Focal Clear

How are the Aeon inserts vs TP? I will try my Aeon foam inserts later when I get home. And definitely kleenex is too much, they sound a little bloated now

 

You only want to cover the driver and not the crescent shaped mesh that goes through to the back of the cup (that will make the bass bloaty). Stick small pieces of the "hook" side of adhesive Velcro like in the 2nd photo of this post to secure a circle of foam over the driver (credit: @Hands) . A layer of TP can be held in place under the foam.

 

Clearly wireless:
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...ampfire-andromeda-iem.4644/page-6#post-249123

 

I really wanted these to replace my HD650s but I don't think it's gonna work out. Whatever is going on in the treble is just too much, and eq isn't fixing it. I feel like Focal is trying to impress me with extra detail by emphasizing breathy undertones and "air" but it makes voices sound hissy and rough, and cymbals sound like thunder sheets. I bought these new so reselling is going to hurt...

On a side note, I'm not having any of the bass issues reported in the last couple pages.

 

I had same kind of feelings immediately after I received my Clear's. I was coming from darker sounding Hifiman Edition X headphones and the more fresher and airier balance felt a bit too much. But that was only the very first impression. Over a couple of days I got accustomed to the new kind of sound and I haven't looked back at Hifiman's ever since. Give them some time If you haven't already.

What kind of amplifier and dac do you have? I am rocking with SPL Phonitor 2 and DM Convert-2 and while I'd never describe that combination as shy or warm sounding, they work wonders with the Clear's.

 

I've only had them for a couple days so yeah I should give them some more time... I've been using them with a Bifrost Multibit to either a Lyr 2 or an Auralic Taurus, but I was also hearing similar treble stuff straight out of my Galaxy S10.

 

It's funny, I spent some time with my MD HD6XX this weekend and I really noticed sibliance, particularly female voices, and a touch of grain up top. I switch back to the Clears today and everything seems right again. This through a Gungnir MB, Jot chain. Of course I'm 50 this year so how much am I really hearing around and above 10K...

 

I had the same reaction when I got mine. They sounded really bright and bass light compared to what I remembered when I heard @Mithrandir41's pair before I decided to order them. The bass loosens up after a while (I was sceptical when Jason at The Source told me to let them burn in, but it seemed to work). And definitely try the foam/tp mod a few posts above if the treble is still too much for you. For me, they're the "HD650 upgrade" I was looking for, with a few minor flaws. I go to the Senns for the mids, to the Clears for everything else.

 

Strangely enough, I swapped out my Bifrost Multibit (purchased at release) for a Modi 3 (4490) and the treble doesn't seem quite as sharp. The eq I was running previously now sounds like overkill.

 

Yes my Fulla 2 which uses the 4490 sounds softer than the Modi Multibit v2 as well. Its a result of their low-pass filter to filter out the high frequency noise created from noise-shaping.

 

After listening to the 4 Dekoni pads from the loaners, I am still looking. They are slightly smaller and do nothing for the sound, Not terrible but compared to the originals, not very likable. Just standard Dekoni's. I'll be looking at aliexpress when I need to.

 

What effect are you looking for? I found the Elex pads tone down the brightness a bit, and are black, so ...
Says "Sold Through", whatever that means. Maybe put in a request so you get notified when they're available again.
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/focal-pads-for-elex-headphones

 

Loaner tour Impressions on all 4 pads... don't bother. Tried them with Clear and Alegia, horrible. The Alegia pads actually sounded pretty good on the Clear though.

 

Oh, I was looking for no change at all, just a backup pair. I like the Dekoni HD650. I don't like the Dekoni Focal. They are actually very similar. I think they just churn these out based on the attachment method and dimensions with no other thought regarding duplicating or improving upon the originals.

 

Yeah there's no pads similar to stock from dekoni. I also got some dekoni HD650 pads and they sounded pretty good without changing the sound so drastically as the Focal Dekoni pads.

 

using Oratory1990's EQ I don't find them to be bright at all out of my EL Stack. However this might be the most uncomfortable headphone I've ever used. I bought a set of Clear Pros second hand last week, and the jaw pressure is just so extreme. The spring loaded design is definitely a weakness here as it requires a ton of force to push the bottom of the cup and that;s all generated by your jaw. On top of that, the entire weight of the headphone seems to be balanced on a one inch plane on the top of my head. Maybe I've got a bumpy skull, but it's getting hard to ignore.

I'm trying come up with a fix, because they're the best cans I've ever heard, but I can't wear them for more than 20 minutes at a time now.

 

I know what you are talking about, not that my pair/head is as bad as yours (e.g. my HD6xx are worse in this regard - go figure). I alleviate it by repositioning the HP on my head - rotating them forward/backward so that the band rests on a different spot, which also changes the pressure spot on the jaw . I do this about every 15 minutes or so, so that I can get about 1.5 hours in before I need to rip them off my head.

Also, I have noticed the Dekoni pads to feel a bit more "even" on the jaw, at least for me. Even those these pads sound are poorly reviewed in this thread, I find the difference to be small, though I habitually EQ so I might just be fixing/covering it up...

 

I'm wondering if the small point of contact on the top of my head is contributing to he perceived clamp under my ears. Are there any good pads for the headband I could try out to distribute the contact on the top of my head more evenly? I looked at the knit one above, but that looks pretty ridiculous to me.

Update: I cut up a sock and folded two sections over 3 times and placed them near the sides of my head on the top and it's immediately more comfortable, so I think I'm on the right track here with the pressure distribution. Seems kind of ridiculous to me that a $1600 headphone didn't put more thought into the top padding. It would make sense for them to have thick ear cushion material up there that your head could sink into and provide a custom fit. I'll have to look into a proper solution.

 

Second update: I decided to gamble and started putting some pressure on the top of the headband in an attempt to get it to conform to the top of my head a little better. Turns out the band has some give and can take a mild shaping. As a result, much of the pressure has now been relieved from the top of my head and my jaw. It still has quite bit of clamp, but at least now I can listen to a whole album without needing a break. I noticed the cups were sitting a bit lower on my right ear than my left. I can only assume I have an off-center bump on my noggin that caused that. After adjusting them evenly in the mirror I gave a lot of light presses on either side of center while they were on my head and I now see a definite improvement. The bottom of the right ear pad still seems to compress a bit more than the left, but I think I'll just have to live with that and whatever impacts it may have.

Worth a shot for anyone with the stones to go pressing on their non-replaceable headband for their $1k+ cans.