[340519]

For me, going from LCD2.2 rosewood to LCD-X was very similar like going from HD650 to Clear. @dontfeedphils many complained about the Clear sounding metallic, so it's not widely accepted as a straight upgrade from the HD650 (that, and the soundstage being smaller). I'm not so sure it's entirely a matter of gear matching. www.innerfidelity.com/content/focal-utopia-update

The HD800 are very special to me, they have the most beautiful sound in terms of transient naturalness, liquidity. Yes, they can be over damped in the bass with most solid state solutions, and the prominent treble is not gonna forgive any zing in the chain when playing zingy records. However with the Violectric V200 they were great, and with tubes they were fantastic.

And I just bought the 660s, so why not.

 

[Guidostrunk]

Interesting that someone would find the soundstage on the Clear smaller than the HD650. For me the 650 did some decent holography but I never had that out of body experience with them the 600 or 58x. And I had both the BHC and Woo Wa6 at the time with the 600 & 650.

It wasn't until I purchased the HD700 that I understood outside of the head sound. The 800 hurt my brain with its soundstage lol.

For me the Clear represents a balance between the HE500 and the HD800 but better than both in every aspect.
Idk, I'm just not hearing a small soundstage at all. To my ears it's definitely wider , taller and much deeper than the HD700 by a lot. Not quite as wide as the HD800 but just as tall and possibly deeper.

All subjective though lol.

 

[Ichos]

Agreed.
Clear balanced definitely don't lack at soundstage at all.

 

[dontfeedphils]

I think the stage size on the Focal cans is good, but I've never cared much about that with headphones anyway. Imaging is much more important to me and they do that extremely well.

 

[340519]

Interesting that someone would find the soundstage on the Clear smaller than the HD650. For me the 650 did some decent holography but I never had that out of body experience with them the 600 or 58x. And I had both the BHC and Woo Wa6 at the time with the 600 & 650.

It wasn't until I purchased the HD700 that I understood outside of the head sound. The 800 hurt my brain with its soundstage lol.

For me the Clear represents a balance between the HE500 and the HD800 but better than both in every aspect.
Idk, I'm just not hearing a small soundstage at all. To my ears it's definitely wider , taller and much deeper than the HD700 by a lot. Not quite as wide as the HD800 but just as tall and possibly deeper.

All subjective though lol.

Yeah the 800 and S soundstage was too artificial for me, coupled with them being too analytical. I just wasn't losing myself in the music. Not once for I say "wow" like I do with the Clears and the LCD 4s.

 

[340519]

Agreed.
Clear balanced definitely don't lack at soundstage at all.

To me balanced and SE sound the same.

 

[340519]

I think the stage size on the Focal cans is good, but I've never cared much about that with headphones anyway. Imaging is much more important to me and they do they extremely well.

Yes, I have a killer 2 channel setup but I prefer cans to take the room out of the equation. The room interferes with sound stage in my case.

 

[Ichos]

I have a well treated room but sometimes I prefer headphones.
A good fully balanced source opens up the headstage.
May be it's placebo but it sounds better due to more air and better separation.

 

[Guidostrunk]

I hear you man. 6 months with the Clears and I'm always wowed by them lol. I had the 800's for 2 weeks and dumped them. If I was only, and I mean only, listening to classical. I'd probably have a pair. That's the only genre that didn't make me run from them lol.

Yeah the 800 and S soundstage was too artificial for me, coupled with them being too analytical. I just wasn't losing myself in the music. Not once for I say "wow" like I do with the Clears and the LCD 4s.

 

[Guidostrunk]

Have any of you had your rig outside maybe on a porch at night? I live in a pretty quiet woodsy area and playing my rig at night on my porch is pretty insane. The noise floor at night here is almost non existent. It really is an eye opener.

Just some food for thought. It really is a different experience.

 

[Ichos]

Unfortunately we live in an urban area surrounded by cafes and here stay open after midnight so quite is unknown word to us....

 

[340519]

Have any of you had your rig outside maybe on a porch at night? I live in a pretty quiet woodsy area and playing my rig at night on my porch is pretty insane. The noise floor at night here is almost non existent. It really is an eye opener.

Just some food for thought. It really is a different experience.

Yes I listen on the deck at my cottage sometimes in the ottawa valley on the river. It's a cool experience.

 

[GearMe]

Interesting that someone would find the soundstage on the Clear smaller than the HD650. For me the 650 did some decent holography but I never had that out of body experience with them the 600 or 58x. And I had both the BHC and Woo Wa6 at the time with the 600 & 650.

It wasn't until I purchased the HD700 that I understood outside of the head sound. The 800 hurt my brain with its soundstage lol.

For me the Clear represents a balance between the HE500 and the HD800 but better than both in every aspect.
Idk, I'm just not hearing a small soundstage at all. To my ears it's definitely wider , taller and much deeper than the HD700 by a lot. Not quite as wide as the HD800 but just as tall and possibly deeper.

All subjective though lol.

Agreed!

 

[MattRG]

I just got my Clears yesterday and bought them as a possible replacement for my HD800's. Although I have really enjoyed the HD800's I recognize their limitations and have wanted to find a headphone that presented a more neutral response while still being comfortable, open and in possession of many of the strengths of the 800's.
So far the Clears are really wowing me with their transparency, imaging and tone. It's really amazing to put the Clears on and listen to music that I have listened to many times before and not only hear new things but also be able to pick out exactly where sounds and instruments are coming from in terms of height and direction.

With high quality audio files the Focal Clear is turning out to be an amazing headphone for presenting the music in a beautiful and transparent way. I know I am still in the honeymoon phase but I am finding these Clears to be uncanny at detail retrieval and it's a very eye-opening experience.

If there's a weakness here it's that poorly mixed or lower quality audio files have nowhere to hide. Well mixed and high quality files have never sounded better but the flip side is also true. Still, I would rather have the microscope that is the Focal Clear and be able to hear everything than not.

For reference, my current gear chain is Julia XTe S/PDIF out to Metrum Musette DAC which feeds either a Cavalli Tube Hybrid or THX 789 amp. Right now I am preferring the CTH amp for a bit of that tube euphoria but I've heard the 789 is also a great pairing with the Clear. I do have a Bifrost 2 on order and will be switching to Unison USB once it arrives which should be an interesting comparison.

Anyway, I am hugely impressed with the Clear thus far. It sounds as beautiful as it looks and feels.

 

[the machine]

Personally, the last option you listed: THX. In my case, the HPA4. The Clear has wonderful technical ability, so I like to hear all that come through as much as possible with a highly controlled amp. I also love the tuning, and I don't want to alter that at all so I choose an absolutely transparent amp.

I pondered getting the HPA4. Have you heard the D90 A90 combo yet? I wonder how much there is to gain or lose from one or another, and my question goes both ways. Just because HPA4 is 3k doesn't mean it's better than the A90 at 500. It may be, I haven't heard either. Just curious if you have any insight.

Thanks