šŸ”¶ Focal Clear

So the elex actually measures somewhat flat and similar to the clear, but the presentation is different which gives it the more v shaped sound. Typically for a w shape the upper bass and lower treble will be a bit recessed where the midrange will see a nice hump if you wanted to recreate a graph based off of listening

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That makes a lot of sense!

And really makes me think that I really would prefer the clear > Elex.

I would gladly trade 1% of the Elex mid-range presence for 1% wider soundstage, which is something that I think could easily be a perceived effect from flattening out such a W.

Here is what I will say. Grab an rnhp and a dac like the enog 2 pro and see what happens first before you jump on the clear. Itā€™s also a good prerequisite for the clear lol

Problem is my Elex is long gone. I guess I canā€™t even say ā€œmyā€ anymore :man_shrugging:

But I can say that the clear is one of the few headphones thatā€™s been tested on my actual setup and I loved it.

Ah well that will be an issue lol

Itā€™s been around 3 weeks since I received my Clear Pro and about two weeks since I started listening with the RNHP. (Already gave my thoughts on it over HERE) Figured it was time to give my thoughts on these as wellā€¦

These are simply precise and oh so clean sounding, to use the namesake ā€œClearā€ is not a overstatement, a quite fitting way to describe this sound. The naturalness and tonality are the best Iā€™ve heard in a headphone and the soundstage while not super wide or deep, has this very unique spherical space where the music just sounds like it is playing a couple feet around your head 360 degrees. I donā€™t really have much bad to say about this pair of headphones.

To put it simply, I think these headphones might have ruined me haha. They just sound so much better than most of my other cans. I find myself not wanting to listen to some of my less capable pairs when I know I have the option to just listen to these. The pairing with the RNHP really does make the difference though, I never thought a amp could make such a noticeable change in enjoyment. I might have to seriously start looking at my collection and start culling some pairs that donā€™t get a lot of use.

Donā€™t get me wrong though, stuff like the 6xx and NDH20 (both on tubes) as well as my sendy aiva still very much have their place in my listening rotation, but others will definitely need to be looked at now.

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Lol, well glad you are enjoying them :+1:

What about the other way around??UnfinishedBetterGraywolf-size_restricted

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It depends on the amp you have. If you arenā€™t willing to jump to a higher tier of amp just stick with the elex, but if you are willing to upgrade the amps the clear makes sense

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One is marketed towards professionalsā€¦

Holy crap!!! The clear is significantly different from the Elex!!!

Iā€™m so much more in the analytical! I canā€™t believe anyone would ever say they sound the same including myself. Also they really are SIGNIFICANTLY easier to power.

Before I only heard them in a noisy audio store.

These are less ā€œfunā€ than the Elex for sure, but crazy clean. Iā€™ve never heard any pair of headphones this clean. The name makes so much sense. Also, I canā€™t think of a logical reason for this but they are more comfortable than the Elex. Mainly they seem to fit without being too loose. Could be that they are brand new nothing more or less.

For once I agree with Zeos and disagree with Josh V.

Soundstage is more immersive on the Elex, and the sound is laid out right in front of you with these. I finally see where Z got his opinion of Elex vs clear but itā€™s very obvious that this is a higher quality item than the Elex. Hearing things I havenā€™t heard before.

It makes sense that they came up with a ā€œproā€ version. I canā€™t think of a more honest reference set for mixing.

But hell no to Zā€™s comparison to beats saying that these are for bass heads. Elex has more bass.

This really is a flat FRā€¦wow. I can feel myself wanting to EQ for personal taste.

Looking forward to trying Genres that I thought were lackluster with the Elex.

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Thatā€™s great :+1:

Correct me if Iā€™m wrong but didnā€™t Z say the clear and elex are close and itā€™s not worth with the clear (which is clearly incorrect lol)

The pads are different so perhaps thatā€™s it

I use mine for mastering all the time, but do note the pro is just a different color and different accessories, same headphone

He said this because of a bad mismatch with his amp, they are pretty picky. He used the QES reference which has a very very high output impedance and significantly altered the frequency response of the clear.

I wonder if they preform better for you because of the easier to drive but more picky nature. Typically on lower end gear that has adequate power the clear and elex sound somewhat similar but with a different fr, they really come alive on a good amp, I wonder if you are just getting more power now or if the elex you had was flawed

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He said that about the Utopia ($4000, you be the judge), he just said he preferred the relaxed nature of the Elex over the Clear, but then he always says that. I think the Clears are definitely worth it as an alternative for $1200.

Strange, the elex is more energetic than the clear from my experience? The elex is a bit more exciting with a slight w shape and more exaggerated dynamics. I myself prefer the clear over the utopia actually (spent a week with all of focalā€™s high end, and left with the clear and elegia), I can acknowledge the technical performance of the utopia but I didnā€™t find the signature that worth imo. The verite actually reminds me of the utopia, with a more energetic signature with the same technicalities (but lacking as much openness and dynamics).

I would say it depends, because imo if people arenā€™t willing to take the step to a higher end amp, the elex offers a fair bit more for the money, I really only recommend the clear if someone is willing to step to that 500 and up amp territory. Otherwise they legit do sound close on something like a thx. The reason why I think the clear sounds a fair bit better to @luige06 is because the m6 is pretty weak, and the elex most likely wasnā€™t getting enough actual juice, and while it is pretty less amp picky than the clears, it does need a bit more juice to function properly. So I guess the lower impedance of the clears actually helped this time lol. But I would still highly recommend a higher end amp with them to get what you paid for imo

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What I was referring to when I said I agreed with Zeos over Josh V was soundstage.

Zeos said the clear was more intimate across spectrums. Josh said the opposite. I think the Clears are less Spacey than the Elex. Imaging is a bit more put together but the sound bubble is smaller than with the Elex.

Itā€™s both. But there was no power issue with the Elex I had. It was only a channel imbalance issue which Iā€™m happy to confirm is non-existent with the clear. The ā€œissueā€ was the 80oms.

Verite is less open than Utopia?[quote=ā€œM0N, post:103, topic:8272ā€]
So I guess the lower impedance of the clears actually helped this time lol.
[/quote]

Yes.

Wait until you try it on a better amp imo

Imo yes

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Damn I thought Utopia was pretty stage-less.

And I also though Verite was supposed to be ZMFā€™s stage-emphasis headphone.

I didnā€™t say it was lacking stage, itā€™s just physically not as open sounding, as there is a bit more isolation. It is still expansive depending on the pads you use

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From what Iā€™m hearing it makes me want to hear it on a tube which is the opposite of what everyone saysā€¦ It just feels so bright and clean I want to muddy it up for fun. Lol

I must be getting stage and openness mixed up