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Focal Clear Review (headphone)

Hotwetrat

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only when reproducing between 20 and 40Hz.

They still don't move I must just not have them up loud enough. I mean the idea of having two in the first place was to be over kill.

EDIT: Oh nope I got them to move - I downloaded a sweep from audiocheck starting at 20hz and I can see it vibrate, slightly, but definitely noticeable.
 

Luke Lemke

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Amir's complaints regarding the Clears seems to be clipping/distortion at extremely high volumes + little headroom for EQ. I EQ my clears adding 2,5 - 4 db to the lower frequencies with no issues at all. Also, the clipping starts at such high volumes that I can't understand why anyone would be complaining about it. Additionally, he seems to like Elex which has very similar drivers. I honestly don't get it.
 

KeithPhantom

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Amir's complaints regarding the Clears seems to be clipping/distortion at extremely high volumes + little headroom for EQ. I EQ my clears adding 2,5 - 4 db to the lower frequencies with no issues at all. Also, the clipping starts at such high volumes that I can't understand why anyone would be complaining about it. Additionally, he seems to like Elex which has very similar drivers. I honestly don't get it.
Still a problem that should not exist, as simple as that. And also, due to unit-to-unit variation, this issue can be present at different sound pressure levels in different units, making the user experience inconsistent.
 

Luke Lemke

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Still a problem that should not exist, as simple as that. And also, due to unit-to-unit variation, this issue can be present at different sound pressure levels in different units, making the user experience inconsistent.
OK, but normal people don't listen to headphones at such high volumes unless they want to go deaf permanently. It seems some people will ignore this headphone and not even try it for themselves due to this review. Sorry, this is nonsense, the clears are spectacular.
 

esm

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Amir's complaints regarding the Clears seems to be clipping/distortion at extremely high volumes + little headroom for EQ. I EQ my clears adding 2,5 - 4 db to the lower frequencies with no issues at all. Also, the clipping starts at such high volumes that I can't understand why anyone would be complaining about it. Additionally, he seems to like Elex which has very similar drivers. I honestly don't get it.
Please read the rest of the thread, plenty of us have had problems with Clears at perfectly reasonable volumes, depending on the content being played back. Sub-bass heavy tracks, and those with a great deal of dynamic range, can be particularly problematic.

I'd also assume there's some product quality variability happening here; some sets are likely more susceptible to issues than others. If you're not experiencing clipping for your application, these are absolutely phenomenal cans, but if you are in that segment of folks who get bitten by this, they can become unusable.

tl;dr demo the set you want to buy, if they work for you, great, if they don't, return them quickly :)
 

KeithPhantom

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OK, but normal people don't listen to headphones at such high volumes unless they want to go deaf permanently. It seems some people will ignore this headphone and not even try it for themselves due to this review. Sorry, this is nonsense, the clears are spectacular.
It does not matter, it should not exist. As simple as that. Specially if you are boosting bass, this should matter more since due to Fletcher-Munson, our ears are insensitive to bass and need a pretty huge compensation that needs to be handled by the driver. By the way, I had the Clears and sold them since they miss some of my other criteria (mainly distortion) and they never clipped, but this should not be part of the product and has to be considered a defect.
 

Luke Lemke

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Please read the rest of the thread, plenty of us have had problems with Clears at perfectly reasonable volumes, depending on the content being played back. Sub-bass heavy tracks, and those with a great deal of dynamic range, can be particularly problematic.

I'd also assume there's some product quality variability happening here; some sets are likely more susceptible to issues than others. If you're not experiencing clipping for your application, these are absolutely phenomenal cans, but if you are in that segment of folks who get bitten by this, they can become unusable.
Ok, I understand your point. I haven't read all comments but if clipping happens at relatively low volumes, then I have to agree this is not acceptable. I would guess this doesn't happen only with the clears then? The Elex got a recommendation by Amir, but not the clears. I would assume the Elex would have the same variability then, if not worse. I'm just guessing though, I do not own the Elex.
 

Luke Lemke

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It does not matter, it should not exist. As simple as that. Specially if you are boosting bass, this should matter more since due to Fletcher-Munson, our ears are insensitive to bass and need a pretty huge compensation that needs to be handled by the driver. By the way, I had the Clears and sold them since they miss some of my other criteria (mainly distortion) and they never clipped, but this should not be part of the product and has to be considered a defect.
Ok, fair point. In your opinion, what would be a "better" headphone in the same price range? I'd like to try something new. Thanks.
 

KeithPhantom

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Ok, fair point. In your opinion, what would be a "better" headphone in the same price range? I'd like to try something new. Thanks.
I would prefer more “consumer-oriented” headphones such as the AirPods Max and the QC 35 II, which only need minor EQ (already have great technicalities) to track Harman. I believe that the lack of DSP is a great omission in the current crop of audiophile headphones.
 

Luke Lemke

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I would prefer more “consumer-oriented” headphones such as the AirPods Max and the QC 35 II, which only need minor EQ (already have great technicalities) to track Harman. I believe that the lack of DSP is a great omission in the current crop of audiophile headphones.
Never tried any of these. When it comes to consumer headphones, I own the Bang & Olufsen H9i which I like a lot. I guess I will give the Bose QC35 a try. Have you tried the Clear MG? More bass, less treble, I bet you would like it.
 

KeithPhantom

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Never tried any of these. When it comes to consumer headphones, I own the Bang & Olufsen H9i which I like a lot. I guess I will give the Bose QC35 a try. Have you tried the Clear MG? More bass, less treble, I bet you would like it.
For me, the regular Clear already lacked upper midrange, and the MG is even worse in that area. And still distorts like a passive headphone without a feedback system for distortion or bass compensation. They are also not portable and rely on cables. I have the QC 35 II that I’m a process of selling, a good headphone, but in my opinion, it has been superseded by the AirPods Max.
 

Luke Lemke

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For me, the regular Clear already lacked upper midrange, and the MG is even worse in that area. And still distorts like a passive headphone without a feedback system for distortion or bass compensation. They are also not portable and rely on cables. I have the QC 35 II that I’m a process of selling, a good headphone, but in my opinion, it has been superseded by the AirPods Max.
If I go that route, what am I gonna do with my DACs and Amps then? LOL
 

KeithPhantom

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If I go that route, what am I gonna do with my DACs and Amps then? LOL
The same as me, sell them. The ones included in consumer gear by major companies are transparent (nothing weird show in the measurement as a result of intermodulation of the distortion of the transducers + the distortion of the electronics inside or THD+N (even SINAD if you may)). The human ear is pretty bad even at pristine conditions detecting nonlinearities, so equipment with SINAD of +120 dB isn’t necessary for perceptually transparent audio.
 

spartaman64

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If I go that route, what am I gonna do with my DACs and Amps then? LOL
nah dont listen to him hes clearly trying to get you to buy his stuff LUL
i think focal revised the clear so they no longer have this issue except at much higher levels
if you dont want the clears then go for the elex which amir does recommend
 

Luke Lemke

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nah dont listen to him hes clearly trying to get you to buy his stuff LUL
i think focal revised the clear so they no longer have this issue except at much higher levels
if you dont want the clears then go for the elex which amir does recommend
I love the clears and I will stick with them. I was just trying to make a point that people should listen to the headphones and decide for themselves if they like it or not, regardless of the reviews/measurements.
 

KeithPhantom

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I love the clears and I will stick with them. I was just trying to make a point that people should listen to the headphones and decide for themselves if they like it or not, regardless of the reviews/measurements.
I agree with you fully. Everyone’s got a right to have an opinion.
 

spartaman64

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I love the clears and I will stick with them. I was just trying to make a point that people should listen to the headphones and decide for themselves if they like it or not, regardless of the reviews/measurements.
if he had said sundara or even akg k371 i would disagree but ill be ok with it. but airpods and bose LMAO sorry i cant take that seriously. i highly doubt amir would recommend them other than a recommended if you really need ANC like he did for the sonys
 

KeithPhantom

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Messy CSD, meaning a lot of internal reflections (not really sure how audible they are, but Hifiman headphones share this trait), not only that, it requires external amplification as well.
1624591616665.png


Good headphone, but still needs to be tethered. I also understand that it has a wireless version, but it lacks any DSP that would offer extra features.
i cant take that seriously.
My opinion, you don’t have to take it seriously.

i highly doubt amir would recommend them other than a recommended if you really need ANC like he did for the sonys
I don’t go for what a person recommends, I go by the available data and experience and make my own conclusion. Not only that, I do not expect my opinion to be taken as a gospel, so feel free to disagree. My picks are based on much more than just active noise cancellation (a feature that is great to have), but these are genuinely great headphones technically and there are others that escape my knowledge and may be better than these.
 

Luke Lemke

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Messy CSD, meaning a lot of internal reflections (not really sure how audible they are, but Hifiman headphones share this trait), not only that, it requires external amplification as well.
View attachment 137286


Good headphone, but still needs to be tethered. I also understand that it has a wireless version, but it lacks any DSP that would offer extra features.

My opinion, you don’t have to take it seriously.


I don’t go for what a person recommends, I go by the available data and experience and make my own conclusion. Not only that, I do not expect my opinion to be taken as a gospel, so feel free to disagree. My picks are based on much more than just active noise cancellation (a feature that is great to have), but these are genuinely great headphones technically and there are others that escape my knowledge and may be better than these.[/QUOTE
Messy CSD, meaning a lot of internal reflections (not really sure how audible they are, but Hifiman headphones share this trait), not only that, it requires external amplification as well.
View attachment 137286


Good headphone, but still needs to be tethered. I also understand that it has a wireless version, but it lacks any DSP that would offer extra features.

My opinion, you don’t have to take it seriously.


I don’t go for what a person recommends, I go by the available data and experience and make my own conclusion. Not only that, I do not expect my opinion to be taken as a gospel, so feel free to disagree. My picks are based on much more than just active noise cancellation (a feature that is great to have), but these are genuinely great headphones technically and there are others that escape my knowledge and may be better than these.
You certainly have a different perspective on headphones. The issue here is that, if you are correct, the entire audiophile world is delusional, with endless discussions about Dacs, Amps, $3000 dollars headphones and so forth. I'm not saying you're wrong, but it shows how subjective this hobby can be. I still think the clears will sound much better than the Bose for my ears...
 

KeithPhantom

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You certainly have a different perspective on headphones. The issue here is that, if you are correct, the entire audiophile world is delusional, with endless discussions about Dacs, Amps, $3000 dollars headphones and so forth. I'm not saying you're wrong, but it shows how subjective this hobby can be. I still think the clears will sound much better than the Bose for my ears...
I know and I appreciate that you disagree, the world would be too baring if everyone agreed on everything. Not that I’m assuming that the world is “delusional”, it is mostly looking at the data and picking the aspects I care and I consider important, but this is a personal choice that varies due to preferences between people. So thanks for expressing your opinion.
 
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