Focal Clear headphones
Mar 11, 2018 at 1:07 AM Post #2,986 of 12,500
Yes I agree with this assessment. The 800s definitely has very little bass presence. The Clear is very accurate in bass quantity and quality. The ZMF is a very good headphone but no where near the presentation of the Clear.

Can you elaborate a bit more about your comparisons with the zmf? What do you mean by the presentation of Clear?
 
Mar 11, 2018 at 8:19 AM Post #2,988 of 12,500
Completely shameless plug, but I just posted my Clear review since there aren't many around yet. It's not exactly the most original review out there, but I sincerely agree with the InnerFidelity one that it is a game changer for the industry.

(I prefer it to the Utopia, but can well understand people coming to the opposite conclusion)

Great review. What you (Tyll) say about the tonal balance of the Clears is exacly what made it impossible for me to leave the shop without them. And I find it absolutely amazing how these keep the tonal balance at almost every volume level.
 
Mar 11, 2018 at 9:36 AM Post #2,990 of 12,500
Does anyone else find the sub bass a bit strong in the Clears? It feels like the bass beat is punching through my ears sometimes with how pronounced it is, but I'm not sure if it's just me.

If your used to typical open backs I can understand why you think that way, I find the bass to be just fine, reminds me a lot of high quality studio monitors, a nice tight thud but not too much, so you can follow the basslines really nicely.

Very much like planars, although the Clear has some subwoofer sound going on instead of that incredibly deep bass the Audeze’s have going on for example.
 
Mar 11, 2018 at 12:05 PM Post #2,991 of 12,500
Can you elaborate a bit more about your comparisons with the zmf? What do you mean by the presentation of Clear?

I’m not a big elabetaror but sure I’ll see if I can add a bit more. First I’ll start by saying I think Zach’s ZMF cans are a very good value and on occasion surprise the hell out of me. For me, the most noticeable differences between say the Clear and the Eikon at similar pricing, the Clear has “Space” and “Air”, a little more 3 dimensional. Nothing seems compressed or struggled. This is likely my preference being an open back and just as likely why I find it superior to the Eikon. On the other hand when listening to aggressive music, the Eikon is crazy good.
 
The Source AV TSAVJason Stay updated on The Source AV at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
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Mar 11, 2018 at 1:40 PM Post #2,992 of 12,500
I’m not a big elabetaror but sure I’ll see if I can add a bit more. First I’ll start by saying I think Zach’s ZMF cans are a very good value and on occasion surprise the hell out of me. For me, the most noticeable differences between say the Clear and the Eikon at similar pricing, the Clear has “Space” and “Air”, a little more 3 dimensional. Nothing seems compressed or struggled. This is likely my preference being an open back and just as likely why I find it superior to the Eikon. On the other hand when listening to aggressive music, the Eikon is crazy good.
I thought the zmf was auteur as it is an openback and similarly priced.. I would appreciate it if you can compare them..
 
Mar 11, 2018 at 2:00 PM Post #2,994 of 12,500
I’m not a big elabetaror but sure I’ll see if I can add a bit more. First I’ll start by saying I think Zach’s ZMF cans are a very good value and on occasion surprise the hell out of me. For me, the most noticeable differences between say the Clear and the Eikon at similar pricing, the Clear has “Space” and “Air”, a little more 3 dimensional. Nothing seems compressed or struggled. This is likely my preference being an open back and just as likely why I find it superior to the Eikon. On the other hand when listening to aggressive music, the Eikon is crazy good.
Jason what's the burn in period for the clear mate?
 
Mar 11, 2018 at 2:04 PM Post #2,996 of 12,500
I thought the zmf was auteur as it is an openback and similarly priced.. I would appreciate it if you can compare them..

You’d likely get better information from TSAVAlan on the Auteur. I haven’t spent time with it yet.
 
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The Source AV TSAVJason Stay updated on The Source AV at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com./pages/The-Source-AV-Design-Group/153623164648713 http://www.twitter.com/TheSourceAV http://www.instagram.com/Thesourceavdesign http://thesourceav.com/ Products@TheSourceAV.com
Mar 11, 2018 at 2:12 PM Post #2,998 of 12,500
I thought the zmf was auteur as it is an openback and similarly priced.. I would appreciate it if you can compare them..

grizzlybeast's comparison review is pretty spot on. Auteur is definitely more natural in timbre and has that smooth and refined presentation like HD600/650. It has a bigger soundstage compared to Clear. Clear has more slam and is more dynamic in punchiness. It is quicker in transient response.
 

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