[Ifalna]

though perhaps I am mistaken? Can any of the owners that have had the clear (professional) post some pictures of how their clear (professional) is right now?

You are.
The pads discolor very quickly. I wash them every 6 months (despite not wearing the Clear nearly as much as my DT-880 due to weight), so they looks a wee bit like wet poodles. IMHO, Focal should have opted for black pads, if they insist on using this kind of material. While the microfiber cover is darn sensitive, after 2 years, the foam inside holds up well, though. No sign of flattening yet.

Headband is pristine, because I applied a protective cover since day 1.

 

[roskodan]

Made a DIY comfort cover for my HD800 headband. Easy to make and recon it would work well on the Clear too, for protection against degrading, staining the microfiber.

On the Clear, wrapping the headband in just one layer would do the trick. Check it out here.

 

[sebek]

I agree with that thinking as well, and I personally don’t find the Clear’s treble all that hard to handle. It can get a bit bright at times but it doesn’t come across as harsh or anything.

I think it’s better to get the OG while they still exist. And it’s cheaper.

Did you have Sundara, a comparison with Focal Clear?

 

[AudioDuck]

Yep, ran into that w/ custom cables for T1g2 — deeply recessed sockets which were narrow enough that some plug barrels didn’t fit.

Question for Clear/Elex/Elear owners:

I just picked up a (pretty nice) aftermarket cable for my Elears, only to discover that the 3.5 mm plugs with the shrink covers on them are *just a hair* too thick to fit in the cans’ frame holes, so the male plugs cannot insert all the way (resulting in no throughput). ARGH!

Anyone else run into this? It looks like the plated plug would fit if I cut back the heat shrink, but I don’t want to render the cable unreturnable.

Thoughts? Anyone confirmed that standard plated 3.5 mm plugs fit in the headphones without the heat shrink going down so far on the plugs?

Thanks in advance- if no one is sure, I’ll simply call the cable manufacturer on Monday...

 

[ValentineLuke]

Question for Clear/Elex/Elear owners:

I just picked up a (pretty nice) aftermarket cable for my Elears, only to discover that the 3.5 mm plugs with the shrink covers on them are *just a hair* too thick to fit in the cans’ frame holes, so the male plugs cannot insert all the way (resulting in no throughput). ARGH!

Anyone else run into this? It looks like the plated plug would fit if I cut back the heat shrink, but I don’t want to render the cable unreturnable.

Thoughts? Anyone confirmed that standard plated 3.5 mm plugs fit in the headphones without the heat shrink going down so far on the plugs?

Thanks in advance- if no one is sure, I’ll simply call the cable manufacturer on Monday...

I purchased a Norne Silvergarde S3 for my Clear MG and I have no issues with fitment. They use Eidolic connectors and they fit fine. I also use the same cables with my HifiMan HE6se.

 

[bcaulf17]

Did you have Sundara, a comparison with Focal Clear?

I still need to do a side by side comparison but without even that I can say I prefer the Clear. Sundara is a great headphone for the price but I found the lower treble to sound a little aggressive, sometimes giving vocals an odd texture. I think the Sundara might have slightly better bass texture but everything else is better on the Clear.

 

[SilverEars]

I agree with that thinking as well, and I personally don’t find the Clear’s treble all that hard to handle. It can get a bit bright at times but it doesn’t come across as harsh or anything.

I think it’s better to get the OG while they still exist. And it’s cheaper.

Same here, Clear handle crappy recordings just fine for me.

 

[NCPat]

Hello,

Getting into headphone game with a Focal Clear MG as entry "deluxe" unit. Learned a bit on youtube and threads and seems will need new balanced cable as the one Focal provides not great. From searching this thread and google, found Moon Audio Black 10 foot at 450, Helix 10 foot almost 1,000, apteria much less but 21 day wait time for custom build. Each headphone has custom connectors to the L/R so can't buy from Monoprice. Besides building own, any cheaper alternatives? If so, please provide details.

Thanks

 

[roskodan]

Looks like the Clear Mg has different cables from the og Clear. Better ask in the Mg thread here.

 

[lucasratmundo]

After seemingly falling out of love with high-end(ish) audio for a while, I bought myself a Hugo TT2 today to see if it can recandle things. It replaced my trusted Hugo 2. And so far, I absolutely love it.

At first, I tried it with the Utopias. I find it a much better pairing than the Hugo 2. The latter combination always felt a bit cold and too analytical for my taste. But now its not as harsh and it feels like you can touch the textures of the instruments.

Then I switched to the Clears. A littel less detailed and first I found it a bit dull sounding, somehow. But I think it was the songs selection. After listening to "When we dance" by Sting with Royal Philharmonical Concert Orchestra I was very happy. Its so musical. I am really impressed what the Focals are capable of.

This has been my impression too! The TT2+Clear combo is my favourite pairing with the Clear so far.

 

[Dionysus]

Hello,

Getting into headphone game with a Focal Clear MG as entry "deluxe" unit. Learned a bit on youtube and threads and seems will need new balanced cable as the one Focal provides not great. From searching this thread and google, found Moon Audio Black 10 foot at 450, Helix 10 foot almost 1,000, apteria much less but 21 day wait time for custom build. Each headphone has custom connectors to the L/R so can't buy from Monoprice. Besides building own, any cheaper alternatives? If so, please provide details.

Thanks

As an owner the Clear MG, I find the cable to be good. I would probably wait until you actually receive the headphones and make that decision once you have them. You might find that you'll be happy with the included cables. Again the included balanced XLR are good.

 

[NCPat]

As an owner the Clear MG, I find the cable to be good. I would probably wait until you actually receive the headphones and make that decision once you have them. You might find that you'll be happy with the included cables. Again the included balanced XLR are good.

Thanks, I'll see how the phone XLR cables work and go from there. Per the youtube videos, issue is cable gets kinked up in box and stays kinked. No issues with sound.

 

[Dionysus]

the older OG Clear cables get more kinked. These cables don’t stay kinked. They don’t use the same cable materials.

 

[Dionysus]

These are more links an old lamp cord.

 

[Brotato]

Just picked up the Clear Pros and I’m excited to listen to them!