Focal Clear

Or maybe they are a small shop (or not but don't have the personal and/or will to do the work). Maybe they had to deal with 6, or 5, or 4 warranty claims, which was 3 more than they were prepared for, or did not like how Focal dealt with them on this matter or others are are now dropping words like "massive" a little to easily....just sayin.

 

@chakku I got a good price on a Clear from TSAV. @netforce checked out my unit for me to make sure there were no issues out of the box. I'd have to go through them if I had any warranty issues, which would be a pain, dealing with shipping across the Pacific. But if you can find a reasonably priced forwarding service to NZ, the cost savings might make it worth the "risk". Plus it seems like you can't buy one locally anyway ...?

 

Appreciate the offer, with the new laws in place it would have to be a really low price for forwarding (+ the inevitable customs fees/taxes) for it to work out competitively I think, could be wrong though. There is one store locally that lists it on their site however it is a sister company for an Australian counterpart that recently set up shop in NZ and seems to have a lot of placeholder items from the copy-pasted website.. Next time I head over to AU I'll probably pick up a pair there and see if the NZ side could handle any potential warranty issues as that previous supplier noted everything was handled through AU anyway.

 

On the topic of distributors and returns - I returned my pair to the local distributor, who sent them back to France. Was curios to see if my pair had a particularly severe clipping issue and if I would get "lucky" with another pair.

Been waiting for 3 months now... called the local distributor twice and the person responsible for handling in-warranty returns said he's been in this business for some 25 years now and the French have always been the absolute worst to deal with when it comes to response times, returns, deliveries, etc. Just FYI but yeah..

 

First impressions of the Focal Clear (Pro edition, probably just color/packaging differences, but not sure, was only 999 new so bit the bullet).

Context: Tested it for a week out of my MBP16, PC (MSI Z370-A Pro), GSX1000, Modi 3 > Magni 3+. I currently have the HD650 (2017).

Out of the PC and GSX1000, the Clear sounded unbearable for some reason. I get really fatigued after 5-10 minutes of listening. Out of the MBP16 they sound more reasonable, but also still hot. Out of the Modi/Magni they sound much better. Could be burn in (brain + driver), will see if this changes down the line.

Comfort is worse for me than the 650, because I have a big head :/ and the headband results in a hotspot on the top of my head after an hour or two. Not bad, but could be better with some comfort mods.

The short cable on the Pro edition is too stiff and microphonic. The long cable is coiled and softer, but it's also more in the way cos it's thicc and bouncy.

Sound wise I agree with most of what's been posted, so just some additional observations:

• Bass is in line with what most people said, but really still feels like a dynamic driver bass. Texture could be better, but impressive speed and quantity given this is an open back headphone.
• Midrange is warm, but not as effortless and smooth as the 650 - reminds me a little of the 58x.
• Treble is well extended and relatively smooth for the amount of information provided, but something it feels like TMI - the 650 really spoilt me with regards to providing just enough detail but not too much to overwhelm you. Since I'm coming from the 650 I'm still getting used to it.
• The Clears have small mid-treble bump as opposed to the 650's lower-treble bump.
• Even at low volume listening I feel like I'm forced to engage with the music/sound.
• It accentuates source graininess/character more - I never felt bad with various sources with the 650.
• In many senses, I feel like it's a super 58x than a super 650.
• Mid-treble and timbre reminds me of the Hifiman HE-5/6 (from memory; didn't try any more recent Hifimans).

Most likely keeping this, alongside the 650.
The Clears are better at all the technical things - speed, detail, resolution, good tonality, but more than ever I am amazed at the 650. The 650 is really great for laid back, background listening, and has the right balance to turn up the volume for emotional engagement.

Let's see after another week/month/year.

 

Please try this EQ, I found the treble of the Utopia irritating in stock form but a bit of EQ did wonders for me.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hqb9zjsvc2nu5zc/Focal Clear.pdf?dl=0

Don't use the low shelf for the bass if you don't want to. Let me know if this helps.

 

I agree with it being closer to the HD580 than the HD650. I've used it with the GSX1000 for games and It's never sounded unbearable to me.

 

My initial experience was similar. I'd heard them before, but when I got mine they were super bright. A circle of foam held on by @Hands Elear foam mod using adhesive backed velcro does the trick for me. Elex pads help tame the highs a bit too.

Wedges of foam on either side of the central hotspot held in place by a knitted headband protector (no longer available on Amazon) make them super comfy.

 

After another week or so of daily listening, I still find listening out of the Mac and PC slightly annoying. There's some flat/hardness/brittleness in the upper mids/lower treble. Similar characteristic in the Vali 2+, but not the Magni 3+. Not super sure how to describe this adequately.

Otherwise, out of the Magni 3+, I've been putting this on for hours each day, and the weight is better distributed now on the top of my head - likely just me getting used to it. The HD650 is still far more comfortable though.

The Doom (2016) soundtrack is excellent on the Clears

 

@ksat90 Switching DACs fixed the Clears for me, which I initially did not like for similar reasons. So I wouldn't discount the upstream as being part or all of the problem. I suspect moving to Unision USB on the new DAC had something to do with it.

 

I also found switching to a warmer high quality DAC helped, but a different amp helped more. To my 55 YO ears Focals have a metallic quality to the sound with some amps.

 

It's decent with the Modi 3/Magni 3+ stack. The next would probably be either testing the Modi MB, or Unison+Multibit like the Bifrost and smooth sounding amp like the Asgard. But I'm happy for now, and that's good.

FWIW I think the Clears are still more forgiving than other kilobuck headphones I've tried (HD800, HE-6, Z1R). Also those were before I got into speakers + HD650, both of which scale with better gear but aren't as wonky with non-ideal gear, so it's likely I've become more sensitive over time.

If anyone asks if they should get the Clear as a first buy without other supporting equipment, I'd say the HD580/600/650 is a better bet.

Thanks @gixxerwimp gonna try this next, also try some dekoni pads.

 

Just wanted to write up some impressions I had on the Clear. I don't have these anymore, so all these notes were taken from when I did have them.

Chain:
Yggdrasil GS > DNA Starlett/EC BW2 > Focal Clear

Build:
Just to touch on the build, I think they are beautifully made. I actually had the Clear and Utopia here at the same time, and I think that the Clear are more elegant than the Utopia. The color is beautiful, and just the product design is well done. I have always loved the way Focals have looked.

One gripe would be the alcantara. I know it feels nice, and looks pretty, but I get really paranoid about the discoloring from oils from my hair and face. I really wish there was a good way of cleaning it, but I ended up buying one of those pretty grey knit headband covers. Not ideal, but better than getting the headband dirty.

Sound:
I found the sound enjoyable. I think it does alot right, and really is a great headphone for someone who wants something that does alot right, but doesn't excel in any one area. I think that the Clear is a punchy, dynamic headphone, that has a really nice bass texture and dynamics. Sure, it won't beat out the ESX900, but for what it is, it really does well.

Vocals and mids are probably one of the stand outs of the headphone. Coming from the Verite, these vocals felt very intimate and forward in the mix, which I liked.

Treble energy was interesting, it wasn't bright but the treble did feel a bit peaky in some areas. I wouldn't say these are a bright can, rather it does have treble energy. I think the peakiness does affect some genres of music.

Soundstage is standard Focal, its pretty intimate, but I think it plays well to this headphone. One thing that is instantly noticeable though on these versus the other headphones I had here to compare to, Utopia, Verite, Nectar Hive, is the speed. Its easy to see that these are slower and not as quick as those 3. Some of the more busy passages of music can sound a bit congested, which isn't a problem on those other 3. While this isn't a problem normally, if you have very fast headphones around, it will be something you notice.

Pairing with the DNA Starlett was a good pairing, but I actually preferred pairing it with the EC Black Widow 2. I found it more punchy and the warmness helped with the treble peakiness.

I think this headphone is also great for pairing with any type of music quality. It can sound great with just normal standard okay mixed music, and it can sound great with "audiophile" type of music. Really a great all rounder, and a great upgrade from mid-fi level gear if you are trying to find your way into the more higher end of the hobby.

 

In addition the BW2 did more for the Clears head stage than the Starlett in my experience. Not by a country mile, but noticeable.

 

With regards to the headband issue I wear a Kufi when I use my clears , it is the small hat Muslim men wear .

 

Another headband option for the Clears is this one. Fits perfectly and matches the stock colour.

 

A new Focal will be unveiled at the 28th of this month on the Headphone Show YT channel.


A little bit of teaser.



As @Resolve said, it's not a reskinned Focal Radiance so my guess it would be a closed back Clear?. I hope so!!.

EDIT: I just read his pinned comment, it's seems a closed back Utopia .

2nd EDIT: Never mind, he deleted his pinned comment. So the closed back Clear hype IS BACK BABY!!!.

 

The comments to that video appeared to be nothing but guesswork/speculation, some folks claiming they saw an "aluminum" driver but I could not tell how they saw that from the video...maybe some of them have had it in hand already??

In any case my taxonomy of Focal HP's already has a closed back Utopia in it, the Stellia. If it is a closed back beryllium driver HP, then I think of it as Stellia v2. Of course, what do I know

 

See the 2nd edit.

Yeah it seems unlikely to have a higher end model above the Stellia but Focal usually name their lower flagship speakers as Stellia so maybe I am wrong and it is a closed Utopia!?.

 

Focal Celestee - a more "portable" closed-back. Alu/Mag driver, similar to Clear. $990. Not interested.