CLEARが原音再生の新たな世界を切り拓きます
CLEARは、先行2機種の設計思想を継承し誕生したFOCALハイファイ・ヘッドフォンの中核となる製品です。原音再生の新たな世界を切り拓き、さらに多くのヘッドフォンユーザーにかつてないハイファイ・サウンドを提供します。ドライブユニットには、クリアでダイナミックなサウンドを実現する40mm“M”字型アルミニウム‐マグネシウム・ドーム振動版を採用。新開発のボイスコイルは、ボビンの無いフォーマーレス構造と高純度銅による導体で構成することにより、一層の軽量化をはかり、より高解像度な音質を獲得しました。 55Ωの低インピーダンス設定で、出力レベルの小さいポータブル・オーディオプレーヤーやヘッドフォンアンプとの接続においてもパワフルな音圧が得られます。標準付属品として3種類のケーブルを用意。お持ちの様々な再生機器にバーサタイルに対応します。ヘッドフォン本体の要所には、スタイリッシュなグレーを採用しました。 CLEARの誕生により、3タイプそれぞれの個性が際立つ充実のFOCALハイファイ・ヘッドフォンラインアップの完成です。
CLEAR REVIEWED BY THE BEST EXPERTS
ドライブユニットには、クリアでダイナミックなサウンドを実現する40mm“M”字型アルミニウム‐マグネシウム・ドーム振動版を採用。新開発のボイスコイルは、ボビンの無いフォーマーレス構造と高純度銅による導体で構成することにより、一層の軽量化をはかり、より高解像度な音質を獲得しました。
マイクロファイバー製のイヤーパッド。直径1mmの穿孔されたデザインは、リスニングルームで音楽を聴いているような感覚を提供します。
Great headphone, and fitting of the name "Clear".
Sound is clear, deep and detailed. Just need a better depth in the bass.
Simply stunning audio quality.
Great details, quality construction. Focal Fan
Beautiful sound
My first pair of Focal headphones, beautifully build and great sound from these!
The headphones sound great but the cables broke within months of purchase. I am using after-market cables because I was unable to find Focal replacements. I hesitate to purchase any additional Focal headphones because of this fact.
Sounds great, build is great, no driver issues!
GOOD AS THE REVIEWS I READ IN DECIDING PURCHASE
Beautiful headphones in both appearance and sound, makes music come alive and makes my favourite tracks even more enjoyable.
Very Detailed. Like Elegia but wider sound.
Build quality is good but as far as sound goes, my initial impressions isn’t very positive. I use Burson Funk headphone amp, it’s bright to my ear even use low gain. Hopefully it would get better after burn in.
Very Precise!
Great headphones!
Best headphones I've ever owned. Not clinical, but very neutral and extremely detailed with good dynamics.
Love this headphone that my poor little wallet could take to have a partial taste of the newtopia.
I can run this thing through my soundcard, so I can only imagine that a stack would be complete overkill, which I ended up getting with my order. I can't wait to setup that up, like my God, Focal! Absolutely amazing cans!
i love its sound
Highly recommend them. Great sound and quality of materials.
Would love to try the Utopia that be amazing I'm sure
These headphones sound incredible. :)
This is beyond awesome! My first high end headphone and I am very satisfied with my purchase. Premium packaging, 3 cables including 4 pin XLR plug so that I don't have to buy a custom cable. I just wish that replacement ear pads are widely available, especially the gray colored stock pads will have noticeable discoloration after several months of usage. I'm still in the break-in period so I still expect to hear even better sounds after several days. Overall I'm really happy and I'm considering this cans to be my endgame headphone.
More open than the Elear - amazing headphones by them selfs - and more vivid. I just love them!
Wonderful sounding headphones. I’m upgrading from my HD650 and the Clears retain all the things I love about the 650 but have so much more. More low end, more sound stage, more detail, more clarity. The instrument separation is amazing. The overall tone feels close to the 650 but with more hi end and much more low end. I’m really loving the Focal Clears.
Simply amazing... they need the right source - as with their transparency they really do show the character and quality of the source. Love them.
Hearing new instruments and vocals in songs I have been listing to for decades. Currently, paired with an RME AI-2 DAC FS in a home office. I can listen to all music genres and feel like I’m sitting in a listening booth while the song is being recorded live. New fan here !!!
Wonderful sounding Headphones
Amazing sound! Second only to Utopia in my opinion.
Very happy
phenomenal sound quality with very accurate tones .vocal are very natural with a lot of space . incredible the amounts of the detail you can hear in every single recording
These headphones are a Christmas present to me. Where to start. I have Audeze LCD-1's. These were the first headphones I've had as I had very nice IEM's before as I traveled for work. I received my Focal Clear's this afternoon. I plugged them into a JDS Labs element II DAC/Amp.
The sound is utterly breathtaking. I can hear every instrument, where they are in relation to others and the clarity is amazing. The sound is warm and not too analytical, but not overly colored. In all, I am very pleased with these headphones. I can't wait to open them up after Christmas Eve.
Great headphones
The build quality of the headphone unit is great, they are comfortable and can be worn for hours. The 'click' of the adjustable head straps are satisfying - and the cup size encompasses my full ear adequately.
The sound is enjoyable too, I prefer vocals in my music, to heavy bass, and they play a nice sound stage.
Focal Clear - So far quite pleased
Love the dynamics, the great bass and the sweet highs.
Also, for me, these headphones are very comfortable making it possible to listen for long periods without head fatigue.
Beautiful sound. Separation is up there with high end planars. The detail far exceeds anything I have owned to date. A true joy to listen to!
These are next level headphones I really am in love with them, waiting for the chance to get the Utopia. Recommended 100%
The pinnacle of audio performance.
My first introduction to high-end headphones and Focal - have never looked back and am now proud owner of Utopia and Stellia as well - I love all three headphones
This product is amazing from the packaging, cabling provided, materials, construction and of course the sound that perfectly balanced between clear detail and warmth, powerful enough but not overwhelming. I love the sound and the sound stage that provides.
Delightful and wonderful sound. It makes the music moves me!
Clear and fun to listen too, it's all in the name.
Amazing headphones... the best that I m hearing so far..!!!
Congrats Focal..!!!
Got these a few days ago and wow! What a difference, they are amazing! Paired them with a massdrop thx aaa 789 and Grace and I’m enjoying myself more everyday!
Fantastic headphone. Cable supplied uncomfortable because it is too rigid.
Bought these as a gateway to both premium headphones and Focal. I hand-on-heart can say I love these Clears!
I’ve upgraded for HD6XX and the difference between them and the Clears has blown my mind!
Best sounding pair of headphones in terms of detail removal.
Pads get dirty quickly and are expensive to replace, despite them feeling superb and plush.
Oddly comfortable at the start of the listen/wearing experience; but for sure fatigues and aches over a few hours. Get used it with time, but the Sennheiser 600 design is just naturally more comfortable.
I went to a HIFI store with the intend to listen to some headphones. The player used to play the music was Fiio x3 II, the music files were mp3's with a resolution of 320kbps and flacs.
In my mind I had the idea to listen to headphones in the range of 500€, i.e. Sennheiser HD 660, Beyerdynamic DT1990. I was able to listen to them and had to admit not really hearing a significant difference to my already owned headphones and decided not to spend the money and buy new headphones. Already on my way leaving the store owner asked me if I would like to listen to some other headphones. I thought, "ok, why not, since I am already here, lets do it". What came next was a new world to me. Now I was trying out Sennheiser 800s, Sennheiser HD 820, Focal Elear, Focal Clear, ..., closed and open headphones up to 4000€. I spend quite some time in the HIFI store listening to always the same songs with each headphone. Finally my favorite became the Focal headphones and there, the Clear. The Clear is for me the perfect compromise between money spend and what you get for the money.
Very good
Just purchase these headphone they are amazing
Sound quality AAA I also have the focal elear they sound good also but the Clair are a lot more precise on definition and have good bass man you got to hear these and then they will be out of stock hahahahaha
What I was hoping for in a high end open dynamic driver headphone, definitely great!
I purchased thes in Feb 2019, they sounded horrible on the bass so I got them replaced under warranty and the replacements sound almost as bad as the original, now I hear Focal had quality issues but now having issues on getting a set that works , looks like I made a bad purchase
The best headphones I have ever purchased. Very good build quality and gorgeous sound.
Der Kopfhörer klingt hervorragend. Die Verarbeitung ist einfach perfekt und doch gibt es zwei kleine Kritikpunkte. Das Kabel ist zu steif und passt sich somit nicht den Bewegungen an. Der zweite Kritikpunkt betrifft die Mechanik, die Größenverstellung. Sobald man den Kopf bewegt gibt es Knackgeräusche, die sich besonders bei kleinen Lautstärken deutlich hören lassen. Das geht
besser.
Ansonsten: Hörgenuss pur
After break in for my ears about 100 Hours love sound of music
The best headphone I have ever heard
The best headphone I've ever bought. Highly recommended.
Fantastic Headphones!
UPGRADED FROM SENNHEISER HD660S AND WOW WHAT AN UPGRADE,
I LOVE THEM , SUCH A QUAILITY PRODUCT ....
Absolute stellar all a rounder,
incredible in every frequency, great for all music genres.
Build quality is beautiful.
Only problem is a rattle at high volumes in the sub bass and low frequency!!!!
Very well made and sound astonishing, hopefully sound will improve as they are burnt in.
Excellent in Klang und Optik!
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING HEADPHONES. Best I've ever owned
Amazing sound quality and comfort - it is by far my favorite headphone to listen to and one of the most comfortable.
My only issues are with regards to how well it holds up over time. I've had these for nearly 2 years now, and there is quite a bit of wear just from regular daily usage. The light color alcantara gets very dirty. This isn't as much of an issue on the earpads since they are replacable, but the headband also gets visually noticibly dirty. It is also unfortunate that the earpad replacements are quite pricy.
In addition, the silver colored paint on the plastic parts tends to flake off easily. There are some spots with raw plastic where I typically grab the headphones to put them on.
If these issues were fixed, this would be perfect.
Sound quality reigns supreme. Legendary comfort provides hours of listening without cranial 'hot spots'. Sounds amazing from any source, but the Clear deserves, and benefits from, a good amplifier. All that and I haven't touched on the sheer beauty of the Clear. Quality throughout. My end-game headphone. You've outdone yourselves, FOCAL.
I just received the FOCAL Clear today, one day after ordering from HeadAmp. Great service!. Only tried them to make sure they're working, so I can burn 'em in for about 40 hrs. I didn't want to take them off. I'm totally thrilled with my purchase. FOCAL, the best HPs on Earth
These are superb. The clarity is amazing. Well balanced from lows to highs. A little bit bright, but this means you can listen at low levels as well and not sacrifice any detail. I enjoy a little sparkle up top anyway. Sounded great right out of the box, I'm sure they will improve with some break in period, and a balanced cable for a little extra power and detail. Paired with my Fiio M15 and A&K SE100, the Focal Clear sound stunning. Well built and comfortable too. Cannot think of any negatives. Thanks for a wonderful product Focal, well done!
A reference headphone for neutral and dynamic listening sessions.
Pair with a Focal Arche to be happy for a long time
JM Biren
These are great can's not regretting anything.
Build quality is outstanding, accessories are all that you ever need. Sound is beyond perfect. They take you directly to the music. The detail is outstanding.Its all you would ever need in a headphone and worth every cent.
INCREDIBLE Headphones. I have been listening to oppo's PM-1's for quite some time around the house/office, I have the (closed back) PM--3's for listening on the go... I have always loved the sound quality of these Plantar Magnetic sound signatures. Having said all that... I have been in search for something a bit more open and a tad larger soundstage. I have found that in the Focal Clear's. I love every aspect of these headphones. They sound great and the are quite comfortable to wear.
JUST GOT THEM SO FAR SO GOOD.VERY COMFORTABLE
amazing resolution. very spacious sound, that detaches well from speaker. A bit light on bass and I would have liked leather pads. Would have liked option of second pad instead of xlr cable, because i dont have xlr. And i would like cables that fit in all headphones, not different for each.
Great headphone
Outstanding sound!
Replaces a pair of Sennheiser HD600. The Clears sound better musically but on movies they break up on deep base explosions. I am using a Monoprice THX AAA Balanced Headphone Amplifier and have to turn the volume way down compared to the HD600. Using the xlr connection the Monoprice claims 6W/ch @32ohms. I had no bass problems with the HD600. So far, the breaking up has only occurred on the "Ready Player One" blu-ray. I'll continue listening to varies media to see if this is just a single incident or I may have a defective pair.
Impressive sound and clarity. Very comfortable. A great addition!
Fantastic product! Best sound with AK sp1000m! really
My favorite open headphone of all time
Absolutely perfect sound (not very far from the Utopias...:-)), with a low going and punchy bass and a very wide scene with mids and highs smoothly immersed in the total sound expression. Pretty lightweight, so comfortable to wear for a longer music session. Rich choice of cables - I use the 3.5 mm with my portable DAP and the XLR with Focal Arche.
Superb headphones. Clear, detailed and balanced sound with excellent imaging. Good for all genres of music.
Very beautiful headphone. The first image is not that good that I expect. But I believe it will become what I want after a little bit time of using.
A big step up from the Elear - the Fit, Build & Sound are great - strongly recommend these - lots of reviews on U-Tube
In a word : ASTOUNDING
Highly impressed after only listening for a few hours. The reviews online support my initial impression. Comfortable to wear, pristine sound quality, well controlled bass and treble and perfectly suited to my choice of jazz / blues. These headphones exploit the full potential of Tidal Hifi tier when streaming MQA Master quality tracks. Nothing I’ve listened with in the past reveals the full quality as much as these Focal Clear’s. I can’’t find any negative factor to mention, with the quality apparent from the packaging and accessories, through to the headphones themselves. Completely satisfied, and a Focal convert.
Nach dem Kennerton Vali mein 2. open-back Kopfhörer. Klanglich sind beide auf einem tollen Niveau. Optisch ist der Focal Clear ein sehr schönes Produkt auch wenn mich das rustikalere Erscheinungsbild des Vali mehr anspricht. Doch beim Tragekomfor (beide wiegen 450g) spielt der Focal Clear seine Stärken aus. Stundenlangem Musikgenuss steht nun nichts mehr im Wege.
Hatte den Focal Clear schon länger auf dem Radar und im Zuge der Trade-In-Aktion dann zugeschlagen. Thumbs up. Eine absolute Kaufempfehlung, auch zum handelsüblichen Preis.
Build quality and design are superb. They are the most comfortable headphones I've every worn. Although they have some weight, once I got everything adjusted, I barely feel the headphones and just feel the music. I'm still breaking them in, but I really like the headphones. They are extremely musical and airy. Like a good pair of audiophile speakers, you need a good source to get the most out of them. Listening to Quboz on Roon/HQPlayer through a Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/Headphone Amp sounds great, with the balanced 4-pin cable included with the Clear.
Great headphones. The only gripe I have is cracking and bass rattle in right ear. I will be getting this checked out. Overall nice headphones with great sound quality.
Incredible Pruduct, just outstanding in sound quality.
Ein Kopfhörer mit einer einmaligen Transparenz. Trotz sehr guten Boxen hat der Focal Clear bei vielen Musikstücken eine völlig neue Art der Rezeption eröffnet.
Der Kopfhörer ist optisch und haptisch ebenfalls sehr gelungen.
Excellent balanced sound. Nothing stands out in particular and yet very musical. Build quality and accessories are premium level. Only potential issue as afr as sound is concerned for some could be the eventual mechanical distortion at very high volumes with some lower frequencies, though not a problem if you don't listen to deafening loud music.
Klingt sehr gut
Not really run-in yet but do sound amazingly good and also comfortable.
Excellent sounding headphone and great value by including a case and additional cables.
Absolutley Fantastic! You guys have hit the nail in the head.
One word:
CLEAR!
Great quality, great case and cables!!
This is really good stuff...makes my listening sooo much nicer!!!
Alex
Without any doubt the best headphones I’ve ever experienced at this price point!
I have had them for a little over a week, but these are simply amazing. I run them with a Marantz HD-DAC1 with FLAC files off my PC.
Comfortable - even for very long periods.
Sound - neutral but not "boring", very fun to listen to.
Price - I think it is the best headphone one can buy for the money.
All the headphones I have owned before had flaws, I cannot personally find one on these. They have my highest recommendation.
Best phones ever
The Clear Headphones are incredible straight out of the box. I haven't even "run/burned" them fully in yet, and the sound is so three-dimensional, detailed and dynamic. The build quality is top-notch. I've sampled other headphones and I believe the Clear are quite possibly the best ones in their price range. I look forward to eternal musical enjoyment. I highly recommend them!
One of the most beautiful sounding headphones i have ever heard so far in my life, they live up to the name of being extremely clear
Great headphones
It's perfect listening experience. So clear and detailed sound.
Best headphones I’ve ever used. I have a hearing problem requiring the use of hearing aids and have been unable to enjoy music the way I once did. Now, with the Clear headphones I’m hearing instruments and sounds I haven’t heard in years. I can once enjoy music the way I did before the hearing lose. Thanks Focal for making music enjoyable again!
BEST HEADPHONES
Overall an excellent headphone. I wanted an upgrade to my HD650+tube-amp setup that was more portable.
Positives:
I love the low impedance, they are so easily driven! The sound is also fun and engaging. Really beautifully made.
Negatives:
Ear cup replacements are expensive. Inner headband looks like it will absorb hair products or hair oil and become dirty without being easily cleaned or replaced. Also the upper frequencies are a bit too recessed and the mids a bit too forward.
Stunning build quality and beautifully presented, they sound every bit as good as they look. I often find products a bit disappointing compared to the reviews - but I feel that the Clear is every bit as good as promised. The bass is clear and deep and the mid and treble detailed. But best of all it is just so musical. I started listening to try them out, but got lost in enjoying elements of the music that I'd just never heard before.
Superb listening experience.
Very unique sound, very clear and cleans lot of details!
Wonderful product from Focal ! State-of-the-Art performance.Extremely comfortable.
One word: Incredible!
Wow. Just wow. I demoed this headphone for about an hour or so and eveything I threw at it was amazing. Looking forward to enjoying mine for hours on end.
Easily one of the best headphones I've ever heard. You receive about 95% of the Utopia, without 95% of the price. Comfort is excellent, and the material and craftsmanship is exceptional.
Comes with 3 cables for XLR, 3.5mm and 1/4". Also comes with a storage case. All the extras alone are worth several hundred, so the headphones are a steal if you really factor that in.
I highly recommend this headset for those looking for a great set of headphones at a more attainable price. I've listened to Classical, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and EDM on these and they all sound amazing. Truly revealing of vinyl recordings. God forbid they ever break, I would not hesitate to repurchase again.
I purchased my Focal Clear headphones from Amazon. It was difficult to know which Amazon representatives could be trusted as I had previously purchased another set of headphones which didn't have the SN located where I was instructed to locate it on this set of Clears. I returned them and Amazon supported me and I was redirected to another seller. I was thankful to find out that this set of headphones was a legitimate set of Focal Clear Headphones. The headphones arrived in perfect condition in the Box sent by Focal in Europe, with all of the necessary information to confirm that this was in fact a genuine set of Clear headphones.
Well, Less then a week in with these headphones and I've decided that I can't live without them . They sound so pure, detail and have a very wide sound stage with enough bass with no bloom. Very, very close to being neutral , but not quite. imho.
I've used them with with my computer, Note 8 , my Ipod connected by a Oppo Ha2, Oppo UDP 205 Blu Ray player and my Astell & Kerns SE 100 and they all sound so amazing, of course to various degrees. It show how these headphones can easily be pushed and still sound amazing.
My Oppo PM-1 and Sennheiser 650HD cans have all been pushed to the side which is a shame cause I paid a pretty penny for those ,but no regrets cause these Clear rock.
I listen to Nivarna, NAS ,Prince, Bowie , Run DMC to my beloved Carpenters, and on..... and the Clear just make them all sound better.
The only negative I have is that i wish it had a bit more bass ,but then if it did I'm sure that will change the overall sound.
A well made one for music at home!
Very lovely and well balanced. Luxuriant sound, great bass. Wonderful for jazz and acoustic guitars. It's a very intimate listening experience that takes you through the inner anatomy and details of a song. You hear can everything. Quite easy to drive too, and comfortable to wear. Very revealing though, so don't listen to inferior recordings with these or you'll hear pops and distortion, especially in the lower end. This is not a problem that occurs with high res tracks and it can all depend on your amp. And make sure you have a good amp to get the best out of them. There are good ones out there that won't break the bank. Highly recommend these headphones!
They're incredibly comfortable, and I've had the pleasure of comparing them to several other models from other brands in the same price range, and nothing comes close to the clarity these have in the mid and high range
Great headphone I actually prefer the tonality over the Utopia.
I love the sound of the Clear Headphones. Very precise and clean sounding. Would recommend these headphones.
Fantastic product with perfect sound quality. Focal clear is the beat headphone I have ever perchased and feel satisfied about it, probably will try Utopia next time.
For over a year now I have been buying IEMs and headphones left and right looking for the perfect sound. I have a problem where almost all headphones ass a sharpness to vocals for me, even headphones describes as smooth or dark. The Focal Clear is the only headphone I have owned so far that does not have this issue, vocals on the Clear have body and sound smooth. It has restored my ability to emotionally connect with music and for that I think this headphone is more than worth the asking price.
Look is cool; function feels great; sound is the best.
Upgraded from a Massdrop Sennheiser HD6XX (based on HD560) a very good headphone for $199. Is the Clear 6 times better - no. But it is significantly better. I like the clarity of the lyrics in vocals, You can actually understand the words in the song. The sound is very well balanced but it is still dynamic. No buyer"s remorse. I would buy it again.
I LOVE these astounding headphones! These are by far the best headphones I've ever heard - crisp and CLEAR. The quality of the build and the superlative sound signature of these soon to be legends cannot be understated. You have to hear these headphones and then you will understand the genius and quality of Focal. I'll own these for the rest of my life. THANK YOU FOCAL!
great headphone worth the money.
Excellent build quality and a clarity of sound with great dynamics and detail along with the perfect amount of bass. The most balanced sounding headphone I ever owned and there have been many.
Stunning sound. 10/10. Fast, aggressive, and detailed.
Best dynamic driver headphone ever made.
Sounds great
Absolutely beautiful sound!
Excellent!
excellent.
The best headphones I ever had, but: Drivers crackle at loud volume. Support says it's by design. Unusable for deep bass. Also, don't bother to write to support, they don't answer.
Outstanding sound, and well worth the upgrade from my HD 650 headphones with the Schiit Magni + Modi 2 Uber. Paired with a Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies 2nd gen, they are end-game enough for me! Unfortunately, the 3.5mm cable broke within two weeks despite being treated like like royalty, which shouldn't happen at this price point.
Wow! Breathtaking! Not Just Good- Great!
The primary musical genre I listen to is Classic Rock, 70's & 80's. I desire a pair of headphones that sound great to me without an equalizer, though I do use Amara sQ+ along with my iMac as my primary source. I stream most of my music from Tidal yet I also use Spotify for playlists and Apple Music, as my sizeable library integrates so well with iTunes.
The Focal Clears, just wonderfully “musical” headphones. Focal Clear-the most musical and satisfying headphone I have had the pleasure of listening to and owning! What do I mean when I say musical? They sound good- Not just good great! The build is outstanding, solid “as a brick”. They rest on your head and the perforated memory foam micro fibre covered ear cups almost disappear, and at 450g that’s no easy feat, but it’s just you and the music. The comfort is amazing! The sound is detailed, revealing open and clear. At the same time it is more forgiving than other more analytical reference cans that don’t ‘play nice’ with some of your older music which hasn’t been remastered. What can I say that hasn’t been said before by experienced reviewers? When I first tried these on my head after a mammoth day of auditioning I immediately knew the sound was “just right”. Exactly what I was searching for. The bass was punchy, yet the sound is neutral. Exactly as the music should sound. The mid range and treble also sounded exactly right without equalization. I characterize these as a bit to the warm side. When I read these are light on bass I just can’t imagine why anyone would want more without distorting the true sound Plenty of bass.
Sometimes you know when something is just right. No buyer’s remorse on the Focal Clear. I simply love them. These have become my “daily driver” and practically the only headphones I want to listen to with other reference high end headphone’s available.
Wow! Breathtaking! Not Just Good- Great! By definition on Dictionary.com, I am an audiophile. I am "a person who is especially interested in high-fidelity sound reproduction". I don't do measurements, but I do understand some of the tech talk This is a layman's review because I don't believe you have to be a technician to love great sounding music or even to be an audiophile. I'll tell you briefly how I arrived at the Focal Clear. Lots of IEM's for travel and I've listed to Bose Noise cancelling since it was developed. I travel with a pair of Shure 535's which are honest and I can bring up the volume I but do desire a bit more "quality bass punch".
The primary musical genre I listen to is Classic Rock, 70's & 80's. I desire a pair of headphones that sound great to me without an equalizer, though I do use Amara sQ+ along with my iMac as my primary source. I stream most of my music from Tidal yet I also use Spotify for playlists and Apple Music, as my sizeable library integrates so well with iTunes.
Oh yes- The Focal Clears, just wonderfully “musical” headphones. I’ve come to the conclusion there is no perfect headphone, but if I can check the most boxes and the sound reproduction is satisfying, I can find a really great pair or two. I’ll start by saying that the sound stage on the Sennheiser 800S is breathtaking. It is almost 3 dimensional as I feel I can hear one instrument coming from the front left and another from the rear right in the mammoth earcups which fit well over my ears and onto my face. But they cannot be my primary choice as I find them to be lean on bass. Period. I also find them to be unforgiving on some of the older tracks I play even on Tidal at 196K. Quality sound but the originals, even remastered just don’t sound all that great with this degree of analysis so it is clear that in the reasonably unreasonable price range we are looking at, the 800S would be a great second headphone if I could afford it but not my daily driver. I also want to give a shout out to the Audeze LCD-X which at are just too heavy to wear daily and the Mr. Speakers Aeon Flow which are so very comfortable and check a lot of those boxes but are a bit too warm and just don’t rise to the level of the Focal Clear. I would have more trouble if I were writing this about the Elear.
Now enough of what I love but are not my primary choice and onto the incredible luscious and delightful Focal Clear-the most musical and satisfying headphone I have had the pleasure of listening to and owning! What do I mean when I say musical? They sound good- Not just good great! The build is outstanding, solid “as a brick”. They rest on your head and the perforated memory foam Alcantra-like fiber covered earcups almost disappear, and at 450g that’s no easy feat, but it’s just you and the music. The comfort is amazing! The sound is detailed, revealing open and clear. At the same time it is more forgiving than other more analytical reference cans that don’t ‘play nice’ with some of your older music which hasn’t been remastered. What can I say that hasn’t been said before by experienced reviewers? When I first tried these on my head after a mammoth day of auditioning I immediately knew the sound was “just right”. Exactly what I was searching for. The bass was punchy, yet the sound is neutral. Exactly as the music should sound. I have the bass punch of the LCD-X but not the weight. The midrange and treble also sounded exactly right without equalization. I characterize these as a bit to the warm side. When I read these are light on bass I just can’t imagine why anyone would want more without distorting the true sound Plenty of bass.
Sometimes you know when something is just right. No buyer’s remorse on the Focal Clear. I simply love them. These have become my “daily driver” and practically the only headphones I want to listen to with other reference high end headphone’s available. Simply the best available today under $2900.
Great sound. Excellent build quality and a really nice case
I have an iPhone X combined with the chord Mojo and from there to the Focal Clear. This combination is perfect. It sounds amazing.
I'm pretty impressed with Clear, although I've still heard little. It's impressive tonal balance and the neutrality as it presents the songs. If there are low frequencies, they will be there and very well presented. Treble? Also, slightly advanced, but nothing aggressive. The middle are also incredibly well presented. I will listen more, with careful and side by side with the Hifiman HE-6, both pushed by the Mjolnir 2, by the Siemens valves. I will update the analysis later.
I have had these headphones for only a few weeks, but absolutely love them. I think they are the best headphones I have ever heard. I also own a pair of Sennheiser HD 800S headphones, which are superb, but not quite as good as these. In each case I drive them with very good headphone amps/ DACs, which I think is a must, but not absolutely essential with the Clears.
I chose the Clear after testing and comparing the Elear and the Utopia at my dealer. Utopia is too esoteric and - honestly - too expensive for me.
Elear and Clear are both wonderful. But in direct comparison, the Clear was suddenly more accurate and precise. I like it when the basses come crisp and dry without humming. Jazz and rock are both close to each other. In jazz I liked the exact stage and the far better width of the Clear. But Beethoven's 9th Symphony by Leoanrd Bernstein with the Vienna Philharmonic in the 192kHz MQA version was the decisive factor. Suddenly the language of all voices, including that of the soprano, could be clearly understood. Elear lacked exactly this clarity. That, and the better equipment with the cables and the case made the decision easy.
Again, the Elear is absolutely the first choice compared to its competitor. But the better is the enemy of the good and the Clear is better. So much better that I was willing to pay the 500€ more.
Great sounding headphones
Focal Clear provide Incredible Improvements to my Musical Enjoyment.
After having first experienced the Focal Elear for over 6 months in my system and the sonic improvement it immediately created playing all Hi-Res downloads; and based upon the glowing reviews for the new Focal Clear, I recently ordered the Clear Headphones (after selling the Elear) and can only state that they created even more significant improvements in the sonic transparency of all Hi-Rez music played, particularly in the Mid and the High Ranges of every song. The Base is also crisp, accurate and appropriate for the sound of the recording.
After burning-in the phones with music, as well as alternating white and pink noise programs, for only 24 hours, and then performing some critical listening over several hours..... I can unequivocally state that there were greater, very subtle but significant sonic improvements to the soundstage, clarity, detail and musicality of each album played; albeit not equally for every album, which I must attribute to the initial recording parameters.
Nonetheless, the overall improvement in the system and, more important to me, the musicality of all the songs played...from Classic Rock, Jazz and Classical albums, to live cast recordings of Broadway musicals and accoustic performances by popular artists... after listening to the Clear ...has been nothing short of amazing.
The Focal Clear has become indespensible for truly appreciating the musicality in a Hi-Rez system.
Very Highly Recommended.
Simply Stunning Build , Looks and even better Sound
The Clears take me to the finish line. Pre recorded Hi-res files need a great player like my Astell & Kern 380, but they will fall short without great output like the Clears.
They sound phenomenal in every sense of the word plus I love that they include a shorter, longer and balanced set of cables and a carrying case!!!
Excellent sound quality, and build. leather ear cups/head piece and the color - gray. I like the 3 cords that come with it that allow me to make more that one type connection to either the Brookly DAC via the specialized XLR adapter, McIntosh Preamp or Marantz 8802A AV Preamp, and Iphone 6s. I like the case also. Mainly, I lke the sound.
Absolutely Stunning in looks and sound