[dan3952]

As far as I'm concerned, the impedance of the MK VI+ is too high for Focal headphones as well. I only tried pairing the Utopia with my MK VI+ once and that was enough. The Utopia's bass lost it's precision to some degree and I could still hear sound with volume turned to 0. I assume the results would be about the same with Clear.

Yes, the jumpers were set on low position.

https://www.soundphilereview.com/reviews/little-dot-mkiii-se-review-1045/

This is the one I would be interested in, but have no room for right now.

Still don't have an output impedance number for it.

 

[Earbones]

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think of the Dekoni pads with the Clear?

 

[javertim]

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think of the Dekoni pads with the Clear?

I purchased the fenestrated sheepskin Dekoni pads for my Clear. I expected them to be very comfortable and comparable to the Utopia pads, but I was afraid they would look terribly out-of-place with the Clear'e color scheme.

In effect, what I experienced was the complete opposite. They look pretty damn amazing with the gray/silver and made the Clear feel even more substantial. However, I found the pads to be much less comfortable than stock and the sound became even more closed-in than before. Moreover, I found that they made the lower treble sound somewhat (cliche!warning!) tinny. In the end, I returned them, which pained me as I hate to do that sort of thing with a small company that makes such amazing products; despite my preferences, Dekoni does AMAZING work!

I just couldn't help but think that Focal clearly (hah!) knew what they were doing when they selected the pad material and chose the interior density, etc. I don't think I'll be pad-rolling with any of their headphones anymore.

 

[GearMe]

Thanks to a lot of information in this forum, I ordered a pair of Clear headphones today. I will be particularly interested to see how they sound in comparison the the Elex's I have. I have also decided to buy a pair of Elegia's and am looking around for a good price. The pricing of headphones seems to be a bit random.

After listening to my Clears and reading impressions on the Elegias, I'm looking for a good deal on those as well.

 

[dan3952]

I purchased the fenestrated sheepskin Dekoni pads for my Clear. I expected them to be very comfortable and comparable to the Utopia pads, but I was afraid they would look terribly out-of-place with the Clear'e color scheme.

In effect, what I experienced was the complete opposite. They look pretty damn amazing with the gray/silver and made the Clear feel even more substantial. However, I found the pads to be much less comfortable than stock and the sound became even more closed-in than before. Moreover, I found that they made the lower treble sound somewhat (cliche!warning!) tinny. In the end, I returned them, which pained me as I hate to do that sort of thing with a small company that makes such amazing products; despite my preferences, Dekoni does AMAZING work!

I just couldn't help but think that Focal clearly (hah!) knew what they were doing when they selected the pad material and chose the interior density, etc. I don't think I'll be pad-rolling with any of their headphones anymore.

I agree. The pads are an engineered solution: their size and material had been carefully selected. Clears can sound brassy and metallic with certain music, so I couldn't imagine replacing the pads with anything that looks it would reflect, not absorb, would make those 'phones sound better. My closed back Shures have Brainwavz sheepskin pads (the other vendor), that don't have holes in them (trying to reflect rather than absorb, in a dark sounding headphone), but I suspect that the differences I think I'm hearing, have more to do with moving the drivers away from my ears, than anything else. Dekoni may offer before and after frequency response curves for their pads.

 

[Phronesis]

Clears can sound brassy and metallic with certain music, so I couldn't imagine replacing the pads with anything that looks it would reflect, not absorb, would make those 'phones sound better.

Similar for me. To my ears, the Clear can sometimes sound a bit metallic (but smooth), the HD800S can sometimes sound a bit papery (due to the bass response with some tracks), and the LCD-3 usually sounds a bit liquid and holographic.

 

[mixman]

Thanks to a lot of information in this forum, I ordered a pair of Clear headphones today. I will be particularly interested to see how they sound in comparison the the Elex's I have. I have also decided to buy a pair of Elegia's and am looking around for a good price. The pricing of headphones seems to be a bit random.

I await your comparison. I am wondering if I should also try out a pair of Clears against my Elex. I find the Elex a little short on clarity. I am also wondering if I should just skip the Clear and make a run on the Utopia to get a definite improvement?

 

[wje]

I await your comparison. I am wondering if I should also try out a pair of Clears against my Elex. I find the Elex a little short on clarity. I am also wondering if I should just skip the Clear and make a run on the Utopia to get a definite improvement?

Please keep in mind, the Elex has often been called an upgraded Sennheiser HD-650 / HD-6xx headphone. It may not provide the level of detail that your ears desire. Others who have the Sennheiser HD-650 have felt adequate with the level detail, while others have not. In comparison, the HD-58x has a bit of "livelier" signature and a bit more detail on the upper end. At the moment, I'm happy with the level of detail that I can hear with my Elex. I haven't heard the Clear or Utopia headphones yet, though.

 

[dan3952]

I await your comparison. I am wondering if I should also try out a pair of Clears against my Elex. I find the Elex a little short on clarity. I am also wondering if I should just skip the Clear and make a run on the Utopia to get a definite improvement?

No headphone I had tried, had given me the level of detail that the Clears offered, including ones that were more money like the Mr. Speakers Ether 1 (note that the E2 had been available at the time, and I hadn't tried it). The Sennheiser HD800 or HD800S, would be the only one they make that compares.

The $4,000 MSRP of the Utopias, was a deal breaker for me, but that's a personal choice I had made.

 

[mixman]

Please keep in mind, the Elex has often been called an upgraded Sennheiser HD-650 / HD-6xx headphone. It may not provide the level of detail that your ears desire. Others who have the Sennheiser HD-650 have felt adequate with the level detail, while others have not. In comparison, the HD-58x has a bit of "livelier" signature and a bit more detail on the upper end. At the moment, I'm happy with the level of detail that I can hear with my Elex. I haven't heard the Clear or Utopia headphones yet, though.

True, I think the Elex has been designed to be a somewhat detailed fun HP. At that it succeeds......and it looks good too.. Just that I am looking for a bit more clarity. Hopefully that kind of clarity the Clear can provide.

No headphone I had tried, had given me the level of detail that the Clears offered, including ones that were more money like the Mr. Speakers Ether 1 (note that the E2 had been available at the time, and I hadn't tried it). The Sennheiser HD800 or HD800S, would be the only one they make that compares.
The $4,000 MSRP of the Utopias, was a deal breaker for me, but that's a personal choice I had made.

Hopefully the Clear can offer not only that detail but that nuance of accurate timbre. Lots of HP's give you detail, but not all of that detail is accurate. Now it just may be possible that one may have to go all the way up to a Utopia to get that. I hope not. I don't want to spend that extra if I don't have to. I could buy other HP's with that money.

 

[Earbones]

For anybody who has the Elegia as well, and wants an interesting listen, try the Elegia pads on the Clear.

Of all the “Super HD650” comparisons I’ve read to describe the various Focals, this combo is the one that really made me see it. Mid bass is quite forward, and the headphone becomes very, very warm, and much more liquid in the highs... at the expense of some overall clarity.

I like the pairing, but I think I prefer the stock pads.

Also, after trying the Dekoni, I think I might agree with the two statements expressed above... The pairing looks fantastic... But I’m not so sure about the sound. Need to listen more.

 

[Earbones]

Hey, has anyone listened to the Dekoni velour pads with the Clear? Thoughts?

 

[dan3952]

Hopefully the Clear can offer not only that detail but that nuance of accurate timbre. Lots of HP's give you detail, but not all of that detail is accurate. Now it just may be possible that one may have to go all the way up to a Utopia to get that. I hope not. I don't want to spend that extra if I don't have to. I could buy other HP's with that money.

I suspect all of the Focals have a similar signature sound, if they all use metal drivers: detailed, clinical (not warm), and with a lively upper midrange. The Clears probably have more detail than the Elear or Elex, given the price differential. I had been offered an unbeatable price on the Clears, and had neglected auditioning other Focal models because of that. I had tried the Audeze LCD-MX4 before it, and it didn't have the lively upper midrange, it had sounded more flat. Loud, brassy songs like Coldplay's Politik can be fatiguing to listen to with Clears, and I tend to reach for other headphones in those situations. For everything else, Clears are so revealing that I am constantly finding soft instrument and vocal tracks on songs I know well, that I didn't know were there. They were blended in with lesser equipment.

 

[Klots]

While im happy how Clear sounds from Fiio K3, will I gain anything if I buy JDS Atom and use K3 as a dac? Because as we know, Clear does not need a lot of power. Or maybe a Modi 3 + Atom. Hmm...decisions decisions.

 

[makne]

I suspect all of the Focals have a similar signature sound, if they all use metal drivers: detailed, clinical (not warm), and with a lively upper midrange. The Clears probably have more detail than the Elear or Elex, given the price differential. I had been offered an unbeatable price on the Clears, and had neglected auditioning other Focal models because of that. I had tried the Audeze LCD-MX4 before it, and it didn't have the lively upper midrange, it had sounded more flat. Loud, brassy songs like Coldplay's Politik can be fatiguing to listen to with Clears, and I tend to reach for other headphones in those situations. For everything else, Clears are so revealing that I am constantly finding soft instrument and vocal tracks on songs I know well, that I didn't know were there. They were blended in with lesser equipment.

The Focals actually have pretty different sound signatures in terms of frequency response (Elear is a bit dark with very absent 3-5k region, Clear is pretty downright neutral harman-style, Utopia is a bit lean/bright with more aggressive upper treble), there's much more than driver material that goes into how a headphone sounds... Though in terms of soundstage size and proportions, layering etc. there are similarities for sure.