[parimento1]

Let them play for a few hours to let them break in. I bought mine used so can't comment on them brand new. I have no issues with sibilance at all though. Could be the amp doesn't play nice with it possibly?

 

[freesole]

No issues with sibilance at all with mine either. It might be the amp pairing?

 

[catscratch]

There is definitely sibilance from peaks at 6khz, 8-9khz, and 11khz. You can see them on most measurements. But the peaks are small (5db or less) and with a smoother amp or warmer source it's not a huge deal. If you have an accurate EQ you can EQ them out and the highs will be smooth. Use a sine sweep or test tone generator to hear where they are, and a good parametric EQ to tune them out.

 

[Phronesis]

I picked up new clears today and I have to admit my first impression is that treble is boosted in the sibilance range and they sound thin. It doesn't seem to play well with poor recordings. Others don't seem to have the sibilance issue so I'm almost wondering if I got a defective pair. That's how strong it is. Cymbals sound kind of like sheets of aluminum.

Give your ears/brain some time to get used to them. The realism of acoustic instruments with the Clear is one of the strong points for me. I play drums and know what real cymbals sound like, and to me the Clear does a great job of reproducing cymbal sounds (assuming the recording is good).

 

[Anaz]

Anyone with the Sony MDR-Z1R and Focal Clear do a comparison for me?

Listen to a loaner set of Z1R at the moment, and they are a solid headphone, but not a lot WOWs me.

I own both Clear and Z1R. I like the forward mids of the Clear and the weight it adds to male vocals and guitars (I listen to a lot of Blues). Mids on the Z1R are pushed back which allows the highs and lows to create a wide, enveloping, and mellow yet detailed soundstage. When I was comparing the Z1R to the Clear (or Utopia) I kept raising the volume of the Z1R to get the same level of mids as the Clear which made the Z1R too loud, so my advice is to pay attention to that and allow your hearing to adjust to the different levels of lows, mids and highs.

If I had to rank them, I think the Clear is the better headphone, but I like both enough to keep them.

 

[mrip541]

After letting them play for a few hours I'm actually really starting to like them, without eq. Whether it's my ears or the headphones who knows. I also tried using peace to knock the small peaks down a couple db and like the results. Anyway, I should have waited a bit before posting.

 

[franz12]

"Unit to unit variation" is just the result of two people who can't find another way to politely disagree about the sound of a particular model of headphones.

Ah. You nailed it.

 

[Benno1988]

I own both Clear and Z1R. I like the forward mids of the Clear and the weight it adds to male vocals and guitars (I listen to a lot of Blues). Mids on the Z1R are pushed back which allows the highs and lows to create a wide, enveloping, and mellow yet detailed soundstage. When I was comparing the Z1R to the Clear (or Utopia) I kept raising the volume of the Z1R to get the same level of mids as the Clear which made the Z1R too loud, so my advice is to pay attention to that and allow your hearing to adjust to the different levels of lows, mids and highs.

If I had to rank them, I think the Clear is the better headphone, but I like both enough to keep them.

Yeah, what I'm finding. Mids just pushed back a bit much for me. Some songs they are real nice though. Usually have Aeon Closed which had mids for days, so that isn't helping my view of the Z1R

 

[makne]

After letting them play for a few hours I'm actually really starting to like them, without eq. Whether it's my ears or the headphones who knows. I also tried using peace to knock the small peaks down a couple db and like the results. Anyway, I should have waited a bit before posting.

What headphones were you used to listen to before? And what dac and amp do you use?

 

[Ifalna]

It [Focal Clear] doesn't seem to play well with poor recordings.

Well it's not supposed to either. That is the crux of great audio gear, it makes you hear the music, as well as any flaw whatsoever, to the point that some recordings become unlistenable.
Personally I can't listen to bands like Nightwish on my Clear. it's just a blaring, overly compressed, distorted sth. that stresses me out.

 

[Tekunda]

I picked up new clears today and I have to admit my first impression is that treble is boosted in the sibilance range and they sound thin. It doesn't seem to play well with poor recordings. Others don't seem to have the sibilance issue so I'm almost wondering if I got a defective pair. That's how strong it is. Cymbals sound kind of like sheets of aluminum.

They take around a 100 hours to burn-in.
Play lots of very dynamic music in order to shake the transducer loose.
I experienced a huge improvement after 100 to 150 hours.

 

[Phronesis]

Well it's not supposed to either. That is the crux of great audio gear, it makes you hear the music, as well as any flaw whatsoever, to the point that some recordings become unlistenable.
Personally I can't listen to bands like Nightwish on my Clear. it's just a blaring, overly compressed, distorted sth. that stresses me out.

Yup, can’t really have it both ways.

 

[Phronesis]

They take around a 100 hours to burn-in.
Play lots of very dynamic music in order to shake the transducer loose.
I experienced a huge improvement after 100 to 150 hours.

Whether there’s any audible physical burn in is debated, but most people will agree that most headphones will be perceived as sounding better over time. That has been my experience with the Clear and several other headphones.

 

[Phronesis]

I own both Clear and Z1R. I like the forward mids of the Clear and the weight it adds to male vocals and guitars (I listen to a lot of Blues). Mids on the Z1R are pushed back which allows the highs and lows to create a wide, enveloping, and mellow yet detailed soundstage. When I was comparing the Z1R to the Clear (or Utopia) I kept raising the volume of the Z1R to get the same level of mids as the Clear which made the Z1R too loud, so my advice is to pay attention to that and allow your hearing to adjust to the different levels of lows, mids and highs.

If I had to rank them, I think the Clear is the better headphone, but I like both enough to keep them.

Yeah, what I'm finding. Mids just pushed back a bit much for me. Some songs they are real nice though. Usually have Aeon Closed which had mids for days, so that isn't helping my view of the Z1R

This is pretty much what my issue with the Z1R was. There's a pronounced dip somewhere in the upper mids or lower highs, maybe combined with some boost in the highs above that. It creates a sense of solid bass, sparkle at the top, and larger stage, but at the expense of rendering the sound of acoustic instruments (e.g., cymbals) to be quite unrealistic, to my ears. That may not be a big problem with electronic music, but it was a big problem for most of the music I listen to. By contrast, I find the fidelity of the Clear to be quite realistic with good recordings (it's a bit circular, but I define good recordings as those which sound good with all of my good headphones).

 

[Juan_R]

After letting them play for a few hours I'm actually really starting to like them, without eq. Whether it's my ears or the headphones who knows. I also tried using peace to knock the small peaks down a couple db and like the results. Anyway, I should have waited a bit before posting.

Always smart