Thanks, I hope so too. Kind of discouraging when I decided not to choose (the poll was really confirmation of what I was already thinking) one of the other 3 very capable headphones that were all likely to be more reliable. I can hear the potential in the Clear, which is just taunting me at the moment. I’ll get it sorted. I tend to let things go, but with $900 in it, Focal really better take care of it!
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After all the talk of the Focal quality control issues, I really gave them the benefit of the doubt. I wouldn’t recommend them at this point. I was hoping Focal would have some sort of weekend support, but it was basically a form to send them a message and nothing else. Headphones.com got right back to me, but I don’t think they’ll do a replacement with it being a final sale item.
In the end, I guess I wish I’d gone with either the Neumann or the 660S2 and a tube amp. Would have gone great with the Fiio FT3 I just received. I’m beyond impressed with that for $300. They’re making other companies look bad for what they offer at that price. The sound alone is worth at least $300, and they accessorize it as well or better than some significantly more expensive ($1000+) headphones. FT3 is my bright spot that’s keeping me out of the dumps over the Clear.
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@lowercasegoat Just read Headphonics review of the Fiio. Looks like you have
a very interesting headphone there.
I am fairly certain I will end up with the Meze, as all the researched comments
and reviews seem to confirm it fits my goals…(and it’s visually a work of art, lol.) Still hoping you can resolve the Clear issue.
The accounts of the Meze 109 sound make it look like it has some of the gushing about sound that’s associated with the Clear, but without the “Yeah, but… French.”
I’d still very much like to try them and they do look like you should wear them while sitting in a private library while wearing a velour robe and sipping a whisky (I don’t even drink, but I’m pretty certain that’s a requirement for using Meze headphones- you’ll have to read the specs).
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10 characters…besides you and I.
So the news for today is that I fixed my Clear. I will now be too busy drowning in pure listening bliss to respond again. It’s been nice knowing you all.
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Don’t go like that, tell us how you fix your Clears 
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Well, I’m not 100% sure what the problem was, but it could have been one of a couple of things. I took apart the left side and removed the magnet/driver, which isn’t too terribly difficult. There was more dust than I would have expected on the back of the diaphragm. I took some canned air at a distance and, as gently as possible, I blew off the debris. Even trying to be gentle, the diaphragm moves quite a bit, so it definitely requires some care. I also blew a little air on the magnet itself, and very gently ran the edge of a tweezer over a little rough spot on that.
The contact is a circular piece of copper that is attached directly to the diaphragm, with 2 very fine wires attached to it. I would guess that it was a contact issue, and removing and cleaning things off a bit removed something that was interfering with the signal. It strikes me as a very finicky setup in terms of how easily something could go wrong with it. It would not surprise me if most people’s issues stem from a broken wire where it attaches to the diaphragm, or some sort of debris messing with how the signal is transferring to the driver. I honestly would have expected a wire running directly to the driver, vs attaching it to the diaphragm and transferring the signal to the inside edge with that ring. I’m no expert, and it’s hard to spend too much time examining its inner workings when you’re trying to keep from damaging the wires by dropping the headphone while you’re working on it, so take my assessment with a grain of salt. I guess Focal knows what they’re doing, because it sounds fantastic, but maybe at the cost of some reliability…
Even having repaired it, and having heard how amazing it sounds, I’d strongly think twice before I’d purchase another one. A Meze 109 or Neumann NDH 30 that lasts might be more worth your money than a Clear that is probably doing well if it lasts for 2 years. On a side note, the Clear is a great example of diminishing returns. They’re easily my best headphones, but the Fiio FT3 I got just before it isn’t so much worse that using the Clear ruins it for me. $300 for arguably a better set of accessories (the cable setup is better, for sure), an awesome all-metal build, and I don’t feel like I have to baby it. It’s more usable, if that makes any sense.
Anyway, while I’m writing this, the Clear is making The Strokes sound absolutely amazing, and telling me how stupid my last paragraph was. My brain knows better, but my heart is being stolen away anyway.
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So a lot like life. Truly enjoy it while it lasts. 
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Even stepping up to a Audiophile Ninja cable for the Clear will make a difference! I have several and they are quite good for the price.
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Yep. I love mine. I am actually getting ready to order one or two more.
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Might buy one of those. I would like to have a 4.4 balanced for the Clear. With the 4.4mm to 4 pin XLR adapter that came with the FT3, it will make it super easy to swap between the Zen DAC and SMSL balanced outs…
They do make adapters as well. I have a 1/4 to 4pin xlr for my tube amps, a 4.4 to xlr as well. I wish they made a 4pin xlr to dual 3pin though as that would complete my cables well.
I agree with Jetman…Audiophile Ninja cables are great for the price…They are really good to deal with and the cables are really good quality…They are well worth it.
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