+1. The Focals were easily the worst sounding headphone I've tried to date in the category of audiophile headphones. Although to be honest, I even prefer my old Bose more than them. Possibly the most dull and boring phones I've listened to.
Cross-post from another thread, as the Spirit One plays a vital role in the positive outcome I'm going to describe below... For what it's worth... I use the D3/E17 combo w/my Focal Spirit One headphones the most, which I think is a very overlooked headphone but IMO is the most engaging & do-all / capable headphone that, due to being so neutral and free of coloration, is brought alive with small tweeks of the D3's digital semi-parametric EQ, some JetAudio enhancements, and the E17's power & EQ. Simply amazing "crisp -to- head shaking" sound from the whole package and quality music tracks like FLACS of the whole re-mastered Steely Dan collection, or of say a 2-channel PCM rip of the Cream @ the Royal Albert Hall DVD, or board recordings of concerts mastered and sold by the artists. I don't think I've ever had the "I'm @ the concert' experience in accuracy from headphones like i have now; especially given at least one set of FLACs I have is from when i was @ the concert and I can compare what I hear now to what I heard there when live. Anyone in the NYC area is welcome to hear what has me so over the moon @ the upcoming meet in Bablyon.
I'm never going back to [Source -> analog headphone or line-out -> E17 line-in], since getting my Cowon D3 and its proprietary A/V cable that I bought to drive the E17. It enables me to stream digital from most any type of files [preferably FLAC] to the E17 via a S/PDIF coax. And better still I was so very happy to discover the digital EQ and BBE+ effects performed in the Wolfrom DAC are all in effect over the coax out [i.e. the pre 'AC' part of the monolithic Wolfrom DAC] ; based on the block diagram of the DAC chip I thought the S/PDIF out was before the effects section but that proved not the case. So I can use the semi-parametric EQ of the D3 to do fine tuning that may be needed for the phones I'm using @ the time, but leave the overall treble/bass tonality 'finishing' of the sound to the E17. And the Spirit One takes to this 'tweeking' unlike any of my other phones.
...if the ear cups and headband were only larger...
These were some decent headphones when I tried them, although I wasn't impressed. My friend bought them after I let him hear my HD280's and I think he tried to one up me. I ended up spending about 20min on each headphone finding a good EQ and personally thought the HD280's sounded clearer and more accurate. The focals may have had more bass, although this was a while ago and I can't remember everything about them.
Nice headphones overall for a first from a company (haven't heard their speakers but hear good things), but I don't know if I would put them at $250+
These were some decent headphones when I tried them, although I wasn't impressed. My friend bought them after I let him hear my HD280's and I think he tried to one up me. I ended up spending about 20min on each headphone finding a good EQ and personally thought the HD280's sounded clearer and more accurate. The focals may have had more bass, although this was a while ago and I can't remember everything about them.
Nice headphones overall for a first from a company (haven't heard their speakers but hear good things), but I don't know if I would put them at $250+
Wondering how long your friend owned them before you auditioned them? Was it a few weeks or months, and had he been using them a good deal in that time if the latter? I didn't use to give much credence to the whole "headphone break-in" thing, until this particular headphone. All aspects of the sound evolved a good deal in all the months I've owned it, and has sold me on the whole "headphone break-in" idea. So if you auditioned them when new, there was a whole lot of air and easing of the treble sharpness to come.
The biggest criticism I have about them sound-wise is the mid-bass is just a tad too 'thick' for an octave centering around 150Hz, masking some of the 'air' of the music presentation these are capable of (which becomes evident if you cut those frequencies a DB or two if your player has the capability to). More subjective to taste is if they had more presence and upper treble sizzle it would make them near perfect run straight without tone control or EQ. But if you have access to tone control or let alone highly flexible equalization with selectable center frequency and filter-Q and apply just one or two DBs in a few places, they can match the tonal quality of headphones selling for much more $$$. That is in direct opposition to your opinion, but that is my particular opinion.
They are IMO a 'monitor' style headphone signature, which is not everyone's preference. Precise, accurate, almost uncolored, tight and restrained, but with the ability to handle gobs of power and really sing when given it. Their impulse and square wave response illustrates their sound signature; very little ringing or layering of high multiple harmonics riding (and disturbing/distorting) the square wave that have nothing to do with the music program being played, but is what's behind one set of phones having a 'sound' all their own. This headphone's dynamic driver is very successful at not imparting its own 'color' to the music IMO. And if I've learned anything from my time reading on Head-fi is, that's not what the majority of the people out there, prefers. Not saying you fall in that camp fedelesk; just an observation I've made generally.
I meant to mention it's break in time in the first post. I will say they were very new less than 20 hours burn in. And I also believe in burn in since my dt880
But the fact that the 280s are 4x less when on sale, shouldn't even be comparable. I was suprised by their similar sound signature to each other though.
This thread had me digging my Focal spirits out and giving them another go, also, some proper burn in time. Initially they sounded a bit thin and lifeless but after about thirty hours they were communicating nicely but with a bit too much treble (smooth treble) but not to the point of sounding unnatural. Also when I first put them on, they clamped my head enough to be unbearable after a short period. The problem is that they will let you wear them on your head and over your ears even if you haven't set the headband wide enough to make them comfortable, but once you figure this out they become much easier to take. I like em thus far.
I had those for a few weeks. As stated in another thread, I found them unimpressive at best, muffled, with messy low end, and also the dumb clamping did nothing to redeem them in my eyes. Headaches galore. Add to that the plastic-ish, fragile looking AND feeling build, and you have possibly the most over-rated cans of last year.
I had those for a few weeks. As stated in another thread, I found them unimpressive at best, muffled, with messy low end, and also the dumb clamping did nothing to redeem them in my eyes. Headaches galore. Add to that the plastic-ish, fragile looking AND feeling build, and you have possibly the most over-rated cans of last year.
for the asking price, they are rather unimpressive. I had another listen to these recently as I was looking for a portable to replace my IEM's (senn IE8). I ended up with a $50 JVC S500 that sounds way better for much less money.
I reject any statements of criticism of these when basing it on a pair that did not have significant break-in, or say straight from an iPod, or if you're basing it on listening to program material that's a victim of the loudness war so many producers/engineers prescribe to today. I've never had a headphone that revealed the difference between a good vs.crappy production and conversion to digital/CD or rip from CD to mp3/ogg/flac as these do ; and that's based on comparison to the headphones you see on the left of the list I own in my sig. And I for one appreciate that.
Perhaps the newest version of this headphone is better. It is known that at it's release the company making these for Focal messed up the diaphragms. I bought mine as early as was possible and after reading about this problem, I'm 100% positive mine was affected. If you put the headphones on and push the cups into your head and hear a crinkle type sound like a popcorn wrapper, your diaphragms might be damaged. Supposedly this went on for quite a while until December when it was fixed by the China OEM.
The measurements on Innerfidelity reflect what I heard. Very rolled off highs and muddy bass. Choked and compressed sound. Distortion is rather high as well.
Link to one of my first posts after I got mine and already suspected a problem: http://www.head-fi.org/t/559712/focal-spirit-one-headphones/75#post_8220348
Another person that likely had the same problem: http://www.head-fi.org/t/559712/focal-spirit-one-headphones/90#post_8325439
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