I’ve used the Clear and Elex with a WA-6SE. I think the performance will be similar. for reference, I’ll compare the Woo to my Lyr 3. Tube choices will make a little difference, your mileage may vary etc.
Focal Clear- this is my favorite headphone with the Lyr 3 because of its clarity, resolution and dynamics but it can be a little dry and analytical. Compared to the Lyr 3, the Woo emphasizes and adds some cloudiness from upper bass the down to the low bass. The result is a warmer signature with a touch of bloom. The Lyr 3 is less colored and sounds clearer and cooler and with a little sibilance. The Woo is less fatiguing at moderately loud volumes. Bass is where the Lyr outperforms the Woo, though the Woo has better micro dynamics, mids detail and separation, not to mention imaging. Both avoid the metallic character Focals (and Aeons) sometimes exhibit.
Focal Elex- Similar to the Clear though I prefer the Elex- tighter bass with no perceptible bloom. I suspect if the Clear were a little higher impedance the overall sound signature would be extremely close. The Elex synergizes with the Woo very well and delivers a little more clarity than the Clear. If you’re looking for clarity, detail, dynamic detailed bass, great imaging and sweet mids it’s a great pairing that exceeds the Lyr 3 / Elex combo and IMHO the Woo / Clear combo.
AM thinking of trying some home made hybrid setup consisting of a mid-tier tube pre-amp feeding my Violectric SS, this way I will get the Tube signature while still keeping the power off the SS to drive both my Elear and Ananda. Normally Tube amps performs poorly with Planars
AM thinking of trying some home made hybrid setup consisting of a mid-tier tube pre-amp feeding my Violectric SSD, this way I will get the Tube signature while still keeping the power off the SS to drive both my Elear and Ananda. Normally Tube amps performs poorly with Planars
Or you could try the Liquid Platinum (should it be on sale again by Monoprice). The LP is my favourite amp for driving the Clear. As for tube amps and planars, high impedance OTL tube hp amps may perform poorly with low->medium impedance planars, but some head-fiers on the La Figaro thread report successful matching even in this instance. My next favourite amp for the Clear is the Violectric V280 of which one of the attributes is a touch of tube “liquidity”.
Or you could try the Liquid Platinum (should it be on sale again by Monoprice). The LP is my favourite amp for driving the Clear. As for tube amps and planars, high impedance OTL tube hp amps may perform poorly with low->medium impedance planars, but some head-fiers on the La Figaro thread report successful matching even in this instance. My next favourite amp for the Clear is the Violectric V280 of which one of the attributes is a touch of tube “liquidity”.
Am using the Violectric V90 with great results on the Elear.
Since I own both Planar and dynamic I’d rather go with a setup which can accommodate both families. The Cavalli CTH seems to perform well with both and if i decide to go full tubes i may choose Dark Voice 336se
Speaking of EQ with the Clear, I am just blown away by how well the Clear can take EQ. You can fix the slight metallic timbre everyone talks about by EQing 6 kHz and 10.5 kHz, two slightly bright spots I'm hearing compared to my reference HD 58X (and 600). And you can boost the sub bass if you ever need to, and it handles it like a champ.
I didn't play around with EQ too much on the Clear because I liked it's stock tonality for the most part. My reason for parting with it was for reasons other than simply acoustics. On a personal note, I don't really get what 'metallic timbre' is. I do hear some shimmer and hi-hats extra edginess quality on top of the consonant range because of those peaks in the treble, but that's mainly it.
I'm going next week to try the clear at the store. And will definitely take a look at the Elex as well.
I have some time to figure out what to go for, read some more, hopefully try some, and most important, wait for the wife to calm down a bit .
I didn't add the Elex on my initial list because to my knowledge, it costed more than the ones I listed. However, others have pointed out (who probably have heard it) that it is close to the Clear in tuning and would be the cost-effective option if you liked to retain in the same Focal lineup. So, that's another option you can look into. But of course, enjoy the Elegia!
I really like the build and comfort of the Elegia, and also the sound, so naturally I think it's wise to stick to Focal , especially when the other headphones get a lot of praise.
But yeah, I got good time to enjoy the Elegia, until I find the right upgrade.
Thanks again for helping!
installed the replacement drivers on my Elear and realized that the defective originals didn’t do justice to my Elear with clipping and distortion.
Now the Elear rocks and didn’t regret buying the Ananda on the side
Seems these pads are made in Japan (or at least the writing on the package would indicate so)? The microfiber leather seems to be the high end stuff they make there. Anyhow, my old ones puffed up in volume as the microfiber loosened up more and more with each wash. Will make a listening comparison test, I felt already there to be a substantial difference. I'm leaning toward liking the washed pads sound more I think.
Seems these pads are made in Japan (or at least the writing on the package would indicate so)? The microfiber leather seems to be the high end stuff they make there. Anyhow, my old ones puffed up in volume as the microfiber loosened up more and more with each wash. Will make a listening comparison test, I felt already there to be a substantial difference. I'm leaning toward liking the washed pads sound more I think.
It will discolor first, then it may start to slightly lint, nothing major. It could be 100h or 1000h, depending on what kind of hair/skin one has. The problem is it doesn't handle washing well. It's gonna yield a major metamorphosis. >>> >>>
I’ve been thinking of making quite a big jump from mid-tier to hi-fi and the Focal Clear is at the top of my list. I love the design and look, it seems very comfortable and of course it’s amazing sound.
Would Focal Clear owners suggest it worth the jump from the HD6XX/Sundara tier? Has anyone compared it with other headphones at the same price point like the Hifiman Arya or ZMF offerings? The Clear appeals to me the most but unfortunately I don’t have any places near me where I can demo this stuff. My only concern atm is the cost of replacement pads. How often do they need to be replaced? I’m generally very good to my gear and my skin often stays clean and I take care of my hair.
If pads are not washed they will remain intact, and only discolor over time. As per "are they worth it", depends what you want to achieve in terms of sound VS your current headphones. One can always try EQ first with the cans at hand, to see if it's gonna scratch the itch. ASR has EQ profiles for the HD650, and links to software (also under my profile).
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