[Deaf Leopard]

Got the Pro's for a better deal than the regular Clears were going for...not sure if that's still the case though.

Definitely like the colors better and the extra set of pads.

I’ve managed to find a shop near to me that stocks Focal headphones, So I’m going in at the weekend to listen to the Clears, Elegia and also the Utopia’s. I’m not to sure I want to listen to the Utopias due to there price! I’ve asked about the Pro Clears and they did mention they could order them in should I decide to pull the trigger so counting the days till the weekend now!

 

[PointyFox]

Depends which headphones you're comparing to. The Clear have angled drivers with evened/flat pads. Other headphones have flat drivers with angled pads (i.e. Hifiman, Audeze), so your question doesn't have a direct answer without reference and actual measurements.

I was talking in regard to the "missing center" of the soundstage.

 

[descloud]

So coming from this statement:

Are the drivers further from the ears than other headphones?

How are you exactly connecting the trend of thought to the center image? And it seems you also misunderstood the issue I've expressed. Please do read up on the previous comments as it is not actually a "missing center" of the head stage.

If you wanted to talk about this further, feel free to PM and we can discuss there so as not to clog this thread with what seems to be a non-issue for most.

 

[ubs28]

Depends which headphones you're comparing to. The Clear have angled drivers with evened/flat pads. Other headphones have flat drivers with angled pads (i.e. Hifiman, Audeze), so your question doesn't have a direct answer without reference and actual measurements.

Other headphones with angled drivers and flat pads are also better than the Focal Clear in this regard.

But it is not something that I really paid attention to until I read it about here. So I suppose it is a non-issue to most.

 

[roskodan]

Well, keep in mind that ears are not perfectly in line, both vertically and, or, horizontally, on one's head, and neither are the ear lobes and ear canals angled the same. If one aligns the headphone based on it's on head position rather than making sure both ears have the same position inside the cups, that could be a factor. Even then, it's possible for one's ears to have different sweet spots, in positioning inside the cups, to achieve an equal presentation.

I find the Clear have the best imaging in terms of positioning accuracy of any of many of the same headphones you guys are comparing them to. Be it static positioning, like center image, or of sounds moving within the 3D stage imaging.

HD650, Alpha Dogs, PM3 etc., are all 3 blob imaging (center, left, right) headphones to my ears, compared to the Clear. When one gets used to such poor imaging, I guess, the Clear can sound weird in comparison.

 

[Guidostrunk]

I agree. Most of my previous cans suffered from the 3blob. Especially the planars I've owned. The HD800 and HD700(sometimes) were the only other cans that could pull off holography. Unfortunately the HD800 was just awful to listen to longer than 20 minutes. Sold it within a week of owning it and thought the HD700 was the better can.
The Clears for me out perform everything I've owned previously in regards to imaging and soundstage, and everything else for that matter. For sure the HD800 has the largest soundstage of any headphone but it's completely artificial sounding and lacks the meat and potatoes in the internal presence of the stage.

Well, keep in mind that ears are not perfectly in line, both vertically and, or, horizontally, on one's head, and neither are the ear lobes and ear canals angled the same. If one aligns the headphone based on it's on head position rather than making sure both ears have the same position inside the cups, that could be a factor. Even then, it's possible for ears to have different sweet spots, in positioning inside the cups, to achieve an equal presentation.

I find the Clear have the best imaging in terms of positioning accuracy of any of many of the same headphones you guys are comparing them to. Be it static positioning, like center image, or of sounds moving within the 3D stage imaging.

HD650, Alpha Dogs, PM3 etc., are all 3 blob imaging (center, left, right) headphones to my ears, compared to the Clear. When one gets used to such poor imaging, I guess, the Clear can sound weird in comparison.

 

[GearMe]

I agree. Most of my previous cans suffered from the 3blob. Especially the planars I've owned. The HD800 and HD700(sometimes) were the only other cans that could pull off holography. Unfortunately the HD800 was just awful to listen to longer than 20 minutes. Sold it within a week of owning it and thought the HD700 was the better can.
The Clears for me out perform everything I've owned previously in regards to imaging and soundstage, and everything else for that matter. For sure the HD800 has the largest soundstage of any headphone but it's completely artificial sounding and lacks the meat and potatoes in the internal presence of the stage.

Ditto...got rid of HD800, 700, 650, & 600, 598cs...picked up Clears and LCD-XC's for my 'end-game' cans in open and closed. No regrets here!

That said, I missed the 650s and did re-acquire them as 6XXs

 

[Guidostrunk]

The only other can I own is the 58x. I'll never part with it lol. I most definitely prefer it to the 600,650, 700 and 800.

Ditto...got rid of HD800, 700, 650, & 600, 598cs...picked up Clears and LCD-XC's for my 'end-game' cans in open and closed. No regrets here!

That said, I missed the 650s and did re-acquire them as 6XXs

 

[Deaf Leopard]

So I managed to listen to the clears today and I have to say I was very impressed. Really like the detail these cans provide and they are not too heavy either which is a big positive. I listened to variety of music from jazz, rock, indie and classical and thought these cans handled a lot of the music very well. I did listen to the Elegia as well and thought it sounded okay but the clears were definitely better for my test. One downside is they cannot order the pro model as initially thought. I’m still Debating with myself whether to pull the trigger or not as this will be the first time I’ve spent A lot more than I would normally spend on headphones.

 

[descloud]

So I managed to listen to the clears today and I have to say I was very impressed. Really like the detail these cans provide and they are not too heavy either which is a big positive. I listened to variety of music from jazz, rock, indie and classical and thought these cans handled a lot of the music very well. I did listen to the Elegia as well and thought it sounded okay but the clears were definitely better for my test. One downside is they cannot order the pro model as initially thought. I’m still Debating with myself whether to pull the trigger or not as this will be the first time I’ve spent A lot more than I would normally spend on headphones.

The Clear are a great all rounder - even Tyll from Innerfidelity mentioned in his review of them that it's the one he'd recommend if you're spending over $1k USD. Seeing that you aren't sensitive to the peaks notable of them, they should give you a great enjoyment and could be the stopping point for you. If you are still reluctant to get it new, I would look in the used market for them as you could find great bargains for them. Alternatively, if you are still reluctant to allocate budget for them, there is the Elear + Clear pads alternative that should get you close to the Clear's performance.

If you were concerned about the pad replacement costs, there are alternatives as presented here by the headphone show:

You can get a headband cover for the gray version to prevent stains from building up and discolouring the headband fast.

 

[pbarach]

After watching the Headphone Show episode about pad-rolling, I bought Dekoni Elite Velour pads for my Clears. I noticed an immediate increase in bass extension and volume. I also noticed decreased peaks in the upper-mids that had affected the clarity of acoustic piano. The pads were easy to switch out, too. I'm very happy with this relatively inexpensive "tweak."

 

[Gamerlingual]

The Clear are a great all rounder - even Tyll from Innerfidelity mentioned in his review of them that it's the one he'd recommend if you're spending over $1k USD. Seeing that you aren't sensitive to the peaks notable of them, they should give you a great enjoyment and could be the stopping point for you. If you are still reluctant to get it new, I would look in the used market for them as you could find great bargains for them. Alternatively, if you are still reluctant to allocate budget for them, there is the Elear + Clear pads alternative that should get you close to the Clear's performance.

If you were concerned about the pad replacement costs, there are alternatives as presented here by the headphone show:

You can get a headband cover for the gray version to prevent stains from building up and discolouring the headband fast.

So true that they are great all around. I wanted the best pair of open back headphones I could find, and I felt the Clear were the winner, beating out the likes of the Utopia and HD800. The 6 month warranty that I got for my mint used pair for 95,000 yen was icing on the cake.

 

[340519]

Ditto...got rid of HD800, 700, 650, & 600, 598cs...picked up Clears and LCD-XC's for my 'end-game' cans in open and closed. No regrets here!

That said, I missed the 650s and did re-acquire them as 6XXs

I'm doing the same. I'm selling all cans except for the empys, 1266, and the Z1R. I've discovered they are my favorites and the rest are just sitting around. I'm buying a high-end gaming laptop with the proceeds.

 

[cirodts]

Does anyone have ananda as well?
differences between clear and ananda, which is better?

 

[descloud]

So true that they are great all around. I wanted the best pair of open back headphones I could find, and I felt the Clear were the winner, beating out the likes of the Utopia and HD800. The 6 month warranty that I got for my mint used pair for 95,000 yen was icing on the cake.

That's interesting. I'm really tempted to get a Utopia and compare as Crinacle gives them a high ranking in terms of tonality and timbre.