You’re quite welcome, Lee.
I’m glad the pads give you what you are looking for. It’s always good to hear a success story, especially when you get it on the first shot!
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Thanks very much for your excellent advice and practical insights. Based on them I just placed an order for a Forma Noir HPC MkII for my Focal Clear–to give it more warmth and weight/body.
Your thought on “traditional wisdom” and “TOTL Copper” were really, really helpful so order a Noir HPC MlI for my Mr Speakers Alpha Prime and Ether Cx–likewise for more warmth and weight.
I agree with you completely re your recommendation of Forza. I have their Noir Hybrid for my ZMF Auteur and their Noir HPC MkII for my ZMF Aeolus -culdn’t be happier with how they’ve improved the sound of both heaphones vs the stock ZMF cables.
I love everything about the Forza cables and know of no one who comes close to matching their value.
Thanks again for your help…Lee
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Hi folks,
I just got a set of the Clears (“OG”) for an outstanding price, and I’m really, really happy with them.
I’d like to ask folks about cables for my use-case. The DAC/amplifier that I’m currently using is my first, the one and only Chord Mojo! I love it for desktop simultaneous play/charge use, and don’t intend to upgrade to a new DAC and amplification setup for some time. However, my first order of business is finding a new cable that is both supple/flexible and affordable in 10-foot-or-more length (to be able to lounge in my chair or in bed without having to move the iPad/Mojo station).
As many know, though, the Mojo’s output is not balanced. I’m still new, but from what I gather, this would render it incompatible with balanced cables? I like the Hart Audio cables for the price – however, in this case, the HC-9 appears to be the compatible cable for Focal Clears, and it is advertised in particular as a balanced cable. Any suggestions for how to proceed? (I also have a vague sense that perhaps this can be circumvented by using the Mojo’s line out, but I may be mistaken.)
Hart Audio cables seem to be the choice for many, and their prices are great. But for use with the Chord’s unbalanced 3.5mm outputs, am I limited to searching elsewhere for my cable(s)?
edit: Bear in mind that I am on a budget and not looking for ‘jewelry’ category cables – just a quality cable that works, and can be ordered in larger lengths for freedom around my room.
@Tchoupitoulas mentioned on my thread over at HF that the Hart Cables are extremely flexible in use,
Replacement, after-market cables are easy to find, though. I like Hart Audio cables, which are nice and supple and relatively inexpensive.
- (A key thing to know about the Hart cables is that you have to buy the headphones cable and then separate interconnects. It sounds complicated but is, in fact, a clever system: the headphone cables terminate to a female 4-pin mini-XLR; these you then plug into the correct interconnects you’ll need to plug into your source. The advantage of this system is that you can buy one cable and multiple interconnects for balanced or single-ended sources of different sizes or configurations, see here).
and so my question is, given some of my reading, are their cables – used conjunctively with various interconnects – actually capable of handling the Mojo → Clears chain?
Thanks so much, cheers.
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Double check with Hart (their customer service is really good, and I often tell them what I’m going to connect the cables to, and let them tell me which cable I need) but based on cables I’ve bought in the past for my Focal Stellia, I believe you’ll need an HC-9 for your Clears and an IC-2 for the Mojo’s 3.5mm output.
I believe their description of ‘balanced’ on their website just means that you can use the cable for balanced if you so choose. A balanced cable can also be used for single-ended.
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Thanks a lot, I think I’ve mostly gotten it sorted. Balanced cables shouldn’t be an issue, I’m glad to have learned. I love the modular cables on my Dunu SA6’s, so I’m going to go for Hart. I love that an IC-7 can be added in between the IC-2 and HC-9 for as much length as I’d like.
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You can also order any of the cables in a custom length.
I’ve tried, but their custom order inquiry system has a barrier of entry in that I cannot … enter an inquiry. 
That’s funny, I took a look at their custom order request page and I agree, I don’t see any way of submitting a request. 
I’d recommend sending an email to customshop@hartaudiocables.com or contact@hartaudiocables.com instead.
Edit: after reading the blurb on their custom order page, it looks like they can only handle a certain number of custom requests each day (which is understandable since they are a small shop) and then the request page shuts itself down after a certain number of requests have been submitted.
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Yeah, it doesn’t seem ideally organized, and perhaps operationally stretched in addition to that. I reached out – thanks for those email address suggestions.
In my usual budget-straddling acquisition manner, I found a fella willing to sell me an HC-9 and IC-2 together for $40 shipped. Now I can wait to hear back from Hart on adding a extra length – unless, of course, an extended IC-7 pops up on the used market. 
I love my Clear OG headphones, except that I wish they had more bass extension (but I don’t want pounding, overemphasized bass, just more extension). Can anyone recommend some headphones (nost costing $6000) that are like the OGs but with more bass extension?
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Have you tried simply adding a bass shelf or an EQ filter using Peace EQ to provide the desired bass extension? It’s a free “fix.”
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You could also try some pad changes to your Clear with one of the Dekoni pad options. @resolve goes into them in depth on headphones.com. I have the perforated leather ones on mine which are very nice and give a small amount of bass boost, and tame some of the treble peaks a bit. Plus they are very comfy and don’t show dirt like the factory pads. The solid leather pads would definitely boost low end, but I’ve never used them personally. You should read this though https://www.headphones.com/community/reviews-learning-and-news/dekoni-pad-rolling-adventures-with-the-focal-clear
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I tried the Dekoni pads that @resolve mentioned. I liked that there was MORE bass, but after two days it seemed to me that the bass was muddy and overbearing, so I returned the Dekoni pads.
Would the headphone with more bass extension replace the Clears or complement them?
If the former, I’m struggling to think of an open-back dynamic driver headphone that is like the Clear but with more sub-bass (sub-bass roll-off is a property of dynamic drivers in open back headphones). If you aren’t opposed to closed backs, then the Focal Celeste, Radiance and Stellia all have more sub-bass extension than the Clear.
If the latter, a planar magnetic headphone would seem to be the way to go, as they tend to have much more linear bass extension than dynamic drivers, but may not have the other properties of the Clear that you like. Although I haven’t heard them, the Hifiman HE6se V2 (often on sale at Adorama for $699) have good bass extension, and are dynamic and impactful by planar magnetic standards.
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Thanks for your response. I’ll I’ll keep an eye out for the HE6se V2 if you can assure me that it doesn’t have that distortion. Will a THX Drop 789 amp be powerful enough for these?
No problem. Probably worth reading the HE6se thread here. Lots of sound impressions, frequency response graphs, and feedback on amp pairings there.
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A post was merged into an existing topic: General purchase advice: Ask your questions/for advice here!
Small update. Got the Hagerman Tuba now. Started with the stock re-issue Mullard EL84, then replaced with some NOS EL84. Big difference for the better. Stock tubes with Focal Clear was meh. Tuba + NOS Tubes + Focal Clear is really really good.
When time allows I’ll put in the hours needed and compare to ZDT Jr, Liquid Carbon and Liquid Platinum with some repladement 6922 and NOS 12AU7.
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I like the Tuba a lot (with a tube swap), but it wasn’t my favorite pairing with the Focals.
But I feel that way about the Focals and most tube amps.
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And the million dollar question. What is your favourite pairing with the Focal Clear? 