Focal Listen Professional
Feb 24, 2018 at 6:32 PM Post #31 of 72
The Focal Spirit Classic was by some margin my favourite headphones

The sound incredibly dynamic perfect natural tonality, comfort (a minority view I know but perfect for my ears) style and build, totally ruinedr(three times in 18 months) by 2 fragile pieces of plastic in the headband

If the exact sound of these could be replicated with the new non attractive but durable headband design I shall order a pair immediately. I do need the Listen Classic and I can call it a day!
 
Feb 26, 2018 at 11:04 AM Post #32 of 72
Today I listened to contenders for a Spirit Professional replacement. (And some just because they were there.)

Oppo PM-3: This is a #1 recommendation at innerfidelity.com, backed up by Bob Katz himself. Directly from an iPhone6 the sound was so dark I would easily pick a lot of $100 headphones first. Amped it was better but still waaaay south of what I could work with. All sounds came from behind me. These cost 539€.

B&W P7: Holy sheet these sounded horrible. Like a low treble band pass filter and nothing else.

NAD VISO HP50: The shop didn’t keep these in stock anymore as they don’t sell, and the sound engineers that work there didn’t qualify them as workable.

THANK YOU! The PM-3 and the AudioQuest Night Owl. Possibly two of my biggest regrets of 2017. I played around with the PM-3 for three months trying to like them. Wound up selling them because my ears kept sweating and vocals sounded...almost nasal to me. It was just weird. The NightOwl is another conversation I'll leave for later. TFW I only got to keep $300 out of the $700 I spent. :frowning2:

The HP50 is still one of my favorites and at the time I had the Oppo PM-3 I was hoping those would replace my HP50. I stuck with the HP50 in spite of its weird fit and constant breakage (I went through three of them). Then my third pair I chose to literally break them in further...lol. Evidently it was critical to get the best sound out of them by twisting the swivel cups the wrong way so they'd conform to my head. Needless to say my warranty is long gone on that one.

Now if only someone on Amazon will list the Focal Listen Pro. I'm looking forward to see how they stack up with my original Focal Listen. And if it's just marketing with new pads...

I received these today. Initial impressions are good.

I can't compare to the spirit pros but I can to the original listens.

[...]

I'll be keeping the original pads on the pros but do like the tuning better with the professional pads on. Worth a look for portables that are extremely easily driven and durable.

Hey just curious, did you put the Pro's pads on the standard Listen?
 
Feb 27, 2018 at 2:02 AM Post #33 of 72
THANK YOU! The PM-3 and the AudioQuest Night Owl. Possibly two of my biggest regrets of 2017.

It’s just the nature of all things audio, trial and error. Can’t be avoided. Sorry to hear though.

The HP50 is still one of my favorites

Too bad I didn’t get to listen to these. How would you compare the sound of HP50 to Focal?
 
Feb 27, 2018 at 10:11 PM Post #34 of 72
Hey just curious, did you put the Pro's pads on the standard Listen?

Edit: oops, misread your question. I did put the pro pads on the standard as well. Less bass, more highs. Never found the originals to be needing more highs, so id stick with the standard pads if it were me. Original pads are more comfy too, the memory foam is more rigid.
 
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Mar 5, 2018 at 12:04 AM Post #35 of 72
It’s just the nature of all things audio, trial and error. Can’t be

avoided. Sorry to hear though.

Too bad I didn’t get to listen to these. How would you compare the sound of HP50 to Focal?

I mean neither the Night Owl nor the PM-3 were bad, just not for me. I mean when I put on my Fidelio X2 and had more fun listening to those over the prior two headsets, yeah one ought to step back and ask, "Wait, do I really need these?"

Welp I got tired of waiting around and ordered them from one of the few vendors that actually have them in stock (thanks Sweetwater!). From the looks of it, they're the same headphone and driver but there's gotta be some sort of dampening materials in the back that affect the sound. Even swapping the pads both a quite different. The pros seem to have more of a mid-bass (?) boost and a general boost to the mid-ranges. The treble is nerfed like crazy. Sometimes for the better and sometimes I feel for the worse. Worse in the way that I feel some of the original Listen had some magic going on where the treble, while sharp often gave way to sort of an immersive sound. Even more immersive than those silly so-called Dolby-surround-marketed-to-death surround headsets...um, we will NOT talk about those here on this thread. Lol. The pros feel flatter. Much flatter in response.

Regarding the HP50, those are still among my favorite headphones to this day (well maybe until Paul Barton's new HP 70 comes along to dethrone the 50). What's surprising to me is that the Listen Pro sounds more...flat...than even the HP 50. I didn't think another portable closed-back around the same price range could actually have a nicer midrange and an even-handed response. You see the HP 50 seemed fairly flat but with a bass boost. It's part of that "Room Feel" thing that Paul Barton likes to market the sound signature as. Considering some of the demo rooms (albeit precious few!) and even my own Frankenstein setups from Goodwill finds even I can tell his "Room Feel" marketing is...pretty good. Not perfectly like being in a small room with good speakers but it's close enough. The Focal Listen Pro sounds a bit more spacious than the HP 50 (as expected; the HP 50 gives you less 'room' - hehehe for your years). I should also mention again that my HP 50 is very altered from stock: I cut away the foam filters that were stitched to the pads and taped some cheap, thin foam to cover the drivers. Close enough to nothing filtering the drivers at all (now I wonder if I clip the plastic away that's covering the drivers...eh, maybe not). My original Listen pair became my daily work headphone and I think the I'd still prefer the Listen Pro over the HP 50.



Edit: oops, misread your question. I did put the pro pads on the standard as well. Less bass, more highs. Never found the originals to be needing more highs, so id stick with the standard pads if it were me. Original pads are more comfy too, the memory foam is more rigid.

Yeah, definitely the LAST thing the Original Listen needs is more high frequencies. :D Thanks for that. As if we needed more proof that we're all different (and that's a good thing) I'm really digging the softer foam on the Pros. The fabric they chose feels nicer and while they still get hot it takes much longer for me to sweat in these than the original Listen pads. Oddly the Meze 99 Classics/Neo pads breathed better on the Listen too. Should you have the Mezes lying around throw the pads on for science. Perfect fit I guarantee you. Should also give you more ear space too. When I put them on my original Listen it opened up that slightly recessed mid range but to the point it was a touch...shout-y. Calms down the treble too. Does the same thing for the Pros but it'll decrease the treble even further, too far down for my tastes.
 
Jun 2, 2018 at 5:36 AM Post #36 of 72
Hi there.

Just changed from Spirit Pro to Listen Pro due to the cracking plastic syndrom. To be brief, compared to the Spirit Pro...well there is nothing to compare. They, or at least the model I receive, have a completely different sound signature. The Listen pro is way more bassy, deeper low mid, very interesting for drum parts,, jazzy beats, soul music... On the other end, I found the scene way larger with the Spirit Pro, the sound way brighter, limit a bit to harsh at high frequencies. This one clearly lacks detailed treble. I got the feeling to be in a "New-Orleans-dark-nerdy-jazz-club-movie". On the other end, I'm used to using my set to analyze film OS and this is clearly a must-have, for their freq. range is often smaller than musical piece. But for high-pitched music, I tend to dislike that 'falling down to the middle' sound.

In other words :
Spirit Pro
++ clear
++ very natural
++ large scene...
+ ...and somewhat deep (for a closed-back Headset)
+/- high frequencies a bit harsh
- not comfy
- bass lightly recessed
- - lacks punch
- - breaking plastic fabrication problem.

Listen Pro
++ very comfy
++ flexible headset
++ carrying case (Really a big + there, you can bring your headset anywhere without risking to break it)
++ Interesting sound for low to mid/high mid freq
++ very good bass (and not too present)
+ still deep
+/- scene narrower,
- high mid to high freq 'disappeared'

If you can try, do so, for the signature is really different.
I would really love to have Tyll's impression anytime soon out-of-the-box, after a short period and after EQ to confirm or contradict my impressions =)
 
Jun 2, 2018 at 10:28 AM Post #37 of 72
I too got a pair of Listen Professionals, already in March. I feel pretty much the same about the differences than what was posted above, but the + and - is a bit different for me.

The treble on the Listen Pro is brighter at the top, but still a lot smoother overall. After Listen Pros the Spirit Pro sounds harsh and peaky/valley especially at the 4-8K range. To me the Listen Pro is a lot more relaxed and natural, to the point that I wasn’t able to hear neutrality in the Spirit Pros anymore. Truly didn’t expect that.

I had modified the Spirit Pros slightly for better bass, so can’t compare there. But for the longest time the Listen Pro sounded like the 100-150Hz range was lacking severely. The deep bass was very fine from the start, but it took dozens and dozens of hours for the bass guitar not to sound very weak. I still don’t consider it ideal, but good enough for my brain to adjust.

But the big issue for me on the Listen Pros is the low midrange. There are very large bumps at 200 Hz and (don’t remember the other freq, perhaps 500 Hz). They do roughly induce a big part of the warmer overall Focal signature, but not at all in a smooth manner I was accustomed to. More like, if you get these problematic freqs bearable in your mix on Listen Pros, you’ll know the track works on anywhere. This was a lot worse at very low listening volumes, (and especially out of the box) but did seem to almost disappear when listening loud. The dozens and dozens of hours definitely helped here too, but the overall sound signature is not that close to the Focal Alpha monitor speakers. The Spirit Pros were, which I loved! To have the same sound on headphones and speakers was something I miss.

The low midrange is the issue that bumps the Listen Pro sound away from perfect headphones, atleast for me. Other than that, the sound is magnificent.

I have two issues with the physical design. First, the padding on the headband is ridiculous, nowhere near adequate. The edges of the hard plastic hurt the top of my head every now and then, and I have to move the headband a bit. It has a wide curve, so it touches my head at a very narrow section. The other issue is how the ear cushions are attached. If i set the Listen Pros on a table, the thin flexible plastic is the only part to touch the table, backed by hard plastic. I’m sure the flexible plastic will wear down and tear way too soon. But other than these two, the physics work great, and the seal is very good down to below my ear, which tends to leave an air gap on other headphones.

So yes, a lot of potential for your next headphones, but one should listen and try these on before buying.
 
Jun 3, 2018 at 1:46 AM Post #38 of 72
I find them too sharp in treble, they have some serious peaks and are tiring to listen to. Bit of a disappointment actually - if focal think these should be used for pro audio than I don't know what to say.
 
Jun 3, 2018 at 3:44 AM Post #39 of 72
Reading your two comments, I'm starting to wonder if my FLP does not have a problem x)

[/quote]The pros seem to have more of a mid-bass (?) boost and a general boost to the mid-ranges. The treble is nerfed like crazy.{quote] Alas, I'm not alone =)
 
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Aug 16, 2018 at 3:49 AM Post #40 of 72
Are the pads on the Listen Pros replaceable? I could not find online Focal replacement pads for the Listen Pro when doing a quick search. Would another brand of pads fit or is it a custom fitting?

What would be the best way of cleaning the pads? Removal and a soak in warm water and a little soap flakes washing liquid, gently rubbed; squeezed out and then a soak in plain water; or could the pads potentially be cleaned with a steam cleaner? Would the steam damage the memory foam inside the velour? Or is a clean with a damp cloth only recommended?

Is there a particular approach needed to remove Focal pads; or just carefully prise them off?

Thanks.
 
Aug 16, 2018 at 11:19 PM Post #41 of 72
The pads can be pryed out without tools. But I would only rub them with a damp cloth, not submerge in water. I’d be afraid the foam elasticity might suffer.

I think the sound on the FLPs has calmed down and flattened a bit with time. I still feel the 100Hz range to be slightly light, but other than that they are what I could use as reference as much as the Focal Alpha, CMS and Solo6 Be monitors.
 
Jan 24, 2019 at 10:23 AM Post #42 of 72
Here I sit disappointed as never before (in audio gear)...

Thomann was nice enough to give me my money back for buying something else after my spirit pros cracked (more or less). Could not decide what I wanted to buy. Yamaha HPH-MT8 (seemed too sibilant when I demod them at a store), the newish ATH-M60x or the Listen Pros. Having been really really happy with my spirit pros (and liking focals studio monitors) I went for the listen pros...

And here is the problem: Where are the mids? They are so darkish recessed that Jazzmasters and Teles almost sound like Les Pauls --> Really takes the edge off guitars and other mid-centric instruments. While I always thought that the spirit pros are really on point in sound, these seem way off. They do have great separation and good sound stage but the realism of instruments and voices (to a certain extend) is gone. Maybe they need some break-in-time? But then again I don't really think something remarkable will happen.

I'm afraid I'll have to send them back but I don't really know what to buy next (keeping in mind I'm in the market for flat, neutral monitoring headphones). Damn... :triportsad:
 
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Jan 24, 2019 at 11:48 AM Post #43 of 72
Here I sit disappointed as never before (in audio gear)...Maybe they need some break-in-time? But then again I don't really think something remarkable will happen.

I'm afraid I'll have to send them back but I don't really know what to buy next (keeping in mind I'm in the market for flat, neutral monitoring headphones). Damn... :triportsad:

Give them quite a bit of burn in from light listening. If you look at the reviews on Sweetwater (probably elsewhere too); a reviewer says a 3 week burn in was needed and now they are the best they have heard. Of course who knows what they have listened to before. I am unsure to the exact number of hours needed to break them in but a lot of people do seem to really like the listen pros after they have.

Could be worth you sticking with them and just giving it some more time.

Edit: I find it a real treat listening to music with my listen pro headphones. I have not owned other really expensive headphones so can't compare or suggest an alternative.
 
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Jan 25, 2019 at 1:31 AM Post #44 of 72
And here is the problem: Where are the mids?
...
Really takes the edge off guitars and other mid-centric instruments.

A long burn-in is indeed a neccessity for the Listen Pros, the first listen is a bit horrible. The shop return window might not be enough even if you blast them 24/7.

But even after 10 months of nearly daily usage, the midrange is quite different than on anything I’ve heard before. If you long for proper presentation of the gnarly upper midrange of electric guitars, I think you should return the Listen Pros. You’ll never get it from these. I like the smoother presentation, and since I only play guitar with headphones anymore, my reference point has adjusted to the Listen Pros. Everything else sounds too gnarly now.

Once I realized that the mid-treble balance is actually very nice and comfortable/unfatiguing, I decided to modify the Listen Pros as well for a bass boost. Need to adjust a bit more to get the boost in the upper bass region, but if I get them where I think I will, I will have a magnificent warm sounding headphone. Sans the gnarl.
 
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Feb 24, 2019 at 2:19 PM Post #45 of 72
Sort of surprised there hasn't been more talk about these in the last year. I pulled the trigger on a used pair when they were first announced and am extremely surprised by how good these sound. They might be my favorite pair of closed backs I've owned.

Bass roll off will be a little steep for some but it stays linear it seems right down to the frequency they picked for the cutoff, somewhere around 30-35 hz, the the overall sound signature is still slightly warm, with an incredible mid-range. Treble is about right for me but leans a bit toward hot on something tracks(it's definitely more forward on the clears but not as peaky). They very much fit into the Focal house sound, these are dynamic and still pack a good punch (it seems like they might have given them a slight bump around 200 Hz for that warmth and added oomph, but it doesn't bleed into the rest of the spectrum). The biggest plus is they seem to be linear right through the treble, none of these weird 4k dips other focal headphones are known for. I've lately been finding myself

A few cons I've had: The earpads can get warm, but their a type of velour I think, and you will sweat on them and cause the fabric to bead. The headband itself can cause a hotspot on your forehead after a few hours. They don't seem to sell replacement pads, but that pads are easily replaceable. The build leaves me concerned with longevity, it's pretty much all plastic.

The headphone case it comes with is extremely nice and rugged and sort of alleviates my build concerns, and I like that they included a long elastic cable in addition to the standard 1.5m cable. They also are compatible with the Vmoda book mic and their ability to convey positional information make these exceptional for gaming. (The included 1.5 m cable also has a built in mic l, so you don't need to get an extra accessory, I just happened to already have the mic kicking around.).

For $300, these things are really impressive, I find myself reaching for them as much, if not more than my Clears at times.
 

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