[roskodan]

@Sean_MR now I'm really curious about that track, can you up it and share it with us? post a link or pm.

 

[Sean_MR]

@Sean_MR now I'm really curious about that track, can you up it and share it with us? post a link or pm.

Sure! It’d be great to get a second pair of ears on this.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/free-burn-in-files.466827/

It’s the third one labeled “pink noise”

Thanks for taking a listen! Again I have no way to describe it (I’m new to audio) except that it’s like the track starts having a spasm and going crazy past moderate levels. And on my AFO2 and Ananda, even blasting the volume it stays “pure” and doesn’t sound any different (just louder) with volume increases.

 

[roskodan]

Somethings up then 'cos I've no problem with that track .

 

[Sean_MR]

Somethings up then 'cos I've no problem with that track .

Does the sound stay the same for you as you go louder?

 

[cirodts]

hi, focal clear sounds good with smsl sp 20

 

[Ifalna]

Sure! It’d be great to get a second pair of ears on this.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/free-burn-in-files.466827/
It’s the third one labeled “pink noise”

Hmm...

sounds pretty uniform to me. At first.
The longer you hear, the more the brain starts to interpret crap into it, kinda like staring into the clouds and starting to see shapes and objects.

Only difference volume makes is that the low frequencies get more into the foreground but that is just normal hearing.
I conclude that there is nothing wrong with the track.

 

[roskodan]

He was worried about why his Clear headphone start acting up with this track at higher volume. But not his other headphones. Idk if @Sean_MR figured out what was going on.

 

[Sean_MR]

He was worried about why his Clear headphone start acting up with this track at higher volume. But not his other headphones. Idk if @Sean_MR figured out what was going on.

I did manage to figure out what was going on! From a thread I posted in the help section:

I figured out that's actually what it is! The pink noise file I use is randomized, so it sounds like the music is having a seizure because it kind of is! I found out by comparing to static pink noise files, which sounded totally "smooth" and didn't have the craziness I was hearing with the random file. So I was hearing the sporadic bits but didn't realize that was what it was until yesterday (when I realized, because I'm a newbie to audio).

On a related note though, I cannot for the life of me re-create that phenomena with my other 2 headphones, the Aeon 2 Open and Hifiman Ananda. I would understand if they were cheap headphones and going to the Focal Clear was a massive upgrade, but those two headphones are also pretty resolving and detailed themselves. So I wonder why I can't hear it on those?

 

[uelover]

I did manage to figure out what was going on! From a thread I posted in the help section:

I figured out that's actually what it is! The pink noise file I use is randomized, so it sounds like the music is having a seizure because it kind of is! I found out by comparing to static pink noise files, which sounded totally "smooth" and didn't have the craziness I was hearing with the random file. So I was hearing the sporadic bits but didn't realize that was what it was until yesterday (when I realized, because I'm a newbie to audio).

On a related note though, I cannot for the life of me re-create that phenomena with my other 2 headphones, the Aeon 2 Open and Hifiman Ananda. I would understand if they were cheap headphones and going to the Focal Clear was a massive upgrade, but those two headphones are also pretty resolving and detailed themselves. So I wonder why I can't hear it on those?

That's what Focal Clear is all about - it lets you hear things clearly.

 

[snailonarampage]

I did manage to figure out what was going on! From a thread I posted in the help section:

I figured out that's actually what it is! The pink noise file I use is randomized, so it sounds like the music is having a seizure because it kind of is! I found out by comparing to static pink noise files, which sounded totally "smooth" and didn't have the craziness I was hearing with the random file. So I was hearing the sporadic bits but didn't realize that was what it was until yesterday (when I realized, because I'm a newbie to audio).

On a related note though, I cannot for the life of me re-create that phenomena with my other 2 headphones, the Aeon 2 Open and Hifiman Ananda. I would understand if they were cheap headphones and going to the Focal Clear was a massive upgrade, but those two headphones are also pretty resolving and detailed themselves. So I wonder why I can't hear it on those?

Off-topic, can you give impressions between the A2O and the Clears? I'm enjoying the A2Os very much with pretty much all genres but curious about the Clears.

 

[Sean_MR]

Off-topic, can you give impressions between the A2O and the Clears? I'm enjoying the A2Os very much with pretty much all genres but curious about the Clears.

To be honest I’m not the guy to ask haha, sorry! I am veryyy new to audio and honestly am in the stage where I’m just trying to figure out what I’m even hearing. Sorry I can’t help!

 

[Goldvein]

Off-topic, can you give impressions between the A2O and the Clears? I'm enjoying the A2Os very much with pretty much all genres but curious about the Clears.

While the A2O is a bit more relaxed and giving you everything behind a small veil, the clear just gives you the clear truth right in you face but with the best tonality in any high end headphone. The A2O is great to relax but the Clear is just amazing to listen to.
also, this is a Clear thread, and I’m hugely biased. And ive just auditioned the Aeon for like 20 minutes and I’ve heard the Clears for several hundreds of hours. They are both great headphones so it’s more about taste.
always audition before you buy. The Clears can be a bit too “in-your-face” if you don’t like that.

 

[roskodan]

I'll chime in and add that when the headphone is right down the middle, not particularly warm or analytic, it can easily change one's perception depending on the amp/dac used. The Clear was really substantially warmer on the Asgard3, on low gain, than on the Hugo1 which yielded a more right down the middle sound. Hell, my o.g. Aeon Flow Closed sounds totally transformed when switching sources.

 

[CANiSLAYu]

Does anyone have a comparison between HIFIMAN Ananda and Focal Clear? I have the Focal Stellia, which I love and I'm looking for an open-back complement. I have the Ananda in my possession currently and while I like it, I'm not sure I love it. Wish it had a little more bass impact. Music is modern music, primarily rap/hip-hop, EDM, rock, metal, etc. Thanks for any insight.

 

[phthora]

Does anyone have a comparison between HIFIMAN Ananda and Focal Clear? I have the Focal Stellia, which I love and I'm looking for an open-back complement. I have the Ananda in my possession currently and while I like it, I'm not sure I love it. Wish it had a little more bass impact. Music is modern music, primarily rap/hip-hop, EDM, rock, metal, etc. Thanks for any insight.

The biggest difference is that the Clear has far superior impact to the sound. The Ananda sounds light, fast, and delicate, while the Clear sounds richer, slightly less fast, and has much more weight behind the sound. For these reasons, the Clear sounds much more natural, especially in the treble. While the Clear has excellent sub-bass for an open-back dynamic, the Ananda does have better extension and control down low. But for me, the bass on the Clear is more satisfying because it hits harder and has more body to it. Frankly, that holds for the mids and treble as well. The Clear sounds less open, but it has better depth to the soundstage, giving instruments more tangibility in their imaging. The Ananda, in comparison, sounds more two-dimensional. The Clear also tends to sound warmer, especially in the mid-bass.