Hello! I finally got to listen to the
HEKV2 properly for around 3 hours ish. I'll update as I go.
Since I only have a
Focal Clear MG in my hand at the moment. I can only compare these two.
Also, I'm very new and a complete amateur when it comes to Audiophile terms or writing in general. This is why instead of writing different type of technicalities or tonalities comparison. I would rather compared them with each different
Genre and
Tracks I've tested them in and tell you my
Subjective opinion.
All of my music files are purchased from Qobuz Hi-res, so they're either 44.1Khz or Up
Jazz :
For this I listened to 2 tracks.
First Track :
"Some Day My Prince Will Come" by Bill Evans.
Comparison:
Winner HEKV2
When it comes the midrange, I feel like they are almost on par. However, where HEKV2 blew MG out of the water is on the Resolution and Sound stage ( Not a surprised). Every music instrument feels like they are in the right position. The Piano sounds right, with amazing resolution. You can actually listen and focus on whether those notes are coming from the right hand or the left hand. Where in he MG the Piano sounds like a part of 1 instrument, the HEKV2 makes the piano sounds more 3 Dimensional. I am very impressed if I could say so myself.
Another one like I mentioned on the Top. The bass solo that or just the bass in general in the HEKV2 you can hear each notes, and identify them Whereas in the Clear MG, everything sounds mushy and doesn't have enough texture. Sure it has more dynamics and a bit more punchiness, but you can't really identify the notes of the Bass itself. It makes the solo starts at the mark 3:12 becomes very enjoyable.
Second Track :
"Adria Blue" by a Japanese Jazz Band called the "bohemianvodoo".
Comparison:
Winner HEKV2
In this song in particular the resolution of the midrange especially the timbre of the guitar, blew the MG out of the water. You can actually hear the guitar strings vibration during the start of the track. Which blew my mind the first time I listened to it. Another thing that's very obvious is how good HEKV2 separates every single musical instrument. In the MG everything sounds like its blend together which resulted in the track sounding very busy. However the HEKV2 adds more treble, air and almost space for the individual intrument to stands out. It makes this song that is usually feels busy and messy, became much more musical and more fun to listen to.
Japanese City Pop :
First Track :
"Midnight Pretenders" by Tomoko Aran
Winner MG
Comparison :
I'm actually quite a bit torn when it comes to this one. Although the HEKV2 provide a better soundstage, separationg and detail. I prefer listening this on the Clear MG. The reason for that is because the treble on this song especially the hi-cymbals and the vocals sounds a bit sharp. Sure the HEKV2 itself smooths the treble, but as someone who is treble sensitive this is very distracting. With the Clear MG the that hi-cymbals are tamed slightly due to the warm signature it has. Even though it doesn't have the amount of detail (e.g. backing vocals), soundstage and detail its much more enjoyables and relaxing.
Second Track :
"Gatsby Woman" by Kingo Hamada
Winner HEKV2
Once again, HEKV2 won on this one. Even though it doesn't slam as hard or punchy as the MG. The song sounds very enjoyable, with the more detail. I can hear the intrument separates better compared to the MG. On top of that, the Drums on the HEKV2 has this unique feeling of airiness every hits, that just sounds satisfying. At the mark 1:53 in the track, there's this effect of airplane that sounds very trebl-y taking off from right to left, with the MG it would instantly hurt my ear. However the HEKV2 sucesfully smoothen its out and makes the sounds actually much more immersive.
I'm going to test more Genres as I go, so I hope I could help people that's looking for a specific headphones to listen to a specific genre of music.
