[CleffyHeft]

Can someone suggest some upgrades/sidegrades to Focal Clear Mg around the same price range or lower?

 

[rael67]

Hifiman Arya Organic

 

[CleffyHeft]

Hifiman Arya Organic

I've listened to this and honestly love it but Hifiman's spotty QC is keeping me away from it. Are there any other suggestions?

 

[E8ArmyDiver]

I've listened to this and honestly love it but Hifiman's spotty QC is keeping me away from it. Are there any other suggestions?

I don't know where you got this intell but I've had 4 pair HFM.s & NEVER had ANY issues!
Buy from an Authorized Dealer with a good return policy & enjoy some awesome tunes!

 

[MidFiMoney]

Can someone suggest some upgrades/sidegrades to Focal Clear Mg around the same price range or lower?

Have you considered the Audeze MM-500? I'm not the most experience in this price range but I really like the Clear Mg, MM-500, and Arya SE (if you don't mind the build quality).

I don't know where you got this intell but I've had 4 pair HFM.s & NEVER had ANY issues!
Buy from an Authorized Dealer with a good return policy & enjoy some awesome tunes!

I've owned a few HifiMAN cans and never had an issue with parts failing. However, HifiMAN's build quality is nowhere near the competition and it's the only reason I won't buy another product from them. The Arya SE and HE1000se have insane performance at their reduced price points but they really need to put some energy towards building more premium products. Nothing that they make over $1000 actually feels like it's worth that much IMO. I know that doesn't have anything to do with sound but it matters a lot to me when I'm spending that kind of money.

 

[AnirbanLahiry]

Hello folks, would it be possible for you to suggest a pair between the Clear Mg Pro and the Radiance? Of course, one is an open back and another is a closed back. But this is mainly for indoor listening so that will not be a constraint. I’m looking for a warm neutral pair of cans. Mainly listen to pop, rock and classical. Also, is the Clear Mg Pro a better choice than the Clear Ogs? I see mixed reviews on the internet and am not sure about this. Many thanks.

 

[thelittletaffia]

Hello folks, would it be possible for you to suggest a pair between the Clear Mg Pro and the Radiance? Of course, one is an open back and another is a closed back. But this is mainly for indoor listening so that will not be a constraint. I’m looking for a warm neutral pair of cans. Mainly listen to pop, rock and classical. Also, is the Clear Mg Pro a better choice than the Clear Ogs? I see mixed reviews on the internet and am not sure about this. Many thanks.

There is a step up from the old OG and if you can get the Pro for a good price then that's an easy choice. I had the Radiance for a couple of weeks and returned them much preferred my current Denon AH-D9200 to them. I was quite disappointed in them really as they came nowhere near the quality of my MGs. I'm still looking for a pair of closed backs to complement the Denons.

 

[AnirbanLahiry]

There is a step up from the old OG and if you can get the Pro for a good price then that's an easy choice. I had the Radiance for a couple of weeks and returned them much preferred my current Denon AH-D9200 to them. I was quite disappointed in them really as they came nowhere near the quality of my MGs. I'm still looking for a pair of closed backs to complement the Denons.

Thank you so much for the quick revert! This makes it easy. Yes, I’m getting the pros at a decent price. One more question, if you don’t mind me asking, is there a difference between the Mg Pros and the Mg. Apparently, according to Focal, they shouldn’t be different. But again, there are mixed opinions on the internet. In case you’ve heard both, would love to hear your opinion. Thanks again.

 

[rael67]

I'm still looking for a pair of closed backs to complement the Denons.

maybe the Dan Clark Audio E3 could do that?

 

[thelittletaffia]

Thank you so much for the quick revert! This makes it easy. Yes, I’m getting the pros at a decent price. One more question, if you don’t mind me asking, is there a difference between the Mg Pros and the Mg. Apparently, according to Focal, they shouldn’t be different. But again, there are mixed opinions on the internet. In case you’ve heard both, would love to hear your opinion. Thanks again.

I've not heard the Pros, all I can say is that I'm very pleased with the MGs. Does everything I want from a headphone and does it well.

 

[thelittletaffia]

maybe the Dan Clark Audio E3 could do that?

I may very well end up with them. I ordered a pair of DCA Ether Flow in December, unfortunately they had to go back because of a fault with the yolk. Still waiting for information from the dealer. I had a couple of days with the Ethers and quite liked them. My other ones of interest are the Meze Liric.

 

[dan3952]

Can someone suggest some upgrades/sidegrades to Focal Clear Mg around the same price range or lower?

I own two different sets of headphones every year. Reasonable alternatives to me would be the HiFiMan Arya, Audeze LCD-X 2021, or used HiFiMan HE-1000. These are exceptional products, but excel at different things. Focals all have small soundstages but good imaging within it. None of them can match match the Clear Mgs in dynamics in an open back. It's because the Focals aren't open baffle; they had put the driver in a cylindrical chamber. We are dealing with physics here and its limitations: play one kick drum and the differences will be immediately apparent. The HiFiMan will usually excel in soundstage: the two I had mentioned have such a big soundstage, that it's like a halo of sound. You will hear sounds above you, and behind you. They also sound soft and lifeless when playing hard rock or EDM. Vocals had sounded the best to me on the Clear Mgs, because the soundstage limitations hadn't mattered there. Music that had a lot of tracks, had sounded congested with the Focals. Their speakers, too. The Audezes sounded big but dark. Resolution in the bass was behind that of the Focals. They also had worse imaging and less clarity. I had Focal Clear OGs in 2019, and I hadn't liked the brash signature that was due to their all metal drivers. Lots of resolution, but timbre wasn't as natural as some others. I would go with the latest Aryas and avoid the previous ones. HE-1000 hadn't changed as much. Aryas use older HE-1000 drivers. I haven't heard ZMF, and don't want to pay that, but I would probably prefer them to anything else under $2000.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

HE6SEv2, if you have amp to do them justice.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Can someone suggest some upgrades/sidegrades to Focal Clear Mg around the same price range or lower?

ZMF Auteur Classic. Not as lively in punch/bite like MG, but Auteur Classic deliver wider soundstage, a little more resolution here and there, with some "woody" tonality. Both headphones are quite smooth at treble, but MG is a bit more forward and aggressive, while Auteur is more laidback.

 

[DefinitioN.]

It's a work of art. Its sound isn't great, but its look is indispensable.