Focal clear for gaming?

I’m looking into some gaming headphones. I’m currently using aeon2 closed and theyre, well, closed. They’re detailed and image very well, and for closed the stage is quite good. But I feel like I might be missing something by gaming in them that maybe something like the clear might give me.

I tend towards darker headphones but that’s just not great for gaming. From what I’ve read the clears are a bit smoother on the high end than the Elex, so I’m looking at them.

Would clears be overkill? Yes. But I feel like they would also take a spot In my collection that’s currently open (a dynamic headphone with resolution the compares to planars).

When I say gaming I mean competitive shooters btw.

This hobby is all about overkill, lol.

With that being said, I have gamed with my Clears and they were pretty good.

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I think they are capable, but they haven’t been my first choice. So I’m not a huge fan of Clears for gaming. If you have the Elex I find them to be a tad better though, subtle difference, but not an instant k/d% boost. But thats just a preference of mine, and what I’m listening for and how I play.

For music, I can vouch for them, definitely worth it for music, and if you like it for gaming, that’s a bonus.

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Dt1990 are killers for gaming. Imaging is spot on and you will be able to locate everyone with ease. I use them with a modmic.

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I think you’re right, I’ll give the 1990s a shot as they have a really strong following in the gaming community. I’m scared of their legendary treble but I have the same fear of the focals to be fair.

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The Focal are way less harsh in the treble than the DT1990.

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I’ll give ‘em a shot at less than half the cost and see how tolerable it is. I may still end up going for the focals in the end.

I wouldn’t expect them to compare for overall sound quality and signature but I think for my purposes it’s at least worth a try.

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I’ve been using the Elegia for gaming lately. I know it’s not the same SQ as the Clear but I’m not dealing with the harshness of the 177x. Again not the same as the 1990. I will say the 177x is better for pinpointing enemies but I’m not nearly good enough that it makes that much difference for a more enjoyable experience to me.

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Interesting. I half expect to put the 1990s on, put on one treble test track and pack them back up immediately. If that’s the case it’s a much lower risk than the focals as id have to find some used with unknowns involved :grimacing:

I use all of my headphones for gaming, but the Elegia are amongst my favorites…they are better for gaming than most people realize.

If I’m cheesing it and want fun gaming, I can swap to my Atticus or Aelous for that.

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The 1990s come with 2 different pads. I know that one of them tones down the treble a tiny bit, so hopefully that will help if you run into sibilance or fatigue. Still decent headphones and I personally think they sound pretty decent on tubes as well.

Are tube amps or solid state considered better for gaming?

I have used hybrid tubes for gaming but prefer solid state

So, I got a case of the duck it’s and will be comparing them both

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image
So far they aren’t incredibly different from one another.

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What signal chain are you using them on?

Modius > thx789.

I’m noticing the clear is much smoother and handles mids and bass in a much more realistic way. The 1990 is showing its treble tendencies but it’s not nearly as bad as I was expecting, though I find mids sound a bit recessed in comparison.

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Going to chime in on the fear of the treble of the dt 1990s. I am not sure who is saying these are horridly sharp they really are not by any means… They are definitely a neutral bright headphone but not sibilant. If it is at all sibilant pair it with an amp that can dial back that treble to your liking, change to the balanced pads, or equalize them. They are truly a gamers dream headphone imo. Glad to see you got them for yourself to check them out. Hope you are enjoying them!

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This is subjective. I find them extremely bright and sibilant. The sibilance region falls from 4 to 10 KHz. The DT 1990 have one of the steepest peaks I’ve ever seen from 5 to 8 KHz, which backs up what I heard.

120-ohm-3.1db-peak-1.5db

Totally agree, they’re not at all “bad” when it comes to treble. I would say all of my planars have more chance if being fatiguing than these.