[SHAMuuu]

Don't know if this was posted before, but very refreshing to hear a music first reviewer check out the Focals.



I found his enthusiasm entertaining.

 

[Phronesis]

Don't know if this was posted before, but very refreshing to hear a music first reviewer check out the Focals.



I found his enthusiasm entertaining.

Great review and reviewer! An honest, humble, and entertaining guy who knows how to connect sound with music, listens carefully, and does a good job of finding words to describe what he's experiencing.

I spent a lot of time comparing these three headphones, and my experience of them is similar. I found the differences between the three to be quite subtle, which was most apparent when switching quickly between them and matching up the music segments I listened to. When I've done this back to back comparison with other headphones of different brands, I've experienced striking differences, but that wasn't the case even when I compared the Utopia and Elear (which surprised me, given the price difference).

Setting cost aside, my preference on average was Clear > Utopia > Elear by small margins. I wouldn't mind having both the Clear and Utopia (I liked the Utopia slightly more on some tracks), but to my ears they're too similar to justify having both, so I just bought the Clear.

I also share his experience of finding the differences between DAC/amps to be subtle at most (when listening critically), and for me not really worth paying much attention to.

 

[Emmanuel Palmer]

I am gonno say this one more time, even though focal claimed that the clear pro retains the sound quality of the clear (i only have the clear pro) i must say that the pros sounds very very heavy on the bass even though it is separated from the mids and highs it just sounds boom! boom! boom! like cheap sub woofers in most cars. For me it is literally beats on open Back! Who else has the pro version?

 

[nlwouter]

I am gonno say this one more time, even though focal claimed that the clear pro retains the sound quality of the clear (i only have the clear pro) i must say that the pros sounds very very heavy on the bass even though it is separated from the mids and highs it just sounds boom! boom! boom! like cheap sub woofers in most cars. For me it is literally beats on open Back! Who else has the pro version?

Zeos had the same problem, it has nothing to do with the clear being pro. It is almost 99% sure your amp. If the output impedance of your amp is too high the bass starts to do really nasty things. You need to try them with a different amp like the chord mojo or something.

Hope this helps

 

[Emmanuel Palmer]

Zeos had the same problem, it has nothing to do with the clear being pro. It is almost 99% sure your amp. If the output impedance of your amp is too high the bass starts to do really nasty things. You need to try them with a different amp like the chord mojo or something.

Hope this helps

I have the chord mojo, mytek brooklyn dac +, adi 2 dac. Same experience with all three the bass is boomy and draws attention to itself

 

[nlwouter]

I have the chord mojo, mytek brooklyn dac +, adi 2 dac. Same experience with all three the bass is boomy and draws attention to itself

Owh, that is strange i really wonder now how some clears could be so bassey. Could it be malfunctioning? Have you tried comparing it with a store unit perhaps?

I can't classify my clears as having much bass at all and that is no preference that's just almost fact.

 

[Emmanuel Palmer]

Owh, that is strange i really wonder now how some clears could be so bassey. Could it be malfunctioning? Have you tried comparing it with a store unit perhaps?

I can't classify my clears as having much bass at all and that is no preference that's just almost fact.

I am specifically talking about the clear pro if yours is the silver clear that means they both don't have same sound quality as focal company has claimed

 

[ModuZzz]

I am specifically talking about the clear pro if yours is the silver clear that means they both don't have same sound quality as focal company has claimed

Zeos, too, had the same problem, and he had a silver clear (not pro). He even called them beats, same as you. There might be a new batch in the market with malfunctioning bass it seems; this thread is 350 pages long and I don't recall clear pro users having this problem before. My advice would be to compare with units in the store.

 

[TSAVJason]

I am specifically talking about the clear pro if yours is the silver clear that means they both don't have same sound quality as focal company has claimed

Sorry, they are exactly the same headphone with only the color being different ....that is absolute fact

 

[mglg]

I am specifically talking about the clear pro if yours is the silver clear that means they both don't have same sound quality as focal company has claimed

I have the pro version and I don't find bass boomy at all. My SR1 has stronger bass, but even that cannot be said as beats like.

 

[dontfeedphils]

I am gonno say this one more time, even though focal claimed that the clear pro retains the sound quality of the clear (i only have the clear pro) i must say that the pros sounds very very heavy on the bass even though it is separated from the mids and highs it just sounds boom! boom! boom! like cheap sub woofers in most cars. For me it is literally beats on open Back! Who else has the pro version?

Zeos, is that you? Say something obnoxious and wave your hands around to prove it's you.

 

[GearMe]

I have the pro version and I don't find bass boomy at all. My SR1 has stronger bass, but even that cannot be said as beats like.

Same here...just got the Pro's a few days ago; boomy bass is not what I'm hearing. Initial impressions are that they have a nice balance and work well across genres.

 

[ipaddy]

Regarding Bass. I know everything is subjective, but I just read another's post here that runs counter to the standard evaluation, and I must agree with him. Don't shoot me, but I think the bass for the Focal Clear is certainly de-emphasized. Not that it's "tight" or "well-controlled" or "not boomy." It just isn't there all that much, or less than I really wanted to be there. What is there sounds fine. But a lot less is there than I've noticed in all my previous headphones going back 20 years (most of which are of decidedly inferior overall quality). I notice it. I do notice it. And sometimes I retreat to Master and Dynamics cushy headphones because I am feeling deprived. Even though overall they are not as good. Problem is that they have a bit too much, not a lot too much, but a bit.

I am running the FC from an SE100, and it otherwise sounds good. I thought maybe a headphone amplifier would do something, but I haven't found one that does much, and I am not spending most than $3-400 just to get more bass. And the tweaks on the SE100 don't do all that much.

What to do?

 

[nlwouter]

Regarding Bass. I know everything is subjective, but I just read another's post here that runs counter to the standard evaluation, and I must agree with him. Don't shoot me, but I think the bass for the Focal Clear is certainly de-emphasized. Not that it's "tight" or "well-controlled" or "not boomy." It just isn't there all that much, or less than I really wanted to be there. What is there sounds fine. But a lot less is there than I've noticed in all my previous headphones going back 20 years (most of which are of decidedly inferior overall quality). I notice it. I do notice it. And sometimes I retreat to Master and Dynamics cushy headphones because I am feeling deprived. Even though overall they are not as good. Problem is that they have a bit too much, not a lot too much, but a bit.

I am running the FC from an SE100, and it otherwise sounds good. I thought maybe a headphone amplifier would do something, but I haven't found one that does much, and I am not spending most than $3-400 just to get more bass. And the tweaks on the SE100 don't do all that much.

What to do?

I would definately recommend you give the loxjie p20 a try. I own it and it gives the bass a nice little bump. And for 100 dollars you cant go wrong.

 

[Mh996]

Does anyone have experience using pure tube amps w/ the Clears?