You might try the Ultimate Ears FITS or one of their higher end custom IEMS. At under $200, they have BT5 connectivity, and an app that lets you EQ them. I only suggest this because they are quite comfortable, and mold themselves to your ears.
I did an impression of them here:
Another option is eartune fidelity. It’s a custom tip that is molded to both your iem and your ear. They basically turn a universal iem into a custom iem.
I didn’t do it because they didn’t have the Zen available without me sending it in. And my canal on the right side is funky in such a way that some places aren’t confident in customs for me.
But, if they already support your iem, it’s likely worth it. I would do it if they get the zen as an option.
The link just seems to take me to a search page on Reddit. What models are you referring to?
(And welcome to the forum!)
Hello, I’m very fresh to audiophile things and was debating purchasing a focal
Clear but I am having so much trouble finding a good amp/DAC combo.
If anyone who knows could list a budget friendly combo around the 700-1k$ range. Just using them for music and gaming.
@Marcos_Luna Can you tell us what country (or continent) you live in? That will help us figure out what’s easily available for you.
For the Focal Clear you don’t need a lot of power so every entry level priced DAC/amp combo will serve you well.
JDS Atom, Schiit Hell or Magni+Modi, even an AudioQuest Dragonfly Red if you want something very small and portable will give you good quality listening.
Since you wrote you’ll use it for music and gaming I believe Atom and Hell will be the best for you.
If you’d like something a little nicer than the Hel2, you might want to look at the Burson Playmate 2 as well.
I own the original silver/gray Clear and use it heavily.
While the Clear performs pretty well on an ordinary notebook PC, phone, or tablet, it delivers better performance with a DAC/amp combo in your price range.
I’m currently using the Schiit Lyr 3 tube hybrid amp ($500) and a RebelAmp ($500). I like and recommend both. Your choice should follow from your usage style and personal desires. The Lyr 3 allows you to tweak its tone by swapping tubes (optional; e.g., warmer, brighter, etc.), while the RebelAmp is a well-rounded, defined, and smooth solid state amp. The Lyr 3 will require warm-up time and more care than a solid state model.
There are many DACs in your budget too. People often start with an AKM 4490 or 4493 chipset. Common examples include the Schiit Modi ($100) or Modius ($200), the Topping E30 ($150), etc.
I’m from the United States
Thanks. It’s a standard question I ask when the OP doesn’t include their location in their summary, because I’ve seen too often that they get a lot of “Schitty” recommendations and then finally say “that’s great but I live in Norway”.
If you want something cheap but a good foundation for the future, then I’d recommend the Schiit Asgard 3, in addition to the above recommendations. My son uses it for gaming and music, and I personally loved it when I plugged it into my system. He uses the built in Multibit DAC, which is great value if you want to keep the cost down for now, and you can always buy a separate DAC later. @SenyorC just wrote a really good review of it.
Would the schiit magnums and modius be enough?
More than enough for your current needs be confident. Clears are very efficient and you will let the volume know very low with them.
When I had the Magnius / Modius stack, it was very clean and analytical, which may be to much with your clears depending on your preference.
It’s certainly a great place to start, and while you might want to move to a hybrid tube amp or rebel class a amp later, it will be a while before you need to upgrade the dac.
Yes. I would personally stay far, far, far away from analytical amps with the Clear. This includes the Drop THX AAA 789, other THX amps, many Topping amps, and probably the Magnius too. However, some reviews say the Magnius doesn’t suffer from the same edginess as the others. I have no personal experience with it.
The Clear is very, very clear and communicates all sort of dust, needles, and flaws on an analytical amp.
Do you think a Bifrost 2/Asgard 3 combo is a little too lopsided in favor of the DAC?
When I had my son’s A3 in my system, I thought that combo was magical. I don’t have a Clear, but used a Stellia and Verite with great success.
Edit: Just mentioning it because the total cost falls under @Marcos_Luna’s $1K budget, and the DAC will scale well if he decides to buy other amps.
I can’t say. I didn’t mention the Bifrost 2 initially per its $700 price given a $700 to $1K total budget. I’m thoroughly smitten by the RebelAmp now and have a hard time pulling myself away or recommending other solid state amps in this price category. Until a couple weeks ago I may have recommended the Lyr 3 or Jotunheim ($400).
That’s how I feel about the Burson Soloist. As much as I liked my other solid state/hybrid amps (Lyr 3, Jot 2), I found that I never used them any more, and I gravitate towards the Soloist 100% of the time I don’t feel like tubes.
I believe that Burson has a house sound (clean and natural without sounding analytical), so the Burson Playmate 2 (recommended by @mfadio) is definitely a contender, assuming it sounds like a “baby Soloist”.
I wish someone would do a RebelAmp vs Burson comparison, because I’m curious if they share similar qualities, given that they’re both Class A.
What do you think the Rebel amp does better than the Jot2?
I have limited experience with the Jot 2 and have done no back-to-back testing so I won’t comment. This Head-Fi thread does compare the two – differences in stage versus bass/slam (see the 2nd page):
Edit: I’m just getting started with detailed back-to-back testing against my Lyr 3. It doesn’t have the same dynamics or blackness. The details are not as localized and the stage isn’t as big.
How often do you find yourself not listening to tubes or just need a break once in a while? Other than the Nautilus being a little personal heater, I could see that being a reason to take a break but not much more than that.