Another point of reference in case someone wanted a comparison between Focal Clear and Edition X; I wrote this up in the HEX thread a while back, and I've now expanded on my thoughts a little bit:
Tonality/presentation: The HEX sounds more spacious/airy, laid-back, smooth, and effortless. Clear has a dense, upfront, energetic, and dynamic presentation. I'll come back to this later.
Bass: HEX has more quantity, but both pairs are close to my definition of neutral. Clear seemed to have tighter cleaner bass with more perceived impact/attack. HEX seemed rounder and more textured which contributes to the sense of laid-back presentation that HEX v2 gives off. HEX seemed to do better with 'audiophile' style acoustic jazz and classical, whereas the Clears fared better with rock, electronic, and other fast-paced genres.
Mids: HEX definitely has a smoother rounded presentation to it with a decent dosage of warmth. Clears sounded subjectively more 'neutral' and 'transparent'. Small nuances were more apparent on the Clears (though still clearly audible with the HEX, it's just that the Clears push those micro-details more upfront). Vocals and instruments sounded more 'clear' and 'life-like' with the Clears, whereas the HEX made them sound more seductive and 'organic'.
Treble: More quantity on the Clears, leading to a brighter presentation. More fatiguing in the long run, but probably lent a hand to the greater perceived sense of details. Didn't have an issue with sibilance or excessive peaks however. With the HEX, there's still enough sparkle to keep things exciting-ish, but is definitely not as extended as the Clear.
Soundstage/imaging/separation: HEX has a larger soundstage in all directions. There's more space between each instrument, allowing them to 'breathe'. In comparison, the Clears have a denser presentation in the sense that there's less space between the instruments, although separation and imaging were still top notch. The Clear's headstage is a lot more upfront, making every instrument and voice sound much closer to you than the HEX. Someone mentioned that the HEX v2 presented itself closer to a 2ch stereo setup than a typical pair of headphones, and I'm inclined to agree. You're further away from the stage, and allows for the music to 'breathe' before reaching you. I don't know, it's hard to describe lol. I like it though. I wonder if this contributes to the softer edge to the music that HEX v2 exhibits.
Attack/dynamics: Clear wins. Clear is a punchier pair of cans. More fatiguing too though; can't have it both ways. HEX is softer/rounder sounding and more laidback. Leading edges on the HEX with guitar plucks and bass strums seems muted in comparison to the Clear. You'll get more of a toe-tapping factor with the Clear whereas with the HEX, I find that it makes me loosen up and let the music wash over me. Again, hard to describe. I think it has to do with the soundstage.
Other remarks: Both have excellent tone density, coming from the HD800 which could sound stretched out and thin at times. There's a sense of hugeness with the HEX though; with the large soundstage along with the thicker presentation, it makes the music seem big somehow. With the Clear, it has a more typical headphone soundstage, so everything sounds more compacted and you realize you're listening to headphones at all times.
For my tastes, I prefer the HEX v2 due to the 'longterm satisfying soundsig'. I also greatly prefer the soundstage presentation of the HEX but YMMV. Those that listen to 4-man rock groups, chamber music, modern pop, etc. might not care for the soundstage, and even prefer a more upfront presentation due to the immediacy of the sound. Not me though.
But those that find the HEX v2 not engaging enough due to the rounded softer nature of its presentation would do well to try the Clears. Alternatively, those who think that the HEX sound a bit too romantic or smooth in the mids should also give the Clears a chance. 'Vivid" and "transparent" are words I would use to describe the Clears.
