Focal Clear Professional Review

[Moderate Dionysianism]

Boy, and I'm getting fantastic, earlobe-flapping, distortion-free bass from my HE4XX for roughly 1/7th of rhe price (including the deep, comfy ZMF pads).

How can you not chuckle at all those "looking to upgrade, because, while I'm happy with my current setup, I want to try something serious, like y'know, $1000 serious"

 

[Deleted member 50971]

I am not a headphone guy, but that is one handsome looking pair of headphones, it’s a shame they don’t live up to the looks.

 

[Deleted member 50971]

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 :
View attachment 227966
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...

I like the look of these even more.

 

[ale76]

I like the look of these even more.

I agree 100%, I only wish they had a "total black" version

 

[mr.at]

I agree 100%, I only wish they had a "total black" version

One word: Elex.

 

[Jimster480]

Boy, and I'm getting fantastic, earlobe-flapping, distortion-free bass from my HE4XX for roughly 1/7th of rhe price (including the deep, comfy ZMF pads).

How can you not chuckle at all those "looking to upgrade, because, while I'm happy with my current setup, I want to try something serious, like y'know, $1000 serious"

There are better headphones than yours for more money. But they are just not these.

 

[thewas]

I had heard the old Clears several years ago and really liked their stock tuning tonality with the little 1,5 kHz "STAX-peak", shame I didn't know back then about the crackle problem to test them with some loud bassy music.

 

[perdido34]

I sold my pair on eBay a few weeks ago exactly because of the bass issues. I was having them "bottom out" while listening to clipping.

I have had the original Focal Clears since they hit the market. The Professional is identical except for pad color and cabling, so any difference between this reviewed model and Amir's prior Clear review are attributable to unit variance. I have NEVER heard any clipping on loud bass (and I listen to plenty of pipe organ recordings). I think this occurs when the headphones are pushed WAY beyond ordinary safe volume limits.

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

I have had the original Focal Clears since they hit the market. The Professional is identical except for pad color and cabling, so any difference between this reviewed model and Amir's prior Clear review are attributable to unit variance. I have NEVER heard any clipping on loud bass (and I listen to plenty of pipe organ recordings). I think this occurs when the headphones are pushed WAY beyond ordinary safe volume limits.

I feel like I should clarify that I was listening to the group clipping. fairly loud, but that was to test if I could listen to more bass-heavy songs with EQ. The sub-bass on clipping.'s "Loud" would cause my Clear MG Pros to bottom out.

 

[diaolodoro]

I was looking to buy these headphones but after this review, my decision is clear.

 

[BostonJack]

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

They are French! Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite! A nice view of the Alpes and a glass of either good coffee or a nice Chardonnay on a mountain cafe terrace and these things will sound great!

I am Jones-ing for a pair of Focal Sopra #1 speakers. I may have to settle for Focal speakers in my next car.

 

[ManuCV]

I wish someone could send Amir the Avantone Pro Planar. I would but it would be expensive from Germany. I haven't listened to these Focal but some people in Head Fi compares them to the Avantone and they cost exactly 3 times less than the Focal. Would be an interesting test.

 

[BostonJack]

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.

Good argument. A pair of HD650's plus round-trip air to Grenoble or Geneva would equal the cost of these. Or, skip the headphones and buy a pair of Black Crow skis (Solis is my preferred model) with bindings. Or, buy approx. 12 days of French ski guide services (in a group of 4).

I'm very happy with my Drop HD650 clones.

 

[Orion76]

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.

How in the world is "nails-on-a-chalkboard" crackling by design?

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Focal claims that the "crackling" is the sound of their drivers bottoming out under extreme excursion.

 

[Rayman30]

Is this excursion at relatively low db the reason for the “punch and slam” people generally describe with Focal headphones?

Yeah I sent this to Amir, I mistakenly thought they were MG… doh! I may at some point try and trade this for Mg. But honestly don’t think Focal would have came leaps and bounds since the OG Clear. Their drivers are hand made, which could explain some of the imbalances.

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Is this excursion at relatively low db the reason for the “punch and slam” people generally describe with Focal headphones?

Yeah I sent this to Amir, I mistakenly thought they were MG… doh! I may at some point try and trade this for Mg. But honestly don’t think Focal would have came leaps and bounds since the OG Clear. Their drivers are hand made, which could explain some of the imbalances.

I don't think so. My interpretation of Focal's explanation is that their drivers have deliberately limited maximum excursion, so they "bottom out" when asked to reproduce deep bass at louder levels. I don't see how that would explain "punch and slam"

 

[usersky]

@amirm I bought and returned many clears and found they cracked at different volumes.

Actually that may be the strategy to force Focal fix this cracking s#&t, more returns than they can handle. Or a hunger strike like Tesla owners did in Norway

 

[mr.at]

We

Boy, and I'm getting fantastic, earlobe-flapping, distortion-free bass from my HE4XX for roughly 1/7th of rhe price (including the deep, comfy ZMF pads).

How can you not chuckle at all those "looking to upgrade, because, while I'm happy with my current setup, I want to try something serious, like y'know, $1000 serious"

Well no offense, but have you tried Denon or Fostex cans? Dynamic bass is way ahead of planar bass. I have what you have - and the 400i, the XS, an M1060C, an Elex - and an EMU Teak. Bass is something else on the 50mm bidynam drivers. But hey - not pushing you to an upgrade - no sir. Just putting it out there - food for thought.

 

[mr.at]

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

Ah.. nopes. Try a real dynamic driver bass can.