Focal Clear

You got your wish. However I no longer trust anything Tyll writes after he gushed over the Elears and dropped the HD800S from the WoF. How the hell can he put a joke like the "Bose SoundWear Companion Personal Speaker" on the WoF?

 

Lots of change in the WOF, that's for sure. I got burned somewhat with the Utopia, but that was mostly my own foolishness in rushing way too fast into a new headphone. Also, the initial review sample used by Tyall was not representative... blah blah.

I like Tyll's new direction regarding tonal balance for headphones over 1K. The Focal Clear seems to be the enabler for this.

The HD800S should still have a place on the WOF, IMHO. It is tonally balanced to my ears, and deserves a spot, but that's Tyll's call. I think the HEKv2 also deserves a spot.

 

That's generally true, but Stax didn't let me keep it 'cuz it's so expensive. My audio memory of it is thin, but my memory of Big Sound and comparing both Stax to the other cans in the shootout is clear: I was disappointed the 009 was too forward, and disappointed the 007 sounded too dull in comparisons. Never took it off the WoF because it's still a classic headphone and decent, but with the Sonoma so tonally spot on and MrSpeakers e-stat coming soon I figured it was time to make room for something better. I do plan to borrow another 009 when Mr Speakers e-stat is in house for comparison. I'll say I'm somewhat skeptical Dan's e-stat will do it for me as I haven't been wowed by what I've heard at shows so far. We'll see.

 

I'll be looking forward to what you have to say on Dan's e-stat @tyll.

 

Not sure if it's an isolated incident, or if the typical Focal price drops are starting...

Focal CLEAR New Release—WOW - a'gon

 

That’s a really strong statement. You’re right to an extent, but this is extreme. The 009 has been a true audiophile headphone in terms of detail retrieval and clarity for a long period during which most other top headphones were a sheer joke. As for the tonality, it depends to a great extend on the rig it’s driven by. It’s not perfect, but if tonality is the first and foremost determining factor for an audiophile headphone, people can as well stick to AT M50x or HD650. And if that makes them happy, there’s nothing wrong with that.

 

Nah more like you can get small dealer discounts to not pay full MSRP. That was the case with Elear and Utopia too.

 

Kind of expected to over time have more of these examples of people breaking map. That $1375+$45=1420 isn't that great in all honesty.

Perhaps there are certain other places with quite a bit better price on the clears.

 

How magnanimous.

 

Waiting for those Moon Audio 'Open Box' sales on the Clear to come around..

 

You’re welcome! Happy New Year!

 

While everyone is losing their shit about Tyll's wall of fame I went back and read through early impressions of the Utopia and Elear from senior members like Marv and @n3rdling .

Honestly I'm shocked at how f'ing spot on they were in their first few listens even in store conditions.

The Headfi retards are just catching onto flaws that these guys picked up within an hour of listening .

Much respect!

 

As opposed to the rest of the SBAF retards?

 

??? Seems a rather tame and routine discussion to me. No shit lost that I can see.

 

Yep. If you want to bitch about someone's Wall of Fame, join that pointless discussion on Head-Fi.

Anyway...

One way I judge gear is by feeling it out after it's gone. Within 24 hours, I have a much better understanding of how I feel about them.

Sometimes I'll have something that I think I can do without and sell it even if I like it (usually for monetary reasons). Other times I think I'll miss something when it's gone but I don't.

I thought I'd miss the Holo Spring L3 after demoing it for a week or so, but I never really did. I thought I'd miss the Eddie Current Super 7 and do. I didn't think I'd miss the Garage1217 Project Sunrise III after moving up to better amps but did.

The Focal Clears I had in to demo for ~5 days. They have outstanding performance and excel in many areas. Well-recorded Acoustic guitar is better on them than anything I've ever used.

They're the first headphones I'd consider Hi-Fi that I actually like (yeah, it's a marketing term, but I have a view in my head of what that means).

I anticipated missing them and starting to scrape together funds to buy them.

But I don't miss them.

I don't miss the fatigue. I don't miss the hotspot on top of my head. I don't miss the pads touching my ears. I don't miss how they sound tinny on poorly mastered or recorded music.

I guess my wallet is safe.

I do miss their potential. I expect one day to hear modded pair and making an impulse purchase.

But, for now, the Focal Clear headphones aren't in my future.

I do miss the Schiit Gungnir Multibit more than I thought I would, so future funds might be dedicated to that instead.

 

Once of my uncles had a Porsche 911 that was tuned by a shop until it was a barely road legal track day car.

It was awesome in ways hard to describe to mortal men - I certainly didn't feel like a mere mortal when it was going and being driven well - but on getting out everything was pain, and I was only 14.

Every time I get the chance to listen to Focal cans I have flashbacks.

I'm incredibly impressed by their achievements, and also fully convinced I'm just not man enough.

 

@Luckbad

Haven't heard the Clears, but the Utopia remains a love/hate product for me. The clarity is addicting, and really exposes how murky my HE-500's and X V2s are. For some music, they approach the realism of live music. Like you wrote, acoustic guitar, addicting. The blare, blat and dynamics of horns, awesome stuff on some recordings.

Yep, the are fatiguing too. They are never going to be my all day headphones, but I am going to keep them. Clarity can always be subtracted for romanticism, but it's near impossible (or impossible) to add it back if missing in the first place.

 

I do care what goes in and out. Where I live I rarely have a chance to audition new headphones or buy online with a reasonable return option, so I try to determine which ones I want to order based on other people's subjective feedback. There are literally 4 people on the internet whose opinion I care about - Tyll, you, Serious, Soldierdude, because i've figured over time that our general audio philosophy is somewhat aligned. Tyll is the only pro reviewer I've come across with no BS approach to reviewing audio gear. You are right though, we should let the man do whatever he feels is right and stop whining about it.

 

If I can be honest, I feel the same way about the Auteur. At some point I will get them, but I don't feel a hole in my collection or anything by their absence. Strangely, that hole is being filled by the andromedas.

Will there be a loaner for the Clear?

Edit: Ignore that last question. Just now saw the loaner thread...and missed the boat again. Haha