[roskodan]

Sometimes, ‘mid-fi’ can really bowl you over. A mix of actual quality and the surpassing of tempered expectations.

I am very happy here. I have about ten headphones that I like, to different degrees. I enjoy the variety and I don't have a bad one in the bunch.

I am happy enough that I can't ever imagine dropping $2K, $3K, $4K on a set of headphones.

I'm with you. Rather 10 mid-fi cans than one summit

You’d rather have 10 “these are OK” than one “OMG”?

There are two types of headphones, the ones you got bored of and the ones you'll get bored of... but that does not mean either can't be keepers... it's just that continuous vicious circle of finding something to be excited about... again... remember, it's all about the journey...

... there is always the limitation of trying to reproduce the full audio spectrum with a single driver. That's why we can summarize some headphones as to be 'jack of all trades, master of non' or 'master specialists' of some kind...

... said that, the Clears are very dynamic, mechanically loose, but the shallow and small pads makes the highs sound 'metallic' because of the cup to outer ear interaction, in my experience, that's why I love my super worn out pads...

... which turns them into the best performing 'jack of all trades, master of none' in my collection...

... about price brackets, price is defined by a lot of factors, of which objective sound quality is always a minor part... the higher the price... the smaller the part objective audio quality plays in pricing... it's always mostly about economic viability and therefore market placement...

 

[hakunamakaka]

That’s a lot better. Thanks for the update. For future, would be great to break down soundstage into image placement and image space (rather in between space). If you feel like it you can also include perception (if any) of height and image solidity.

One issue with 800S is associated equipment. If you are short on cash but want to hear what 800S could become (not the absolute best version), get the HDV820. I heard it and it has good synergy with 800S but is ultimately mid fi. I have heard good things about WA33 with 800S as is EC Zana Deux (good with all Senn cans). The right setup will address most of the treble issues and bring back macro dynamics and sub bass extension.

I lived with HD800S nearly a week and I'm confident you will not bring a decent slam even if you plug it into amplifier made by jesus. It distorts fairly quickly. A very niche headphone with few big faults and not that much to offer. Huge soundstage in reality is maybe few extra cm's on width. While stage can be impressive for some when track calls for intimacy it will be too stretched with HD800s and became annoyance for me.

I would avoid HD800s unless you need a tool while listening to classical or opera genres. To me a good headphone should play whatever you throw at it without sounding artificial or fun in music being sucked out.

 

[zootx]

IMHO HD800s and Clear are doing completely different things and this cannot be changed by source gears and probably not even by EQ.
HD800s brings huge soundstage and a lot of treble details for great analytical reproduction of instruments that have their emphasis on treble (e.g., violins). Clear are warm and mid-forward, with a good mid-bass slam (neither have a lot of subbass, but HD800s bass is just anemic).

 

[393699]

I highly recommend taking a look at the Audio-GD Master 19 headphone amp if you want to get an increase in dynamics, a tighter bass response, significant improvements in vocal presentation, and a vastly improved soundstage out of your Focal Clear. This headphone amp pairs amazingly well with the Clear. I highly recommend it.

http://www.audio-gd.com/Master/Master19/Master19EN.htm

 

[ardilla]

There are two types of headphones, the ones you got bored of and the ones you'll get bored of... but that does not mean either can't be keepers... it's just that continuous vicious circle of finding something to be excited about... again... remember, it's all about the journey...

... there is always the limitation of trying to reproduce the full audio spectrum with a single driver. That's why we can summarize some headphones as to be 'jack of all trades, master of non' or 'master specialists' of some kind...

... said that, the Clears are very dynamic, mechanically loose, but the shallow and small pads makes the highs sound 'metallic' because of the cup to outer ear interaction, in my experience, that's why I love my super worn out pads...

... which turns them into the best performing 'jack of all trades, master of none' in my collection...

... about price brackets, price is defined by a lot of factors, of which objective sound quality is always a minor part... the higher the price... the smaller the part objective audio quality plays in pricing... it's always mostly about economic viability and therefore market placement...

Where did you get those pads? DIY mod?

I have had great success with leather pads on both Elear Elex and Stellia. It was a must with the Stellia i think.

 

[Shane D]

I highly recommend taking a look at the Audio-GD Master 19 headphone amp if you want to get an increase in dynamics, a tighter bass response, significant improvements in vocal presentation, and a vastly improved soundstage out of your Focal Clear. This headphone amp pairs amazingly well with the Clear. I highly recommend it.

http://www.audio-gd.com/Master/Master19/Master19EN.htm

I am curious about that amp.

 

[ardilla]

I am curious about that amp.

I used to have an m9. Fabolous amp. Just veeery big

 

[Shane D]

I used to have an m9. Fabolous amp. Just veeery big

Apparently the M19 is a little more manageable.

 

[Tano]

A solid state amp isn't going to give you a bigger soundstage. Soundstage is determined by the headphone FR, the acoustic design and ultimately, the recording

 

[chesebert]

I lived with HD800S nearly a week and I'm confident you will not bring a decent slam even if you plug it into amplifier made by jesus. It distorts fairly quickly. A very niche headphone with few big faults and not that much to offer. Huge soundstage in reality is maybe few extra cm's on width. While stage can be impressive for some when track calls for intimacy it will be too stretched with HD800s and became annoyance for me.

I would avoid HD800s unless you need a tool while listening to classical or opera genres. To me a good headphone should play whatever you throw at it without sounding artificial or fun in music being sucked out.

I don't know what "decent slam" means. But if you get a chance to hear 007 on T2, it's about the same to slightly more than that (average but not crap). I am sure if I use one of the better DNA or WA tube amps I can get 800S to produce greater slam, but they do just fine on CFA3. Your dac also determines the characteristic of the bass response. Find the right pairing and you will be rewarded, otherwise it's just a clinical tool with artificial soundstage.

Utopia and Clear sound good on pretty much everything but can scale as well.

 

[chesebert]

A solid state amp isn't going to give you a bigger soundstage. Soundstage is determined by the headphone FR, the acoustic design and ultimately, the recording

A good dac will be able to correctly reproduce the soundstage and a good amp will be able to control the drivers to reproduce those minute signal variations from the dac in order to render the soundstage that your headphones are capable of. In other words, a good amp can provide a bigger soundstage from a listener's perspective.

 

[ardilla]

I don't know what "decent slam" means. But if you get a chance to hear 007 on T2, it's about the same to slightly more than that (average but not crap). I am sure if I use one of the better DNA or WA tube amps I can get 800S to produce greater slam, but they do just fine on CFA3. Your dac also determines the characteristic of the bass response. Find the right pairing and you will be rewarded, otherwise it's just a clinical tool with artificial soundstage.

Utopia and Clear sound good on pretty much everything but can scale as well.

I think the HD800/S gives decent bass impact on many amps. If the treble is tamed you truth up the volume and it can be quite visceral. I think they listen to the HD800s volume because of the treble. I tried using some foams in front of the driver and the sound became quite nice and warm but you lost some sound stage. Even toilet paper does the trick, there is actually a thread over at sbaf with measurements of the TP-mod.

I really liked the AKG 141 foam. It does not need to cover the whole driver it just has to reduce the amount of treble.

 

[chesebert]

I think the HD800/S gives decent bass impact on many amps. If the treble is tamed you truth up the volume and it can be quite visceral. I think they listen to the HD800s volume because of the treble. I tried using some foams in front of the driver and the sound became quite nice and warm but you lost some sound stage. Even toilet paper does the trick, there is actually a thread over at sbaf with measurements of the TP-mod.

I really liked the AKG 141 foam. It does not need to cover the whole driver it just has to reduce the amount of treble.

TP-mod is a trade secret.

 

[ardilla]

 

[roskodan]

Where did you get those pads? DIY mod?

I have had great success with leather pads on both Elear Elex and Stellia. It was a must with the Stellia i think.

DIY by chance. But the results are really awesome.

A good dac will be able to correctly reproduce the soundstage and a good amp will be able to control the drivers to reproduce those minute signal variations from the dac in order to render the soundstage that your headphones are capable of. In other words, a good amp can provide a bigger soundstage from a listener's perspective.

Actually, what makes or breaks both DACs and amps are their output stage performance. You can get different spatial effects from both. Especially in the case of amplifier's interaction with the transducers being driven. Which goes beyond mere spectrum linearity. There are other factors to consider, like damping, both electrical and mechanical, yes, transducers are electro mechanical devices after all.