[krypticide]

To my ears the Macbook Pro (mine is a 2017 touch bar) and iphone dongles sound pretty equal, perhaps a slight nod towards the MBP. Adding a good dac/amp (I use a Hugo, but something like a dfly or Mojo would also be nice) is an upgrade to my ears, but not absolutely necessary the way it is with some other high-end headphones like the HD800S.
The Clear still sounds great out of the MBP.

Looking at the Chord Mojo. While it is weird to ask having just spent $1K+ on the Clear, but is the difference with the Chord Mojo worth $500+ in your opinion?

 

[makne]

Looking at the Chord Mojo. While it is weird to ask having just spent $1K+ on the Clear, but is the difference with the Chord Mojo worth $500+ in your opinion?

I use a 1st gen Hugo with my Clear, absolutely love the combo. The Mojo also sounds great with the Clear (although just a touch warmer). I think it's worth it, but it's not guaranteed that you'll feel the same way.

 

[krypticide]

After a few more days of listening, I've found the Clears to be veiled when it comes to classical string instruments like the violin and cello. I'm a violinist myself who used to play in youth orchestras, so I guess I have higher standards for how stringed instruments should sound. Similar results from MacBook Pro and iPhone X.

I suppose Utopia would be better for classical? Would an amp matter?

Still great headphones though.

 

[AmusedToD]

After a few more days of listening, I've found the Clears to be veiled when it comes to classical string instruments like the violin and cello. I'm a violinist myself who used to play in youth orchestras, so I guess I have higher standards for how stringed instruments should sound. Similar results from MacBook Pro and iPhone X.

I suppose Utopia would be better for classical? Would an amp matter?

Still great headphones though.

Exactly the reason I will be upgrading from Clear to Utopia. I adore the violin and mostly listen to violin concertos when it comes to the classical genre (my favorite violinist is Leonid Kogan, although I appreciate Rabin, Szeryng, Mintz and many others), and I feel the Clear is holding back the sparkle of the violin. It’s somehow too thick in the midrange and too closed in the highs for my liking. Hence I am trading in the Clear for the Utopia-QP2R bundle.

Interestingly enough, I find myself enjoying classical music more on the Sony MDR-7550 IEMs than the Focal Clear.

 

[makne]

After a few more days of listening, I've found the Clears to be veiled when it comes to classical string instruments like the violin and cello. I'm a violinist myself who used to play in youth orchestras, so I guess I have higher standards for how stringed instruments should sound. Similar results from MacBook Pro and iPhone X.

I suppose Utopia would be better for classical? Would an amp matter?

Still great headphones though.

An amp will help with overall resolve/clarity, dynamics etc.. but won’t do much to the tuning, which is probably why you feel like strings are veiled. The utopia will have a sharper «bite» in that regard which you’ll probably enjoy, but may also be more fatiguing.

 

[Phronesis]

After a few more days of listening, I've found the Clears to be veiled when it comes to classical string instruments like the violin and cello. I'm a violinist myself who used to play in youth orchestras, so I guess I have higher standards for how stringed instruments should sound. Similar results from MacBook Pro and iPhone X.

I suppose Utopia would be better for classical? Would an amp matter?

Still great headphones though.

Depends a lot on the recording too. Maybe try a variety of recordings.

Utopia should be a bit brighter and bring out detail more readily than the Clear, but in back to back comparison I found them to be very close.

 

[gLer]

After a few more days of listening, I've found the Clears to be veiled when it comes to classical string instruments like the violin and cello. I'm a violinist myself who used to play in youth orchestras, so I guess I have higher standards for how stringed instruments should sound. Similar results from MacBook Pro and iPhone X.

I suppose Utopia would be better for classical? Would an amp matter?

Still great headphones though.

Wow, if you think the Clear is veiled, I wonder what you'll make of the HD600 or 650! Or just about any other less 'bright' headphone. Have you considered an HD800 - widely considered to be one of if not the best headphones ever made for classical music.

 

[dontfeedphils]

After a few more days of listening, I've found the Clears to be veiled when it comes to classical string instruments like the violin and cello. I'm a violinist myself who used to play in youth orchestras, so I guess I have higher standards for how stringed instruments should sound. Similar results from MacBook Pro and iPhone X.

I suppose Utopia would be better for classical? Would an amp matter?

Still great headphones though.

Same reason I'm happier with Utopia. The Clear is really smooth and fairly even, but still sounded somewhat veiled in comparison to the Utopia. Like you said, strings sound more life-like/accurate on Utopia.

To each their own.

 

[ipaddy]

As Amps are being mentioned again, I will re-ask my earlier question, as I didn’t get a good answer:

Does anyone have the AK70 Mark II plus Clear combination? If so, would an amplifier improve the sound generally? One could argue not, because the AK70 is capable of delivering good power, and the Clear are low impedance, and it sure doesn’t SEEM like it’s starving for power, but one can never really tell until one compares.

So, what do you think? And if yes, which one? (I’m thinking a portable battery- operated one)

Thanks.

 

[Ken G]

After a few more days of listening, I've found the Clears to be veiled when it comes to classical string instruments like the violin and cello. I'm a violinist myself who used to play in youth orchestras, so I guess I have higher standards for how stringed instruments should sound. Similar results from MacBook Pro and iPhone X.

I suppose Utopia would be better for classical? Would an amp matter?

Still great headphones though.

Is your current and future source/amp for these headphones an IPhone or a MacBook?

 

[AmusedToD]

The Clear has the same signature even when driven from a better amp (in my case the Ayre Codex). So no, upgrading the amp will not significantly change the presentation of the Clear. It will affect the soundstage though, but not the balance of the headphones. He will need to get a different set of cans for what he is looking for, either the Sennheiser HD800/HD800S as someone suggested or the Focal Utopia, or perhaps something else with better extension in the treble and a more revealing nature.

The Clear is great for pop/rock/jazz music, but it would never be my pick for classical. One of the reasons I am going for the Utopia myself.

 

[Anaz]

After a few more days of listening, I've found the Clears to be veiled when it comes to classical string instruments like the violin and cello. I'm a violinist myself who used to play in youth orchestras, so I guess I have higher standards for how stringed instruments should sound. Similar results from MacBook Pro and iPhone X.

I suppose Utopia would be better for classical? Would an amp matter?

Still great headphones though.

I highly suggest you try the Clear using an external amp (preferably an external DAC plus external amp or a DAC/amp combo). While my Macs can drive my Clear, there is a huge improvement in dynamics and overall quality of sound reproduction when using an external DAC/amp like a Mojo.

 

[Ken G]

The Clear has the same signature even when driven from a better amp (in my case the Ayre Codex). So no, upgrading the amp will not significantly change the presentation of the Clear. It will affect the soundstage though, but not the balance of the headphones. He will need to get a different set of cans for what he is looking for, either the Sennheiser HD800/HD800S as someone suggested or the Focal Utopia, or perhaps something else with better extension in the treble and a more revealing nature.

The Clear is great for pop/rock/jazz music, but it would never be my pick for classical. One of the reasons I am going for the Utopia myself.

I wasn't disputing that an amp would change the Clear's sound signature but rather trying to understand how he would be powering a Utopia or HD800 (which I would probably recommend for classical). If either of these would be powered out of an iPhone or MacBook, the violins and cello's may sound more realistic but it will not likely unlock the full potential of those headphones. In that case I would recommend a neutral iem like a Shure 846, or Noble Katana.

 

[AmusedToD]

I wasn't disputing that an amp would change the Clear's sound signature but rather trying to understand how he would be powering a Utopia or HD800 (which I would probably recommend for classical). If either of these would be powered out of an iPhone or MacBook, the violins and cello's may sound more realistic but it will not likely unlock the full potential of those headphones. In that case I would recommend a neutral iem like a Shure 846, or Noble Katana.

Absolutely agree with you, I failed to notice the iPhone/MacBook part. He needs a proper DAC and amp for the Utopia, or at least a good DAP, otherwise he won’t be able to unlock the full potential.

 

[Ken G]

I suppose Utopia would be better for classical? Would an amp matter?

If you went with a Utopia or HD800(s) I would argue that, yes, an amp would matter to get the full benefit of the headphone especially for classical music. I'm not the type of guy to tell you that you have to spend $2,500 on a Cavalli Liquid Crimson, which there were only 30 ever made, to REALLY make the Utopia SING!
But if you did purchase a Utopia, HD800(s) or something comparable there are a large amount of DACs, Amps and DAC/Amp combos that are inexpensive ($200 - $600 range) and would probably make you happy with your music and headphone purchase.