[M-13]

   
Thank you! Bought these a while ago and ended up giving a confused impression because of this, the male vocals just didn't come through for me especially where that deepening warmth is needed for certain artists, it was waaaaay too thin, female vocals were fine but still lacked that soulful gutteral heft THEN they started acting up coming in and out warm to cold etc.... in the end I went for the Focal Classic.... have just sent them back as they were open when I got them and grossly overpriced but I'm not sure if I can return to the Pro's.

I was thinking about this, and I think the Focal's just show you vocals that are true. It doesn't make a male singer with a thin voice to have a rich deep voice like other headphones. If the singer is talented and has a rich deep voice it will come through, but people without talent need not apply. Same goes for females. If you listen to someone who is very soulful with gutteral heft, then these will show you that, but will not make every female singer sound talented. 

 

[zwanchef]

Morning,Amazon uk have reduced these to £165.30...I might just jump in having failed to find classics anywhere,

 

[Goldlion973]

Why are the Focal range of headphones being significantly reduced like this.... its odd.... something isn't right here is something a company would do to shift problematic stock.

 

[Goldlion973]

The Pro's are now cheaper than the latest price drop in various places... for a while the Classics were more expensive at the standard RRP, then they dropped in value/price a full £120 while the Pro's maintained their price and now the Pro's have dropped in value/price by £60.
 
Would normally happen if a new range were announced devaluing the old one if significant improvements had been made but this isn't looking good for those who spent full whack for either product, in my case I was extremely lucky to have only just hit the return date as I spent 300 euros on the Classic loosing out on a drop of £120 within a month's time. Have sent them back. Questioning if Focal have had returns due to the ear cups? Or some other issue cause its a very significant price drop and is going to piss off a lot of customers.

 

[BrainFood]

Or some other issue cause its a very significant price drop and is going to piss off a lot of customers.

 
Well, they've managed to piss me off because the price too tempting.  Ordered!

 

[Goldlion973]

.... just wait until the driver craps out on you and the ear pads dissolve after a bit of sweat touches them .lol.

 

[BrainFood]

hehe, if I ever get to visit those cafe's in Amsterdam you mentioned and sample their delicacies, that may well appear to happen...

 

[Goldlion973]

.lol. 

 

[AustinValentine]

FSPs just arrived. Not going to get much listening time in until tomorrow though. (Heading out to dinner with my wife and a colleague, then off to see the Lego Movie right after.)
 
Just a couple fast observations: much more fashionable than the HP50s. I trust the gimbal mechanism and headband's build quality more than my HP50s as well (I had to return my first HP50 because of defects). Nice cables, both straight and short with microphone - but it also fits my Nuforce Transient Cable and V-Moda Audio Only Cable despite it's small plug entry. That's nice. 
 
We'll see about sound, because I really (x8 superlatives) liked the HP50 sound. 

 

[DairyProduce]

  FSPs just arrived. Not going to get much listening time in until tomorrow though. (Heading out to dinner with my wife and a colleague, then off to see the Lego Movie right after.)
 
Just a couple fast observations: much more fashionable than the HP50s. I trust the gimbal mechanism and headband's build quality more than my HP50s as well (I had to return my first HP50 because of defects). Nice cables, both straight and short with microphone - but it also fits my Nuforce Transient Cable and V-Moda Audio Only Cable despite it's small plug entry. That's nice. 
 
We'll see about sound, because I really (x8 superlatives) liked the HP50 sound. 

Please comment on the comfort and inner cup size as well, as many people seem to have problems with the tight fit.

 

[dbdynsty25]

Got mine yesterday and the cups are definitely smaller. But they are still pretty comfy. I compare em to my M100s and the cups are about the same size albeit a different shape. They are quite a bit deeper though so it would be tough for your ear to hit the driver.

Still trying to decide on the sound. Definitely less sensitive than the m100s so they need some more juice but I've got a few amps to push em. More later after they break in a bit.

 

[ohotonge]

Sub

 

[AustinValentine]

  Please comment on the comfort and inner cup size as well, as many people seem to have problems with the tight fit.

 
Fit is definitely snug. The big problem with the pads seems to be that they are slightly *roundish* and slightly less oval than other pads. 
 
 
 
Example: these are the FSP pads vs the stock (not XL) V-Moda M-100 pads at even height. Notice how much taller the ear opening is? The FSP make up for it somewhat by being around 1.5x as deep as the M-100 pads. (They are nowhere near as deep as the XL pads, however.) The HP50's pads are much roomier despite being roughly the same size as the FSPs entirely due to their rectangular shape. 
 
I'm not having any significant comfort issues with the FSPs like I did with...say...the Momentums. Also, I trust that the memory foam will adjust in time. They've already softened significantly from when I put them on cold after delivery. 

 

[dbdynsty25]

Yeah...the m100s fit a little better than the Pros. I'm noticing quite a bit of distortion when running these things through my c5d amp...the bass just sounds bloated and inaccurate and distorts at moderate volumes. Not to mention the speckled paint job is fairly gaudy. Definitely prefer the classic from a looks standpoint. I guess I'm just overall disappointed in these. They sound quite a bit like the new AKG 545 at lower volumes which is just awesome. It's quite unfortunate as I love the signature.

 

[AustinValentine]

Yeah...the m100s fit a little better than the Pros. I'm noticing quite a bit of distortion when running these things through my c5d amp...the bass just sounds bloated and inaccurate and distorts at moderate volumes. Not to mention the speckled paint job is fairly gaudy. Definitely prefer the classic from a looks standpoint. I guess I'm just overall disappointed in these. They sound quite a bit like the new AKG 545 at lower volumes which is just awesome. It's quite unfortunate as I love the signature.

 
Definitely *not* getting any audible distortion through my Leckerton. (Not running them that loud either though. I don't have to turn them up past Nine O' Clock on the pot on low gain. These are some really efficient phones). I don't mind the waterdrop finish either as it's fairly understated. I'd prefer matte black metal, but I suppose that you can't have it all
 
No disappointment yet here as of yet. Not going to make any comments on their sound yet though for at least a couple days. I want to get a lot more listening in, and I don't want to fall prey to New Toy Syndrome influencing my impressions too much.