind A/B comparisons, though, I couldn’t reliably pick out the new vs the old pads; in several tests I did no better than pick them out correctly half of the time.

So, all of this is to say that while the pads are different, physically, to my ears they don’t make for a difference in the sound—at least insofar as I can tell. And all of this, of course, disregards how the aging process of the pads - as the material stretches, flexes, and absorbs moisture - may affect everything, or not.

[rrwwss52]

Dekoni makes a suitable replacement for the Clears. I’m using Elite Sheepskin. I like them.

[Header]

Thanks for this review! I have the Clear OG and Arche. Please let me know your thoughts on this pairing, if possible.

[Hifi_and_Headphones]

Focal Clear pairings pt12: Hegel HD12 + Monolith Cavalli Liquid Platinum (Stock tubes EH 6922)
This one was really difficult as I was expecting a killer combo and was looking forward to musical nirvana. To me its on the level of nice to good but there is no “oh s**t” this plays so well. The sound just doesn’t take off and leave the transducers like I was hoping. Compared to ZDT Jr I am missing some air between instruments and the soundstage is moved to the sides and back of my head, instead of the more 360 front, side and back. The extra power from the LP does not seem to make a difference for the Clears and to me the ZDT Jr and Liquid Carbon sounded more dynamic and weighty.
Need to revisit & compare with the CTH later, as I remember the CTH + Clear was a better pairing to my ears.
I think the LP characteristics are a better match with some of my planars than the Focal Clears. Maybe there is an electrical explanation to this, I dunno.
But I gave the combo 1-2h of Borderlands 2, and that was crazy good to me. Highly immersive, with weight and realism to in-game sounds and music. I felt surrounded and really inside the game. Weirdly different to my experience playing just music from Tidal and Spotify.
Let’s see if future tube rolling on the LP might change things, I don’t have any other 6922 at the moment. So any advice is welcome. But I have some Reflektor 6N23P-EV and Tesla E88CC incoming, hopefully in good shape so I can give the LP another chance with the Clears.
So far this has been a really interesting experience. The Focal Clear is the most revealing headphone I have ever used. After testing the different combinations of amps and DACs it is getting easier to make out the differences. My learning so far is that the Focal Clear is really picky if you want it to sound the best. Because the sound changes a lot depending on your chain.

Focal Clear pairings pt13: LH Labs Geek Out V2+ Infinity
To me the GOV2+ Infinity with the ES9018AQ2M DAC inside sounds very balanced and detailed, without fatigue. No hint of sibilance in the treble like the first Geek Out DAC. Everything sound just right. Its more fuller sounding than some of the previous pairings but it does not have the soundstage, 3D and weight of instruments I am experiencing with ZDT Jr or the Liquid Carbon. Still the stage is there and sounds are coming from different directions, it’s just smaller and not as holographic. But for a portable DAC/AMP I think the AMP part sounds really good.
Compared to Chord Hugo I think the GOV2+ Infinity is smoother with less grain, Hugo is more in the direction of BurrBrown DACs with a meatier sound. Both are really nice driving the Focal Clears, but a bit different sounding. Cant decide yet which one I prefer more of GOV2+ Infinity or Hugo.
GOV2+ Infinity also does o splendid job as DAC only feeding my other amps, and it’s one of my DACs used when testing.
The adapter is a custom built 3.5mm TRRS - XLR from Ebay (China) so the Clears are driven from balanced out. Did not have the patience to solder one myself

Favourite Amps so far for the Focal Clear

1. Eddie Current ZDT Jr (stock front tubes replaced with Voshkod 6ZH1P-EV NOS $24)
2. Cavalli Audio Liquid Carbon
3. Probably… Cavalli Tube Hybrid

Favourite portable DAC/Amps so far for the Focal Clear

1. LH Labs Geek Out V2+ Infinity or Chord Hugo
2. LH Labs Geek Out 450, iFi Micro iDSD Silver or maybe Chord Mojo

To be continued…

[Tchoupitoulas]

Thanks for these impressions - I’m very much enjoying your comparisons here.

Have you considered or tried the Jotunheim 2 with the Clear? I was on a loaner tour for that amp on another forum and what follow are my impressions of that amp vs. the MCTH (via the Massdrop x Airist R2-RDAC):

RDAC—>Jot 2, balanced out—>Clear (vs. MCTH)
The surprise here is that the MCTH doesn’t trail all that far behind the Jot. The Jot 2, though, is superior in several ways:

• It has a blacker background and sounds cleaner
• Macrodynamics and slam are slightly stronger
• Resolution, instrument layering and separation are all better. I wonder if the Jot’s better imaging make its soundstage seem larger (in both width and depth). In other words, the Jot goes a long way towards offsetting one of the Clear’s main weaknesses
• The Jot sounds a bit more refined, by which I mean that its sound is rounder and softer in some ways; it lacks the harder, more crystalline treble of the MCTH
• At the same, time, though, higher frequency strings have more bite than with the MCTH, and cymbals are crisper and cleaner
• My sense is that the treble is smoother, then
• Bass with the Jot 2 seems less prominent than with the MCTH; by contrast, the Jot’s mids sound richer and more prominent
• Overall, the Jot’s a warmer amp

In the MCTH’s favor are its greater bass heft and its less-forward staging. Out of both amps the Clear can be a bit too bright and aggressive, even with the darker RDAC.

And, FWIW, here’s my earlier comparison, on that same forum, of my ZDT Jr. with the MCTH:

The MCTH does justice to many of the Clear’s qualities: the headphones sound nice and open and fairly spacious; they retain their clarity and punchiness; the Clear’s imaging is precise, and instrument separation is distinct. The headphones are also fast. The bass is tight and goes reasonably deep but it’s not all that weighty. Vocals are quite forward. Electric guitars have a good deal of bite and crunch. The highlight for me - as someone in middle age, with some significant hearing loss, and who likes bright headphones (note again that I have the HD 800) - is the pairing’s treble extension, which retains a decent amount of smoothness and coherence even as it also stays airy and sparkly. Taken together, the pairing makes for an exciting, energetic listen, albeit one that can be a bit fatiguing, with the treble at times having a bit of steeliness, if that’s the right word (brittle? glass-like?).

So far, so expected. What was a surprise were the benefits afforded by the ZDT Jr. (from the low Z output). The sound was now thicker and richer, presumably as a consequence of the amp’s tubey character, although perhaps the bassier presentation also tilts the overall frequency response in a warmer direction. The highs didn’t extend as far. Flutes in orchestral music were faint to the point of being imperceptible; cymbals were a bit soft and shimmery. Music came across as more dynamic, though, and with better separation and possibly improved imaging. The stage was deeper but narrower. Layering seemed better. The headphones also sounded more intimate. Best of all: acoustic instruments’ notes had more weight, and the instruments’ timbre improved, as though the music gained more texture. I lack the experience to discern, let alone appreciate microdymamics, plankton, and microdetail, but I was more aware of subtle gradations of volume, and of tiny details in music (Jeff Buckley’s epiglottis wobbling on Hallelujah). Finally, the overall signature became less bright and fatiguing. The Clear were less aggressive.

I’m hoping to find an amp that combines the best qualities of the ZDT Jr. and the MCTH for the Clear.

[rrwwss52]

Is that adapter 4-pin XLR to 3.5, or 4-pin XLR to 2.5 balanced?

[Hifi_and_Headphones]

Thanks and same to you. And I am on a similar path, I want ZDT Jr but just even better… and optimally without having to spend a fortune on tubes.

I actually did read your impressions some while ago as I am considering the Jot2 as a next solid state. But currently I am more in the tube track, I just havent heard SS yet which gives me what tubes can =) On the tube side the Hagerman Tuba and maybe the Feliks stuff seems interesting for my Clears. Whereas a Jot2 would hopefully also play nice with my planars, HD6xx etc. Although I am a bit worried of the Jot2:s high gain, getting loud to early with Clears and other sensitive headphones. As I dont volume adjust from my computer for bitperfect reasons.

Schiit stuff is not that common here in Europe so not much 2nd hand and not easy to try out. I expect this whole Focal Clear synergy search will end in a main tube amp for music and gaming deluxe, then 2nd solid state when I wish to save on tube life.

[Hifi_and_Headphones]

Its actually 4-pin XLR to 3.5mm Balanced (TRRS 4-pin).

GOV2+ Infinity has two 3.5mm jacks, one is 4-pin balanced, with a red plastic cap on. Connecting single ended 3.5mm to that jack might damage the headphones or amp to my understanding. I think one of the reasons for balanced outs being 2.5mm or 4.4mm Pentaconn these days.

[Tchoupitoulas]

@Hifi_and_Headphones

On the tube side the Hagerman Tuba and maybe the Feliks stuff seems interesting for my Clears.

It does seem as though a lot of folks like these amps for the Clear.

@Hifi_and_Headphones

Whereas a Jot2 would hopefully also play nice with my planars, HD6xx etc. Although I am a bit worried of the Jot2:s high gain, getting loud to early with Clears and other sensitive headphones.

Even with high gain, I managed to control the volume with the Jot 2 and the Clear reasonably well. You get more travel, of course, on low gain. The volume pot is actually really nice and makes it fairly easy to turn up the volume to your liking. It’s way better than my MCTH’s volume pot, which is far too easy to turn.

Sorry for the off-topic: I even managed to get decent travel on the volume pot with my Andromeda 2020 IEMs, which are super sensitive. I had to be very careful, of course, and while there was some hum and the noise floor wasn’t the best, I was using the single-ended output, and Jason Stoddard of Schiit Audio has said that the balanced output with IEMs is dead silent. The versatility of the Jot 2 makes it appealing as a second amp, as you suggest, especially as it does seem to work well with planars.

[prfallon69]

Excellent impressions @Hifi_and_Headphones. Great job.

[Seif]

impressoin of Focal Clear coming from Hifiman Ananda after a couple of weeks with the THX 788 monolith:

The good:

• very satisfying amount of detail

• the instrument separation and details is far ahead of the Ananda, images are extremely well defined.

• nothing gets buried by something else, clear wins this one but Ananda was not bad in this regard neither.

• never before have I been able to so easily put my finger on each instrument and be able to follow it all along the recording without losing it, specially symbols sound great and don’t drown in the recording, keep track of symbols way more than in the Ananda.

• in a song where there is a small choir of a few people, you hear them indivisually instead of all being blended together, very touching feeling. (specially noticed in stop making sense, Talking heads)

• image size or “scale” is smaller than Ananda, Ananda feels more like a concert hall vs a studio room with the Clear

• sound stage isn’t as big, especially the “height” and front image, but its deeper on the sides

• comfort is fantastic, cups are smaller than the huge Ananda and feels totally like it’s supposed to be, i don’t miss the headband strap, this “traditional” design works totally fine

• Compared to the Ananda, this has much more satisfying bass, well defined and detailed

• the dynamic punch (not to mix with the bass) is great, the Ananda were too thin sounding, they didn’t move air and didn’t punch you like these do.

The bad:

• Ananda had too much Air in some recordings, the clear has peaks that annoyed me sometimes, specially listening to Miles Davis or John Coltrane. ?

overall thoughts:

I was supposed to keep these for a few weeks until i get my ZMF verité C, now i hope the VC will have an equal level of separation and detail but maybe slightly different tuning? it will be warmer and i think i will like that, i want to listen to miles Davis and be relaxed instead of “pierced”.

I’m not that experienced so i hope I’m being fair to them, they are truly fantastic and taught me that you do get what you pay for, definitely see how this 1500usd pair is a higher tier than the 700usd Ananda
tell me what do you think and maybe what should i expect of my ZMF VC when they arrive ?

[generic]

You are summarizing many “typical” differences between dynamic drivers (Clear) and planar magnetic drivers (Ananda). I will say that the Ananda’s bass, punch, and thickness may improve on a very strong amplifier, while the Clear performs well on weaker amps. Planars want a lot of electrical current. Focal’s products do often indeed ‘explode’ or ‘dissect’ music into its components. Many other models (especially planars) can be diffuse and fuzzy.

@Seif

Ananda had too much Air in some recordings, the clear has peaks that annoyed me sometimes, specially listening to Miles Davis or John Coltrane. ?

You may have heard random high-range spray with the Ananda. Focal’s products can make notes become narrow and precise but piercing.

What amp and DAC are you using? I prefer the Clear on a tube hybrid amp to soften its edges a wee bit.

No comment on the ZMF, as I have no experience.