[roskodan]

I have entry level stuff. I drive my HD 650s with the modi/magni combo. The sound is liquid and lush. I have tried many headphones and none of them had that liquid sound. I have been eyeing the clears as an upgrade for my HD 650s. I wonder if they have that liquid and non fatiguing sound.

They can be as liquid as the hd650, as well as lush. I feel they are also very forgiving for the level of performance they give. It's an upgrade in every aspect. However they are more revealing of the sound signature of your downstream gear. It's gonna get through, for better or for worse, but imo, it's never gonna sound bad nor not good enough. The hd650 scale with gear that matches them better as well. It really depends which way you wanna go in spending your money.

Imo, it's very likely you won't use your hd650 beside the Clear. It just kills the hd650. Well, unless you really need that super forgiving sound the hd650 has.

Depending on gear matching, on the Clear, I guess soundstage can be cozier. Other than that, it's just pure PRaT and nice punchy tonal realism.

 

[TaronL]

For those interested in the Clear + Arche, we're doing a livestream on The HEADPHONE Show on July 30th with Focal as guests where we will be giving a way a Focal Clear + Focal Arche! Contest details in the video below.

 

[addicted2music]

They can be as liquid as the hd650, as well as lush. I feel they are also very forgiving for the level of performance they give. It's an upgrade in every aspect. However they are more revealing of the sound signature of your downstream gear. It's gonna get through, for better or for worse, but imo, it's never gonna sound bad nor not good enough. The hd650 scale with gear that matches them better as well. It really depends which way you wanna go in spending your money.

Imo, it's very likely you won't use your hd650 beside the Clear. It just kills the hd650. Well, unless you really need that super forgiving sound the hd650 has.

Depending on gear matching, on the Clear, I guess soundstage can be cozier. Other than that, it's just pure PRaT and nice punchy tonal realism.

I am going to use them as a portable headphone. I am going to buy a DAP to drive them since they are easy to drive. The default sound signature is not dry, right? I absolutely dislike the dry sound. It sounds lifeless to me. It's going to be a blind buy. I am leaning towards buying them. I hope I like them.

 

[roskodan]

I am going to use them as a portable headphone. I am going to buy a DAP to drive them since they are easy to drive. The default sound signature is not dry, right? I absolutely dislike the dry sound. It sounds lifeless to me. It's going to be a blind buy. I am leaning towards buying them. I hope I like them.

Not dry, actually the hd650 are more likely to feel dry, and especially overall underwhelming, from portable gear vs the Clear.

 

[Facta]

They can be as liquid as the hd650, as well as lush. I feel they are also very forgiving for the level of performance they give. It's an upgrade in every aspect. However they are more revealing of the sound signature of your downstream gear. It's gonna get through, for better or for worse, but imo, it's never gonna sound bad nor not good enough. The hd650 scale with gear that matches them better as well. It really depends which way you wanna go in spending your money.

Imo, it's very likely you won't use your hd650 beside the Clear. It just kills the hd650. Well, unless you really need that super forgiving sound the hd650 has.

Depending on gear matching, on the Clear, I guess soundstage can be cozier. Other than that, it's just pure PRaT and nice punchy tonal realism.

Wondering if a tube amp can take Clear/Stellia even farther than where they are or a solid state. I use only RME ADI-2 Pro now and I like Clear more than Stellia. Considering a Bottlehead Crack tube with its illustrious past or a Topping A90 solid state with its solid ToTL measurements of HPA4 league or even higher.

 

[descloud]

I have entry level stuff. I drive my HD 650s with the modi/magni combo. The sound is liquid and lush. I have tried many headphones and none of them had that liquid sound. I have been eyeing the clears as an upgrade for my HD 650s. I wonder if they have that liquid and non fatiguing sound.

In my experience, the HE-500 has the liquid mids that the HD650 has and is better in almost all aspects of the HD650. Unfortunate that they discontinued it, but you can find a few around in the used market.

The Focal Clear IMO is a well-balanced headphone in tonality and technicalities. What it lacks is the liquid midrange that the HE-500 and HD650 has from my experience. But these are the advantages the Clear has over the HD650 from my notes and recollection:

• Better bass extension and slam
• Better treble extension
• Slightly better in detail retrieval and imaging
• Wider head stage (sound stage)
• Lush mids, but not as weighty as the HE-500 or HD650 (from recollection)
• Faster pace than the HD650, but not as fast as the HE-500
• Better dynamics than both HE-500 and HD650

On that note, if you're sensitive to treble in the 6k and 8k - 10k frequencies, it can be fatiguing to listen to, especially with how good the dynamics are with that treble elevation. I usually listen at lower volumes with the Clear, but it's still enjoyable even with the lower volume level. Don't take this as the Focal Clear being sibilant because it is not, it's just the treble frequencies are more pronounced compared to the HD650 that it can take some time getting used to it.

 

[Ichos]

Clear and 650 are different presentations.
If the OP is looking for something different with a little 650 flavor then yes the Clear might suit him.
But if he is looking for 650 upgraded and on steroids then he will find no luck at all.
The only TOTL headphone that might please an 650 fan and could be considered a real upgrade is the Empyrean.

 

[descloud]

Clear and 650 are different presentations.
If the OP is looking for something different with a little 650 flavor then yes the Clear might suit him.
But if he is looking for 650 upgraded and on steroids then he will find no luck at all.
The only TOTL headphone that might please an 650 fan and could be considered a real upgrade is the Empyrean.

Definitely agree with Ichos there. The Clear and HD650 are different in presentation. The HE-500 in my experience is the HD650 upgrade and on the planar side, but not currently available.

The Empyrean is definitely out of OPs price range. Maybe something like the Audeze LCD-2 (with EQ) or a ZMF headphone could be a good upgrade, but I haven't had experience with either to be definitive in that recommendation.

 

[kith86]

Are the focal clears liquid sounding as the 650s?i am looking for an upgrade, but i don't want to lose that liquid sound.

I think clear sounds like punchy and dynamic vs hd650 which is just sound mellow and soft, i guess better go to aeolus if you want that liquid sound or audeze lcd2 perhaps which is kindda closer to hd650 presentation

To my ears clears not fatigue compare to something like hd800 for example, but it's brighter cans than hd650 for sure

 

[Nostoi]

Selling my Focal Clear Pros here if anyone's interested.

 

[roskodan]

The dreadful September is approaching...

 

[Andrew Rieger]

So how prevalent is the mechanical clipping issue with Clear? I listen to very bassy music at pretty high volume levels. Does Focal have QC issues because it seems that this clipping happens at different levels on different cans?

 

[Nostoi]

So how prevalent is the mechanical clipping issue with Clear? I listen to very bassy music at pretty high volume levels. Does Focal have QC issues because it seems that this clipping happens at different levels on different cans?

The issue has been discussed at some length and is evidently not a QC issue but a deliberate design choice by Focal. You can find the relevant quote here, which relates to the Elear but is applicable to the Clear, I suspect.

 

[theaudiologist1]

Are these heaphones as neutral as the R70x'es?

 

[addicted2music]

Anyone use these as their portable set up? I am planning to use them as my portable set up. I have a fiio M6 dap. I think It can drive the clear decently. Anyway, I am pulling the trigger next week. I hope I like these better than my HD 650 or as much as them. As long as the sound is not dry, I will like them. As simple as that.