Well, thatās got to be one plus to the Mg non-Pro. Iāve been using mine just over 3 months now as well and outside of the very bottom of the inside of the pads, where they rub against my facial hair, they still look completely new.
Nah, my pro pads still look completely new and Iāve had my MG Pro since launch and have used them almost every day since.
Agree. I think itās an odd choice. It would be really nice if FOCAL made black replacement pads for the Clear, but they donāt!
1 Like
I just threw the elex pads on themā¦ cheaper, alters the sound but its fairly marginal, and they donāt start looking all jacked up from being dirty after a few months
5 Likes
After I go through my replacement pads that came with the MG Proāsā¦I just may do that to save 130 or whatever it is.
I am going to try washing them with light detergent and doing the air dry thing eventually. Pity that Focal doesnāt provide some cleaning tips considering it seems to be an issue for the OG pads as well.
I think they actually recommend a specific brand of soap.
1 Like
2 Likes
Iām new to this audiophile scene and I just bought the Clear MG Pros. They were open box condition on ebay and they look and feel brand new but I have some concerns. I have the Fiio E07k and E09k amp/dac combo and while I realize theyāre not the best to drive this type of headphone, I wanna know if itās their fault or the headphones are faulty. First of all Iām not noticing this huge audio clarity and the volume is really low. When I raise the gains on the amp the sound gets distorted and it starts crackling. I currently have the V-Moda Crossfade M100 and they are louder and have no distortion whatsoever and the sound is much crisper on the same setup. Did I waste 1200 euros on broken headphones or do I need a stronger amp/dac to drive the Focals?
Well, the first thing I would do is plug it straight into the PCās audio out and use the built in sound card and see if you have the same issue. If you do, then Iām afraid you might be correct. Good news is, the Clear Mg havenāt been out that long, so you could contact Focal and explain whatās going on, and I would think they would be able to do something about it.
1 Like
Welcome to hifiguides. Unfortunately your set-up does not do the clear mg justice whatsoever. It is quite brave of you to take the plunge for an endgame headphone straight from a consumer oriented model. Synergy becomes more and more important in the higher end stuff as you will come to learn. It is not just about power.
1 Like
Well I donāt have a headphone jack adapter to plug it straight to my pc so Iāll have to buy one and report back. There is no distortion or problem with the Focal when theyāre connected to my current setup, but theyāre just quiet and Iām not noticing this audio clarity upgrade. Itās only when I raise the gains on the amp that I notice distortion and this doesnāt happen with the Crossfade M100 which technically in comparison are horrible compared to the Focals and yet they sound better. I donāt mind spending more on a different amp dac combo, was thinking of getting the Schiit Magnius and Modius but I donāt know whoās fault is it in this case.
As I said Iām new to this. Just trying to figure out if I should replace my headphones or amp and dac in this case I donāt mind spending more on a better setup.
If I were you I would get a more easy to drive headphone with better universal synergy first. The clear mg, like many dynamic driver headphones, is tricky in terms of finding the right amp. An infamous example of dd would be Fostex TH-909.
If you can sell it for a decent price, sell it. Even with a cheap measly Sennheiser Hd560s or hifiman he400se or even koss porta pro. you will see a noticeable setup and get used to actual soundstage. Learn your preferences then progress from there
The only Sennheisers I havenāt tried are the HD800ās and I wasnāt a fan of any of them for what I was looking for. I was told the MG Pros were relatively easy to drive and from the reviews they matched what I was looking for. Iād rather upgrade my amp and dac tbh, selling them would be a hassle because I live in a third world country and I had to wait 3 months for them to get here let alone sell them and ship them outside the country would take a long time and I would not get back the 20% I paid in taxes extra to have them shipped here. Also I canāt sell broken headphones if theyāre actual faulty, this is what Iām trying to find out. Whether I like them or not in the end thatās another issue.
Well, you can always be a dick and sell faulty headphones without letting the buyer know it is
Okay, what about a phone, or maybe a friendās computer? Just something with a 3.5mm jack and a built in DAC/amp that you do a quick test with.
While the Modius would be fine, Iām not sure Iād recommend the Magnius as an amp for the Mg. The higher up the Focal stack you go, the more amp picky they become. So, something like the Asgard 3, Jotunheim 2, the RNHP, or the Lake People G111 would be good choices if you can get them. Of course, while the Modius would be āfineā, something like the Bifrost 2, the D90, or one of the other $700-$1000 DACās would be a noticeable improvement. Just donāt bother with any of the DACās between $200 and $700. You donāt really gain anything over the $200 and under DACās until you get to the ~$700+ ones. But I understand you might be limited by regional availability and/or price.
Well if youāre suggesting over 1k in amps and dacs then itās obvious the poor $150 6 year old Fiio combo dac is at fault here 
My current budget is 1000 euros max for a dac and amp unfortunately.
Yeah, thatās part and parcel when you start getting into this kind of gear, lol. So, when I bought my Clear Mg I had a Modius/Jotunheim 2 stack, and while I liked it, there was a noticeable improvement when I moved up to the Bifrost 2. And I know that Iām not getting everything they are capable of giving me, so sometime before the year is out Iām going to be looking at upgrading my amp to something in the $1.5-$2k range. Honestly though, if you want an expert opinion, @M0N is the one to look to for help. He might even be able to outright tell you if it is just your source gear causing your issue.
I will probably end up getting a high end dac in the price range you mentioned and then a proper amp when I have the budget. Iād rather get the right equipment later than half assed amp and dac now. I can use my current setup I am in no rush. I will have to do my research for some time to get whatās right for me. Hopefully the user you tagged will also help me out. Apologize for my ignorance but as I said Iām new to the high end audio game and Iād like to learn and have a proper setup in the near future.
No worries, Iām still green too. I only started into this back in February. The Modius/Jot2 was the first DAC and amp that Iāve ever had. Iād just been using my HD6XX sourced straight from my PC for years until I finally decided to start doing research and learned that thatās not how youāre supposed to run those, lol. And then I went out and bought the Clear Mg non-Pro the day they launched. Hard to regret that, given how much I love them, but I also know that it probably wasnāt the āsmartā thing to do for myself, experience wise. After all, youāre supposed to start with cheaper HPās and work your way up, figuring out what your preferences are. And I skipped that. 