[kman1211]

I’m thinking of getting the Focal Clear sometime in the not too distant future. But there is one thing I’m curious about; has there been many driver failures on this headphone? The Elear had a problem with driver failure and had excursion issues on many pairs so I decided against that headphone.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Interesting impressions. I have been listening to my Clear's for 2 weeks now. I have a Lake People G109-A and an Emotiva A-100 that I use as my headphone amps. My source is a Sony xa5400es sacd player and a Wyred 4 Sound Dac-2. My other headphones are Sennheiser HD-600 with a Cardas cable and modified Hifiman HE-500. If I wear the headphones for more than 30 minutes at a time the Clears are the most comfortable, followed by the HD 600's and then the HE -500. I agree with you regarding the bass , but there is enough treble and sparkle for me. (I would not want any more treble or sparkle) Vocals are really good and a bit brighter that the HE-500's- the HD-600's sound too bright and thin compared to the Clears. I can live with the smaller soundstage as I find the dynamics and details in the music so enjoyable. These are my favorite headphones and my go to pair.

Exactly, and the Clear’s image so well, with (IMO) much better tone than anything from Sennheiser.

 

[Wildcatsare1]

Sounds like I'm better off with my HE-560. Nice soundstage and highs. Much better for classical than my Sen 650. HE-560 make very nice classical and jazz headphones, but you know how it is always eyeing some other headphone too.

I had the 560, it’s not even close to the macro/micro dynamics, tone, imaging of the Clear.

 

[Martijn W]

How does the Focal Clear sound in comparison with Oppo PM-1?

I have the Oppo and am currently considering to purchase the Clear as an additional HP.

In case anyone is interested: last weekend I compared Oppo PM-1 and Focal Clear.

The PM-1 is a bit more comfortable, allthough the Clear is OK comfortwise. Both feel as a very high quality built headphone in a diferent way. The Clear is a bit more bulky.

The PM-1 has more of a laidback 'listening' sound signature whereas the Clear seems more of a reference headphone to me.
I had high expectations of the Clear. People seem to find the PM-1 a relatively expensive luxury headphone and seem to find the Clear worth its money.
So I was surprised that, to my ears the PM-1 sounded more accurate in lower midrange and bass.
The PM-1 upper-mids and treble are a bit held back. In that frequency range the Clear is more accurate, alltough to my ears has a bit of a cruncy character. It's not sharp, but it seems a bit rough, initially. Perhaps this takes some getting used to...
Despite it's tonal character in the opper mids and treble, I did like the high amount of information the Clear provides in that range.
Low mids and bass are also very good imo. Just not better than the PM-1. I would say almost or about as good as the PM-1.

I do like the different (more uncolored 'reference' like) flavor of the Focal Clear. Still, I am not sure if I am going to purchase it in addition to my Oppo PM-1.

Martijn

 

[AmusedToD]

The highs are not lacking for me, if they were any brighter, fatigue would set in before I finished listening to a single album.......

The highs are not lacking, but the sparkle is. I would like the treble to be more "illuminated", if you know what I mean. I also think they are far from bright headohones. Perhaps to people who are used to darker sound. That's just my opinion.

And a side note, I come from a rather excellent speaker system which I had to sell for financial reasons. Maybe I set my expectations too high based on reviews. I don't have much experience with headphones and my ears are not used to any kind of headphone sound.

 

[Brahmsian]

I had the 560, it’s not even close to the macro/micro dynamics, tone, imaging of the Clear.

How about the wideness. As much as I like them, I still find the 560 a bit cramped where orchestras are concerned. Would you say the 560 does anything better than the Clear?

The highs are not lacking, but the sparkle is. I would like the treble to be more "illuminated", if you know what I mean. I also think they are far from bright headohones. Perhaps to people who are used to darker sound. That's just my opinion.

And a side note, I come from a rather excellent speaker system which I had to sell for financial reasons. Maybe I set my expectations too high based on reviews. I don't have much experience with headphones and my ears are not used to any kind of headphone sound.

Nothing beats a good speaker-based system. The sound of headphones is somewhat unnatural. Everything is reduced to inside your head and consequently sounds smaller. Also your whole body isn’t bathed in soundwaves the way it is with floor speakers and live music.

On the other hand some of us like the experience of the phenomenal “headspace.” Just as you can think thoughts to yourself, it almost feels like you’re thinking or imagining the music. Headphones are also portable and more quiet. You can listen at any time without disturbing others or waking them up.

What would you say are other advantages of headphones, if any? I mean besides noise canceling. Resolution maybe?

 

[snatex]

Interesting. My 800S sounded better single ended. With the Violectric 280. The single ended added bass.

Have you tested any other headphones both ways with the v280? Did you prefer single ended with all? Was the only perceived difference bass related? Were you using the in-phase or 180 output?

 

[Wildcatsare1]

How about the wideness. As much as I like them, I still find the 560 a bit cramped where orchestras are concerned. Would you say the 560 does anything better than the Clear?



Nothing beats a good speaker-based system. The sound of headphones is somewhat unnatural. Everything is reduced to inside your head and consequently sounds smaller. Also your whole body isn’t bathed in soundwaves the way it is with floor speakers and live music.

On the other hand some of us like the experience of the phenomenal “headspace.” Just as you can think thoughts to yourself, it almost feels like you’re thinking or imagining the music. Headphones are also portable and more quiet. You can listen at any time without disturbing others or waking them up.

What would you say are other advantages of headphones, if any? I mean besides noise canceling. Resolution maybe?

It’s been awhile, and my equipment is totally different now. At the time I used the 560 for rock and jazz, and the HD800 for classical. The HE560 is a good headphone, I probably stated my case too strongly given the time and changes too my system.

 

[makne]

Do others agree about the Clear's soundstage? I was looking at them, but listen to a lot of orchestral music. These would not be the headphones for me. Also, do others concur about the highs being a little lacking?

Soundstage on the Clear is intimate, both in width and depth. But it does have exceptional imaging and separation both in width and depth (layering). Not the optimal headphone for orchestral imo, that would be the HD800S, but the Clear sounds really good with anything.
Highs lacking sparkle, no I wouldn't say so. It's very neutrally tuned, juuust not fatiguing at all, well extended. Then again I find the Utopia to be just a bit too sharp in the lower treble region, and the HD800 makes my ears bleed with treble, so it is definitely a preference thing.

 

[AmusedToD]

Soundstage on the Clear is intimate, both in width and depth. But it does have exceptional imaging and separation both in width and depth (layering). Not the optimal headphone for orchestral imo, that would be the HD800S, but the Clear sounds really good with anything.
Highs lacking sparkle, no I wouldn't say so. It's very neutrally tuned, juuust not fatiguing at all, well extended. Then again I find the Utopia to be just a bit too sharp in the lower treble region, and the HD800 makes my ears bleed with treble, so it is definitely a preference thing.

Nicely put, it really is a preference thing. To my ears the Clear is too thick in the mids and with slightly recessed treble. And yes, the soundstage is rather small, although the separation is indeed excellent. But then again, I come from an excellent speaker system without prior headphone experience (not counting B&W P7 wireless which I had last year and ultimately sold due to discomfort, but these do not offer high fidelity listening experience so I dismiss them as any kind of reference here).

 

[DoubleKong]

I’m thinking of getting the Focal Clear sometime in the not too distant future. But there is one thing I’m curious about; has there been many driver failures on this headphone? The Elear had a problem with driver failure and had excursion issues on many pairs so I decided against that headphone.

There was some discussion about driver failure earlier in the thread and if I remember, the consensus was that it was not a major issue with the Clears. That's not to say that driver failure is impossible, but it doesn't seem like a particularly notable issue for this headphone over any other.

 

[racebit]

There was some discussion about driver failure earlier in the thread and if I remember, the consensus was that it was not a major issue with the Clears. That's not to say that driver failure is impossible, but it doesn't seem like a particularly notable issue for this headphone over any other.

The cases I remember were with Utopia. Was there any single case with a Clear?

 

[DoubleKong]

The cases I remember were with Utopia. Was there any single case with a Clear?

It's somewhat un-clear (pun intended). A guy claimed to have left side driver failure on a second hand unit purchased in the U.K., but he didn't provide any details beyond that. (his post in on page 254 of this thread). The ensuing discussion on page 255-256 of this thread seems to indicate that many folks (both dealers and consumers) found this claim very surprising because they had not heard of issues with the Clear. (Elear and Utopia had some struggles in the early days, but Focal seems to have stepped up their game). Read through the earlier posts for more color on the issue.

 

[racebit]

It's somewhat un-clear (pun intended). A guy claimed to have left side driver failure on a second hand unit purchased in the U.K., but he didn't provide any details beyond that. (his post in on page 254 of this thread). The ensuing discussion on page 255-256 of this thread seems to indicate that many folks (both dealers and consumers) found this claim very surprising because they had not heard of issues with the Clear. (Elear and Utopia had some struggles in the early days, but Focal seems to have stepped up their game). Read through the earlier posts for more color on the issue.

Thanks for locating that. I hope it was something related to Focal being new in business and that they have it under control now. I never had any problem with any headphone for 35 years, including the cheapo ones, so it was a surprise to me that my by far most expensive headphone ever could fail.

 

[ElDeejei]

Looking into possibly getting the clears soon and I was wondering what good amp/dac combo would be ideal for a 1kish budget for the unit. I would like to make use of the 4 pin balanced if possible and it would need to have USB IN and analog coax out for my desktop speakers to listen to from time to time. Thank you for your support!