Latest Thread Images

Focal Clear headphones
Jul 30, 2020 at 2:25 AM Post #7,652 of 12,550
Quick impressions - left to right
Elex pads - Clear Pro pads - Utopia pads
1.jpg
2.jpg
Elex and Clear Pro pads. No matter how much you wash them they just get dirty.
3.jpg
Clear Pro and Utopia pads.
4.jpg
I had to get a shot of the Clear Pro pads on the Elex. They look like burgundy in real life.
5.jpg

So, they pretty much all have the same frequency response. They sound almost identical.
Clear Pro must have a little more top-end zing in things I was listening to (snare drum ringing)

However, I brought out the replacement Elex pads that drop.com was shilling recently. If you don't know, they recently refunded all orders as the pads Focal had sent were up to 15% lighter than the stock Elex pads. They skimped a little, on the foam perhaps, as a result of strikes in France and difficulty with material supply chain and/or labor costs. Drop customers were less than thrilled with the whole ordeal, as you might imagine.

Here is the Elex pad at the bottom, the replacement Elex pad in the middle, and the Utopia pad at the top.
6.jpg

You can't tell from the photo but the Utopia and replacement Elex pads compress much more easily than the Clear Pro, and even the stock Elex pads.
As a result the Elex and Clear Pro pads have a more roomy presentation, and the Utopia feels slightly more 'in-your-face'.

If I had to recommend I would advise you don't buy the Utopia pads, unless you don't mind that trade-off (it's not a huge difference), or want them purely for comfort (they are so damn comfortable. The thicker pads start clamping my head). Maybe Focal will go back to the original material for future pads. Maybe the Utopia pads were always like this, I can't tell you if that's the case. Either way I'm sticking with the Utopia pads... Focal aren't the best for huge soundstage anyway :p
 
Jul 30, 2020 at 2:32 AM Post #7,653 of 12,550
Not quite a scandal on the scale of Woo Audio, but I had to take one for the team so to speak - *sniff* - woe is me! :triportsad: :beerchug:
 
Jul 30, 2020 at 2:43 AM Post #7,654 of 12,550
Last post - thinking more on this maybe Focal decided to make the pads thinner for comfort. I used to think the Elex were clamping after a few hours of use. With dekoni pads doubly so.
I've been using the Utopia since my first post about them here, a week or two at least, several hours a day and now that I think about it never once thought they were uncomfortable.
You decide... that's good enough for me! :deadhorse:
 
Jul 30, 2020 at 12:37 PM Post #7,659 of 12,550
Guidostrunk said:
Many thanks! If the Utopia pads are identical I'll definitely be buying a pair. Looking forward to your thoughts.
Click to expand...

Hi Sam,

Hope you are doing well! I had a brief experience/listen with @AnakChan's Utopia pads on my Focal Clear many moons ago and it basically took the "Clear" out of the Clears. I really wanted to like the pads(being leather and looking much more durable) but it rolled off the highs too much.
 
Last edited:
Jul 30, 2020 at 12:47 PM Post #7,660 of 12,550
In the current Headphone Show Focal stream, they talked about how significant/important the pads and material type are to the frequency response. Also that people's preferences can sometimes determine if they prefer a different pad from stock.
 
Jul 30, 2020 at 12:50 PM Post #7,661 of 12,550
Donnyhifi said:
Hi Sam,

Hope you are doing well! I had a brief experience/listen with @AnakChan's Utopia pads on my Focal Clear many moons ago and it basically took the "Clear" out of the Clears. I really wanted to like the pads(being leather and looking much more durable) but it rolled off the highs too much.
Click to expand...
Makes me at least somewhat curious to know what the Clear pads sound like on the Utopia. I haven’t read through the previous 500+ pages to see if there are comments on that combination (there probably are) but I may try that swap at some point to draw my own conclusions since I own both.
 
Jul 30, 2020 at 4:32 PM Post #7,662 of 12,550
Donnyhifi said:
...Utopia pads on my Focal Clear many moons ago and it basically took the "Clear" out of the Clears. I really wanted to like the pads(being leather and looking much more durable) but it rolled off the highs too much.
Click to expand...

Clear pads are slightly brighter than Utopia pads, each headphone is tuned to their stock pads so Utopia driver is of course a little brighter than Clear driver. IMO it was that last 5% percent, but as we know the last 5% is sometimes what matters most in this hobby.... the dekoni take it in another direction entirely...
 
Jul 30, 2020 at 5:31 PM Post #7,663 of 12,550
It's until one tries pads swapping that the magnitude of percieved difference in sound is hard to grasp, even for what look just like negligible differences in material, shape, size, the differences in sound are actually all but subtle. Espescially when doing a/b tests.

Btw, I believe even the stock pads can be improved upon, especially if one is looking for a darker, less ethereal, presentation.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 22 (members: 0, guests: 22)
Back
Top