[roskodan]

Sorry to disturb again. Would you say the mg's are vastly more detailed, do the 109s sound veiled in comparison? Or is there not much between them at all...?

If you like fun V shaped sound go 109 pro, if you like neutralish laid back go Focal.

 

[mainguy]

Recently got the Focal Clear MG, the last Focal I had to buy other than Radiance. Yes I have issues, but have sold everything apart from Utopia.

Had the MG 10 days now. impressions are, these are my second favourite Focal, after the Utopia. I prefer them to Stellia.
I know people prefer the OG but I think the MG presentation is more enjoyable, they have more body, and I believe are slightly more detailed. They close that gap to Utopia/Stellia a bit. They're a big threat to Stellia imo, ofc it's closed back vs open so it's apples to oranges...

These are insanely good cans, and I do believe most people could stop at MG and be happy they're missing very little from the flagships of the world. I got mine for 520 on ebay and consider it daylight robbery. The are worlds better than their closed back equivalent, Celstee, imo.

If you like fun V shaped sound go 109 pro, if you like neutralish laid back go Focal.

Laid back go Focal? Man, Focals are some of the most in your face, demanding cans. There's a sharpness and edginess that just demands attention imo.

 

[oldmate]

I had my MG's up for sale recently to "upgrade" till it dawned on me that there was no logical reason as I had my endgame cans. Driving them with a RME ADI DAC plus Jot 2.

A satisfying feeling it is and I got them for 40% off RRP here in AU.

 

[TWerk]

You may have some point to that pad theory. First focal clear MG pair I had I really liked, second sold pretty quick wasn't fond the second time around.

 

[yrstruly]

Recently got the Focal Clear MG, the last Focal I had to buy other than Radiance. Yes I have issues, but have sold everything apart from Utopia.

Had the MG 10 days now. impressions are, these are my second favourite Focal, after the Utopia. I prefer them to Stellia.
I know people prefer the OG but I think the MG presentation is more enjoyable, they have more body, and I believe are slightly more detailed. They close that gap to Utopia/Stellia a bit. They're a big threat to Stellia imo, ofc it's closed back vs open so it's apples to oranges...

These are insanely good cans, and I do believe most people could stop at MG and be happy they're missing very little from the flagships of the world. I got mine for 520 on ebay and consider it daylight robbery. The are worlds better than their closed back equivalent, Celstee, imo.


Laid back go Focal? Man, Focals are some of the most in your face, demanding cans. There's a sharpness and edginess that just demands attention imo.

Curious...is there anything you find the Clear MG does better than the Utopia?

 

[Sound Eq]

Curious...is there anything you find the Clear MG does better than the Utopia?

i have now side by side utopia and the mg, and without a doubt the mg has wider soundstage and more bass, the utopia has more resolution

the mg can be an all genre impressive can
the utopia is great and yes more detailed but sometimes on some tracks it sounds not great to the point you do not want to listen to that track, while mg u can enjoy even poorly recorded music, yes its a headphone that is very enjoyable

for mg u need to change pads to dekoni stellia pads and change the cable

i had the og clear and sorry i disagree with some and to me the mg is way better in everything

 

[Sound Eq]

Is it obvious that the Clear MG is superior in terms of sound quality/resolution vs that new Meze 109Pro ?

A question

no comparison between mg and meze 109 pro

mg is way better in every direction

 

[mainguy]

Curious...is there anything you find the Clear MG does better than the Utopia?

No way. Someone might like the warmer tuning more, but you can tune the Utopia to be warmer if you want with EQ.

The MG sounds more intimate, the Utopia feels bigger and more open, but that means vocals can seem further away than the MG. Some may slightly prefer that presentation in the MG being closer in. The quality of the sound on the Utopia is superior to the MG at every frequency, and at points obviously so.

The Avforums review i read summed it up, this guy gave the MG a 10/10 score by the way

Let’s focus on market context first. The Utopia is better than the Clear MG and at times, quite significantly so. This is to say, it builds on the performance of a headphone that I consider to be objectively perfect in a way that should be repeatable for anyone using a halfway decent source and material. The cost of improving perfection is high
https://www.avforums.com/reviews/focal-utopia-2022-headphone-review.20180/

 

[GWagon]

I’ve had the MG for around a week now and recently picked up a Mojo 2. The Focal sound is what I’ve been looking for; dynamic, engaging, detail and clarity with an enveloping 3D soundstage. All of those qualities have just been enhanced with the Mojo using the lossless DSP. I’ve tried some of the other cans at this level and they just don’t do it for me like these do. Everything else I’ve heard sounds boring in comparison.

One thing that really stands out for me are vocals. They are unveiled and really sweet sounding. Beautiful!

 

[yrstruly]

No way. Someone might like the warmer tuning more, but you can tune the Utopia to be warmer if you want with EQ.

The MG sounds more intimate, the Utopia feels bigger and more open, but that means vocals can seem further away than the MG. Some may slightly prefer that presentation in the MG being closer in. The quality of the sound on the Utopia is superior to the MG at every frequency, and at points obviously so.

The Avforums review i read summed it up, this guy gave the MG a 10/10 score by the way

Let’s focus on market context first. The Utopia is better than the Clear MG and at times, quite significantly so. This is to say, it builds on the performance of a headphone that I consider to be objectively perfect in a way that should be repeatable for anyone using a halfway decent source and material. The cost of improving perfection is high
https://www.avforums.com/reviews/focal-utopia-2022-headphone-review.20180/

On behalf of my bank balance, thank you. I love my Utopia but got curious for a second…

 

[Soundizer]

I’ve had the MG for around a week now and recently picked up a Mojo 2. The Focal sound is what I’ve been looking for; dynamic, engaging, detail and clarity with an enveloping 3D soundstage. All of those qualities have just been enhanced with the Mojo using the lossless DSP. I’ve tried some of the other cans at this level and they just don’t do it for me like these do. Everything else I’ve heard sounds boring in comparison.

One thing that really stands out for me are vocals. They are unveiled and really sweet sounding. Beautiful!

I have the same set up. Just right.

 

[GWagon]

I have the same set up. Just right.

How have you set up the EQ? I’ve found that lifting the lower treble (green) by a few db has the biggest impact. It really opens up the vocals and overall perceived clarity.

 

[roskodan]

Laid back go Focal? Man, Focals are some of the most in your face, demanding cans. There's a sharpness and edginess that just demands attention imo.

Depends what one compares them to. Elear and Mg are definitely more laid back vs Utopia, Clear. Even more so with run in pads, big difference. Especially on Clear, fresh pads are awful, need to wash and stretch them good to smooth the sound. Same for Elear pads, much darker sound than other Focal pads.

Headphones like 109 Pro or Fostex TH610 have a definitely more V shaped sound. 109 Pro has the BBC deep but mids sound thin due to high treble energy.

Btw, you also want an amplifier that won't make your headphones sound overdamped and/or underamped.

 

[mainguy]

Did anyone see the review of these where Goldensound says the Harmonicdyne Zeus is a better buy?

I tried the Zeus yesterday at Canjam London...They were frankly poor compared to the Focals. Pro reviewers seem to adore Linsoul products and compare them favourably way up the price range, but whenever I try them they sound...Well, meh. Noticably flawed. But the Zeus being reccomended over the Focals just means I need to take another reviewer off my list of people I align with, gotta say I'm running out of reviewers fast in this hobby lol

 

[yrstruly]

Had a go on these over the weekend (about 30-45 mins listening only) and impressions were a bit mixed although positive overall. If I'd never previously owned the Clear OG I probably would have adored them. They're definitely very, very fun and punchy, even for Focal. On some tracks the upper mids sounded a bit too blunted for me - overall think I prefer the tonal balance and airier quality of the Clear OG. Also think I prefer the bass response of the OG. With that said, they handle some things really well, particularly heavier music. Aesthetics to die for too. Worth another listen at some point for sure (although wouldn't bother owning them as I've got the Utopia).