[Dcipar81]

I would agree with you for the most part, except I wouldn't classify the Clears as "boring". They are certainly more sterile sounding, I agree there, and especially when you first put them on. After ~10 to 15 minutes, though, as the pads warm up and you become accustom to their sound, I find the bass really starts to shine. You are able to hear the bass better on the Clear, while you tend to feel it more with the MG.
I think this ultimately comes down to personal preference, but I would strongly encourage any person new to these cans and trying to make a decision, please give the pads a few minutes to warm up and your ears adjust.

In terms of their details comparisons, I would say (using the most specific, scientific terminology) the Clears provide more Beeps and Boops, more Clicks and Pops and more DRY texture, while the MGs highlight the Bumps and Thumps, with the visceral growl and more WET texture. However, I think that added Wetness is at the expense of details, particularly in the mid bass and low mids.

I think I'll put together a little playlist/examples with specific timestamps that that highlight these points.

-Dan

 

[PointyFox]

I wouldn't call the OG "sterile" and the MG "lush". I'd call the OG "clean" and the MG "muddy".

 

[Dcipar81]

I wouldn't call the OG "sterile" and the MG "lush". I'd call the OG "clean" and the MG "muddy".

So far I've also noticed the the Clears more amp dependent, which again leads to the impression that they are pulling more detail as opposed to sort of "smoothing everything over".
However, I wouldn't necessarily call that a good thing. I don't want this to sound like a shot at the Clears OG, at audiophiles, or at people who just plain like trying new equipment, but I can say from personal experience that sometimes I find myself spending so much damn time comparing equipment, A/B'ing things, etc... that I lose sight of just sitting back and listening to music.
The other night I was watching the Celtics game (no sound) and just had a nice strong beer and the MGs (2nd night of having them) and I was able to just sit back and listen, while watching, while drinking, while texting, etc...and it was super enjoyable. BUT at the same time I was literally brought to tears re-listening to some songs the first few weeks I had my Elegias (first real big boy headphone) hearing the details and emotion that they were able to bring to the table - something the Clear OGs do in spades.
So the question is: Is there a headphone that can sound as clinical and detailed as the Clears, while also allowing a person to sort of "melt away" like the MGs? That would be the grail and I can only speculate that's where I'd be with the Utopia or Stellia. Unfortunately as a grad student I can barely justify buying groceries after the Clears, so those will have to wait.

EDIT: I wonder if anybody has experience putting a more lush pad on the Clears? Like one of those dekoni sheepskin leathers? I think a softer pad might tame some of the treble while allowing a little more rumble in the bass. I know people have commented on how those aftermarket pads tends to mess with the sound, but that could very well be coming from a person who much prefers that dry sound of the originals. Maybe that's blasphemous to Clear owners, but it may be a way to have the best of both worlds...

 

[jonathan c]

So far I've also noticed the the Clears more amp dependent, which again leads to the impression that they are pulling more detail as opposed to sort of "smoothing everything over".
However, I wouldn't necessarily call that a good thing. I don't want this to sound like a shot at the Clears OG, at audiophiles, or at people who just plain like trying new equipment, but I can say from personal experience that sometimes I find myself spending so much damn time comparing equipment, A/B'ing things, etc... that I lose sight of just sitting back and listening to music.
The other night I was watching the Celtics game (no sound) and just had a nice strong beer and the MGs (2nd night of having them) and I was able to just sit back and listen, while watching, while drinking, while texting, etc...and it was super enjoyable. BUT at the same time I was literally brought to tears re-listening to some songs the first few weeks I had my Elegias (first real big boy headphone) hearing the details and emotion that they were able to bring to the table - something the Clear OGs do in spades.
So the question is: Is there a headphone that can sound as clinical and detailed as the Clears, while also allowing a person to sort of "melt away" like the MGs? That would be the grail and I can only speculate that's where I'd be with the Utopia or Stellia. Unfortunately as a grad student I can barely justify buying groceries after the Clears, so those will have to wait.

EDIT: I wonder if anybody has experience putting a more lush pad on the Clears? Like one of those dekoni sheepskin leathers? I think a softer pad might tame some of the treble while allowing a little more rumble in the bass. I know people have commented on how those aftermarket pads tends to mess with the sound, but that could very well be coming from a person who much prefers that dry sound of the originals. Maybe that's blasphemous to Clear owners, but it may be a way to have the best of both worlds...

If you go to the dedicated Focal Clear thread, there is much discussion on earpads. A number of Clear owners - including me - swear by the Dekoni Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads for the Clear. Shown below:

 

[PointyFox]

If you want more bass, use an amp with higher output impedance. The sweet spot for me is somewhere around 10-30 Ohms.

You'll see an increase in bass roughly proportional to the pink line in the graph below with increased output impedance.

 

[Dcipar81]

If you go to the dedicated Focal Clear thread, there is much discussion on earpads. A number of Clear owners - including me - swear by the Dekoni Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads for the Clear. Shown below:

I'll check out that thread, but can you give a TL;DR about those pads? Would they 'tame' the highs and accentuate the lows as I suspect?

 

[Dcipar81]

Just rolled my worn Elegia pads onto the Clears (OG) and boy does this sound interesting. Not sure if it's just confirmation bias though, so I'ma head to the gym and clear my mind and come back and see the impressions again. For now though, this may be it for me...The upper clarity of the clears with a touch of added warmth down low...

 

[TWerk]

I wouldn't call the OG "sterile" and the MG "lush". I'd call the OG "clean" and the MG "muddy".

I do agree that the OG sounds "clean". I do not agree that MG sounds muddy, they are extremely resolving and detailed.

I also agree with DCIPAR that the OG sounds more dry. I think that's a good term for what I heard.

There's different tastes in this hobby and I'm not going to attack OG if you like it - if that's the one for you, fantastic - but for me they were not at all as enjoyable as MG.

You probably listen to different music than me, enjoy a different sound signature than I do, come from different HP background etc.. that's why I said in my post YMMV.

At the end of the day we all just go off what we like and what we hear.

 

[Dcipar81]

I do agree that the OG sounds "clean". I do not agree that MG sounds muddy, they are extremely resolving and detailed.

I also agree with DCIPAR that the OG sounds more dry. I think that's a good term for what I heard.

There's different tastes in this hobby and I'm not going to attack OG if you like it - if that's the one for you, fantastic - but for me they were not at all as enjoyable as MG.

You probably listen to different music than me, enjoy a different sound signature than I do, come from different HP background etc.. that's why I said in my post YMMV.

At the end of the day we all just go off what we like and what we hear.

I think it's a good call out that there's no "right" or "wrong" here. Especially talking about two great pieces of equipment. It's a preference matter. However, there is merit in discussing it so that people eyes may be opened to a new way of listening/looking at it; appreciating different aspects of an equipment; trying something new (breaking out of your comfort zone sound signature) etc.

My opinions of both are fantastic. For me this is more about an open discussion to try to see things in a different light and to hear other's opinions. If you're team MG, great! I'm not even sure what side I'll be playing for later tonight, let alone when it comes time to make a decision about which one to keep...

 

[TWerk]

I think it's a good call out that there's no "right" or "wrong" here. Especially talking about two great pieces of equipment. It's a preference matter. However, there is merit in discussing it so that people eyes may be opened to a new way of listening/looking at it; appreciating different aspects of an equipment; trying something new (breaking out of your comfort zone sound signature) etc.

My opinions of both are fantastic. For me this is more about an open discussion to try to see things in a different light and to hear other's opinions. If you're team MG, great! I'm not even sure what side I'll be playing for later tonight, let alone when it comes time to make a decision about which one to keep...

Yes, the whole point of this thread was to those who have heard both - what is your opinion?

All 3 of us fit into that category, and so posting impressions is equally valid for all of us and was the point of this thread.

However, I do question when the term "muddy" comes out for a headphone as resolving as the MG. There's plenty of other examples of muddy headphones. I'm hearing what I think to be more detail with MG than any headphone I have heard in my 10 years in this hobby.

It may indeed be his impression, and if so that is fine - but certainly it could also be a negative reaction to someone didn't share his preference for OG.

 

[PointyFox]

I owned both at the same time.
The MG sounded more forward and compressed with more bass bloom.
I mainly use a variety of TOTL headphones including a bunch of electrostatics.
When I say "muddy" I mean comparatively muddy. Not Beats muddy.

I think the trope "all headphones can be winners to different people", as heart-warming as it may be, is naïve and frankly dangerous to the advancement of headphones. Similar to having no winners in sports and giving everyone a participation trophy. If it takes minimal effort to win, people will start putting in minimal effort, and that includes headphone design.

 

[TWerk]

I think the trope "all headphones can be winners to different people", as heart-warming as it may be, is naïve and frankly dangerous to the advancement of headphones. Similar to having no winners in sports and giving everyone a participation trophy. If it takes minimal effort to win, people will start putting in minimal effort, and that includes headphone design.

Okay, so that is exactly where our disagreement lies...

I figured, back to usual - some people listen to gear for enjoyment and how gear itself can add to that overall experience and others are looking technically full stop.

I don't think technical performance is the end all be all when I buy a HP. Is there even some hard line proof you have that the MG is technically worse than OG?

I also find your final statement interesting. Focal spent several years in designing the MG driver if you look into the history of this headphone. They were able to reduce the weight for the driver, and now we have the new MG with the full magnesium dome and it has less mass than the composite dome.

This isn't some lack of effort or participation award - they were able to design a driver that successfully reduced weight which was a goal they had for the design.

I wouldn't therefore conclude the design of MG was a minimal effort project being awarded a participation trophy, but rather an advancement of a core design philosophy which they had - and which someone who is about the "advancement of headphones" - I would think, may consider.

 

[czuba]

I wouldn't call the OG "sterile" and the MG "lush". I'd call the OG "clean" and the MG "muddy".

How about "clear" and "mushy gushy"?

at the same time I was literally brought to tears re-listening to some songs the first few weeks I had my Elegias (first real big boy headphone) hearing the details and emotion that they were able to bring to the table - something the Clear OGs do in spades.

What music brought you to tears?

Unfortunately as a grad student I can barely justify buying groceries after the Clears, so those will have to wait.

Same boat here as a grad student. I'm buying a pair of Clear OG's tomorrow -- super excited, but quite an upgrade. Thankfully I'm getting a slammin' deal.

If you go to the dedicated Focal Clear thread, there is much discussion on earpads. A number of Clear owners - including me - swear by the Dekoni Elite Fenestrated Sheepskin pads for the Clear. Shown below:

I'd also love to hear a tl;dr on these pads. I'm thinking to buy an extra set of pads for these Clear OG's that I'll be picking up tomorrow.
Btw -- what's the cable pictured in your image? Apart from imagining it sounds great, that *looks* like an awesome aesthetic pairing with the Clears. =)

Can't wait to post impressions in the main thread! I'm just hear looking for confirmation bias against post-acquisition FOMO wrt the MGs.
I think price is a major factor here. For those curious, my slammin' deal is $550 for a set of Clear OG's with all accessories, in 9/10 condition! The price of these have come down considerably -- especially on the re-sale market -- so even if the MG's do provide some edge to certain ears, can it really be a double-the-price edge?

 

[jonathan c]

Unfortunately as a grad student I can barely justify buying groceries after the Clears, so those will have to wait.

That’s the right choice…besides intermittent fasting is good for you…quite enjoyable with great music……

 

[jonathan c]

I'll check out that thread, but can you give a TL;DR about those pads? Would they 'tame' the highs and accentuate the lows as I suspect?

Here is a screen-shot of a post, from February of 2021, of mine in the ‘Focal Clear Headphone’ thread: