Focal pads are overpriced

Yeah, my analogy is not really well thought out. I just meant Focal is doing what printer manufacturers do just without the same economic "necessity".

 

Same here. Otherwise, I would've saved up for the Elex or Clear long time ago. I can get an HD6XX for the cost of those pads. But I can still tolerate the pads cost as they are well-built and last longer. The dead driver issue is more concerning.

 

So from what I gather there is a market for someone to clone the pads like the SDR mod for the HD800s? Hmmmm

Does anyone really know what the primary consumer of luxury Focal headphones are? I don't quite think it's headphiles that frequent these forums but more the ORFAS crowd that wants to add headphones to their $$$$ system and trust the Focal brand.

i was about to say this. Audio is one of the few electronic goods that last for ages. You can assemble a complete system with components manufactured in the 70s that will sound better than brand new systems.

Even though this is a subjective hobby, no one would really question someone claiming the best headphone of all time is the Orpheus. A headphone made nearly 30 years ago. Throwaway +$1k headphones is outrageous.

 

To be fair tho, the Utopia pads are the nicest and expensivest feeling pads I have ever seen on a headphone, including Hifiman HEK(SE), Audeze LCD2(C) Dekoni & original, Ether 2's pad lineup and the Verites pads - which, tho good, definitely feel cheaper and flimsier(not as bad as the HEK pads), the leather quality as well as stiching and foam do not seem to be of the same precision and quality.

But the price is still to high. Maybe they are made in France?
I am actively looking for alternatives, so far (according to another thread here) the Clear pads are good but the Dekonis seem to turn the Utopia into a bass-cannon?

 

The pads for Diana V2 are $200. It's a $3000 can. It's not the AB1266 but still an Abyss product. I think the Diana Phi pads are the same ($4000 can). The pads for Focal Eligia are $200. It was a $900 can. Just some perspective.

 

Yes, you're entirely right, of course, and it wasn't my intention to imply that cheaper headphones seem to be a ripoff. That’s why I added the caveat about the affordability of the HD 6XX.

I offered the comparison to establish a wider frame of reference for us to understand the expensiveness of Focal pads, and specifically the Clear’s, which is what my original post was about. If we compare headphones in a similar price range, say $1,200-1700, the Clear’s pads cost 13% of the headphone while the others cost 4-7% (LCD-X, Arya, HD 800S, three ZMFs). I should have highlighted this in my previous post: the comparison shows that the Clear pads are expensive not just in absolute terms, as you note, but also in relative ones—relative, that is, to other brands and to those other brands’ models in a similar price range to the Clear.

I also offered the comparison to provide a more meaningful response to the wider issues @crenca raised about the poor value or affordability of Focal headphones, especially if one wants to keep them for a good, long while (and not just cycle on to something else within the lifetime of a single pair of pads).

My particular gripe isn’t just with the price of the pads, it’s with the discontinuation of the headphones and the unique replacement pads that go with them. Let’s not forget the context here: Focal is relatively new to the high-end headphone scene; the Elear and Utopia came out just five years ago, and the recent discontinuation of the Clear has shifted our understanding of how Focal does business.

Sure, the Elear and Elegia were killed off previously. But, in both cases, the market hadn’t responded as favorably to those two headphones, to judge from online impressions. I’d assumed that Focal was doing away with headphones that were no longer selling well. It’s also worth noting that the Elex seemingly replaced the Elear and did so at a more affordable MSRP (in the US). So, until just a few weeks ago, Focal had discontinued one of its headphones, modified and made more affordable another, and had retained its two popular, widely-praised models—the Clear and the Utopia. I’d assumed the latter two would be around for a while yet.

From that perspective, was Focal any more a consumer electronics brand than Audeze or Dan Clark Audio? (I guess there were signs with that obnoxious diamond-encrusted Utopia). The recent discontinuation of the Clear now reveals Focal to be more like a consumer electronics brand, as @crenca notes. But can we say we knew this at the beginning of 2021?

The lesson of all this? Know what you’re getting into, of course. And if you still want to get the sound of Focal headphones, buy the Pro version with the extra pair of pads.

 

A couple of employees of our SBAF sponsors have informally confirmed exactly this, though they are "traditional" dealers who still largely cater to the ORFAS.

I like the Dekoni hybrid elites on the Clear so much I sold my lightly used OG Clear pads to a Friend a few months back for a hefty Focal markup because, why not? If I knew that they would soon be discontinued I would have doubled it

In that sense the Clear does have an aftermarket $79 dollar option - one that does tilt the HP a bit warmer but otherwise leaves the technicalities alone IMO. However they do not sound good on the Utopia as they warm it up too much and mess with the mid & treble technicals.

Are the popular Youtubing talking heads over at HF, Headphone.com, and the like talking about this? After all, gear sent to them does not influence their impressions in any way...

 

Point well taken. By "our" I was thinking in terms of SBAF.

Thank you for recommending the Dekoni hybrid elites. I can see a pair in my future.

 

I did, but uh... it involved making a new baffle to mount some T50rp drivers instead

Well waitaminnit, that's you modifying the initial terms of agreement. Professionals gotta set their standards after all, otherwise you're undervaluing her services by expecting her to give out the extras for free. That (*% costs money, pun intended. That's like an extra hundred bucks for each face in this sequence

 

Two years?? Is anyone else experiencing this??

I have had mine for 5-6 y already and feel no need to change.

Fortunately, i suspect because of their thickness and size, the aftermarkets tend to be good and last several years without impacting the signature in a bothering way.

 

@Walderstorn
I suspect our wet weather don't play nice with the type of material used in the HD800 pads.

 

Sweat is slightly acidic as well, which will vary a lot from person to person.

 

I got rid of my Elears a long time before I had to worry about pad replacement, so I hadn't ever looked into it. But I've had Vesper Audio custom make me a set of Alcantara pads as a replacement for Audeze Vegans and it cost me around $70 shipped. I wonder if they wouldn't be able to make some custom order Focal sized pads for a good bit less than Focal is selling them for? Couldn't hurt to ask. The pad on the left is Audeze Vegan and the right one is the custom Alcantara from Vesper.

 

Mmm, been wanting to try those. I feel like Vesper never gets brought up in pad talks, but they really will make just about anything for ya.

On both topics. I shelled-out for a pair of LCD2C's, fully intending to mess with pads... meaning I factor ~100-200 dollars into the total cost. And then, theres the balanced cable. It all adds up and you just gotta know it.

I can spend that money. No biggie. But that doesnt mean I wouldnt rather NOT pay that kind of money for pads. If I want it enough, I will. But never does it not feel like Im biting a bullet, no matter how expensive the headphones.

 

Interesting. How does the Vesper version sound in comparison?

 

Very little to no difference from the Vegans, they recreated them perfectly.

 

It's always worth checking the price of consumables when buying anything which is a longer term purchase or which will need a lot of consumable. Wired headphones can last decades and many people buying good wired headphones are buying them as a long term commitment. So they are different from typical throwaway consumer tech which has a shelf life, it's like the difference between buying a mechanical watch and a smart watch. My daily wear is a Huawei smartwatch which is great but I'll be content to get 2 - 3 years out of it, I still have an Omega Speedmaster Professional I bought 30 years ago and which will one day be left to my son.
I'm happy to buy expensive wired headphones for that reason but I'm loathe to spend much on wireless headphones. The wireless codecs evolve and batteries have a finite life, and usually when the battery life falls off a cliff the cost of replacement means it is more sensible to just buy new. That's not to say I don't like wireless headphones as I use AKG N200NC bluetooth IEMs as a daily commute and office "beater" and really like them, but I paid £80 for them at an outlet store and don't expect them to last the same way I expect my Etymotic ER4SR to last. And yes, I'd baulk at the cost of Focal pads.