Focal Clear

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by The Alchemist, Nov 15, 2017.

  1. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Why would anyone hold on to a headphone with a dealbreaker issue? Especially when it comes with a 5-year warranty. Madness. If I get any clipping at normal listening levels, off it goes to Focal for replacement.
     
  2. oldschool

    oldschool Acquaintance

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    To me it's more of an annoyance than dealbreaker.. but hey, they are still in warranty.. might consider returning still
     
  3. oldschool

    oldschool Acquaintance

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    Btw clipping still being reported by folks who bought a pair as recently as May.. just Google "focal clear clipping"

    It's such a pitty, as I love them.. always good to keep a pair of HD6xx handy for when more volume is needed!
     
  4. ChaChaRealSmooth

    ChaChaRealSmooth SBAF's Mr. Bean

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    The reason why you would possibly want a product that's probably defective is beyond me.
     
  5. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    Why are we still having this conversation? Get it fixed, or don't. That should be the gist of it.
     
  6. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Any tips for removing the kinks from the awful stock cables? These are probably the stiffest cables I've encountered.
     
  7. StageOne

    StageOne Friend

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    I tried for a while and gave up. I couldn't take it any longer and got a new cable from https://customcans.co.uk. I tried to make it close to the stock color scheme and it came close.

    Img - 1.jpg
     
  8. will_f

    will_f Friend

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    Factory cable is crap. Mine didn’t last a month before one ear started cutting out. Ordered a quality cable from LQI Cables and am completely happy.
     
  9. joch

    joch Friend

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    First thing I did was replace the original with a copper one from @Forza AudioWorks
     
  10. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    I imagine you liked it at least a bit :) ?
     
  11. joch

    joch Friend

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    Oh yes! I thought it went without saying! It was a heavy gauge with sleeves (custom request) to XLR. Mat, you were cool to deal with on this order.

    Much better than stock and at the right length. The copper cable is nice sounding with the Clears, and classier with sleeves. Compared to the original, this was just moar better. The only thing that’s unfortunate is that the cabling was too thick for a splitter, but Mat did a nice job on it with heatshrinks instead.
     
  12. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    Grandpappy Tyll enjoying the nomad life with his trusty Focal Clear.

    8:27 for French headphones on the road.

    He seems to be loving life and he even built a radio station in his van! The headphone hobby hasn't been the same without him. Happy to see a new group of people benefitting from his enthusiasm.



    More fun. What a legend.

     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2020
  13. louiscipher

    louiscipher New

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    Any subjective impressions using Dekoni Pads for Clear? Looks like i need to change my pads soon and saw Dekoni is half the price ( or less ) from Focal's original clear pads
     
  14. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    he'll be back, I hope!
     
  15. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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  16. MLegend

    MLegend Friend

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  17. SSL

    SSL Friend

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    @louiscipher Unfortunately, if you are married to the stock tonality, you are kind of stuck paying up for the stock pads. I've heard the velour and hybrid Dekoni pads and they're both different to varying degrees.

    The velour should be totally avoided imo, as they kill the upper mids and treble, and just sound weird/bad. The sense of attack and dynamism is lost. Super comfortable, though.

    The hybrids are much better than the velours, but they do add bass and lower mids. Mostly I don't find it affects tonality/timbre, but it may affect balance depending on the music you listen to. Bass and low-mid instruments are brought slightly forward and/or sound more meaty. Again, this depends on the material and sometimes I don't even notice.

    Other than that, they tone down the bump at 1-2kHz without sacrificing the rest of the upper mids in the process. To my ears, they are more cohesive from top to bottom than the stock pads, but again, with more bass. I don't have any issues listening to classical with them, which I tend to be picky about when it comes to tonal fuckery.

    Dekoni sells direct and will accept returns if you don't like them, so pretty low risk to try and maybe save some $.

    Another data point: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/focal-utopia-pad-rolling.6327/
     
  18. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Well stated. I have the hybrids on my Clears 98.57% of the time. I just wished they worked for the Utopia like they do the Clear, where they mess up both the tonal balance & the timbre...
     
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2020
  19. louiscipher

    louiscipher New

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    Thank you for the inputs! Considering that return policy i think i'll try the Dekoni hybrid/perf sheepskin first as i don't mind slight changes, as long as it doesn't greatly mess up the tonality
     
  20. TheIceman93

    TheIceman93 El pato-zorro

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    I'll need to try the Hybrids at some point. It's funny how everyone hears things differently. I'm currently using the Elite Velours and to be honest, I mostly like them. Yes, they do alter the stock tonality but I don't find the changes to be bothersome. They add a bit of warmth, boost the midbass slightly, and soften the attack a bit which makes the headphone a little less fatiguing and easier to listen to over longer stretches. I'm using a Headamp GSX-Mini which has dynamics and detail for days but can fatigue a bit with the Clear. The treble detail with the Velours is dulled slightly which probably is disappointing for some (doesn't bother me, the headphone is still plenty detailed) and there was a bit of a peak around 10K which needed to be reduced a bit in Roon but overall, its a smoother sound that can be very enjoyable with certain genres. I do switch back and forth between the stock pads and the Velours as needed. Changing the sound signature up is something I enjoy in this hobby.
     

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