[chesebert]

£80+ for their Focal cables! Much too pricey for me

hate to break it to you, but sub $100 is budget aftermarket cable territory.

 

[Arora]

hate to break it to you, but sub $100 is budget aftermarket cable territory.

i am not made for this hobby

 

[chesebert]

i am not made for this hobby

It’s a process. You will get there and then way further. Take your time and enjoy the process.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

i am not made for this hobby

Who said it was a hobby?

 

[jonathan c]

Who said it was a hobby?

Hobby, no; hobble, yes; gobble, YES.

 

[Zeppmeister]

Who said it was a hobby?

As opposed to a way of life?

 

[gimmeheadroom]

As opposed to a way of life?

 

[Derivative]

It’s a process. You will get there and then way further. Take your time and enjoy the process.

Well said. it's been a minute for me but I've enjoyed every step.

 

[Shane D]

Been doing a Focal comparo for a few days now.
Started off doing some pad rolling and I didn't really care for the Elex pads. I found the Dekoni fenestrated pads pretty good, but prefer the originals. They are set aside until my originals wear out.

Next up, the Elex's are VERY close to these! Two plus years ago, I bought the Elex's, as they were half the price, landed in Canada. It was a smart decision. Nowadays, I would opt for the Clear's for $300.00 more Canuck bucks. One year warranty vs three years is a no-brainer.

Lastly, someone asked me a while ago if I preferred the Clear's or the Radiance's? They are pretty different headphones. The Clears have mids and above galore. And pretty decent bass for open backs.
But the Radiance are Great with any bass happening. I was going back forth with different songs and the Clear was a better match with more songs, but as soon as I felt the boom I switched to the Radiance's and Wow! What a great closed back headphone. These two are a great combo!

 

[jonathan c]

Been doing a Focal comparo for a few days now.
Started off doing some pad rolling and I didn't really care for the Elex pads. I found the Dekoni fenestrated pads pretty good, but prefer the originals. They are set aside until my originals wear out.

Next up, the Elex's are VERY close to these! Two plus years ago, I bought the Elex's, as they were half the price, landed in Canada. It was a smart decision. Nowadays, I would opt for the Clear's for $300.00 more Canuck bucks. One year warranty vs three years is a no-brainer.

Lastly, someone asked me a while ago if I preferred the Clear's or the Radiance's? They are pretty different headphones. The Clears have mids and above galore. And pretty decent bass for open backs.
But the Radiance are Great with any bass happening. I was going back forth with different songs and the Clear was a better match with more songs, but as soon as I felt the boom I switched to the Radiance's and Wow! What a great closed back headphone. These two are a great combo!

…if only you had four ears …

 

[bcaulf17]

I'd always read the Clears described as a warm-neutral sound signature and up until recently I thought I disagreed with that - I found them neutral and well pretty well balanced. But after owning the 64 Audio U12t for a couple of weeks and then going back the Clear, I totally get it. Definitely warm in comparison, but certainly not in an unpleasant way.

I have the trio of Clear for open back, EMU Ebony for closed back, and U12t for IEM. Tonally the Clear does sit in the middle. They are rather neutral, with just a hint of warmth. I hear people say they sound really good with tubes. The U12t is even more neutral than the Clear but I feel like it's difficult to compare IEMs and headphones directly, as the U12t is often described as having a hint of warmth as well.

The EMU Ebony is a nice alternative but sometimes they come across as too warm and overly mid-bassy. Fun headphone, but certainly has its own character.

 

[bcaulf17]

Been doing a Focal comparo for a few days now.
Started off doing some pad rolling and I didn't really care for the Elex pads. I found the Dekoni fenestrated pads pretty good, but prefer the originals. They are set aside until my originals wear out.

Next up, the Elex's are VERY close to these! Two plus years ago, I bought the Elex's, as they were half the price, landed in Canada. It was a smart decision. Nowadays, I would opt for the Clear's for $300.00 more Canuck bucks. One year warranty vs three years is a no-brainer.

Lastly, someone asked me a while ago if I preferred the Clear's or the Radiance's? They are pretty different headphones. The Clears have mids and above galore. And pretty decent bass for open backs.
But the Radiance are Great with any bass happening. I was going back forth with different songs and the Clear was a better match with more songs, but as soon as I felt the boom I switched to the Radiance's and Wow! What a great closed back headphone. These two are a great combo!

Do the Radiance sound more similar to the Clear than different?

 

[ali123]

Hey guys so I had focal clear headphones that worked great on my laptop. Sold them to a local who paired it with a Denon PMA 1600 AMP and now they’re telling me if they turn up the volume higher there’s a pop and it feels like the speakers are loose when at like 20hz / when the drums hit. Works fine at normal volume. Any idea what could be wrong? He did try different cables.

Thank you

 

[Shane D]

Do the Radiance sound more similar to the Clear than different?

Very similar, but closed backs can just never match up against an open back. Closed backs have their uses and the Radiance are a nice closed back. But to me they could never replace the Elex's/Clear's, Grado GH2's, HE6se V2's or iBasso SR2's. After six or seven hours yesterday, I was ready for a change. Much as with the Cascades. I can wear my favourite open backs for 4, 6, 8 and even 10 days straight. Not so with closed backs.
But, to get back on subject, the sound is similar, except the Radiance are more bassy and not quite as "open sounding", obviously. I am still happy with my purchase as they are a solid set of closed-back headphones.

The weird part is that they rank # 1 as the most expensive headphones I ever bought. But pleasure wise, they rank about # 4/5 in the collection. What's that about diminishing returns...?

 

[Shane D]

Hey guys so I had focal clear headphones that worked great on my laptop. Sold them to a local who paired it with a Denon PMA 1600 AMP and now they’re telling me if they turn up the volume higher there’s a pop and it feels like the speakers are loose when at like 20hz / when the drums hit. Works fine at normal volume. Any idea what could be wrong? He did try different cables.

Thank you

Focal headphones are Not for head-bangers and Not for bassheads. He will have more and worse trouble if he is pushing them hard.