I've already read a few comparisons here between the Ether and Clear, but don't recall seeing any direct comparisons between the AFO and the Clear...which I think is a more interesting comparison than the former, being that the AFO seems more universally liked than the Ether and is $700 cheaper than the Clear.
I think there is a lot of love for the AFO AFC for sure. If I could choose the EFO or AFO without price consideration I would reach for the EFO. SQ wise the EFO is still better I feel. so with that said its more fair of a fight to compare the Clear to the EFO, let alone the price point they are both at. In regards to fit though the AFO,AFC for me is very comfortable and that takes the cake for me!
I have a question for all my European friends - what's the best place to order from? I remember reading here about some nice deals on the Clear so am curios in case I decide to pull the trigger. Cheers
I see people keep mistaking the Aeon and Ether. @conquerator2 is referring to the Aeon vs clear, not ether vs clear.
The Aeon has the most narrow sound stage I’ve heard on an open back headphone. It is supposed to be open or semi open but it sounds like a sealed headphone. I had de Aeon flow open and the clear is better than it in every regard.
Hey Beagle. I'm close to pulling the trigger on a purchase of the Clear, but I'm a bit concerned about the soundstage. I've read in a few different reviews that the soundstage is HD650 small. What say you?
My biggest reason for buying open headphones is for the wider, deeper soundstage and airy presentation. If the Clear isn't very close to TOTL in these areas, then maybe I shoud look at closed TOTL like the Eikon or Z1R instead. The Z1R intrigues me because of the wide soundstage in an isolating closed back design.
Thanks, I've read an unbelievable amount of contradictory reviews on the Z1R. It seems to be the most polarizing flagship to date.
I do like headphones that sound relatively "speaker like" in regards to dynamics, but they have to be versatile. I listen to everything except metal and opera, so an expensive one trick pony probably wouldn't work out for me. That being said, I do like my B&W P9 which is very dynamic and "fun", so I'm also a bit worried that the Clear might be a bit too thin sounding for my tastes.
I'm beginning to consider the Aeon Open as well. Maybe take the $700ish in savings vs the Clear and Z1R and buy a better amp. It seems to be universally loved, but I'm not sure how much of an upgrade it would be over my P9 in regards to detail retrieval, transparency/clarity, and tonality.
If pure soundstage width is your greatest concern, there aren't going to be many headphones that reach the "exceptional" level. Go with the HD800 for that. Keep in mind by achieving that soundstage distance it will also make music feel more spread out, diffuse, and further away, which is usually less visceral. I have HD800 and love it for that and its imaging abilities when listening to classical, orchestral, big band types of genres that the space suits the recordings. But for like traditional rock and pop type of stuff, it will make music feel artificially wide. Other headphones like Clear take an opposite approach in that they focus on punchy dynamics to give you that in your face visceral feel. By doing so soundstage is narrower, but Clear will still keep instruments very separated and it doesn't feel congested. Music just feels closer and more lively. I tend to advise people to not focus on very specific traits of headphones, but rather what they are looking for in overall presentation and feel as that ultimately is what it comes down to once you have them on your head and just enjoy the music rather than analyze them as pieces of equipment for impressions/review.
I'll throw out another recommendation for you and others in here that doesn't really get talked about, and that is ZMF Auteur. Soundstage-wise it is basically in the middle of Clear and HD800. It feels more open and bigger than Clear, but not particularly wide like HD800. I would probably argue Auteur is just as "neutral" as Clear, it not moreso. It is less dynamic, less edgy, and less dry than Clear. It is richer, fuller, and more cohesive. Both are excellent headphones and I would consider them sidegrades as they each have very different feels to them. But so far I find Auteur to be the best all rounder I have heard.
Is the Clear 2 times better than the AFO?
No, it is not.
The same way the HD800 is not 5 times better than the HD600
Is the Clear better that the AFO, in my opinion, it is. I returned my AFO and paid almost twice for the clear and I am very, very happy with my decision
In fact, the clear is better in my opinion than the $2000 Lcd3 I recently sold.
I don't understand paid reviewers..i work in the telecom industry and we have very clear rules about
any potential conflict of interest....if, for example, we do an install for a cust and he/she loves our work and offers us a gift there is no
way we can accept it.....not even a free beer/appy/cup of coffee from a small shop owner that we've helped out with faster ADSL or lower landline rates.
i'm sure it's like this for many industries, too...
thus i have no clue why the audio industry thinks it's exempt from such clear conflict of interest guidelines.
it's a joke to read that any reviewer will remain unbiased if given a free anything from a company.....
want unbiased? then pay for the product you're reviewing (at the same prices we would) or return it after the review.
I think it's fine as long as reviewers make appropriate disclosure statements. For instance, Tyll has his own policy. He keeps them for reference/comparisons as long as they rise to his wall of fame, and return them to manufacturers if he take them out of his wof.
I've already read a few comparisons here between the Ether and Clear, but don't recall seeing any direct comparisons between the AFO and the Clear...which I think is a more interesting comparison than the former, being that the AFO seems more universally liked than the Ether and is $700 cheaper than the Clear.
I think if you plan to use it for a long time, paying extra $$ would be worth it. Even if the quality difference between two is small like 5%, that 5% will be accumulated in your long listening session. And in a long run, I believe that would produce quite a different listening experience, that is why many audiophiles invest $$$$ on tiny improvements in sound quality.
That said, 2k phones don't necessarily work better than 1k phones. I guess you really need to hear and try. Some people just prefer apples to oranges.
I don't understand paid reviewers..i work in the telecom industry and we have very clear rules about
any potential conflict of interest....if, for example, we do an install for a cust and he/she loves our work and offers us a gift there is no
way we can accept it.....not even a free beer/appy/cup of coffee from a small shop owner that we've helped out with faster ADSL or lower landline rates.
i'm sure it's like this for many industries, too...
thus i have no clue why the audio industry thinks it's exempt from such clear conflict of interest guidelines.
it's a joke to read that any reviewer will remain unbiased if given a free anything from a company.....
want unbiased? then pay for the product you're reviewing (at the same prices we would) or return it after the review.
I can only assume that some wonderful headphones (i.e.McIntosh MHP1000) never got reviewed because there were no free samples. I'm sure most companies will send something, hoping for a good review, which can sell a lot of headphones, especially at Head-Fi On the other hand, a bad review can keep people away in droves.
I have a question for all my European friends - what's the best place to order from? I remember reading here about some nice deals on the Clear so am curios in case I decide to pull the trigger. Cheers
Look at hifi Suite in Germany. I bought Elear and i got 100 Euro for Download high res! Is they have Clear
Not in Shop Mail to mr. Hübner, a Nice guy and help you
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thanks for your imput, Esauseesaw.
but i'm talking about any reviewer whether it be here or on another forum on pro writing for a publication wherein ad revenues are concerned. and i don't think i'm being cynical: just that imo naturally hard to be objective if given a free or greatly reduced item and thinking one's assessment of it will be totally unbiased.
also looking forward to the clear 'pro' reviews when those cans arrive...i guess not til March?
my point is not that they purchase everything: then to be unbiased they should return the goods...there are quite a few reviewers on here (and other sites who get the good they're reviewing for free and can keep it...it's not a rare occurence).
also my point on the clear was not related to what i was writing about...sorry if it got confusing...i 'm just interested in how they'll sound vs the stock clear cans.
that's not feasible either and would constitute an abuse of a company's returns policy. this was discussed at length in the locked z1r thread as you should recall.
that's not feasible either and would constitute an abuse of a company's returns policy. this was discussed at length in the locked z1r thread as you should recall.
it's often a loaned item (just as we use for many product tours) and many reviewers talk of returning an item afterwords.
the products are often shopped around demos...so again: pay for what you're reviewing or return it afterwords.
i respect the reviewers who do both, most esp the ones who return it afterwords
lastly no sorry i don't recall any zir discussion on this...i haven't been on that forum (or here really all that much) in the last few months.
anyway this is my op.
let's move on to the subject at hand: headphones
these clear cans are some i'm interested in...but will await to see what the clear pro comes up with.
i wouldn't presume to know what arrangements reviewers make with regard to the products that they review, but again, this was thrashed out in the locked z1r thread and i don't see a good reason for you to rehash this off-topic discussion here.
yes, let's return to discussing the clear - thanks.
it's often a loaned item (just as we use for many product tours) and many reviewers talk of returning an item afterwords.
the products are often shopped around demos...so again: pay for what you're reviewing or return it afterwords.
i respect the reviewers who do both, most esp the ones who return it afterwords
lastly no sorry i don't recall any zir discussion on this...i haven't been on that forum (or here really all that much) in the last few months.
anyway this is my op.
let's move on to the subject at hand: headphones
these clear cans are some i'm interested in...but will await to see what the clear pro comes up with.
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On the other hand, a bad review can keep people away in droves.
