šŸ”¶ Focal Clear Mg

Haha.

From my profile pic you can see that Iā€™m a dad too, so I can appreciate the ā€œdadā€ humor. :slightly_smiling_face:

Initial impressions of the Focal Clear Mg loaner unit from TTVJā€¦

Chain: Musicbee (FLAC) ā†’ Bifrost 2 ā†’ Liquid Platinum [5814A - RCA Command] | THX AAA 789

Cans that have been on regular rotation lately: HD580 (black silk, raised nameplate), HE-6 (Bryston 3B-ST), and HE1000 v1 (v2 pads).

Timbre-wise, it is the least offensive from the Focals that Iā€™ve tried so far (from best to worst, relatively speaking: Clear Mg, Radiance, Elegia, Elex). Coming from the tighter planar bass (current preference) of the HE-6 and HEKv1, I find that the bass of the Clear Mg extends low but is more undefined and wooly than what I prefer at the moment. Again, it is a preference thing, and I will not begrudge anyone who prefers the Clear Mg bass more or finds it adequate.

Outside of its bass, the Clear Mg has a fairly clean and articulate presentation. However, I did notice a drop in the upper mids/lower treble area, which may be attributable to Focalā€™s decision to add a bit more warmth to the Clear sound (I never listened to the OG Clears). It reminds me of the treble recession that I hear in my LCD-2ā€™s, more so with the LCD-2 rev. 1ā€™s (going by memory and being too lazy to hook it up right now). For the few pop tracks that Iā€™ve tried, the Clear Mg sounded fine. However, some might want a bit more treble presence when it comes to classical music, particularly for a track like Europa Galanteā€™s performance of Vivaldiā€™s Concerto No.5 in Eā™­ Major (ā€œLa Tempesta di Mareā€), RV 253: I. Presto. I just felt that certain string passages sounded duller and more muted on the Clear Mg when compared to the HEKv1 and HD580.

Just my 2c.

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My very short impressions. Just my opinion, and I know I couldā€™ve given these more of a chance, but theyā€™ll be going back after just a few hours trying them out.

Immediately, these are pretty uncomfortable for me. I think Iā€™m sensitive around the under-ear, upper neck and end of jaw area, which is why the Hifiman egg-shaped cups also donā€™t work for me. The Clears have that upward tilting spring mechanism that push the bottom of the cups into the area behind and below my ears. The are objectively fairly comfortable - my existing headphonesā€™ cups are more comfortable (6xx and 1990 Pro), but these are fairly plush all the same - albeit with somewhat stiff suede/leather padding.

Sonically, this headphone has the best dynamics Iā€™ve heard in an open back, but I was less than impressed by their detail and FR. Something sounded weirdly recessed in the upper mids or highs; I canā€™t exactly pinpoint where. I actually preferred the FR in my 1990 Proā€™s. The 1990 Proā€™s are peakier in the treble, but sounded more revealing and neutral.

Ultimately, Iā€™m sending these back on the basis of lack of comfort - namely, the spring-loaded mechanism that force the bottom of the cups into the area behind and below the ear. That, and I canā€™t really wear my glasses with them - the back of the cups are too shallow so my glasses are sort of pushed/prodded forward.

Edit: I know for a fact the sound of these would have opened up more on burn-in, know for a fact the pads would have felt a little more comfortable too over time. But for a ~$1600 HP (taxes etc.), I have to be at least impressed upon first listen. Like I said, the comfort was the ultimate deal-breaker. The way the bottom of the cups push into me felt very unnatural and distracting. Others wonā€™t care; I did. My Thieaudio Monarchā€™s sound more detailed - by comparison because IEM vs HP, but still. Dynamics were nice, but there was something rolled off in the upper mids or highs, to my ear, to sort of impeded my enjoyment.

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Oh, the Monarch is awesome. Iā€™d much rather hear what the Monarch presents to my ears but that doesnā€™t happen in a headphone, let alone an open back headphone. Then again, other times, I donā€™t want IEMs shoved into my ears.

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To say that I just enjoy the Clear MG Pro would be a massive understatement. I had the original Clear Pro before, and those were good enough. Focal did exactly what I wanted them to do with the MG: improve the timbre and make it a little warmer. The OG Clear was just a little too sharp, and so I needed to use a narrow EQ filter at 10 kHz to take away that edge. But the MG is almost as natural sounding as the Sennheiser HD660S to me, and it doesnā€™t need much if any EQ. And on top of that, it maintains the insanely detailed and dynamic qualities Focal is known for. Pretty much everything I was looking for in a headphone, and then some.

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ZMF have amazing comfort ; )

My friend, you and I are both on the same page. Could not agree more.

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Alright you all have sold me. When I have the budget, Iā€™ll certainly consider the I have the budget for a flagship Iā€™ll definitely consider these

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Do you think an Hifiman Arya, or a HD800S, would be a nice complement for these? I wouldnā€™t mind doing some EQ, specially for the Senns. Iā€™m looking for an improvement in soundstage, and a slight brighter signature compared with these. In terms of details, would you consider those potential headphones to be superior to the Clear Mg?

The HD800S is probably the perfect choice then. Just donā€™t expect anything close to the bass on the Clear MG. Brighter, larger soundstage less bass = HD800S. It would be great to have both.

Personally any headphone is a non-starter for me without good/quality bass and overall neutral FR. Itā€™s a necessity.

If youā€™ve got a good :muscle: speaker amp then maybe the GL1200ā€¦getting some love when it comes to soundstage and EQ ok if youā€™re down with that?.

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Pad swapped to Dekoni Velour and tested 3 tracksā€¦ I switched back to OG pads after my 3rd track lol.

It made the MG super brightā€¦the dekoni velours was piercing my ears. I like treble but the dekoni velours made me treble sensitive. The mid bass improved a little but canā€™t say no more since I stopped right awayā€¦

Sourceā€¦ tidal > smsl su-9 > Asgard 3

Music tested

  • Notorious thugs - BIG ft BTNH
  • JS Bach: Violin Concerto No. 2 in E - Hillary Hanh
  • Foreigner - Ledger (when sheā€™s hitting them notes thatā€™s what made me stop, itā€™s really bad with the velour pads)

Not sure maybe my ears were just adjusting?

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FOCAL headphones are notorious for having horrible results when pad swapping. Donā€™t do it.

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Thanks! Itā€™ll be my first and last pad swapped on the MGs :sweat_smile:

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I had bought some Focal Elex pads from Drop. I think I prefer them over the default pads. It feels as if the sound opened up a bit more and added some width to the sound stage.

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Ordered one of these beauties yesterday, canā€™t wait.

Wondering what headphone stand I should buy. What kind do you guys use with your Focal. Love the look of the focal stand but not spending 300 on a stand lmao

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Same here.

But Iā€™m interested on these at Etsy.

Etsy seller: AmbiColoredLight

There are a lot of interesting and cool headphone stands at Etsy.

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Not sure those are going to be good for the longevity for the headphones (too thin), which is my main concern

Looks are somewhat important, but I am personally looking for something more neutral, although those are very cool for a gaming room or something

as a bright headphone lover, I now need to try these lol

That looks pretty cool, but if the Clear Mgā€™s pads press on the sides of that thing, then the pads might compress faster than normal. Focal replacement pads arenā€™t exactly cheap. I guess one could stock up on Drop Elex pads as a cheaper replacement if theyā€™re still being sold.