[BowWazoo]

Neither do I, but in direct comparison to the OG pads, this impression of harshness was created.

At this point I must mention again that I listen with the personalized Harman curve.
With the Dekoni pads, I lower the bass and increase the treble.

With the Dekoni pads my setting looks like this:

Here is the initial situation:

 

[Andrew_WOT]

I did not notice any lowered treble, agree this is the last thing you would want on MG with already rolled off highs.
For me it was:
- More and harder hitting bass
- Increased soundstage
- Better instruments separation and details
- Slightly more aggressive, less sleepy sound

Graph from review

 

[BowWazoo]

This is interesting.

So I find myself in the measurements of Dekoni.
Here the Utopia was measured, but the frequency response is most likely changed in a similar way on the MG.

https://dekoniaudio.com/focal-utopia-measurements/

 

[DivineCurrent]

FYI, for those who have Clear pads that have become dirty (and don't want to pay or wait for Focal to have them in stock like me), you can use normal laundry detergent and it won't mess them up. As long as you let them air dry for a whole day next to a fan after cleaning, they will look exactly like they did out of the box. I used a very tiny amount of detergent, probably just over a teaspoon for both pads. I filled a small bowl with two inches of water, and squeezed the pads a few times into the bowl, and rinsed thoroughly. I have the Clear MG Pro red pads, they bleed a bit of the dye into both the water and the rag. But they turned out looking the same color, so maybe they did not loose that much red dye as I thought.

I've got Dekoni Elite Velour pads on the way, I'm thinking of also trying the Fenestrated Sheepskin and/or the Custom series Stellia pads.

 

[dleblanc343]

I did not notice any lowered treble, agree this is the last thing you would want on MG with already rolled off highs.
For me it was:
- More and harder hitting bass
- Increased soundstage
- Better instruments separation and details
- Slightly more aggressive, less sleepy sound

Graph from review

Quite a dramating V-ing of the sound.

Must sound quite farty in the bass lol... Clear MG already is laid on pretty thick in the midbass as is.

Would have to hear it.

 

[jriems]

FYI, for those who have Clear pads that have become dirty (and don't want to pay or wait for Focal to have them in stock like me), you can use normal laundry detergent and it won't mess them up. As long as you let them air dry for a whole day next to a fan after cleaning, they will look exactly like they did out of the box. I used a very tiny amount of detergent, probably just over a teaspoon for both pads. I filled a small bowl with two inches of water, and squeezed the pads a few times into the bowl, and rinsed thoroughly. I have the Clear MG Pro red pads, they bleed a bit of the dye into both the water and the rag. But they turned out looking the same color, so maybe they did not loose that much red dye as I thought.

I've got Dekoni Elite Velour pads on the way, I'm thinking of also trying the Fenestrated Sheepskin and/or the Custom series Stellia pads.

I hand-washed my OG Clear pads by gently squeezing them multiple times in a bowl of warm water with Woolite, then letting them soak for an hour, then rinsing them out, squeezing out all excess water, and letting them air dry for a couple days.

I've actually done this a couple times now, and while it helped significantly, it did not remove all of the discoloration. The bottom line is that the grey-colored material chosen by Focal is simply a very poor choice.

 

[dan3952]

I enjoy my clear MG very much, but haven't tried with the amps you mention. Good call on using an alternate cable, the stock cable is a weak link in an otherwise impressive piece of 00gear.

I'm an engineer.. I don't think that changing the headphone cable does anything for the sound... have you ever done a double blind listening test trying different cables? I use silver stranded patch cable that I had bought in 2009 and that too, was a waste of money. I would change them due to esthetics only.

 

[LoryWiv]

I'm an engineer.. I don't think that changing the headphone cable does anything for the sound... have you ever done a double blind listening test trying different cables? I use silver strandeReplyd patch cable that I had bought in 2009 and that too, was a waste of money. I would change them due to esthetics only.

The ergonomics on my aftermarket cable are much nicer than stock. As for sound differences, I recognize that can be a hornet's nest to discuss and will just say I am happy with my choice and respect others equally if they prefer to stay with stock.

 

[arielext]

I've tried the Utopia pads I have laying around on these a couple of times but every time I do swap back to the stock pads.
Utopia pads are very, very good but have slightly less bass. It feels better with a slight boost at around ~ 120hz. I do add some bass-shelf to Focal headphones to begin with (~5dB @ 80hz). The main thing is... the stock pads make these shine like only a few headphones can. Their tonality completely agrees with me.
I'm not going to try the Dekoni offerings I have tried those before on different Focal headphones and I always had the feeling that, though half the price of the insanely expensive stock pads, they are overpriced and don't add anything to the listening pleasure, at least not for me.

 

[DivineCurrent]

I've tried the Utopia pads I have laying around on these a couple of times but every time I do swap back to the stock pads.
Utopia pads are very, very good but have slightly less bass. It feels better with a slight boost at around ~ 120hz. I do add some bass-shelf to Focal headphones to begin with (~5dB @ 80hz). The main thing is... the stock pads make these shine like only a few headphones can. Their tonality completely agrees with me.
I'm not going to try the Dekoni offerings I have tried those before on different Focal headphones and I always had the feeling that, though half the price of the insanely expensive stock pads, they are overpriced and don't add anything to the listening pleasure, at least not for me.

I agree the stock pads are best, at least for my preferences. I just got in the Dekoni velours, not only are they less comfortable than stock, but they sound worse. They caused too much of a dip in the upper mids, and killed the treble extension. I'm sure I can fix it with EQ, but it's not worth it when the stock pads already sound amazing. The only reason I would get Utopia pads in the future, is if Focal never has their stock MG Pro red pads available, because so far I've waited half a year and still they don't have those red MG Pro pads.

 

[arielext]

Are the mg pads different from the og pads?

 

[DivineCurrent]

Are the mg pads different from the og pads?

Yeah they are. I tested them when I had the original Clear, the originals are a little thicker and are clearly made with a different foam inside, because the MG pads are much easier to press down and act like real memory foam. While the original pads felt more like a typical pillow foam matierial and less memory foam, pretty much the same as the Elex pads. I also recal preferring the MG pads, because it had more dynamics and bass impact.

 

[arielext]

I got a quote for the mg pads, the 'consumer' ones, so the brown ones. They come in at €89 a piece.
For giggles I ordered a pair of 3d printed mounting rings so I can test a few other pads.

 

[arielext]

Here is my 1st monstrosity: Mounting ring and the Defean pads I had laying around.
https://www.amazon.com/M30-M40-M40X-M50-M50X/dp/B07T7W2Q15/138-0848034-4079131

First results: actually quite good! Comes closer to the stock pads then any Dekoni pad I've ever tried! Comes closer to stock then the Utopia pads do.
I'll keep em on for some time and see how I like them.

 

[dan3952]

Ok I will move onto the pads discussion I think

The ergonomics on my aftermarket cable are much nicer than stock. As for sound differences, I recognize that can be a hornet's nest to discuss and will just say I am happy with my choice and respect others equally if they prefer to stay with stock