[bcaulf17]

Nope, Clear is better than Radiance.

Yeah probably, nobody saying it isn’t. Actually there’s only what, one review out?

I’m more interested to know how close it gets to the Clear. If it’s close but not quite there, in a closed back, then it could be a fantastic closed back under $1000 but we’ll see.

EDIT: For some reason I thought you were talking about the new Celestee. Ugh my bad

 

[dan3952]

I've had the following:
Focal Clear
Shure SRH-1540
Sennheiser HD-700
HiFiMan Arya

I have the following:
Audeze LCD-3: If you listen to music that has a lot of content below 100 Hz or so, I would say nothing I've heard can touch an Audeze for dynamics and raw impact (as you might expect with something that heavy). Listening to techno was a riot on these; just searing bass tracks, like mortars landing. Microdetail not great at this price, at any frequency, but still enjoyable to listen to for long periods of time. It's liquid, warm, rounded, and dark (even with the Reveal plugin, compared to any Focal). Soundstage and imaging are average. I would suggest getting the neutral LCD-X creator's package instead and saving a bit of money, for the type of music you had mentioned. I think the LCD-X has better bass. You won't get the same "air" with jazz with either one of them that you would with the Clears or the Aryas, because of the "darkness".

Focal Clear: The "technical" headphone. Well worth $1500. It has more resolving power than the LCD-3 in terms of microdynamics like texture in stringed instruments. Has a resonant peak that's at, about, 60 Hz that does affect the sound. Kick drums and bass guitars had sounded average and hadn't slammed like with the Audeze. Planars lack this. Had a metallic, cold timbre with some songs, that I had found fatiguing, especially with percussion. Blaring trumpets or saxophones might sound fatiguing. They are a, "lively" headphone that I had kept turning down. You cannot see this in their frequency response. Average soundstage. Imaging pretty good. I would be inclined to EQ down the treble a bit.

SRH-1540: These are forgotten about closed backs because they've been out for so long. I had often used these instead of the Clears for hard rock music or techno, where I had liked an elevated bass, and hearing every last detail, wasn't much fun. They are a dark headphone that I would EQ to flatten out. They were more exciting than any Sennheiser I had heard for bass heavy music, though not as clean as the others. Not a bad deal for $500.

HD-700: A slow seller that doesn't get much attention anymore, and a total bass weakling. It had felt like a watered down HD-800. I had liked it for female vocals and stringed instruments. Probably good for jazz. Not as dynamic as the Clears or the Audezes. "polite" and "inoffensive", but less so than the cheaper HD650.

Arya: Well worth $1600. Microdetail about the same as the Clears and better than any Audeze below the LCD-4. Imaging/layering slightly better than the Clears. Soundstage very wide, almost to the point of being unnatural (I heard instruments above me and behind me). It's a "soft touch" headphone that isn't great with highly dynamic music. I had sold them because female vocals hadn't sounded right in terms of timbre (plastic/hollow), but, this was only in a narrow frequency range. I had bought an open box special, and that particular unit might have been a dud. I don't think any amount of power will make the Aryas more dynamic. HE-1000 is supposed to sound "soft", as well. I was told that the Arya uses an HE-1000 v1 driver.

I have the Monoprice THX amp, and I treat it like it's an inoffensive, high value, "straight wire with gain". I don't really believe in amp matching, as long as you have sufficient power and don't have an impedance mismatch. A warm amp will make everything sound warm.

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.

 

[HTSkywalker]

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.

I agree that both Ananda & Arya are more laid back and not a primary tool for energetic music. Attack goes for dynamic drivers.
A hybrid amp like the Cavalli CTH makes the Arya so euphoric with vocals and classical music.

 

[Ifalna]

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!

*shrug* Honestly: once it's on your head, you won't see much of it anyway.
IMHO balanced in a headphone is useless, especially it's one that is so easily driven as the Clear.

I get 90dB (Z) peaks at -26dB on my ADI-2 in low power mode lol.

You should take a look at Celestee , if you want closed back, if I interpret the marketing material correctly, it succeeds Elegia and their goal was to make a closed back version of the Clear. I'm digging the design, big time, unfortunately I hate wearing closed back cans at home and I'm not running around with a Kilobuck Can in the bus.

Blaring trumpets or saxophones might sound fatiguing.

Haha, when do these instruments sound NOT fatiguing?

I've never been overly fond of music that gives brass instruments (especially trumpets) too much presence, no matter the gear involved.

 

[Coztomba]

*shrug* Honestly: once it's on your head, you won't see much of it anyway.
IMHO balanced in a headphone is useless, especially it's one that is so easily driven as the Clear.

I get 90dB (Z) peaks at -26dB on my ADI-2 in low power mode lol.

You should take a look at Celestee , if you want closed back, if I interpret the marketing material correctly, it succeeds Elegia and their goal was to make a closed back version of the Clear. I'm digging the design, big time, unfortunately I hate wearing closed back cans at home and I'm not running around with a Kilobuck Can in the bus.

I often hear people say how loud they listen to their headphones in dB... What do use to measure that?

 

[bcaulf17]

*shrug* Honestly: once it's on your head, you won't see much of it anyway.
IMHO balanced in a headphone is useless, especially it's one that is so easily driven as the Clear.

I get 90dB (Z) peaks at -26dB on my ADI-2 in low power mode lol.

You should take a look at Celestee , if you want closed back, if I interpret the marketing material correctly, it succeeds Elegia and their goal was to make a closed back version of the Clear. I'm digging the design, big time, unfortunately I hate wearing closed back cans at home and I'm not running around with a Kilobuck Can in the bus.

Yeah, my hope is to get both a Clear and Celestee (if it’s good).

 

[Ifalna]

I often hear people say how loud they listen to their headphones in dB... What do use to measure that?

I used a M.A.L.P on a stick.

A.k.a.: A Umik-1 poked through a hole in a CD. While the mic is calibrated, it's obviously not super precise like a fancy headphone measuring rig but it gives you a rough estimate what you are subjecting your ears to.

 

[DivineCurrent]

I've had the following:
Focal Clear
Shure SRH-1540
Sennheiser HD-700
HiFiMan Arya

I have the following:
Audeze LCD-3: If you listen to music that has a lot of content below 100 Hz or so, I would say nothing I've heard can touch an Audeze for dynamics and raw impact (as you might expect with something that heavy). Listening to techno was a riot on these; just searing bass tracks, like mortars landing. Microdetail not great at this price, at any frequency, but still enjoyable to listen to for long periods of time. It's liquid, warm, rounded, and dark (even with the Reveal plugin, compared to any Focal). Soundstage and imaging are average. I would suggest getting the neutral LCD-X creator's package instead and saving a bit of money, for the type of music you had mentioned. I think the LCD-X has better bass. You won't get the same "air" with jazz with either one of them that you would with the Clears or the Aryas, because of the "darkness".

Focal Clear: The "technical" headphone. Well worth $1500. It has more resolving power than the LCD-3 in terms of microdynamics like texture in stringed instruments. Has a resonant peak that's at, about, 60 Hz that does affect the sound. Kick drums and bass guitars had sounded average and hadn't slammed like with the Audeze. Planars lack this. Had a metallic, cold timbre with some songs, that I had found fatiguing, especially with percussion. Blaring trumpets or saxophones might sound fatiguing. They are a, "lively" headphone that I had kept turning down. You cannot see this in their frequency response. Average soundstage. Imaging pretty good. I would be inclined to EQ down the treble a bit.

SRH-1540: These are forgotten about closed backs because they've been out for so long. I had often used these instead of the Clears for hard rock music or techno, where I had liked an elevated bass, and hearing every last detail, wasn't much fun. They are a dark headphone that I would EQ to flatten out. They were more exciting than any Sennheiser I had heard for bass heavy music, though not as clean as the others. Not a bad deal for $500.

HD-700: A slow seller that doesn't get much attention anymore, and a total bass weakling. It had felt like a watered down HD-800. I had liked it for female vocals and stringed instruments. Probably good for jazz. Not as dynamic as the Clears or the Audezes. "polite" and "inoffensive", but less so than the cheaper HD650.

Arya: Well worth $1600. Microdetail about the same as the Clears and better than any Audeze below the LCD-4. Imaging/layering slightly better than the Clears. Soundstage very wide, almost to the point of being unnatural (I heard instruments above me and behind me). It's a "soft touch" headphone that isn't great with highly dynamic music. I had sold them because female vocals hadn't sounded right in terms of timbre (plastic/hollow), but, this was only in a narrow frequency range. I had bought an open box special, and that particular unit might have been a dud. I don't think any amount of power will make the Aryas more dynamic. HE-1000 is supposed to sound "soft", as well. I was told that the Arya uses an HE-1000 v1 driver.

I have the Monoprice THX amp, and I treat it like it's an inoffensive, high value, "straight wire with gain". I don't really believe in amp matching, as long as you have sufficient power and don't have an impedance mismatch. A warm amp will make everything sound warm.

The reasons you stated are what ultimately made me choose the Clear over an Audeze. I only tried the LCD-X in a shop years ago so I could not compare the two, but to me the tonal balance of the Clear just outclasses the Audeze house sound. Yes, you may get better bass fullness and impact with an Audeze, but I’m not willing to trade that for the excellent midrange and treble presence of the Clear. I also have a modified HE-500 that gives a lot of bass authority and wide soundstage when I need it. The Clear is the more precise and tonally correct headphone though, even with the occasional treble peaks at 6 and 10 kHz that are easily EQed out. And everything sounds so realistic on the Clear, I have a hard time switching to any of my other headphones.
However, I am curious to try the LCD-2 or 3 someday with the right EQ settings, it may be a nice compliment to the Clear.

 

[dan3952]

I had listened to ten or more headphones in 2018 and had gotten the Clears at the time (at a discount), the LCD-Xs having been my second pick. They probably don't want to see me again at that place, and that's ok (it's in Torrance).

LCD-3 still sounds darker than the Clears even when using the Reveal plugin, but their rounded/liquid/warm quality is still appealing. It's my preferred headphone for hard rock and metal.

I think the LCD-4 also has a dark signature, but with more microdetail. Don't think the LCD-4 or the MX4 (that one I had listened to), are particularly competitive these days when you look at all the new $2000 competition that's come out since.

Any song having a lot of instruments below 90 Hz, I had preferred planar headphones. Clears have a resonant peak at some point below 100 Hz (see where the impedance rises on the Tyll Hertsens data sheet), which planars lack. Your bass won't sound as clean at that frequency, and you may get phase shift. When using speakers, 60 Hz doesn't sound great in my room, either, even using an excellent servo enabled sub. I think it's because planar headphones don't have room related nulls, rising distortion, phase shift, or drivers interacting around the crossover frequency (though I cross over above 90 Hz). U2's "Mothers of the Disappeared" from the Joshua Tree album, for example, has a track at that frequency where I couldn't hear the individual notes until I had listened to them with the LCD-3. It had been a blob of sound.

My Martin Logan 60 XT speakers which I had gotten a good price on from Crutchfield, due to them having been returned, and (marketing wise), the old model, outclass the LCD-3s in resolution and imaging (which saddens me, as I had paid less for them than the current LCD-3 MSRP), and sound closer to the Clears (they are lively).

Audeze, doesn't seem to have come up with a new innovative driver technology, that doesn't sound dark.. even if they have, I had already lost interest, not wanting to pay what they charge for their products (the 4Z or the 24, that is). I hadn't been impressed on a personal level with Rosson leaving Audeze and becoming a competitor. I would imagine the Rosson RAD-0 sounds better than the LCD-3 (or he wouldn't have a marketable product). He had probably been arguing with the management (which nobody would admit publicly), before leaving and forming a new company, or else he could have just released the same product at Audeze, and called it a LCD-5, or something.

If I could come to terms with spending over $2000 on headphones, I would probably get the ZMF Verite, or the Meze Empyrean.

I had bought the LCD-3s used from a place in the Denver area, and would probably be selling them for under $1000, having to eat the cost of the Dekoni hybrid pads and the new headband I had bought (about $200). I may reach a point where I decide I can't deal with lugging them around if I move.

Getting a Chinese IEM next week.

The reasons you stated are what ultimately made me choose the Clear over an Audeze. I only tried the LCD-X in a shop years ago so I could not compare the two, but to me the tonal balance of the Clear just outclasses the Audeze house sound. Yes, you may get better bass fullness and impact with an Audeze, but I’m not willing to trade that for the excellent midrange and treble presence of the Clear. I also have a modified HE-500 that gives a lot of bass authority and wide soundstage when I need it. The Clear is the more precise and tonally correct headphone though, even with the occasional treble peaks at 6 and 10 kHz that are easily EQed out. And everything sounds so realistic on the Clear, I have a hard time switching to any of my other headphones.
However, I am curious to try the LCD-2 or 3 someday with the right EQ settings, it may be a nice compliment to the Clear.

 

[davehg]

To add to the above:

I own the Clear, the LCD3f, and the HD650. I don’t find the Clear to be bright or fatiguing unless the source and amp lean towards that sound quality. The times I’ve heard a glare or icy quality - these were remedied by swapping tubes or by upgrading my digital source. Case in point - I had the Lumin D2 in stock form and it exhibited a slight digital glare/glassy quality which disappeared when I swapped its switching power supply for a linear power supply.

I use the Woo WA22 and the WA5 - the WA22 is not at all warm sounding but is more neutral than a typical tube amp, and a perfect match with the HD650. Its tone can be changed noticeably by swapping tubes for NOS tubes to provide more warmth. With the Clear and NOS tubes, it is a neutral and dynamic but not bright sound, more detailed for sure.

The Audeze is as @dan3952 describes, with a few caveats. With a suitable powered amp like the WA5, it becomes more dynamic sounding, always warm but not as dark as other LCD models like the X and the 2. It is my favorite of the LCD series, but I would be careful with amp matching. It really demands a high quality amp and shines on the WA5 (but then again, every headphone I own shines on the WA5). I also found it became more neutral and transparent when I swapped the stock headphone cables for a pair of Cardas Clear cables. I don’t find it dark, but I did find the LCD2 to be dark. The LCD X was more neutral to my ears but not as liquid as the LCD3. I have not heard the LCD4.

The Clear gets a tad more impact and slam on the WA5 but I agree it is not to the level of the LCD3. I can listen to it for extended periods and the detail is wonderful, but I’ve rarely found it bright sounding. I did not feel that way about the Utopia - its noted “bite” was too much for me though I loved every other thing about it.

The surprise for me is the HD650. It is commonly describes as dark, all midrange and not especially dynamic. On the WA22 with the right NOS tubes and a balanced source and headphone cable, it is intoxicating - the WA22 feels like it was built for the HD650. But throw it on the WA5 in high power mode and suddenly - wow! It really needs power to come alive.

Point being - you need to evaluate headphones on a wide variety of amps to get their true sonic potential. Those that find the Clear to sound bright or fatiguing - I’d take a closer look at your amp or source.

 

[Barnstormer13]

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 have an HD6XX, Clear and an Auteur. They are all great headphones. The clear and Auteur are (IMHO) better made and better sounding than the 6XX, but the 6XX is well made and can sound great with a really good tube amp. The 6XX beats the Clear for euphonic sound signature. Between the Clear and the Auteur I wouldn’t say one is intrinsically better than the other, but they’re quite different. The major differences to me are speed, dynamics, and engagement, all of which are impacted by what amp you hook them up to. The clear is very fast compared to the Auteur, giving a nice bite to string plucks, percussion and electric guitars. It’s also a dryer sound thanks to little to no cup reverb. It’s a little more dynamic than the Auteur, giving a lot of slam to the sound. However, you might find the sound a little hard edged with your gear. The Auteur is very euphonic(assuming you like the ZMF sound signature), has better microdetail than the Clear and has the least fatiguing sound. Of the three I prefer the Auteur because the sound is so engaging, but the clear is more neutral and better technically.

I will say that at this price point, most headphones are good technically and the law of diminishing returns applies. It’s more about what you like than what is better.

 

[jonathan c]

To add to the above:

I own the Clear, the LCD3f, and the HD650. I don’t find the Clear to be bright or fatiguing unless the source and amp lean towards that sound quality. The times I’ve heard a glare or icy quality - these were remedied by swapping tubes or by upgrading my digital source. Case in point - I had the Lumin D2 in stock form and it exhibited a slight digital glare/glassy quality which disappeared when I swapped its switching power supply for a linear power supply.

I use the Woo WA22 and the WA5 - the WA22 is not at all warm sounding but is more neutral than a typical tube amp, and a perfect match with the HD650. Its tone can be changed noticeably by swapping tubes for NOS tubes to provide more warmth. With the Clear and NOS tubes, it is a neutral and dynamic but not bright sound, more detailed for sure.

The Audeze is as @dan3952 describes, with a few caveats. With a suitable powered amp like the WA5, it becomes more dynamic sounding, always warm but not as dark as other LCD models like the X and the 2. It is my favorite of the LCD series, but I would be careful with amp matching. It really demands a high quality amp and shines on the WA5 (but then again, every headphone I own shines on the WA5). I also found it became more neutral and transparent when I swapped the stock headphone cables for a pair of Cardas Clear cables. I don’t find it dark, but I did find the LCD2 to be dark. The LCD X was more neutral to my ears but not as liquid as the LCD3. I have not heard the LCD4.

The Clear gets a tad more impact and slam on the WA5 but I agree it is not to the level of the LCD3. I can listen to it for extended periods and the detail is wonderful, but I’ve rarely found it bright sounding. I did not feel that way about the Utopia - its noted “bite” was too much for me though I loved every other thing about it.

The surprise for me is the HD650. It is commonly describes as dark, all midrange and not especially dynamic. On the WA22 with the right NOS tubes and a balanced source and headphone cable, it is intoxicating - the WA22 feels like it was built for the HD650. But throw it on the WA5 in high power mode and suddenly - wow! It really needs power to come alive.

Point being - you need to evaluate headphones on a wide variety of amps to get their true sonic potential. Those that find the Clear to sound bright or fatiguing - I’d take a closer look at your amp or source.

To @davehg: I agree with your assessment of the Clear which deserves high-quality gear upstream. I have had success and great enjoyment driving the Clear with the Violectric V280 (“natural” s/s with a touch of ‘tube-ness’) and with the Liquid Platinum, fortified by an external LPS and by Mullard CV2492s. No glare / glassiness / metallic “sheen” in this instance. I have found, also, that the Clear responds well to high-grade cable....palladium/silver in particular. Transients come through unadorned and without “edge”.

 

[lacedup]

Yeah, my hope is to get both a Clear and Celestee (if it’s good).

I own Clear and seriously tempted by Celestee even though it's probably not worth it...

 

[bcaulf17]

I own Clear and seriously tempted by Celestee even though it's probably not worth it...

We’ll have to see. Problem I’ve run into is that there just aren’t many closed backs out there that suit my specific needs; good sound, comfort, portable enough to take to and from work, nice looking enough to not draw too much attention while I’m sitting at my desk, well isolating. Celestee looks like a great contender for all of those things, as right now I’ve been sticking with the AKG K371 at home.

Keep in mind I’m not saying there aren’t great closed backs under $1,000, it’s just that most of them aren’t very office friendly. Actually have an EMU Ebony. Amazing headphone, but I can only use it at home because it doesn’t isolate well and I worry about the wood cups getting damaged.

 

[Golyatx]

Hi!
So my Clears arrived 2 days ago, I wont write about sound (coming from k701 so im waiting for brain burn in), but in first song i ever listened here i noticed some clipping, i was thinking ok maybe its too loud (it wasnt that hard...), then i put some other song and on third song I almost jumped from chair - this one was loud, but i would say max 90db, definitely not more - huge clip from left ear. I was trying and trying lot of stuff, it became ok-ish, I was still like "should i return them?''
BUT THEN I wanted to play my favorite song called "lil happy lil sad - survive" which i loved on akg k701 because i could turn it up so loud and it was still clean as fk. But i didnt turn it up turbo loud on Clears (i was afraid of clip), AND THE CLIP realy Come, but I put "Decibel X" app on smartphone to measure the loudness (ok its a Phone app.. but still...) it says only 75db...yea it was realy just a medium volume and it clipped, so from now on im pretty sure i have a bad pair...

Can you give me some thoughts if THIS IS THE CLIPPING we are talking about? (I searched a little and found out its "common" with Focal).
I will upload YouTube video in a few mins as i recorded it.... Is this the clipping to return it?

The video is here:

And can anyone try that song "lil happy lil sad survive" (tidal)? It clip as soon as the bass kick start hitting in 00:20 (ot also clips a little in first 2 secs of song, but thats the mastering)

Thanks!