[dontfeedphils]

Hello everyone!

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.

I'd go for the Clear Pro. Harder to see discoloring and they come with an extra set of pads.

 

[surfgeorge]

Hello everyone!

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.

Except of the ZMF I listened to all those headphones quite a lot before making my decision.
The Arya and Clears are a big step up from the HD660S and Sundara, at least with my source, the Chord Hugo 2.

Comparing the Arya and Clears:
In my area, the Arya is €1600, the Focal Clear are currently <€1000.
The Arya is a great headphone, very transparent, detailed, great soundstage, smooth, maybe a little aggressive in the treble and a little dark in the bass.
The biggest issue I had was that IMO they had a little different character in the different frequency areas, dark bass, smooth, transparent and great layering in the mids and a little sizzle in the treble.

The Clears have a tighter sound and soundstage, are very coherent from top to bottom, and I feel they are more versatile.
Detail and clarity is also very good, especially at lower volumes. Soundstage depth and layering is not as spacious though as the Arya.
Edit: one additional limitation is that they are limited in sub bass volume, so if you like to listen very loud with bass boost you will run into clipping.
Another aspect - the Clears are heavier and have more clampig force than the Arya, but I can wear the Clears for hours without discomfort.

One thing to keep in mind, the Arya is very power hungry, the Clear is easy to drive.

If you go for the Clears, I would recommend the PRO version as it comes with 2 pairs of pads, and the dark pad color makes them much less sensitive to dirt and grime. I also find the cable selection better than with the regular Clears.
I first bought the grey Clears and even after casual listening for a week or 10 days the pads started to show discoloration, so I returned them and got the Pro version. I really don't regret it, they look great and are much less sensitive to dirt. The extra set of pads is the icing on the cake.

 

[bcaulf17]

Except of the ZMF I listened to all those headphones quite a lot before making my decision.
The Arya and Clears are a big step up from the HD660S and Sundara, at least with my source, the Chord Hugo 2.

Comparing the Arya and Clears:
In my area, the Arya is €1600, the Focal Clear are currently <€1000.
The Arya is a great headphone, very transparent, detailed, great soundstage, smooth, maybe a little aggressive in the treble and a little dark in the bass.
The biggest issue I had was that IMO they had a little different character in the different frequency areas, dark bass, smooth, transparent and great layering in the mids and a little sizzle in the treble.

The Clears have a tighter sound and soundstage, are very coherent from top to bottom, and I feel they are more versatile.
Detail and clarity is also very good, especially at lower volumes. Soundstage depth and layering is not as spacious though as the Arya.
Edit: one additional limitation is that they are limited in sub bass volume, so if you like to listen very loud with bass boost you will run into clipping.
Another aspect - the Clears are heavier and have more clampig force than the Arya, but I can wear the Clears for hours without discomfort.

One thing to keep in mind, the Arya is very power hungry, the Clear is easy to drive.

If you go for the Clears, I would recommend the PRO version as it comes with 2 pairs of pads, and the dark pad color makes them much less sensitive to dirt and grime. I also find the cable selection better than with the regular Clears.
I first bought the grey Clears and even after casual listening for a week or 10 days the pads started to show discoloration, so I returned them and got the Pro version. I really don't regret it, they look great and are much less sensitive to dirt. The extra set of pads is the icing on the cake.

Good to know regarding the Pro. Thanks for your comparisons!

 

[dan3952]

I would go with people like Brent Butterworth or Tyll Hertsens (the latter person has retired, but his data sheets are still available online). The Absolute Sound doesn't publish good headphone reviews at all, they are far too brief, and without any technicals, not even FR.

I dislike it when people do silly things to their headphones like play them at 85 db or above, or boost bass at 35 Hz by 10 db or more, to try and engineer a flaw as some sort of attention getting stunt. Most music has little or no content at 35 Hz, and even with the music that does, I would expect a closed back planar to outperform the Clears every time. I had read another thread about how Audeze drivers are doomed to failure sooner or later, and anybody in their right mind should know that those things are unreliable nightmares (and HiFiMans weren't four years ago).At least reading this thread was enough to make me not read Amir's posts anymore. He is obsessed with SNR anyway in his DAC and amp tests, like this is all that matters in evaluating a piece of equipment. He's a blogger, and not someone who publishes a mainstream audio magazine.

I had sold my Clears for personal reasons, and still feel that they are very competitive at their price point. I did notice HeadAmp had put them on sale recently. I may buy them back and do more with DSP now that I've gotten to know JRiver and its plugins better.

Anything, has its flaws. I could list every headphone I had owned, complete with a 'pros and cons' chart.


QUOTE="Barnstormer13, post: 16105091, member: 541476"]
I’m not sure which web site you’re referring to, but I have noticed over the years that not everyone testing audio gear knows a lot about how to test or takes the time to do it properly. I’ve also noticed some sites have clear biases for and against some gear. There is at least one site out there with audio professionals doing testing and I usually go there if I want meaningful and comparable test results.

I should add that on that particular site, there isn’t much if any discussion of the Clear clipping issue even though it’s a pretty popular headphone amongst the members.
[/QUOTE]

 

[HTSkywalker]

Hello everyone!

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.

The best contenders in this price category is Focal Clear and Hifiman Arya, although the Clear is a an outstanding headphone but IMHO the Arya blow it out of the water but that's to my taste and am sure the Clear is better for other sonic tastes, You better test both for yourself and if that's not possible GET THE ARYA (i tried it both with the Cavalli CTH and V280)

 

[bcaulf17]

The best contenders in this price category is Focal Clear and Hifiman Arya, although the Clear is a an outstanding headphone but IMHO the Arya blow it out of the water but that's to my taste and am sure the Clear is better for other sonic tastes, You better test both for yourself and if that's not possible GET THE ARYA (i tried it both with the Cavalli CTH and V280)

That’s what I heard! That the Arya is more spacious and laid back, the Clear is more dynamic, but both outstanding, Clear probably leans a little closer to my preference.

 

[HTSkywalker]

That’s what I heard! That the Arya is more spacious and laid back, the Clear is more dynamic, but both outstanding, Clear probably leans a little closer to my preference.

It's typical dynamic vs Planar advantages

 

[kid vic]

Hello everyone!

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.

Current owner of the Focal Clear, Hifiman HE1000v1, ZMF Eikon, previously owned the ZMF Atticus and Auteur.
Yes, the Clears/Arya/ZMF's are all a stepup from the HD6XX and Sundara.

The Clears with the Dekoni velour solids have the closest to perfect balance (to my tastes) I've ever heard; therefore, I suggest you buy the Focal Clear Pro and the aforementioned Dekoni's to get the best look and sound combo, that way if you have to sell you'll have to untouched pads to sell with.
According to the Hifiman, the Arya and HEKv1 w/ v2 pads are the same headphone; if that's true then the Arya and Clear are equal, just a matter of preference. The HEK has a wider soundstage and a more laid back sound, whereas the Clear is more focused, dynamic and bass forward. Their both relatively genre agnostic but very mood dependent. If you like to rock out every time you listen to music, the Clears are a better choice. If you're always laidback, the Arya might be a better choice.
All the ZMF's I've owned sound more natural and "correct" timbre wise than either the Clear or the HEK. The main advantage of ZMF headphones is the build quality, their affinity for tube amps and the pad rolling capabilities. Get three different ZMF pads and one headphone for three completely different sonic vibes.

No wrong choices in the group imo, the most important question is what genres do you listen to and whats your current amp/source system?

 

[bcaulf17]

Current owner of the Focal Clear, Hifiman HE1000v1, ZMF Eikon, previously owned the ZMF Atticus and Auteur.
Yes, the Clears/Arya/ZMF's are all a stepup from the HD6XX and Sundara.

The Clears with the Dekoni velour solids have the closest to perfect balance (to my tastes) I've ever heard; therefore, I suggest you buy the Focal Clear Pro and the aforementioned Dekoni's to get the best look and sound combo, that way if you have to sell you'll have to untouched pads to sell with.
According to the Hifiman, the Arya and HEKv1 w/ v2 pads are the same headphone; if that's true then the Arya and Clear are equal, just a matter of preference. The HEK has a wider soundstage and a more laid back sound, whereas the Clear is more focused, dynamic and bass forward. Their both relatively genre agnostic but very mood dependent. If you like to rock out every time you listen to music, the Clears are a better choice. If you're always laidback, the Arya might be a better choice.
All the ZMF's I've owned sound more natural and "correct" timbre wise than either the Clear or the HEK. The main advantage of ZMF headphones is the build quality, their affinity for tube amps and the pad rolling capabilities. Get three different ZMF pads and one headphone for three completely different sonic vibes.

No wrong choices in the group imo, the most important question is what genres do you listen to and whats your current amp/source system?

Thanks for your reply! I listen to a lot of rock and hip hop but also some jazz and a little bit of everything else. Have a THX 789 amp and Topping E30 DAC.

 

[Ifalna]

I'd go for the Clear Pro. Harder to see discoloring and they come with an extra set of pads.

Not really. The red pads get dark very quickly after a few weeks of daily use.
I do wish these were just black.

Don't get me wrong, they look cool but in real life use it's annoying. Still, having a pair of extra pads is awesome.
After 2 years, I'm still on my 1st set. They look a little frayed due to washes but still do the job. Most importantly, the foam inside is still very much in shape, which is impressive.

 

[bcaulf17]

Not really. The red pads get dark very quickly after a few weeks of daily use.
I do wish these were just black.

Don't get me wrong, they look cool but in real life use it's annoying. Still, having a pair of extra pads is awesome.
After 2 years, I'm still on my 1st set. They look a little frayed due to washes but still do the job. Most importantly, the foam inside is still very much in shape, which is impressive.

It’s tough because I like the color scheme of the original Clear more than the Pro, which is strange because I usually like all black look but the all silver and white is elegant, and it’s cool that it comes with an XLR cable, but the pads are worth more and it’s probably a better deal that the Pro comes with an extra set. Ahhhh!

 

[PointyFox]

I prefer the Clear over the Arya, HD800S, and Utopia.

 

[bcaulf17]

I prefer the Clear over the Arya, HD800S, and Utopia.

Well now I’m even more tempted!

I hope the new Radiance closed back is good. Then I’ll have a one-two punch!

 

[kid vic]

Thanks for your reply! I listen to a lot of rock and hip hop but also some jazz and a little bit of everything else. Have a THX 789 amp and Topping E30 DAC.

For those genres and that amp I'd probably take the clear over the Arya simply because it is more energetic for Hip-Hop and rock. The Auteur and the Arya would be great choices with a different amp imo.

 

[xanlamin]

Nope, Clear is better than Radiance.