[makne]

The recording quality sounds good to me. I think the reason the dynamic range isn't high is because the volume level of the instruments isn't changing much over the duration of the tracks, simply because that's how the music is. So I set the volume level where I like it, and can judge the bass. I hear other tracks from other artists with a similar style of music, but the bass is lacking, so I think it just comes down to variability in how the recordings were mixed.

I’m not trying to debate your perception but it is interesting to me that you consider dynamic range has to do with various volume levels throughout a track vs the dynamics within each instrument as it is played.

Your response made me think of ‘wimpy loud sound’. Check out this clip with similar music (somewhat) to get a direct comparison to the detrimental effects of DR compression:

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/ca/ca-academy/dynamic-range-no-quiet-no-loud-r643/



Regardless, in the end I was curious why you pointed out you wouldn’t want more bass from those tracks and it spawned this thought process for me. Apologies if it derails from the Clear.

Dynamic range isn’t just how much the volume of instruments change throughout a song. It’s more about the dynamics within each instrument yes. The impact.
But dynamic range doesn’t really have anything to do with how much bass you want for a specific track, that’s more dependant on the type of music, genre etc. Like for hip hop and pop you’d want more bass than for jazz or classical

 

[x RELIC x]

Dynamic range isn’t just how much the volume of instruments change throughout a song. It’s more about the dynamics within each instrument yes. The impact.
But dynamic range doesn’t really have anything to do with how much bass you want for a specific track, that’s more dependant on the type of music, genre etc. Like for hip hop and pop you’d want more bass than for jazz or classical

I thought I was quite clear that my response was not about the preference of the OP, and that the conversation veered toward a different train of thought based on the response to my question. Carry on.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

How about the CMA800i? Is that as good with Focal headphones as the 600i and the 400i? Is the 800i not too old in 2018?

Nope. It would be a great choice if you want the added power. with Focal you don't need tons of power, but depends if you have any other cans you want to drive.

I'm listening to "Espiritu (instrumental)" by Paco de Lucia,Al de Miola, and John McLaughlin on the Utopia/600i and its exquisite...

I just spent over an hour doing back to back comparison of the Clear and Utopia. I had both running out of my Hugo 2 at the same time, and switching time between them was 2-3 s. To my ears, the sound is very similar. The Utopia is a touch brighter and has an increment more clarity and resolution. So I could say that the Utopia is little better, but not a lot, maybe 5% (not that we can really quantify that sort of thing). On some tracks, I actually prefer the Clear, since the brightness of the Utopia can give it an edge which sounds a bit artificial. But the added clarity of the Utopia is an asset for classical music, which may be the best genre for the Utopia.

I still haven't decided whether I'll buy the Elear, Clear, or Utopia, but right now I'm leaning towards the Clear.

I think the speed of the Utopia is worth more then 5% compared to clear, let alone adding the imaging and separation (not arguing with you btw ).

As the saying goes, different yokes for different folks.

I doubt I'd be able to evaluate between 2 headphones switching between them 2-3sec for 1hr (if that's what you meant?) I think I'd have a much better evaluation listening to each for several days, then switching between them, and then repeating.

PS: I had both in home, and feel they're 2 totally different headphones...with both being very good at what they offer, so it comes down to personal your preference.

When I a/b 2 headphones here I take my test track and listen for what part of the song I want to evaluate. For instance, one of my favorite tracks of all time is "Mediterranean" off the album Friday Night in San Fransisco. My FAVE part of that song to test headphone speed is at 1:45-1:55. I listen to that with the Clear, click to rewind and then listen with the Utopia. I do this as long as it takes me to listen in to certain parts to evaluate it. Thats how I do A/B and I do that with all the headphones I want to compare. Try it out some time!!

So I can use the cool balanced Clear cable of course

Hey Mr cool, don't forget that if you ever get a new headphone and have the choice of cable, I always get it terminated balanced that way I can just use a single ended adaptor on it if I ever need to plug it into a single ended amp. ( I win again for Longest Run On Sentence Award for 2018)

 

[Phronesis]

I think the speed of the Utopia is worth more then 5% compared to clear, let alone adding the imaging and separation (not arguing with you btw ).

As the saying goes, different yokes for different folks.

My 5% was of course a subjective assessment, and not something that can really be quantified. I've been listening to the Clear at home a lot over the past several days, and am looking forward to another back to back comparison with the Utopia.

 

[Phronesis]

I'm curious what others think of the tonal balance of the Clear with the track "El Vito" by Wolfgang Haffner on the album "Kind of Spain."

 

[joseph69]

When I a/b 2 headphones here I take my test track and listen for what part of the song I want to evaluate. For instance, one of my favorite tracks of all time is "Mediterranean" off the album Friday Night in San Fransisco. My FAVE part of that song to test headphone speed is at 1:45-1:55. I listen to that with the Clear, click to rewind and then listen with the Utopia. I do this as long as it takes me to listen in to certain parts to evaluate it. Thats how I do A/B and I do that with all the headphones I want to compare. Try it out some time!!

I will, and I'll try it out with the same track via Tidal Hi-Fi.

 

[betula]

These Clears are pretty amazing. They do not add anything to the music. Probably the most 'transparent' headphones I have ever heard. They leave nothing to enjoy but music in its purity.

 

[doraymon]

Hi guys, eventually selling my Clears only 5 months old.
The only reason for selling them is called Utopia...
You can find the post HERE in case you are interested.

 

[koiloco]

Hi guys, eventually selling my Clears only 5 months old.
The only reason for selling them is called Utopia...
You can find the post HERE in case you are interested.

Shame shame on you...GLWS

 

[doraymon]

Shame shame on you...GLWS

I know...
Look it take me more than a month to be sure I wanted to sell my Clear even after getting the Utopias. This tells a lot about how close they are in SQ.
It’s just that I can’t afford to keep both.

 

[Phronesis]

My 5% was of course a subjective assessment, and not something that can really be quantified. I've been listening to the Clear at home a lot over the past several days, and am looking forward to another back to back comparison with the Utopia.

I know...
Look it take me more than a month to be sure I wanted to sell my Clear even after getting the Utopias. This tells a lot about how close they are in SQ.
It’s just that I can’t afford to keep both.

Speaking of which, I spent another 45 minutes today comparing the Clear and Utopia back to back. To my ears, they're darn close. The Utopia has a bit more resolution, brightness, and definition of bass, but the signature is basically the same and I'd still subjectively put the difference at about 5% - the perceived difference can be reduced further by turning up the volume of the Clear another 1 dB or so. Moreover, I think the slightly warmer sound of the Clear can make it more enjoyable on some tracks. I'm going to see if I can borrow both the Clear and Utopia to try at home at the same time, so that I can choose between them. Certainly from a value standpoint, I think the win goes to the Clear, but I'm basing my decision mainly on which one I like better, as long as the difference is noticeable to my ears.

 

[Luke Thomas]

Anyone find their Tidal streaming has less bass than other sources when Listening to your Clears

 

[doraymon]

Speaking of which, I spent another 45 minutes today comparing the Clear and Utopia back to back. To my ears, they're darn close. The Utopia has a bit more resolution, brightness, and definition of bass, but the signature is basically the same and I'd still subjectively put the difference at about 5% - the perceived difference can be reduced further by turning up the volume of the Clear another 1 dB or so. Moreover, I think the slightly warmer sound of the Clear can make it more enjoyable on some tracks. I'm going to see if I can borrow both the Clear and Utopia to try at home at the same time, so that I can choose between them. Certainly from a value standpoint, I think the win goes to the Clear, but I'm basing my decision mainly on which one I like better, as long as the difference is noticeable to my ears.

Interesting to see that while you perceived the Utopias brighter for me it was the opposite. Much richer bass and less sparkle on the Utopias...

 

[Phronesis]

Interesting to see that while you perceived the Utopias brighter for me it was the opposite. Much richer bass and less sparkle on the Utopias...

Inner Fidelity had a comment suggesting that Focal changed the Utopia tuning to reduce brightness. Has that been confirmed? If so, maybe I’ve been demoing an older Utopia.

 

[doraymon]

Inner Fidelity had a comment suggesting that Focal changed the Utopia tuning to reduce brightness. Has that been confirmed? If so, maybe I’ve been demoing an older Utopia.

Ah that would explain the difference and the feeling of the Utopia being a bit closed vs Clear