Mine wasn’t “creaking” that bad but it was enough to get me to pay attention and I must say I love this community for gem of a sharing like the above. So I bought one to try..
So i have listened to 3 x different Focal Clear Headphones with 3 x different Questyle CMA600i’s.
1. London Canjam Dealer stand.
Focal Clear with its 6.5mm jack cable to Questyle CMA600i. Source via Moon Audio NAS player - Tidal HIFI.
[25 minutes listening].
2. London Canjam Focal stand.
Focal Clear to Questyle CMA600i. Can’t remember the source transport.
[20 minutes listening].
3. Hi Fi Dealer.
Focal Clear with it’s 6.5mm jack cable to Questyle CMA600i. Source PC with Roon/Tidal HI FI.
[4.5 hour listening session comparing other headphones].
On all of the above I loved the sound. Really amazing. Totally satisfied.
Yes when I was at the HI-FI Dealer I was comparing many headphones. In a previous post I highlighted that I overall prefer the Clear after testing:
1. 2 x ZMF Headphones.
2. Hifiman Edition X. .
3. Mr Speakers Ether Open.
4. LCD 2C.
5. SENN HD660S.
6. SENN HD800S.
And others.......
All tested via Questyle CMA600i over 4.5 hours.
The Focal Clear were my favourite overall.
I also own the Sony Z1R and Audioquest Nighthawks, which are amazing to my ears/brain. However they are very different to the Focal Clear.
[1] Sony I use for listening to TV/MOVIES. Eventually I would like to ger the Sony TA-Z1HES AMP/DAC.
[2] Nighthawks are my in home mobile solution connecting to Mojo and my Phone.
[3] Focal Clear are meant to be my Desktop Computer Headphones for when I am working at home.
It is best to burn in your dynamic cans at a reasonable SPL otherwise you're only going to burn in the connections / wiring, etc and not so much the drivers. Just like with dynamic speakers, they need to be burned in at a decent SPL or you're wasting the opportunity to exercise the drivers (which is an important part of the burn-in process for a dynamic headphone).
SPL = Sound Pressure Level. This is sort of mis-label here due to that fact that the design is SO open that sound pressure is a non factor as it were. Break-in of the transducer ( driver) requires that the volume is set such that the cone / (dome in this case) has enough travel that the surround ( flexible connection of the dome to the frame) has good movement to *loosen up* its structure. Since the dome is metal, unlike a paper or synthetic cone, I am reluctant to see any break-in of such happening. Not sure about the *formless* voice coil which is a very thin solid copper as opposed to the standard type of wound wire as with the Focal Elear.
I have A/B'd a *broken -in * example with my new example & any *break-in* was not appreciably apparent. I am STILL going to break-in mine -regardless.
B.
Every pair of cans and speakers that I have broken in do sound different after 250 hours.
Speakers and DACs usually take around 500 hours to completely stop changing.
The first few hours on a DAC or other brand new gear is pretty brutal. Usually the manufacturer breaks the gear in for a few hours before they ship it out so we as consumers don't have to experience that.
It's definitely worth the time and effort, especially if you're trying to do final voicing with aftermarket cables. Burn-in is key before you put the finishing touches on your cans.
Let me also add my experiences of pairings with the Clear.
Re. DAC-amps:
1. (best combo for me) = RME ADI-2 Pro or Chord Hugo 2 (the later being much more expensive and much less practical as a desktop solution than the former)
2. Astell&Kern SP1000
3. Chord Mojo
4. iFi iDSD micro.
Re. amp, I have the ifi iCAN Pro, but I find that it degrades the output of my RME ADI-2 Pro re. resolution, dynamics, drum attacks, imaging and SNR.
I must say that I listen at low volume levels.
(I didn't test the Clear with the Chord Dave, but given how supremely the Dave drive the Utopia for me, the Dave should be probably be the best for the Clear. On the other hand I think the Clear, unlike the Utopia, may not take enough advantage of the Dave capacities so that using a Dave for the Clear would be worth such an investment).
Every pair of cans and speakers that I have broken in do sound different after 250 hours.
Speakers and DACs usually take around 500 hours to completely stop changing.
The first few hours on a DAC or other brand new gear is pretty brutal. Usually the manufacturer breaks the gear in for a few hours before they ship it out so we as consumers don't have to experience that.
It's definitely worth the time and effort, especially if you're trying to do final voicing with aftermarket cables. Burn-in is key before you put the finishing touches on your cans.
Looks like I've got a treat waiting since my Fostex HP-A4BL is being broken in along side the Clear.
YIKES!
I always thought that my 600's were as good as it gets at that price point in my audio sensibility of analytical reproduction. This is far more fun!!!
B.
Last night I started burning in my new Focal Clear Headphones. So I did listen to them before this for 1hour via my Chord Mojo and they sounded very flat, not very dynamic compared to other Focal Clear I listened to.
I have seen on this thread that recommendations have been made from 100 to 200+ burn in.
I really hope they do change quickly. I leave them running in continuously at very low volume playing Han Zimmer movie soundtracks.
Breaking in headphones at "very low volume" won't do much. As the owner of MrSpeakers said about break in: Run them loud but not crazy loud, with bass heavy music.
Last night I started burning in my new Focal Clear Headphones. So I did listen to them before this for 1hour via my Chord Mojo and they sounded very flat, not very dynamic compared to other Focal Clear I listened to.
I have seen on this thread that recommendations have been made from 100 to 200+ burn in.
I really hope they do change quickly. I leave them running in continuously at very low volume playing Han Zimmer movie soundtracks.
Yes when I was at the HI-FI Dealer I was comparing many headphones. In a previous post I highlighted that I overall prefer the Clear after testing:
1. 2 x ZMF Headphones.
2. Hifiman Edition X. .
3. Mr Speakers Ether Open.
4. LCD 2C.
5. SENN HD660S.
6. SENN HD800S.
And others.......
All tested via Questyle CMA600i over 4.5 hours.
The Focal Clear were my favourite overall.
I also own the Sony Z1R and Audioquest Nighthawks, which are amazing to my ears/brain. However they are very different to the Focal Clear.
[1] Sony I use for listening to TV/MOVIES. Eventually I would like to ger the Sony TA-Z1HES AMP/DAC.
[2] Nighthawks are my in home mobile solution connecting to Mojo and my Phone.
[3] Focal Clear are meant to be my Desktop Computer Headphones for when I am working at home.
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