[ColSaulTigh]

They are most definitely the poster child for headphone burn-in.

They never sound the same twice!

 

[itslikeboo]

They are most definitely the poster child for headphone burn-in.

They never sound the same twice!

Were the og clears the same way? I don’t recall them needing so much burn in.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Were the og clears the same way? I don’t recall them needing so much burn in.

I don't know - I never owned a set of those before.

 

[jriems]

I can't speak to the MG's as I have never heard them. But I can say that after listening to the OG's daily for a year now, I think they sound great with the Dekoni Stellia Ltd. pads.

I can also say that while my listening experience varies from day to day, I have never experienced huge swings in perceived sound signature on these - or any - cans. I simply don't believe that huge shifts like described above can be attributed to changes in the cans themselves. I attribute those perceived differences to the physiological and psychological state of the person at the time they are listening. I experience this myself - some sessions simply sound off even though nothing has changed in the listening chain. I attribute this to my state of mind, the condition of my ears, the condition of my brain, my stress level, my blood pressure, my tinnitus, etc.

This is my personal opinion, and I'm not trying to invalidate others'. I just find it much more plausible that day to day perception changes in a set of headphones can be attributed to changes in me significantly more than they can to changes in my OG's.

That said, I love them - especially with this most recent pad change. I'm sure the MG experience is similar, and worth trying.

 

[DivineCurrent]

It worries me how often I see these come up for sale used. And it looks like this thread has a lot of hot/cold to it as well. I would really like to try them. Enjoyed the OG clears.

Yeah, I see one nearly every other day come up on sale. Thing is with the MG, you have to know what you are getting. Of course it sounds a lot like the originals, but with a warmer tilt and darker treble. I think that's why they are so polarizing, because many find the originals to be warm enough and to them, the MG is too warm and rolled off in the treble. I happen to absolutely love this warmer leaning tone over the more neutral original Clear and Elex.
I also think many listen to the MG after coming from a brighter headphone with more treble presence, perhaps a Hifiman or a Sennheiser HD800, further skewing their immediate impressions. But to me, I find the MG has loads of detail that is presented in a more laid back way, similar to what the HD650 does. But even calling it laid back is wrong, because the MG still retains that crazy good dynamic punch and slam of all Focal headphones.

 

[RayMets1]

Yeah, I see one nearly every other day come up on sale. Thing is with the MG, you have to know what you are getting. Of course it sounds a lot like the originals, but with a warmer tilt and darker treble. I think that's why they are so polarizing, because many find the originals to be warm enough and to them, the MG is too warm and rolled off in the treble. I happen to absolutely love this warmer leaning tone over the more neutral original Clear and Elex.
I also think many listen to the MG after coming from a brighter headphone with more treble presence, perhaps a Hifiman or a Sennheiser HD800, further skewing their immediate impressions. But to me, I find the MG has loads of detail that is presented in a more laid back way, similar to what the HD650 does. But even calling it laid back is wrong, because the MG still retains that crazy good dynamic punch and of all Focal headphones.

I agree, having the MG I appreciate the more relaxed treble level being just right for me, not hurting my ears with piercing high sounds. Technically having owned both I believe they are also superior in detailed performance and slam, to the OG. I have them paired with RME ADI-2 DAC and the MG just pairs really well with that Amp/Dac.

 

[itslikeboo]

Yeah, I see one nearly every other day come up on sale. Thing is with the MG, you have to know what you are getting. Of course it sounds a lot like the originals, but with a warmer tilt and darker treble. I think that's why they are so polarizing, because many find the originals to be warm enough and to them, the MG is too warm and rolled off in the treble. I happen to absolutely love this warmer leaning tone over the more neutral original Clear and Elex.
I also think many listen to the MG after coming from a brighter headphone with more treble presence, perhaps a Hifiman or a Sennheiser HD800, further skewing their immediate impressions. But to me, I find the MG has loads of detail that is presented in a more laid back way, similar to what the HD650 does. But even calling it laid back is wrong, because the MG still retains that crazy good dynamic punch and of all Focal headphones.

I see. Makes sense. Slightly more forward lows and darker treble. Makes sense for a 5 year update.

 

[Guidostrunk]

If you look at the OG Clear thread and start from the beginning. You will find the very reason why the MG came to fruition. I also think Tyll Herstens played a roll as well in his assessment of the OG. They basically delivered what he wanted in the Clear headphones.

Having owned both , the OG by most was considered "peaky" in the upper range of sound and could use more sub-bass, although those peaks never bothered me. That's until I had both to do my own comparison. There's tons of posts with that very complaint. First the pad rolling came to combat the peaks. Then the eq madness came. Then the pad and eq combo came. Lol.

Then the MG came. Then the original owners of the OG that had sold theirs due to peaks, bought the MG thinking "No more peaks" which they got and then some.
Then the complaints started again. It's too soft. It's too laid back. There's too much bass .....Yada Yada Yada.
At end of the day it all comes down to preference. For me the MG fixed a lot of issues with the OG. Me personally found the MG the better can by far across the board. That's not to say everyone else will agree.

It's a polarizing headphone(s) that demands your 100% unadulterated attention. If you have stuff on your mind, or are tired, skip that session. Come back and listen when you're well rested and all that's on your mind is listening to music.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

It worries me how often I see these come up for sale used. And it looks like this thread has a lot of hot/cold to it as well. I would really like to try them. Enjoyed the OG clears.

These were my second MoTL headphones (following the Sennheiser HD-8XX). Like I've said in the past, I have a love/hate relationship with them. Every time I run them I seem to have a different sound. I will say that replacing the stock cable is a must - it's simply horrible. Currently running Audiophile Ninja cables on them (10' and 12') as well as the Dekoni LTD Stellia pads, and as I stated earlier, they sound pretty good. They're never going to displace my Utopias or my Meze Empyreans, but every now and again I pop them on for the hell of it. They'll probably start traveling with me if I ever get back to that life again...

 

[ColSaulTigh]

It's a polarizing headphone(s) that demands your 100% unadulterated attention. If you have stuff on your mind, or are tired, skip that session. Come back and listen when you're well rested and all that's on your mind is listening to music.

I'm sure this plays a big part of the issue for me. I'm an insomniac and have to take Ambien nightly to fall asleep. I do a lot of listening at the end of the day (stress relief from a stressful job), and once the Ambien kicks in, my brain starts to hear a lot of different things. That, and I tend to make a bunch of random purchases that become surprises when the Amazon truck shows up

 

[Guidostrunk]

I'm sure this plays a big part of the issue for me. I'm an insomniac and have to take Ambien nightly to fall asleep. I do a lot of listening at the end of the day (stress relief from a stressful job), and once the Ambien kicks in, my brain starts to hear a lot of different things. That, and I tend to make a bunch of random purchases that become surprises when the Amazon truck shows up

I have that problem when I'm drinking.

Some of my best listening sessions were late weekend mornings into the afternoon when there was nothing on my agenda. Maybe a few beers to get even more relaxed. Tired evenings and stressful days I would walk right by the rig. After months of trying tired and stressful evenings my sessions would last a few songs. Just wouldn't feel it.

 

[LoryWiv]

I have that problem when I'm drinking.

Some of my best listening sessions were late weekend mornings into the afternoon when there was nothing on my agenda. Maybe a few beers to get even more relaxed. Tired evenings and stressful days I would walk right by the rig. After months of trying tired and stressful evenings my sessions would last a few songs. Just wouldn't feel it.

My 2 HP's are ZMF Auteur and Clear MG, and while the Auteur has a beautiful timbre and excellent treble extension, the Clear MG's get more head time. They can serve well for a relaxed listen but reward close attention as well, really versatile. It is true that treble rolls off sooner on Clear MG than Auteur but the bass extends deeper while staying clean, and overall tonality is very musical while still presenting substantial detail. I find the 2 HP's very complimentary and definitely intend to keep both!

 

[Andrew_WOT]

Sleeper phones. Good for background music when you need to focus on something else, can't do that with HE6SE.
Balanced, inoffensive, smooth, not hyper detailed, and a bit yawn.

 

[dan3952]

Yeah, I see one nearly every other day come up on sale. Thing is with the MG, you have to know what you are getting. Of course it sounds a lot like the originals, but with a warmer tilt and darker treble. I think that's why they are so polarizing, because many find the originals to be warm enough and to them, the MG is too warm and rolled off in the treble. I happen to absolutely love this warmer leaning tone over the more neutral original Clear and Elex.
I also think many listen to the MG after coming from a brighter headphone with more treble presence, perhaps a Hifiman or a Sennheiser HD800, further skewing their immediate impressions. But to me, I find the MG has loads of detail that is presented in a more laid back way, similar to what the HD650 does. But even calling it laid back is wrong, because the MG still retains that crazy good dynamic punch and slam of all Focal headphones.

You might EQ the Clear Mgs to match the Harman curve, before comparing them to other headphones. They're down about 2 db in the treble {from my copy of their FR). I EQ my Clear Mgs and Audeze LCD-X 2021s. Each of them has its pros and cons, before and after, EQ. I'm very happy with what I'd gotten at their respective price points, and I'm glad I hadn't spent more in my situation (though I can afford more than that). The first good set of headphones I had, were the Clear OGs. I had found them to be too lively, with some music, especially percussion, and offering an unnatural metallic timbre. I had preferred the warm and lush LCD-3s in comparison, for some types of music. (though not liking the typical Audeze dark house sound, and the lower level of resolution). I suspect that the Sennheiser HD800S is the king of resolution below $2000, but with a treble spike. That one, isn't my choice for classic rock, or EDM.

 

[DivineCurrent]

You might EQ the Clear Mgs to match the Harman curve, before comparing them to other headphones. They're down about 2 db in the treble {from my copy of their FR). I EQ my Clear Mgs and Audeze LCD-X 2021s. Each of them has its pros and cons, before and after, EQ. I'm very happy with what I'd gotten at their respective price points, and I'm glad I hadn't spent more in my situation (though I can afford more than that). The first good set of headphones I had, were the Clear OGs. I had found them to be too lively, with some music, especially percussion, and offering an unnatural metallic timbre. I had preferred the warm and lush LCD-3s in comparison, for some types of music. (though not liking the typical Audeze dark house sound, and the lower level of resolution). I suspect that the Sennheiser HD800S is the king of resolution below $2000, but with a treble spike. That one, isn't my choice for classic rock, or EDM.

Yes I do EQ the MGs a little, mainly to address the very slight hump at 1.3 kHz and reducing the small peaks at 5.5 and 10.5 kHz, which are far less present than the original Clear. I prefer slightly recessed upper mids than Harman, so I leave the 2-4 kHz region as it is on the Clear MG. But as much as I like using EQ to get the perfect sound, I would be more than happy listening to the Clear MG with no EQ. My other main headphone the Hifiman HE-500 on the other hand, does need EQ in the mid bass and treble to sound as natural as possible.
I am curious about the LCD-X 2021 though, I've been reading reviews and comparisons recently to the Clear/Clear MG. Could you comment on what you like about the LCD-X more or less than the Clear MG? I would love to give it a try soon, I've heard great things about it.