[adydula]

Tyll is one of the folks I respect from listening to so many headphones....and he stated these are possibly the best in this area of reproduction....their tone, and things sound so musical and just "very. very. nice". Piano that sounds like a piano, vocals etc drum whacks!

 

[340519]

The Focal Clear sounds nothing like speakers.
1. Focal Clear is not neutral (peak in mids).
2. No sub bass (this is not limited to the Focal Clear, headphones are bad in sub bass. Hence why a lot of headphones boost the sub bass a lot)
3. No soundstage and unrealistic imaging.

I cannot think of any scenario why I would pick the Focal Clear over my speakers (considering that my isolation is very good so my neighbours hear nothing)

I disagree completely. And I want to emphasize 'completely' with this poster's opinion. I've heard some of the best systems that exist and they can't touch the purity and roomless interaction of headphones. The Clears are incredible sounding headphones and some of the best I have ever encountered. I bought them on the spot after listening to them for 10 seconds of dianna krall live in Paris. I do not do such impulsive things except for exceptional sounding equipment. I am for headphones, the Clears especially (great soundstage and fantastic imaging), over speakers, including my 20k Focal set, hands down.
I want to quote but with my own twist:
"I cannot think of any scenario why I would pick the Focal Clear over my speakers" and I cannot think of any scenario why I would pick speakers (regardless of price including my own) over the Focal Clear.

 

[CreditingKarma]

I disagree completely. And I want to emphasize 'completely' with this poster's subjective opinion. I've heard some of the best systems that exist and they can't touch the purity and roomless interaction of headphones. The Clears are incredible sounding headphones and some of the best I have ever encountered. I bought them on the spot after listening to them for 10 seconds of dianna krall live in Paris. I do not do such impulsive things except for exceptional sounding equipment. I am for headphones, the Clears especially (great soundstage and fantastic imaging), over speakers, including my 20k Focal set, hands down.
I want to quote but with my own twist:
"I cannot think of any scenario why I would pick the Focal Clear over my speakers" and I cannot think of any scenario why I would pick speakers (regardless of price including my own) over the Focal Clear.

Which focals do you have the Sopra 3? I could go either way with headphones and speakers. The caveat is that I would rather listen to my speakers Magico S1MKII than my Focal clears. If it is my Abyss then that is a toss up with the speakers and headphones. The Abyss is also much more speaker like than the clears.

 

[340519]

Which focals do you have the Sopra 3? I could go either way with headphones and speakers. The caveat is that I would rather listen to my speakers Magico S1MKII than my Focal clears. If it is my Abyss then that is a toss up with the speakers and headphones. The Abyss is also much more speaker like than the clears.

I have an Electra home theater set.

 

[pbarach]

Soundstage and imaging? I never get much sense of either, regardless of which headphones or amps I've used. I haven't tried the Senn 800's, but I have a hunch that the angled drivers are the source of any sense of soundstage. I have good soundstage and imaging with speakers--they certainly aren't the best (B&W 704), but careful attention to placement, toe-in, and room treatment has paid off.

 

[340519]

It's all good. We'll just agree to disagree.

 

[ubs28]

Head-Fi: “headphones over speakers”

Money no object studios I have worked in: “Where were all the super expensive headphones?”

And if your Focal speakers sounds worse than the Focal Clear, I am pretty sure there is a problem in the chain. Because I actually compared the following list of headphones

Susvara + $14.000 Hifiman amp
SR-009 + $5000 Stax amp
$50.000 Hifiman electrostatic
HE-1000 V2 (cannot remember what was used to power it)

Against:
Focal Utopia Maestro (not very high-end DAC and amp was used)

Result:
It was a slaughter. Hence why I stopped buying open headphones.

And this was not even the best speaker setup.

 

[dontfeedphils]

This is kind of tiring. People prefer different experiences, it's kind of a fool's errand to try and say "this setup is better".

Also, you're on head-fi, it stands to reason that most people here would prefer headphones over a two channel setup (me included).

 

[340519]

Head-Fi: “headphones over speakers”

Money no object studios I have worked in: “Where were all the super expensive headphones?”

And if your Focal speakers sounds worse than the Focal Clear, I am pretty sure there is a problem in the chain. Because I actually compared the following list of headphones

Susvara + $14.000 Hifiman amp
SR-009 + $5000 Stax amp
$50.000 Hifiman electrostatic
HE-1000 V2 (cannot remember what was used to power it)

Against:
Focal Utopia Maestro (not very high-end DAC and amp was used)

Result:
It was a slaughter. Hence why I stopped buying open headphones.

And this was not even the best speaker setup.

Like I said, we'll agree to disagree.

 

[340519]

This is kind of tiring. People prefer different experiences, it's kind of a fool's errand to try and say "this setup is better".

Also, you're on head-fi, it stands to reason that most people here would prefer headphones over a two channel setup (me included).

Bingo. You could not be more right.

 

[LCMusicLover]

This is kind of tiring. People prefer different experiences, it's kind of a fool's errand to try and say "this setup is better".

Also, you're on head-fi, it stands to reason that most people here would prefer headphones over a two channel setup (me included).

Plus, there are those of us whose living situations don't allow them to really enjoy a two channel system

But, the other thing is:

Headphone listening is not speaker listening
Speaker listening is not headphone listening

There's really no point in comparing the two. It's a bit like asking whether lobster is better than Creme Brulee.

 

[CreditingKarma]

Plus, there are those of us whose living situations don't allow them to really enjoy a two channel system

But, the other thing is:

Headphone listening is not speaker listening
Speaker listening is not headphone listening

There's really no point in comparing the two. It's a bit like asking whether lobster is better than Creme Brulee.

Well I can always listen to my abyss and magicos at the same time. Lobster creme brulee anyone?

 

[roskodan]

I don't understand the need to compare headphones to speakers. Especially for classic 2ch recordings, that are not binaural. The soundstage presentation and overall experience is not comparable, because of how the music is recorded on regular 2ch records.

The Clear have great tonality, separation and proportions between spaces that each instrument occupies in the soundstage.

Imo the best jack of all trades since the hd650. But because of its speaker like dynamics and transparent soundstage, in a headphone soundstage format, it can be overwhelming. So it's not surprising some stick to the hd650 and other headphones that have a more homogeneous soundstage presentation.

 

[cobrabucket]

My Clear Pros just arrived. Firstly, these things are aptly named. Wow. Crazy detail retrieval! They have better bass response than I anticipated and a unique sound signature. I will say, though, the headband hurts my head. I'm currently using a spare headband replacement as a cushion. Helps a bit. Back to listening. I am still deciding if they're keepers. Strong possibility...

RME ADI-2 Pro > Liquid Platinum > Clear Pro

 

[dontfeedphils]

They have better bass response than I anticipated and a unique sound signature

Can you expand on what you mean by "unique sound signature"? Just curious.