[Kiwimac]

Truly they are an outstanding product. I was perfectly fine with my HD650's up to that point - now they sound like $5.99 headphones from Costco in comparison!

Well, not quite - but you know what I mean!

Also the build quality is very good; they made some nice material choices and executed it very well. I wore them almost 3 hours last night and barely noticed, so the comfort is pretty spot on too.

 

[Focux]

For those who picked grey vs black/red

many discolouration after say few months to a year?

I’ve always seen photos of such online but for grey only

 

[phthora]

For those who picked grey vs black/red

many discolouration after say few months to a year?

I’ve always seen photos of such online but for grey only

Unfortunately, I think that really depends on the person. My earpads haven't discolored at all compared to the underside of the headband (which I covered with a wrap from day one). I bought my set Jan 2019 and have a couple hundred hours on them.

 

[cybotron9]

I have a question regarding pad rolling on the Clear, but it also applies to headphones in general:

The Clear is great with a lot of music I listen to, but with some genres / albums / tracks, I miss a bit of bass and the mids and highs are a bit too forward.

As I am not a fan of EQing, I thought about trying different pads. Looking at the Dekoni pads - which ones would be most likely to alter the sound into the direction I am looking for?
Am I right that the perforation of the original pads leads to a more open sound and I should look for ones that are not perforated? (with perforation I mean those little holes in the pads - sorry English is not my native language)
Are leather pads the way to go if I want a more 'closed-in', darker sound, or should I stay with velour ones? For what it's worth, i don't really like leather pads though. As I see, the Elear has a darker sound than the Clear and the only difference in the pads seems to be the perforation.

Thanks for any info.

 

[SilverEars]

It's interesting to me that Focals other than Utopia generally have this sort of curve, and flattens in the treble. They like to emphasize the mids quite a lot. Or at least their driver design causes this sort of response. I wonder how consistent their drive QC is?

Clear


Oratory https://www.dropbox.com/s/hqb9zjsvc2nu5zc/Focal Clear.pdf?dl=0

Measured with standardized equipment, B&K HATS https://www.0db.co.kr/REVIEW_0DB/144988

 

[cuiter23]

Just pulled the trigger on a pair! Can't wait for them to get here.

 

[Kiwimac]

You won’t regret it!

 

[cuiter23]

Great to hear!

Does anyone wear glasses with these headphones? Does it completely mess up the sound?

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Great to hear!

Does anyone wear glasses with these headphones? Does it completely mess up the sound?

Depend on your glass model. My "audio" glasses made from thin metal temple, that won't affect headphone sound regardless the pad design.

My daily glasses made from thick plastic though, can get uncomfortable when wear headphone, and in some cases may break the seal as well

 

[roskodan]

Great to hear!

Does anyone wear glasses with these headphones? Does it completely mess up the sound?

The Clear are really open in design, and the pads are really soft, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[kupco]

I wear glasses with them and cannot hear any sound difference with vs without glasses.

 

[Verst]

How would yall compare the Clears with the ZMF Auteurs and Aeolus? Currently looking for an upgrade for my HD600 and having a hard time deciding and the Clears seems like a good option, but leaning towards the ZMFs.

 

[LCMusicLover]

How would yall compare the Clears with the ZMF Auteurs and Aeolus? Currently looking for an upgrade for my HD600 and having a hard time deciding and the Clears seems like a good option, but leaning towards the ZMFs.

Clear is probably closest to the HD600 of the three sets you mention. Between the ZMF cans, Auteur are going to be closer to the more neutral HD600 tonality while the Aeolus will exhibit more of the 'ZMF house sound'. Both ZMF sets will be warmer and have bigger bass than the Clear, but (much?) more pronounced from Aeolus.

Keep in mind that ZMF tunings change some depending on the wood used. This seems particularly so for Auteur, although opinions vary as to how significant the differences are, and Zach downplays the effect to some extent.

 

[Guidostrunk]

Never had any ZMF , but to me the Clears are a super HD600 on steroids with the resolution of a HD800.

 

[cuiter23]

The Clear are really open in design, and the pads are really soft, I wouldn't worry about it.

That's great to know. I generally wear frames that have slightly thicker legs but with the open design I'm assuming that it shouldn't be a big issue. Worst case scenario is that I'll listen to the Clears blind.