Focal Clear Review

Ask, and ye shall receive! I got my hands on the Focal Clears and what a headphone they are! Ran through BAL connection from the SMSL SU-8 DAC to the THX AAA 789 amp, through XLR.
Exciting stuff on its way, remember to like, comment, subscribe, and ring that notification bell to be reminded!
--- Featured: ---
** Focal Clear **
- www.amazon.com/Focal-Open-Bac...
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[@rhodey2952]

I have these and I really enjoy them. I think they get better with some time. They also scale really well with better gear. I feel like these and the hd800S trade blows when I compare them. When I compare them, the hd800S is on a darkvoice with some nos tubes and the clear is on a rnhp. The rnhp and clear go really well together. It's a tough decision if you're just keeping one. The hd800S soundstage is fun but the clear seems more 'musical' lol.

[@sYnDaEx]

I got these for my FiiO M15.

[@soulfulfool]

Chuck cant promise I wont drive them SE, definitely gonna check them out SE on my tubes :)

[@intoitreviews]

I just can't get over Focal timbre in the end. I'll have an Elex review myself coming up next. Focals can be over-driven kind of easily so balanced can worsen that depending on the amp.

[@Neutralears]

i will be waiting for it :)

[@chuckolatte600]

Nice! Should be good to hear your opinions as well!

[@IPforster]

Thank you for another honest review. I believe it's much better overall than "z reviews" in terms of non-scientific subjective opinion. Can't wait to see your next comparison video.

[@chuckolatte600]

Thanks! You'll definitely want to stick around for that. Trust me...

[@divinecurrent9053]

I wonder if the mystery headphone is the Sundara. I'm thinking of picking a pair up to compare to my Elex. But it sounds like to me the Clear may not be really worth it over the Elex. Nice review as always!

[@arthurhaywood2184]

I also have the Elex & spent a little bit of time recently listening to the Clear. For me the answer is NO, not worth upgrading.

[@divinecurrent9053]

@@arthurhaywood2184 I figured they wouldn't be. Considering they use basically the same pads and similar aluminum-magnesium drivers with only a different voice coil.

[@EmotionalSupportGobies]

Personally, I like the look of the Clear Professionals. The only difference between the models is color and what is included in the accessory box. You get a cable designed more for an audio engineer (coiled) and a pair of pads. No balanced xlr. If you plan to pick up some other cables, which you should, the Clear Professionals would be the better value with the pads, but if you're spending this much on a pair of headphones where the only difference is color and accessory choice, pick the color you like best. Important side note, the reason the inclusion of extra pads is an actual plus is because they're a near perfect pairing. No need to swap them.

[@soulfulfool]

I like the looks of pro's very much but couldnt find any used pair on market, so I did order silver version in a good price regardless the looks of it, when they are on my head I cant see them anyways

[@user-eb5ri3nf9d]

I have the focal clear worth upgrading to focal mg?

[@soulfulfool]

not really unless you want them to look better

[@MRFUTURETECHNOLOGYGAMING]

The focal clear professional looks better than the regular clear

[@SugaFree2387]

I got the Elex, I really wonder if I should upgrade to these.

[@JDS_im]

Judging by the comment, you don't quite seem to be satisfied with the Elex? You won't be satisfied with the Clear either if the Elex doesn't do it for you. Many people (including myself) are just thrown off by the weird metallic treble character and the inability to be pushed to loud volume levels comfortably. If you want something that sounds supremely organic and natural in tone/timbre, consider a ZMF Auteur. If you want to get something with clean, deep bass, get a HiFiMAN Arya. Those are the only 2 headphones I've heard in the $500-2000 range that I could really recommend.

[@SugaFree2387]

@@JDS_im Idk Elex is one of those headphones that are just kinda....Too good? Like i respect the dynamic capabilities of them, but i cant really consider them a pleasure to listen to. Yeah you get detail, amazing bass for a dynamic, and that speaker like feeling, but its the way they control their dynamics, where some part of songs/games/movies are super quiet and then out of no where you ears are getting blasted. I just constantly feel myself regulating the volume knob on my amp, where as the HD600 (My favourites), you just find that perfect volume you like and thats it, they just deliver greatness to your ears.

[@JDS_im]

​@@SugaFree2387 Mate, you nailed it. Focals have an imo unpleasantly vast dynamic range, which is always preached to be what everyone should want if you're an actual audiophile. But that dynamic range is what keeps your hands within reach of your volume knob, and you can't listen at a reasonable volume without inevitably getting struck by fucking lightning from those annoying ass dynamic peaks. It's not a desirable characteristic for anything but highly dynamic recordings, and it's a constant struggle for everything else. If you have the ability to spend some top dollar for truly spectacular headphones with a well-controlled dynamic range that allows you to get exactly that, leaving your volume knob alone and being completely fine, consider checking out the Meze Empyrean. I don't say it lightly, but they are absolutely worth every penny.

[@SugaFree2387]

@@JDS_im Thank you, ill look into them

[@rhodey2952]

SugaFree no need to upgrade to the clear unless you have a better amp that the clear can benefit from. If you have a pretty good amp, something in the $500 and up range then the clear will start to pull away from the elex. The clear scales really well. I've heard this from multiple people who have owned both and have pretty good gear. If you enjoy your elex and aren't looking to upgrade your amp yet, then enjoy the elex.

[@chuckolatte600]

Just an FYI, the Patreon is now live! I will not force anybody to donate, but I thank you for doing so nonetheless. Let me know what you think about the tiers and the rewards. Thanks! Patreon link: www.patreon.com/user?u=31412837

[@Neutralears]

vs hd600 please

[@chuckolatte600]

;)

[@Neutralears]

@@chuckolatte600 i know whats coming some estats right haha

[@chuckolatte600]

@@Neutralears honestly, not sure about estats atm, kinda wanna explore more of the dynamic/planar territory for a while...

[@Neutralears]

@@chuckolatte600 hmm i tot u mention that you were getting the koss haha guess i was wrong! I really love your reviews they are spot on!

[@chuckolatte600]

@@Neutralears I got some budget koss (Porta Pro and KPH30i) Thanks!

[@rhodey2952]

I think some of the metallic(ness) youre hearing is from the thx. It's a pretty sterile sound. And the SE on the thx isn't great so that's why you see the difference. SE is fine when you're using a solid amp and the SE is implemented right.

[@JDS_im]

SE on the THX clips when the DAC input exceeds 3.5V. When you use balanced DAC inputs at max volume, and use SE output, you get a clipped output. Either use unbalanced DAC input, or lower your DAC volume when using balanced DAC input to SE out. And no the Clear really does have a metallic treble timbre. Nothing to do with the amp.

[@rhodey2952]

J S it may have a more metallic sound than something like a zmf or even hd600 series , sure. But using the thx, which has a pretty sterile sound doesn't help. Probably making it worse. And regardless the SE on the 789 isn't the main focus in that amp. Again, it's how it's implemented. A decent amp with the SE implemented correctly can sound better than something like the 789's balanced output.

[@JDS_im]

​@@rhodey2952 You're right, SE vs balanced by themselves don't dictate the sound that comes out. It's about the amp itself. Point is that there is no audible difference between the SE and balanced outputs from the 789 when you don't clip the amp through SE. People are wrongfully misguided to think they absolutely need a balanced amp to get something worthy of being called "HiFi", because those who keep saying that there are huge differences between the SE and BAL outputs of the THX amps when in reality they're just clipping their amps on SE. It's not a poor/faulty implementation by THX, it's a user error. Imo it shouldn't be the goal to fix things about sonic characteristics of a headphone through the source hardware. Tubes can add a very pleasant warmth and smoothness to the overall sound, but the goal is to complement the headphones, not fix them. The THX amps are about as good as it gets for

[@rhodey2952]

J S well thats obvious if you don't like a headphone a amp won't fix that. But amp pairing is a thing and for example I wouldn't recommend the hd800S on the 789 but they're ok on a warmer sounding ss. But you obviously want them on a tube. Same with the Verite. I also wouldn't use a dt1990 on the 789. The 789 doesn't do a harsher sounding headphone like the dt1990 any favors. I just think the thx aaa amps are overhyped. I had one and thought it was great until I started hearing other options. Your brain gets burned in with the sterile sound and you get use to it. And people get wrapped into this balanced or nothing idea. Once you try something with more body and that can create depth to the music it gets better. There are other amps out there that are more musical/enjoyable. Sure maybe they don't measure as well but you don't hear the numbers. Shit, there are people that like the geshelli archel 2.5 over the 789. There are people liking the schiit asgard 3 more too. It's all preference and to each their own. All I'm saying is the thx 789 doesn't help with a brighter>more clinical sounding headphone. And yes you get what I'm saying. Me referencing the SE vs balanced isn't in regards to just the 789. What I'm saying is balanced doenst automatically make an amp better. There are balanced amps with the balanced output as the main focus (jotunhiem for example) and i wouldnt pick it over a good SE option.

[@JDS_im]

@@rhodey2952 I'll never deny the benefits of amp pairing. It's just a slippery slope when people purchase headphones they aren't completely okay with and then believe that the right amp pairing can really fix them. I own a Meze Empyrean myself, which I've found to sound at its absolute best when paired with an AudioValve Solaris. Sounds absolutely fantastic with a 789, Hugo2, FiiO M11 Pro as well, but the tube magic of the Solaris is simply undeniable. So no, you don't need to convince me about the audibility of numerical values. Still, the 789 is my baseline reference amp, for whenever I want to hear nothing but just the headphones themselves.

[@NotOrdinaryInGames]

Non-removable headband means it's DIY/mods, or nothing. So DIY/mods it is.

[@chuckolatte600]

I mean, the vast majority of people find the Focals' design to be quite comfortable. I just happen to not be one of those people lol

[@NotOrdinaryInGames]

@@chuckolatte600 Well, I don't care if it's not pure comfort. I just know headbands WEAR OUT, and I will have to contact a 3rd party for some sort of replacement.

[@gabsriel]

Such problems at this price point ? It's a NO

[@chuckolatte600]

Well, no HP is perfect and I think its "problems" are more "quirks", not real ISSUES, you get me?

[@gabsriel]

@@chuckolatte600 yes I understand. I have no problem or quirks with my PM3. I hade issues with Hifiman and MrSpeakers. I have a black list, but I also have a white list !

[@JDS_im]

@@chuckolatte600 It's hard to say any headphone is perfect, but truthfully the Clear has more quirks than Sennheiser's 6x0 series. That's unacceptable imo. ZMF Auteur is one I'd suggest for you to get your hands on. That's the real upgrade over the 6x0 Sennheisers, without any of these quirks.

[@RaiseYourFamily]

You have to change the cable....problem is with Focal cable....

[@chuckolatte600]

@@JDS_im Interesting....