Focal Clear headphones
May 5, 2018 at 4:02 PM Post #3,466 of 12,500
Maybe you not listening bassy music or not very loud? That distortion problem is usually low fi headphones trait. Never had it On HD650, HD600, T1 or HD800S. Only on Dt990, Hd598.

Maybe you had a defective pair and the very simple thing you needed to do was getting a new unit?

It's not really hard.
 
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May 5, 2018 at 4:03 PM Post #3,467 of 12,500
the elear had decent bass but recessed treble. i don't get into
all the audiophile speak but to me the elear was fatiguing and did
not work out. i am anxious to spend some time with the clear
 
May 5, 2018 at 6:47 PM Post #3,469 of 12,500
I think the Utopia probably is more gear dependent then the Clear in regards to bass quantity and quality.

I have heard the Utopia having better bass, but “more” I am not sure of... that doesn’t ring a bell to me. I would have to A/B for that.

In regards to lack of fatigue, the Clear seems to realllllllly be in that sweet spot. It’s neutral but still so engaging to me. I think it’s a knock out compared to the Elear.

Comparing the Clear to the Utopia, I would take the added speed and clarity of the Utopia over the Clear, still considering the fatigue. But that’s just me!
 
May 6, 2018 at 3:30 AM Post #3,470 of 12,500
I'm listening to my Elex right now & that low impedance is starting to haunt me. I can't crank these without distortion. The Clears have an even lower impedance so I'm worried if saving up for the Clears is a mistake since I'm a high volume (between 70-80db) listener. Should I look elsewhere?

Can’t speak for Elex, never heard.But have pushed Clear to very high levels and no audible distortion, for younger people with fresh ears a bit over the top, so I suspect one of four things are happening: 1-Elex is broken, 2-Your amp is distorting, 3-Elex distorts, 4-Volume is even louder than I can imagine and I don't wanna try this on my Clears

Ps: Maybe a problem of impedance match with your amp? I don't think the 50 ohm impedance of Clear is a problem by itself
 
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May 6, 2018 at 9:25 AM Post #3,471 of 12,500
Without repeating what others have already said about the Clear, I got mine yesterday. From my Woo WA22 on low imp, I believe that as far as tonality and musicality go for me, I have found my end game HPs. No EQ and everything just sounds "right". Pure voodoo...and Oh yeah, the bass is indeed delicious.
 
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May 6, 2018 at 1:48 PM Post #3,472 of 12,500
Coming from hd 800s is there a big risk you will find this unresolving,muddy or congested? And does clear have more bass and sub bass then hd800s?

Also do clear benefitt from an external hp amp or is it best to just use a dac/amp like hugo 2 for most clarity and it still will sound fullbodied?

So a low
Output Impedance: of < 0,15 Ohms
Is good on my hp amp with the clears?
 
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May 6, 2018 at 3:33 PM Post #3,473 of 12,500
Coming from hd 800s is there a big risk you will find this unresolving,muddy or congested? And does clear have more bass and sub bass then hd800s?

Also do clear benefitt from an external hp amp or is it best to just use a dac/amp like hugo 2 for most clarity and it still will sound fullbodied?

So a low
Output Impedance: of < 0,15 Ohms
Is good on my hp amp with the clears?

No, not at all, I find the Clear as resolving as the 800, while also having accurate tone, not the hollow, wonky midrange.
 
May 6, 2018 at 4:17 PM Post #3,474 of 12,500
I find the Clear significantly more congested as far as soundstage goes in comparison to the Hifiman Edition X v2, so it's safe to say it will be more congested than the 800. I have seen no one state this although I've been told there are some who agree with me, the Focal Clear is a piercing headphone. I found it quite unpleasant. The way it sounds I'll also suggest that quality is confounded- it's hard to differentiate it from the heightened sound. Goes both ways, could be better or worse than it sounds. In my opinion this is a polarizing headphone and far from a safe purchase, despite what reviews are claiming. Beware if you listen to music that already has energy. I would compare this sound to that of a club, except the bass isn't nearly as offensive.
 
May 6, 2018 at 4:26 PM Post #3,475 of 12,500
I find the Clear significantly more congested as far as soundstage goes in comparison to the Hifiman Edition X v2, so it's safe to say it will be more congested than the 800. I have seen no one state this although I've been told there are some who agree with me, the Focal Clear is a piercing headphone. I found it quite unpleasant. The way it sounds I'll also suggest that quality is confounded- it's hard to differentiate it from the heightened sound. Goes both ways, could be better or worse than it sounds. In my opinion this is a polarizing headphone and far from a safe purchase, despite what reviews are claiming. Beware if you listen to music that already has energy. I would compare this sound to that of a club, except the bass isn't nearly as offensive.
I’m curious what your running the Clear with?
 
May 6, 2018 at 4:47 PM Post #3,476 of 12,500
Auditioned them with a McIntosh MHA-150, Questyle CMA600I, and even tried them with a portable Fiio A5 amplifier connected to an iPod. Two and a half to three hours of listening, was told they were already burnt in. As far as congestion goes, even reviews mention their "intimate presentation". That I've found to be an amusing euphemism.
 
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May 6, 2018 at 5:12 PM Post #3,477 of 12,500
Before I pull the trigger on the Focal Clear, is there another headphone with a similar sound signature but larger soundstage I could listen to as a comparison? I'm assuming the Sennheiser 800S would not be a good comparison.
 
May 6, 2018 at 5:16 PM Post #3,478 of 12,500
Are you sure you like the sound signature? I would strongly recommend auditioning the Clear before buying it (which is what I did and my impression ran counter to what I was expecting), although of course it can just be returned. I even got a discount to buy it at $1200 and by the end of my three days listening there was no way. Music through Tidal too, by the way. I'd be very curious to hear what others think sounds like a Focal headphone.
 
May 6, 2018 at 5:17 PM Post #3,479 of 12,500
I find the Clear significantly more congested as far as soundstage goes in comparison to the Hifiman Edition X v2, so it's safe to say it will be more congested than the 800. I have seen no one state this although I've been told there are some who agree with me, the Focal Clear is a piercing headphone. I found it quite unpleasant. The way it sounds I'll also suggest that quality is confounded- it's hard to differentiate it from the heightened sound. Goes both ways, could be better or worse than it sounds. In my opinion this is a polarizing headphone and far from a safe purchase, despite what reviews are claiming. Beware if you listen to music that already has energy. I would compare this sound to that of a club, except the bass isn't nearly as offensive.

Curious, have you found anything that you like?
 

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