[Tekunda]

Picked up a used pair of Focal Clears yesterday, only to discover that they are in filthy condition. I've managed to take apart the grill for cleaning, but I'm not sure how to best clean the earpads and headband. The problem isn't dirt or stains, but that the earpads and headband smell like terrible body odor, probably from sweat. Would soaking the earpads and the headband in soapy water ruin the material?

I would try these dry cleaning pads first, which they sell to use in a dryer.
If that doesn't help, I would use a mild detergent for silk and wool.

 

[Doctordoom16]

Anyone ever tried risking a headphone purchase on ebay? I am contemplating it as seen a used set for £899 on ebay UK, which is much less than shop prices at £1,300+. Plus it still has 6 months Warranty left.

Buy and sell cans on eBay all the time. Just make sure they have a good rating and the pictures are not stock and are actual .

 

[pataburd]

It is always interesting that two people listening to the same headphone will come to contrary conclusions.
I just love the smoothness of the Clear's midrange and I feel much more comfortable with hifiandmusicsource. com description of the Clear's midrange:
"They are rounded, smooth and totally under control. Mid ranges, vocals are crisp and clear. There is no harshness to the higher end notes delivered, have a close listen to ‘Maybe’ by The Three Degrees"
I would never dare to contradict you when it comes to your experience with the Clear, rather I am much more curious to learn why people have such conflicting experiences.

This has been my experience with the Clear, too.
The Utopia have an even smoother, more liquid and saturated midrange.

 

[pataburd]

I would try these dry cleaning pads first, which they sell to use in a dryer.
If that doesn't help, I would use a mild detergent for silk and wool.

Cannot understand folks who (a) get the headphones filthy and smelly, and (b) sell them in that condition [without at least trying to clean them up and make them presentable]. You can try lightly scrubbing with the mild detergent and an extra soft bristle toothbrush.
I bought a pair of Ultrasone PRO 900 like that, and really should have returned them. They were grimy, scratched, covered with cat hair. The photographs in the ad did not show this. I had to sell them at a loss.
These sellers should be written up, and other prospective buyers put on the alert to this kind of behavior.

 

[gb21011971]

It is always interesting that two people listening to the same headphone will come to contrary conclusions.
I just love the smoothness of the Clear's midrange and I feel much more comfortable with hifiandmusicsource. com description of the Clear's midrange:
"They are rounded, smooth and totally under control. Mid ranges, vocals are crisp and clear. There is no harshness to the higher end notes delivered, have a close listen to ‘Maybe’ by The Three Degrees"
I would never dare to contradict you when it comes to your experience with the Clear, rather I am much more curious to learn why people have such conflicting experiences.

Everything is in the ear of the beholder. Everyone hears differently and has different taste. Maybe some things like resolution or decay are a bit more objective, but too much / too few mids/highs/bass is largely a matter of taste and hearing. I know many people like the Clear for its mids, but I have also heard others like me who find them too forward and metallic. I found that I am sensitive to mids in a way that many others are to sibilant highs. Having said that, the Clear is my headphone that I have owned the longest of all of them. So there must be a reason . My critique is on a very high level, I still find it a great can.

 

[LCMusicLover]

Picked up a used pair of Focal Clears yesterday, only to discover that they are in filthy condition. I've managed to take apart the grill for cleaning, but I'm not sure how to best clean the earpads and headband. The problem isn't dirt or stains, but that the earpads and headband smell like terrible body odor, probably from sweat. Would soaking the earpads and the headband in soapy water ruin the material?

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-utopia-general-discussion.811273/page-552#post-14343126
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-clear-headphones.861727/page-251#post-14268126
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-clear-headphones.861727/page-283#post-14436099

 

[wenbinbin2010]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-utopia-general-discussion.811273/page-552#post-14343126
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-clear-headphones.861727/page-251#post-14268126
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-clear-headphones.861727/page-283#post-14436099

Appreciate the links! I'll definitely look into getting one of those for regular cleaning. My issue though is that it seems like the pads have soaked up sweat, facial oil and who knows what else...trying some deodorizing techniques now, but if that doesn't cut it, I may just try soaking it with Oxiclean. If that ruins the pads, I'll just buy replacements. Maybe I'll test out the soaking method on the headband first, since that shouldn't affect sound quality.

 

[franz12]

Appreciate the links! I'll definitely look into getting one of those for regular cleaning. My issue though is that it seems like the pads have soaked up sweat, facial oil and who knows what else...trying some deodorizing techniques now, but if that doesn't cut it, I may just try soaking it with Oxiclean. If that ruins the pads, I'll just buy replacements. Maybe I'll test out the soaking method on the headband first, since that shouldn't affect sound quality.

Clear pads are fairly expensive. They are $200.
But you own the LCD-4. Do you think that the Clear complements the LCD-4?

 

[wenbinbin2010]

Clear pads are fairly expensive. They are $200.
But you own the LCD-4. Do you think that the Clear complements the LCD-4?

.

 

[sandy1010]

To my ears, the Clear is more comparable to the LCD-3 and in some ways better, but the LCD-4 is definitely superior to both. I would say the Clear tuning is more similar to the stereotypical Audeze sound than the rest of the Focal line-up, so not really "complementary".

What revision of the LCD3?

I own both the LCD3, 2016 drivers & Focal Clear, can’t say I hear what you do.

Focal has more treble energy, cleaner mids but lighter base. Audeze is warmer. I think they’re an excellent compliment.

 

[Phronesis]

To my ears, the Clear is more comparable to the LCD-3 and in some ways better, but the LCD-4 is definitely superior to both. I would say the Clear tuning is more similar to the stereotypical Audeze sound than the rest of the Focal line-up, so not really "complementary".

What revision of the LCD3?

I own both the LCD3, 2016 drivers & Focal Clear, can’t say I hear what you do.

Focal has more treble energy, cleaner mids but lighter base. Audeze is warmer. I think they’re an excellent compliment.

To my ears, the LCD-3 and LCD-4 sound quite similar, and I slightly prefer the LCD-3. The Clear sounds significantly different from them, with a bit more neutral clarity and a different character of bass (Clear has a distinctive energy, LCD has a distinctive fullness and weight). I agree that the Audeze is warmer and a good complement to the Clear.

 

[wenbinbin2010]

What revision of the LCD3?

I own both the LCD3, 2016 drivers & Focal Clear, can’t say I hear what you do.

Focal has more treble energy, cleaner mids but lighter base. Audeze is warmer. I think they’re an excellent compliment.

To my ears, the LCD-3 and LCD-4 sound quite similar, and I slightly prefer the LCD-3. The Clear sounds significantly different from them, with a bit more neutral clarity and a different character of bass (Clear has a distinctive energy, LCD has a distinctive fullness and weight). I agree that the Audeze is warmer and a good complement to the Clear.

Deleted my original post, since I've spent very minimal time with the Clears, and zero time A/Bing them with the LCD-3 or LCD-4. My original post was more of an immediate first impression, so take that with a grain of salt. Lots of variables to be considered that might have skewed those first impressions. Unfortunately, I've sold both my LCD-3 and LCD-4 in the mean time, so I won't be able to directly compare them anytime soon.

My LCD-3 were also the post-2016 drivers, which I felt like were brighter and cleaner than the older LCD-3 revisions. Also to my ears, the LCD-4 was a significant step above the LCD-3 in clarity in all frequencies.

I guess in my mind, a complement is distinctly different and my first impression of the Clears were that they weren't total opposites of the LCD-3 or LCD-4. I would consider the HD800 series as complements to the LCD series, if that makes more sense.

 

[Phronesis]

Deleted my original post, since I've spent very minimal time with the Clears, and zero time A/Bing them with the LCD-3 or LCD-4. My original post was more of an immediate first impression, so take that with a grain of salt. Lots of variables to be considered that might have skewed those first impressions. Unfortunately, I've sold both my LCD-3 and LCD-4 in the mean time, so I won't be able to directly compare them anytime soon.

My LCD-3 were also the post-2016 drivers, which I felt like were brighter and cleaner than the older LCD-3 revisions. Also to my ears, the LCD-4 was a significant step above the LCD-3 in clarity in all frequencies.

I guess in my mind, a complement is distinctly different and my first impression of the Clears were that they weren't total opposites of the LCD-3 or LCD-4. I would consider the HD800 series as complements to the LCD series, if that makes more sense.

I'm wary of the fuzziness and unreliability of auditory memory, and other factors that influence our perception (e.g., recording quality), so I try to do back to back comparisons with the same recordings and similar volume level.

I generally find that all really good headphones deliver a similar sound, and they complement each other on subtle rather than large differences. If a headphone sounds very different from the LCD-3, LCD-4, Clear, HD800S, etc., I probably won't like it.

 

[Phronesis]

A match made in heaven: listening to the new track "Immediate Results!" by Arch Echo with the Clear. On top of being tremendous musicians, some of the band members are recording engineers. The result is complex music with a lot going on, but the recording quality makes everything clear and impactful with the Clear.

 

[koover]

A match made in heaven: listening to the new track "Immediate Results!" by Arch Echo with the Clear. On top of being tremendous musicians, some of the band members are recording engineers. The result is complex music with a lot going on, but the recording quality makes everything clear and impactful with the Clear.

They’re an outstanding band who basically recorded, mixed and mastered from a bedroom and/or garage. These are the types of musicians I’ll always support. VERY talented guys especially the keyboardist.
Hell, all of them have mad talent.
Yes, I agree, they sound incredible with the Clear.