Focal Clear Professional Review

[Keened]

The most annoying thing about Focal is that they clearly have some idea of what they're doing, but just don't seem to care about...something.

I can't put my finger on it.

They seem to treat their headphones like the trim lines of a luxury car brand. Lots of expensive things in description but kind of anemic. Expensive to own because of poor engineering and a target audiance that mostly wants the cachet so doesn't really notice or care.

 

[Garrincha]

The Clears are fine headphones for casual, low volume listening. Their tonality is excellent, especially with equalization. They were third in my four headphone comparo. Unfortunately, they fall apart if you push the volume.

Martin

So their tonality is fine with EQ? Well, a vast list of headphones should sound fine with EQ and if they don't permit it because of distortion or very high peaks and troughs they are questionable headphones to start with. Only being fine with EQ, crackling at louder levels and $1,500 does not seem like a very attrative combo. I wouldn't know in wich respect the HD650 should be inferior for not a third of the price, even often a fourth. Lifting the bass with EQ need both, but the tonality of the HD 650 is fine outherwise without.

 

[DonR]

At that price, there should be very few issues. Not their best showing.

 

[AndreaT]

It looks to me like a repackaged Focal Clear with no improvement in the measurements. For $ 1,500 + tax it is a pass for me

 

[TuteTibiImperes]

It looks to me like a repackaged Focal Clear with no improvement in the measurements. For $ 1,500 + tax it is a pass for me

The Clear Pro (and Clear Mg Pro) are sonically identical to the regular versions, they just have a unique color combo and come with different accessories. They get a long coiled cable, skip the balanced cable, and come with an extra set of pads.

 

[ShiZo]

@amirm I bought and returned many clears and found they cracked at different volumes. Two I could not get to crackle out of 8-10 (can't remember exactly how many) and two crackled only at high volumes. The rest crackled rather easily. But every clear like product you've tested shows the same bass limit. I went into each review looking for this difference. It looks like it's more the rule than the exception. I know ancedotes don't mean much. If it wasn't my main and I wasn't scared to lose it or not have it for awhile I would send it in

 

[Andreas007]

@amirm I bought and returned many clears and found they cracked at different volumes. Two I could not get to crackle out of 8-10 (can't remember exactly how many) and two crackled only at high volumes. The rest crackled rather easily. But every clear like product you've tested shows the same bass limit. I went into each review looking for this difference. It looks like it's more the rule than the exception. I know ancedotes don't mean much. If it wasn't my main and I wasn't scared to lose it or not have it for awhile I would send it in

You bought TEN Focal Clears and returned them? Interesting strategy.

 

[amirm]

This one crackles very easily, much more than the last one I tested.

 

[kieleth]

I bought the Clear Pro about three years ago or so and I loved them very much, the love lasted until I played Cathart by Isan and the crackle was there even at very low volumes, probably less than 30 minutes into listening tests. Here the song:

Returned them, got another pair, same story, looked at forums and Focal was saying: "it's by design".
Which I answered: "your design is not worth my money", and returned them too. It's a pity because they're gorgeous headphones, truly.

 

[Garrincha]

The Clear Pro (and Clear Mg Pro) are sonically identical to the regular versions, they just have a unique color combo and come with different accessories. They get a long coiled cable, skip the balanced cable, and come with an extra set of pads.

Wasn't the original Clear about $700 ? Which I think is already very expensive for what you get. And now basically the same headphone with a bit fancier accessories for the double? Well, I am not interested. Appears like rents in Paris. The address may be fancy, but the apartment tiny, old, shabby and ridiculously overpriced.

 

[mr.at]

I have to say I never experienced this with my Focal Elegia.
And I listen to (very) loud level, from time to time.

Right? I've been reading about this clipping since 2019 - I myself have never had this issue with my Elex either.

Anyhow - now I have no way to verify this buy my hunch is, the clipping must occur when the voice-coil leaves the magnetic field, so as to maybe 'save' the metal dome from permanent de-shaping. So this must be a fail-safe for driver protection.

So anyhow, it's clipping or a permanently bent M-dome, and your drivers are done; I'd take the former in any such situation. But truly, I don't know really what volumes folks are listening at. I listen loud myself - never got them to clip once. I've had my pair for 3+ years.

 

[mr.at]

Wasn't the original Clear about $700 ? Which I think is already very expensive for what you get. And now basically the same headphone with a bit fancier accessories for the double? Well, I am not interested. Appears like rents in Paris. The address may be fancy, but the apartment tiny, old, shabby and ridiculously overpriced.

Yeah Pros are overpriced for no 'fabulous' reason.

 

[Dro]

No, the Clear was always around $1500/€1500.

 

[MacCali]

Absolutely did not like these headphones and I really enjoyed the og clears in comparison to similarly priced headphones.

Not sure why they had to bs and hopefully sales will reflect this pushing them to fix or make a completely different headphone.

 

[esm]

Yeah, I own a pair of these (that I got for a Very Good Deal on an Adorama deal), and they're my favorite headphones to hate on, because they're just so good in terms of industrial design (they're gorgeous, just look at them) and comfort (they are by far my favorite cans to actually have on my head, those pads are basically giant comfy pillows), which they then throw out the window with the driver interference and crackling.

And when that happens, it's nails-on-a-chalkboard bad. I can't overstate how terrified I was the first time I heard it, I thought I'd blown my (at the time) most expensive set of headphones. Nope! That's "by design".

The HD800S are my replacement: they're lighter, they feel super cheap compared to the Focals, and I've never once had to rip them off my head because of incredibly loud crackling. I just have to EQ them a lot more than the Clears.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

Thanks for the review Amir.

 

[MacCali]

No, the Clear was always around $1500/€1500.

Yep 1400 usd. 999 now. They definitely did good on those headphones right out the box to my ears.

 

[ale76]

Thanks for the review Amir.
Actually, this is not a new revision of the Clear Pro, but the old version of it.
The "new" Clear Pro comes with the same grilles as the Clear MG, hence the drivers on the unit you tested are the old ones.
Here is how the "new" Clear Pro Mg looks like :

Maybe the crackling issue is fixed on the new ones.
BTW, I own a pair of Clear, the first version, and never heard that crackling noise, maybe because I listen to normal level...

 

[Jimster480]

Open back headphones do seem to have trouble getting good sub bass without EQ or internal DSP. The continued issues with drivers bottoming out is more concerning, but I can say it’s not something I’ve ever noticed with my EQ’d Elear, but I tend to listen at 70-80db, so I’m not really ever stressing it.

Tell that to my Ananda, has literally zero issue doing this.

 

[Jimster480]

Nothing really great considering the price, I mean it isn't bad but it just reiterates that Planar headphones reign supreme.