[qrtas]

Hahaha feel better now? Disagree all you like. It is what it is.

What kind of reply was this. I don’t get it.

I totally understand @vrln point.

I already have my Clear, but If I didn’t, I would be considering the professional as well, before I invest my money.

 

[uelover]

I have ordered a shorter UPOCC cable and I hope that it will improve upon the OFC stock cable.

I should have it by next week.

 

[uelover]

I already have my Clear, but If I didn’t, I would be considering the professional as well, before I invest my money.

I was considering the Clear Professional as well when I saw the leak. The thing is, I’m not sure:

1) How accurate is the leak
2) When the Clear Professional (if it’s true) will be available
3) How much will it be
4) Whether I would like the sound

I could still return my Clear and wait it out for the uncertainty. But I do enjoy the Clear so much right now that I’m relunctant to go back to the waiting list.

 

[qrtas]

I have ordered a shorter UPOCC cable and I hope that it will improve upon the OFC stock cable.

I should have it by next week.

I’d love to hear your impressions.
I have a UPOCC cable from my Lcd3 that I was planning to sell, but I might get the connectors replaced and use it for the clear.

 

[swmtnbiker]

Any Focal dealers who are open to negotiating the price? I'm looking for a 15% discount (vs a 30% discount that will become common in a year).

Thanks.

If you're looking for a discount at this point in time, about the only option you have is to buy used. *If* you can find a used pair that is.

 

[MarkF786]

I remember when the Elear came out and they were all the rage (even more than the Clear). I'll still managed to get 10% off when I purchased them in the first month

 

[swmtnbiker]

Good luck with that.

 

[TSAVJason]

Perhaps you could try addressing my points instead?

I'm not bashing the Clears, merely being critical of their ergonomic design and pointing out that if one shares these concerns or is curious about any tuning changes it's currently worth waiting and comparing the two before deciding. Just like trying the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro is a good (I would say almost essential if it's possible where you live) idea before buying the Amiron Home.

Especially at times when hype is at its max it's important to not get too carried away with it. The fact I'm still likely to buy them despite this (to my head shape) flaw speaks volumes of how much I appreciate their sound quality. Now of course for others with different head sizes this issue might not be an issue at all, but just by reading through this thread it's pretty obvious I'm not the only one with these concerns. Fact is that 450 grams is heavy for a dynamic design - there are even a lot of lighter planar magnetics out there and weight is usually one of the main drawbacks of that technology.

Look, I understand it's not ideal for business that the Clear Professionals got leaked. Nor can Focal be happy about it, but from a consumer perspective it absolutely has an effect on things. The ideal way to deal with this situation now would be if Focal would just make it official and provide a list of the adjustments along with measurements on how the new tuning differs (if it does in the first place).

Oh and this isn't unique to Focal at all. If anyone tries the HD 800 S now and has some concerns on the bass quantity/tonality, I'd suggest the same thing concerning the HD 820 if one can afford them. It's very possible those issues may have been addressed to some degree in the new model. Better to wait and make a more informed buying decision.

I appreciate the thoughts and opinions. I didn’t mean to come across with disrepect either. I just have no interest in making assumptions or conclusions on a product Focal says is not for this market and I think that what NOMAX did was not cool even though it doesn’t affect me in any way. If you’ve read any of my posts, I never tell people their impressions are wrong. Occasionally I may ask about their impressions to try to understand their impressions.

 

[donlin]

I appreciate the thoughts and opinions. I didn’t mean to come across with disrepect either. I just have no interest in making assumptions or conclusions on a product Focal says is not for this market and I think that what NOMAX did was not cool even though it doesn’t affect me in any way. If you’ve read any of my posts, I never tell people their impressions are wrong. Occasionally I may ask about their impressions to try to understand their impressions.

Don’t worry about your response. As I’ve already learned, there are some humorless, sensitive people on this thread.

 

[dontfeedphils]

Hahaha feel better now? Disagree all you like. It is what it is.

Sometimes you're a wealth of information, and sometimes you come off as quite juvenile and immature.

Why was that response necessary?

 

[dontfeedphils]

Don’t worry about your response. As I’ve already learned, there are some humorless, sensitive people on this thread.

Has nothing to do with humor, it was just unnecessary and immature.

 

[donlin]

Has nothing to do with humor, it was just unnecessary and immature.

Thanks.

 

[franz12]

I have to respectfully disagree on this. A lot of pro audio gear (both electronics and headphones) are quite popular among audiophiles. Just look at Lake People, Benchmark and Beyerdynamic for example. The DT 1770 and 1990 pro are both perhaps even more popular among audiophiles than the Amiron. Not everyone enjoys the usually more mellow consumer tuning plus pro audio gear is often better value for money as well (lower margins vs. consumer gear).

Also speaking as someone who is very likely to buy the Clears (not sure yet which variant), there are some obvious ergonomics issues for my head shape/size in the Focal high end lineup. My take: brilliant sound, but they have a lot to learn from Sennheiser in particular when it comes to ergonomics design.

A weight of 450 grams for a dynamic headphone to me is downright questionable. Focal cables are quite heavy too. I don't use headphones for 30 minutes or an hour at a time only when listening to music, they are something I always keep on when I'm on my computer. They have to be good for 6+ hours in a row. I'm simply not convinced the materials chosen here are optimal (look nice, but I'd take lighter high quality plastics instead any day of the week). The headband design also goes against what most other manufacturers are doing (taking pressure away from the top as that's the most likely hotspot). Even from the three auditions I've done with the Clears so far it's very obvious to me that the HD 800 S I have at home is in a completely different league when it comes to ergonomics. Then there's also the light grey color vs. black issue - it may not have the initial wow effect, but the professional version is likely to look the same for a longer time.

If the Clear Professional has a somewhat different tuning and more clamp, it could be a significant ergonomics upgrade for many people. As for the sound, we'll have to wait and see. There's no way I'd buy the Clear right now if I had any ergonomics concerns or was at least a little curious about the pro audio tuning. At 1500$ it's a big investment intended to last 5+ years, what's a few more weeks or months of waiting when you can then be completely sure you made the right call for your taste?

I agree with this regarding its ergonomics design. I use my phone 4+ hours while I read, write, and think sitting on my desk. hd800s and aeon flow open are way more comfortable. They make me forget wearing a headphone even for a long-listening session.
Clear uses some heavy metal as material, which I think it unnecessarily increases its weight IMO. I wish they use high quality plastic instead like Sennheiser.

 

[dontfeedphils]

I agree with this regarding its ergonomics design. I use my phone 4+ hours while I read, write, and think sitting on my desk. hd800s and aeon flow open are way more comfortable. They make me forget wearing a headphone even for a long-listening session.
Clear uses some heavy metal as material, which I think it unnecessarily increases its weight IMO. I wish they use high quality plastic instead like Sennheiser.

I would guess that the driver assembly probably has more impact on the overall weight than the rest of the materials used.

 

[Luke Thomas]

And...?

Seems like