[gLer]

I have no idea, They just offer a very long extension coiled single end cable.

Yep, that’s what they use in recording studios, which is what this version of the Clear was intended for. Whether or not you think it has studio grade reference sound is another matter entirely.

 

[gLer]

I think they're quite good especially w/ recent $1K sales. I see Clear as >90% of Utopia sound for <50% the price.

I read somewhere that Elex is 95% Clear for 50% of the price, which makes it (excuse my poor math) ~80% (?) Utopia for 25% of the price? If that’s the case it’s probably one of the best deals in high-end audio today (if you can get one that is). And you even get your own shiny balanced cable to go with it!

 

[baiyy1986]

Well, this is fast, great matchup with Christmas decorations I guess.

 

[Luke Thomas]

I think @Luke Thomas meant ‘sound flaws’ (perceived midrange dip) rather than failure rate. So does the Clear have any ‘flaws’ that were masked over by the hype and that have been exposed since the hype died down. If the hype has indeed died down...

You are exactly correct.
Do the Clears have any flaws, that were masked over by the original hype?

 

[Phronesis]

^ In addition to the Clear, I own some other nice headphones - HD800S, LCD3, and LCD-i4. To my ears/brain, the Clear can hang with the others, and don't have any significant flaws in their sound. The tonal balance is good with a nice bass contour, the sound is clear, the detail is ample, and the sense of image is coherent. They can sometimes get a bit shouty when the volume is turned up high, but I find that to be the case with most headphones.

 

[Luke Thomas]

^ In addition to the Clear, I own some other nice headphones - HD800S, LCD3, and LCD-i4. To my ears/brain, the Clear can hang with the others, and don't have any significant flaws in their sound. The tonal balance is good with a nice bass contour, the sound is clear, the detail is ample, and the sense of image is coherent. They can sometimes get a bit shouty when the volume is turned up high, but I find that to be the case with most headphones.

I was trying to see if others have this same thought. I agree %100. I have ed x for bass and Clears for detail. Every time I try to trade my Clears for the 800s. I change my mind.. 800s detail is amazing. But their tone is a little off compared to the Clears

 

[catscratch]

You are exactly correct.
Do the Clears have any flaws, that were masked over by the original hype?

Yes. I wrote about this some time ago in detail. The frequency response is very accurate up to about 3.5khz, but past that it's a bit of a mess. There are small but clearly audible spikes in the highs which is where the reports of treble sharpness come from. There's also a slight metallic tone to the highs. You can fix some of this with EQ, however, and you should.

From a functionality standpoint, the cost of the pads is a big downside, as is the fact that the headband is not user replaceable. You can buy a headband protector to get around this. They're also somewhat heavy, but generally very comfortable.

Overall though I would say they're very nice, and worth a buy assuming you find a good deal, though whether or not they're the best headphones ever is debatable.

 

[Emmanuel Palmer]

I have been using the clear professional for 2 months now, i dont have the normal clear but somtimes when i read comments about clear not having enough sub bass makes me wonder on the company's claim about it sounding exactly like the normal clear cause this thing sounds like there is a separate subwoofer built in and if anything sometimes can sound too boomy like the subs in most cars which i dislike, but never bleeds into the rest frequencies, instrument separation and imagining is world class

 

[koven]

I read somewhere that Elex is 95% Clear for 50% of the price, which makes it (excuse my poor math) ~80% (?) Utopia for 25% of the price? If that’s the case it’s probably one of the best deals in high-end audio today (if you can get one that is). And you even get your own shiny balanced cable to go with it!

I'd say HD6xx is the best headphone in terms of bang for buck. Diminishing returns hits pretty hard after that.

 

[Emmanuel Palmer]

Created for each other

 

[Tsukuyomi]

I guess my point was I’m not thinking you’ll see much differential with products under $100 but over that you might experience more audio quality transfer

Im not sure about that, im in the camp where i dont belive theres much of a sound quality difference between 60$ audio cables and 100$+ audio cables. My friend thinks there is and buys silver dragon moon audio cables and other whatever viking brand valhalla cables or whatever and claims they sound 100x better because they cost him 300$ plus and removes impurities in the sound. I got to try them at his place with my gear and 0 difference in sound change. At the time i had the th900mk2 and violectric hpa200 with dac chip installed. So not "crap equipment" that couldnt tell a difference.

 

[makne]

I have been using the clear professional for 2 months now, i dont have the normal clear but somtimes when i read comments about clear not having enough sub bass makes me wonder on the company's claim about it sounding exactly like the normal clear cause this thing sounds like there is a separate subwoofer built in and if anything sometimes can sound too boomy like the subs in most cars which i dislike, but never bleeds into the rest frequencies, instrument separation and imagining is world class

It's likely just yours and other people's perceptions that differ, at least until you try a regular pair of Clears too and can tell a difference.

Personally I don't think the Clear misses subbass, yeah a really good closed-back or an Audeze will reach a little deeper but I can't think of any other open-back dynamic driver with deeper bass (it definitely goes deeper than both Utopia and Elear)

 

[makne]

Yes. I wrote about this some time ago in detail. The frequency response is very accurate up to about 3.5khz, but past that it's a bit of a mess. There are small but clearly audible spikes in the highs which is where the reports of treble sharpness come from. There's also a slight metallic tone to the highs. You can fix some of this with EQ, however, and you should.

From a functionality standpoint, the cost of the pads is a big downside, as is the fact that the headband is not user replaceable. You can buy a headband protector to get around this. They're also somewhat heavy, but generally very comfortable.

Overall though I would say they're very nice, and worth a buy assuming you find a good deal, though whether or not they're the best headphones ever is debatable.

Do you have any eq profiles to share with us? I'm always interested in simple ways to sound improvement.
I did try Sonarworks calibration with my Clears recently, but i wasn't the upgrade I hoped it would be (like it was with my Elear).

 

[makne]

Elear was over-hyped in the beginning, just like most other hyped headphones. I don't feel like the Clear got the same level of over-hype as the Elear did, maybe because it was still so similar to the Elear (in terms of design and price, and to an extent in sound aswell).
Anyway, I don't think the Clear has any flaws like the Elear. It has great tonal balance compared to other headphones, I can't think of a headphone with better tonal balance than the Clear. It also goes very deep in the bass (though not quite an Audeze), and the Focal dynamics are still there.
The closest thing to a flaw I can think of, is that the soundstage is rather small but that should be common knowledge about Focal headphones by now. Also, the powerful dynamics can cause some fatigue during longer sessions or when in certain moods.
So no, I don't think the Clear has any flaws hidden by the hype, like other headphones have been subject to (like the Elear). It is not a completely flawless headphone that excells in EVERY area, but I think it is an awesome all-rounder with great balance and impact.

 

[Luke Thomas]

Is eq ing done by installing a program on your laptop etc.