[Phronesis]

Listened to these today at CanJam. They are amazing! They are better than the Utopia in my opinion and not by a little bit. They are very tonally accurate and neutral. NO sibilance or annoying harsh and bright like the Utopia's. They kind of remind me of my HD600s in tonality, but they are worlds better in clarity, soundstage, detail retrieval and pretty much everything else.

You're not the only person to prefer the Clear over the Utopia - I do as well. Higher price doesn't necessarily mean subjectively better. But my preference of the Clear over the Utopia is fairly small, and on a minority of tracks I can prefer the Utopia slightly over the Clear. To my ears, they're quite similar.

 

[parimento1]

You're not the only person to prefer the Clear over the Utopia - I do as well. Higher price doesn't necessarily mean subjectively better. But my preference of the Clear over the Utopia is fairly small, and on a minority of tracks I can prefer the Utopia slightly over the Clear. To my ears, they'

Yes I agree. At this rarefied air of headphones price matters less than the difference between a $50 phone and a $200 one. I liked the LCD X much more than the 4 which is a lot more expensive.

 

[wordfool]

You're not the only person to prefer the Clear over the Utopia - I do as well. Higher price doesn't necessarily mean subjectively better. But my preference of the Clear over the Utopia is fairly small, and on a minority of tracks I can prefer the Utopia slightly over the Clear. To my ears, they're quite similar.

Funny, I was just at CanJam today and listened to the Focal range and the Clear was by far my favorite. Utopia had "more" of everything, but it was too much overall and the Clear sounded just... well... clear!

 

[iPaintCode]

I'm curious to know what playlist y'all have that you favor with your Clears or Clear Pros?

I have the Clear Pro's and still going through a ton of tracks to see where the Clears really strut their stuff.

Anyone posting their favorite tracks would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Earbones]

Edit, delete

 

[Tekunda]

You're not the only person to prefer the Clear over the Utopia - I do as well. Higher price doesn't necessarily mean subjectively better. But my preference of the Clear over the Utopia is fairly small, and on a minority of tracks I can prefer the Utopia slightly over the Clear. To my ears, they're quite similar.

I posted a little shootout here yesterday between the Utopia, the Clear and the Akg K812, connected at the Chord Dave.
I came to the exact same conclusions, I preferred the Clear above the Utopia.
They just had a tonality, a musicality which for me made it the headphone of my choice.
And if you take into account the price compared to the Utopia, you must hear really something very special from the Utopia, to justify shelling out almost 3 grand more.

 

[wje]

And if you take into account the price compared to the Utopia, you must hear really something very special from the Utopia, to justify shelling out almost 3 grand more.

That has been true for a long time in the audio culture. Spending 3 times more to get that last 5% is the nirvana many of us all face. I think what steers some people away from the Clear is the lighter grey pads and headband. People feel that it should show dirt and wear easier than a darker fabric. I guess I'll find out more this Wednesday when my Utopias arrive - whether the nirvana was worth it or not.

 

[Phronesis]

That has been true for a long time in the audio culture. Spending 3 times more to get that last 5% is the nirvana many of us all face. I think what steers some people away from the Clear is the lighter grey pads and headband. People feel that it should show dirt and wear easier than a darker fabric. I guess I'll find out more this Wednesday when my Utopias arrive - whether the nirvana was worth it or not.

The issue in this case is that, for many people, spending 3x more results in a decrease in sound quality, not a 5% improvement.

 

[teqshea]

I recently purchased a pair of Clears. I am quite impressed. To they seem very balanced, with nice tone and clarity. The build quality is excellent. I also have a pair of Elex's. The Elex's are very good bu the Clears are a step above.

 

[makne]

I'm curious to know what playlist y'all have that you favor with your Clears or Clear Pros?

I have the Clear Pro's and still going through a ton of tracks to see where the Clears really strut their stuff.

Anyone posting their favorite tracks would be greatly appreciated.

They’re so tonally balanced, they’ll handle anything tbh. If it’s a good production, it’ll sound good.
That said, stuff with tight and powerful dynamics, and that is not reliant on huge soundstage, is probably the best.

 

[davehg]

I’m digging the Clears on a Woo WA22 with some NOS tubes, fed by a Lumin D2. The warmer tones of this gear mesh nicely with the Clear, and I’ve got a better sense of how neutral the Clear is. Competes well with the LCD-3.

 

[wje]

The issue in this case is that, for many people, spending 3x more results in a decrease in sound quality, not a 5% improvement.

This gets pointed out in a few articles that I've read where a buyer keeps chasing a higher priced headphone, yet some just settle back right where they stared (e.g. Sennheiser HD-600, HD-650, etc.) and are quite content.

 

[pataburd]

Currently, I own both the Clear and the Utopia [and for a while, concurrently, the K812]. While enjoying both [all three], I unequivocally prefer the Utopia. Prior to the Utopia, the Clear represented the best dynamic headphones my ears had ever heard, a real breakthrough in the several decades since I began listening.

For me, it all started with a pair of Burwen Research headphones running from a JVC JA-S31 integrated amplifier back in the late '70s. Highlights from my ensuing headphone odyssey include:
*Sennheiser HD-600, Cardas cable and Meier Audio Corda Headfive [and The Dave Brubeck Quartet: "Time Out"]
*Beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro 2003, G&W T2.6F amplifier or DarkVoice 336SE [with Mullard tubes]
*Sennheiser HD-650, Bada PH-12 hybrid amplifier [upgraded by Fitz]
*AKG K701, RAL recable, Bada PH-12 hybrid amplifier [upgraded by Fitz]
*Denon AH-D2000/5000/7000
*Martin Logan Mikros 90 [STILL my closed portables of choice], HeadphoneLounge UP-OCC silver recable, SinglePower MP3 [and Hank Williams Jr: "A Country Boy Can Survive"]
*Yamaha HPH MT-220
*HifiMAN HE-6, Neotech UP-OCC recable, Dussun T6 integrated
*Ultrasone Pro 2500/750/900/2900/2900i PRO
*Stax SR-507, KGSS-DX
*AKG K812, FAW Noir HPC MK2 recable
*Focal Clear, HeadphoneLounge UP-OCC silver recable
*Focal Utopia, HeadphoneLounge UP-OCC silver recable, ecp DSHA-3F [with Lundahl amorphous core transformer]

THE END(?) I hope.

My summary run down of salient stop-overs does not include the 2nd and 3rd time-arounds with products listed and unlisted.

Have yet to hear the Sennheiser HD-800(s), Stax SR-007-Mk1, Stax SR-009(s), HifiMAN HE-1000SE, all of which were on my immediate shortlist prior to Focal's rather serendipitous arrival.

Electrostatics, although admirably resolving, were too dynamically flaccid for my tastes. Planar dynamics never quite reproduced treble to my liking. I always favored the overall delivery of dynamic headphones, but none that I had tried prior to the Focals [with the one possible exception of the ML Mikros 90] could seem to put it all together technically and musically for me.

Utopia for at-home and Clear for on-the-road listening, or the Utopia at home . . . period.

 

[up late]

the stellia would complement the utopia nicely for your on-the-road listening

 

[Tekunda]

Has anybody had the chance of comparing the Utopia to the Final Audio Sonorous X?
None of the dealers in my area carries the brand.