The review in video form:
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Thanks for the write-up; Iāll be watching the video soon as well.
I always appreciate reading reviews that I disagree with as itās interesting to hear how different preferences can be!
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Great review, very detailed and clear.
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Itās too bad you havenāt gotten to know the OG Clearāwhile it still has that general mid-forwardness and itās just as amp-picky and stuff, the muffled sound you describe in the video is new to the MG version.
Even without the OG comparison, great detailed review!
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I find it interesting that you mark the Eikons as having better timbre. For me going back and forth, I found the tonality of the Eikons overly warps timbre compared to the MG - not to say the Eikons arenāt enjoyable for their timbre, just the MGs give you a much clearer and fuller picture. Listening to a lot of acoustic music and things like how it resolves leading edges of vocals and fully carries voices through.
I can see how the MGs could come across sharper, particularly in drums, for me, if I actually had to really guess as to what the difference is otherwise, I believe the MGs cross a resolution threshold just enough to where they identify their own weaknesses in timbre, where the Eikons donāt, coupled with some of the pleasantness of the wood sound. However as a whole the MGs are far ahead especially in that they do cross that threshold.
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Still use this headphone likeā¦ nonstop, I love it to death but man do the pads wear down quick and get dirty fastā¦ I really wish replacements were cheaper, I have a hard time even considering a recommendation towards the non pro version as an extra set of pads definitely goes a long way on this imo.
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I use mine all the time too. I did buy a set of Elex pads off Drop and occasionally switch them out - sound changes a little bit but to your point, it reduces the wear on the other ones. I wish pads were cheaper too.
There must be an issue with the dye Focal is using with the Pro pads. Because Iāve been using my Mg non-Pro pretty much exclusively since I got them, which was a couple of days after they hit the market, and there is no visible discoloration. Nor so I feel like there is any appreciable wear as of yet. Though I will freely admit that without a fresh pair of pads to compare against, I could just have forgotten what they felt like out of the box.
Just wondering how people are feeling now with the Clear Mg on the tried & tested synergy BF2/RNHP, compared to the OG Clear?
Iām considering the Clear Mg after having been set on getting the OG Clear for a long while now.
Iāve upgraded recently to Aryaās and in comparison with the rest of my headphones (1990 / Elegia) they are definitely a tier above so hoping to compliment them with Clears.
Running LP G111 & RNHP with Geshelli Jnog / RME FF400. Jnog feels like it could be a āmini BF2ā while the RME is narrower & more clinical.
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I really love the look of the Chestnut MGs, but I am concerned about some reviews saying that the bass is too prominent (vs the OG), leading to bass that is a bit mushy. If I use EQ, could I get the MG to match the frequency response to the OGs? Thanks
Hey there and welcome to HiFi Guides.
I donāt have the OG Clears to compare to, but I can tell you that the Clear Mg bass is my all time favorite. It is not mushy, at least not when running through a Schiit Bifrost 2 ā Jotunheim 2. It is tight, fast, and punchy.
Also the frequency response at the low end seems to be nearly identical to the OG Clears.
Great to hear! I am also planning to get the Schiit Bifrost 2 ā Jotunheim 2. Although I read in this thread that while this DAC / AMP sounds great with the MG, it sounds dark. Thoughts? Are you using EQ?
By the way, I am currently using an HD800S ā AAA 887 balanced AMP ā Focusrite Scarlet interface as a DAC ā Sonarworks. This set up sounds wide and detailed, but lacks punch and sub-bass. I listen to rock and metal, so thatās why I am considering the MG setup with the Schiit stack.
Thanks
Iām still using the Clear Mg Pro regularly, every day pretty much. Itās my favorite tuning of anything else Iāve heard, and I use it as a benchmark to tune my other headphones to using EQ. Iāve had great results tuning the AKG K371 like the Clear MG to make it sound a more natural and open than it would with stock sound.
When it comes to the pads issue, I was lucky enough to find someone who was selling their extra MG Pro pair because my extra set had uneven pads, which affects the left/right balance more than you would think. But Iāve also contacted Focal, and they are backordered on the MG Pro pads unfortunately.
@Resolution and others will be a better resource than I will here.
I prefer a warm frequency response to a bright one so if youāre running an HD800S into a THX amp like the 887/789 we are probably on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of what we like. There are several on this forum also running the Bifrost 2 ā Jot 2 ā Clear Mg and I do think itās indeed a āwarmerā sound signature, especially when compared to the OG Clears, but I wouldnāt say itās dark. Maybe @Michael can comment as well. I donāt use any EQ.
I also listen to rock and metal and I think itās a really amazing setup. I do wonder if you would prefer the OG Clear to the Mg though since itās my understanding that the Mg has rolled off the treble quite a bit in comparison.
Iām not honestly sure Iād have the best answer for that. I donāt think it sounds dark, but since I donāt have any real experience with any other amps besides the Jot2, I could just not know what Iām talking about. I mean, I have listened to the Mg with my Fiio Q3 a bit, but I donāt recall liking that very much.
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Yeah I donāt think itās fair to say itās dark. It would definitely sound warmer or darker than an HD800S into a THX amp though.
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That, I think, is absolutely a fair thing to say. You are certainly right about that.
Thanks for your feedback.
The only reason I am considering the MG over the OG is the color. Iām a big fan of the new Chestnut MG color.
Given that the frequency response of the MG is darker than the OG, I would assume I could easily compensate that with EQ.
With regards to my current HD800S->THX887 setup, I have EQād it with Sonarworks, so it should be quite neutral. I donāt have any other experience with other headphones / amps / dacs
Thanks again
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Iām biased but I have to say they really are some of the best looking headphones Iāve ever seen. I never get tired of looking at them.
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Hello all,
I can buy them for around 1000ā¬/1100$ from a local retailer. What do you think people? Should I?
My most expensive headphone is Sundara right now. I also have Sennheiser 58x, Meze 99 Noir, X2HR, Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro and a few other. Iām relatively new to this hobby and enjoy most of my headphones for different genres of music.
Thanks in advance