[Shane D]

Decided it would be a good idea to buy a spare pair of the OEM earpads for the OG Clear. Went to headphones.com only to find out they don't ship to the UK.
Google doesn't show any OEM pads available for sale in the UK so thought I'd ask here - is there really no way for me to buy a pair of the original earpads in this country?
Any advice appreciated.

Try their website:
https://store.focal.com/en/store-locator

 

[sot13]

I think this is a great opportunity. Focal Clear professional for 700 Euros (I bought them!!!). https://amzn.eu/d/7rIO76T

 

[WorksUnit]

@Derivative
Any decent Focal dealer can order them for you. There is low stock, but another shipment is due before Christmas.

 

[ferzoli]

I think this is a great opportunity. Focal Clear professional for 700 Euros (I bought them!!!). https://amzn.eu/d/7rIO76T

Great price, but it's sold and dispatched by Büchertisch (which seems to be a bookstore) not by Amazon.
Also there is zero product details, so it's a bit strange.
Please let me know if you get the Clear OG professional with the spare pads.

 

[sot13]

Great price, but it's sold and dispatched by Büchertisch (which seems to be a bookstore) not by Amazon.
Also there is zero product details, so it's a bit strange.
Please let me know if you get the Clear OG professional with the spare pads.

I understand this too. But they are sold as new so I assume the packaging will be the original (i.e. with spare pads). Also I send a message to Büchertisch to confirm the warranty - if all ok I don't mind them being a bookstore.

 

[SRKRAM]

I understand this too. But they are sold as new so I assume the packaging will be the original (i.e. with spare pads). Also I send a message to Büchertisch to confirm the warranty - if all ok I don't mind them being a bookstore.

Almost sounds too good to be true. Earlier you wrote that you had found them for €800. Are Clear OGs commonly being discounted to this price in Europe now?

 

[sot13]

Almost sounds too good to be true. Earlier you wrote that you had found them for €800. Are Clear OGs commonly being discounted to this price in Europe now?

Apparently they do. The Clear OGs I found them from another supplier in Spain - Barcelona, appointed distributor by Focal. That one provided a 3 year warranty too

 

[SRKRAM]

Apparently they do. The Clear OGs I found them from another supplier in Spain - Barcelona, appointed distributor by Focal. That one provided a 3 year warranty too

I placed an order for these in the morning, and the order was just cancelled. Oh well, I don't need 2 pairs of Clears.. or do I

 

[sot13]

I placed an order for these in the morning, and the order was just cancelled. Oh well, I don't need 2 pairs of Clears.. or do I

Mine was just cancelled too!

 

[sebek]

What electronics are you using with Clear? Some combinations are ‘metallic’ / ‘whitish’: Topping + Clear OG, for example. Also, Clear to me has no ‘metallicity’ when a copper / silver interwoven (not plated) cable is used: Forza Audio Works Noir Hybrid, Norne Audio Vykari, for example.

I no longer have them now

I was using them with iFi Micro IDSD Black Label and Dragonfly Cobalt, I prefer portable devices to connect to smartphone

However, nothing terribly offensive in the timbre, I could also live with it

I sold them because anyway I never completely fell in love with them for the price paid and they were out of warranty, and I was worried about out of warranty issues, I haven't heard good things about Focal for support and situations like that

(I had the black and red Clear Professional)

 

[mainguy]

Just order Clears from Mimic Audio.

Thats what I did, works out like 800 euro brand new. I didnt have to pay any import feed either to the UK!

 

[adeadcrab]

Received the Dekoni Stellia earpads yesterday for the Focal Clear.
They even out the midrange, increase the low end, and add some air and sizzle to the top end.
All this without sacrificing the driver's speed and dynamics, thanks to the diffusion fabric that mimics the stock earpad. I have been thinking that the 3rd party Focal earpads will have to do this to be taken seriously and I have been proven right.

All the detail is there, but the bass is bumpin', vocals are full bodied, soundstage is a little bigger also. The 1.5-2khz area is the one place it takes a hit; vocals take a backseat but the quality of the vocals is more coherent, to my ears.

These are better than Utopia earpads on the Focal Clear (and I have a pair!). They are also miles better than the Dekoni Fenestrated earpads.
The material quality is also really good... super soft leather. Worth while to give it a good condition before use to make sure they will last the long haul!

 

[ferzoli]

Worth while to give it a good condition before use to make sure they will last the long haul!

I have the same pads, any idea how to give them a good condition?

 

[adeadcrab]

I have the same pads, any idea how to give them a good condition?

This is what I personally use, something with a lower amount of wax so that the product gets absorbed and doesn't just form a seal around the leather:
https://oakwoodproducts.com.au/shop...d/leather/leather-care-hydrating-cream-250ml/
Audeze also make their own leather conditioner, would be similar.
However a little bit of wax is good to repel your bodies oils and sweat, it just temporarily makes the leather a little bit less supple.

Put the smallest amount possible on your finger, run it around the earpads so that there is a slight film on the surface, rub all over the leather. Wait 10 minutes, buff with an old shirt, and repeat the process once more if you really want to.

... If you've already been using the earpads for a while, give them a slight spritz of water and wipe them down before applying conditioner. Wait for them to fully dry before applying conditioner.

 

[surfgeorge]

Received the Dekoni Stellia earpads yesterday for the Focal Clear.
They even out the midrange, increase the low end, and add some air and sizzle to the top end.
All this without sacrificing the driver's speed and dynamics, thanks to the diffusion fabric that mimics the stock earpad. I have been thinking that the 3rd party Focal earpads will have to do this to be taken seriously and I have been proven right.

All the detail is there, but the bass is bumpin', vocals are full bodied, soundstage is a little bigger also. The 1.5-2khz area is the one place it takes a hit; vocals take a backseat but the quality of the vocals is more coherent, to my ears.

These are better than Utopia earpads on the Focal Clear (and I have a pair!). They are also miles better than the Dekoni Fenestrated earpads.
The material quality is also really good... super soft leather. Worth while to give it a good condition before use to make sure they will last the long haul!

I still have a pair of Dekoni Stellia pads, but prefer the Utopia pads.
I was comparing the Clears with Stellia pads against the Utopia (in a shop) and was surprised by how muffled the Clears sounded, quite different to a comparison I had done a year prior with the OG pads on the Clear, where I found the differentce to the Utopia rather small.
So I swapped the pads between the Utopia and Clears and this time the Utopia sounded muffled.
I did run another comparison test, just cycling through the Clear OG, Dekoni Stellia and Utopia pads at home and still came to the same conclusion.

To my ears the OG pads sound like a room with lots of acoustic treatment (sound absorbers), the Utopia much more more neutral, more "open" and detailed with a slight bass boost, but overall maintaining and even enhancing the neutral nature of the Clears. The Stellia pads take it a bit too far with the bass for my taste and something is happening to the clarity.

Just want to share this experience to show that pad preferences seem to depend a lot on personal preference!

Cheers!