Focal Clear MG headphones....worth it?

[Revelation]

I have the Beyerdynamic 1990's which are very nice headphones. I thought about the Focal Clears but went with the 1990's instead.  Now Focal updated the Clears with the MG version. 

 

I welcome feedback on those who heard these headphones. Are they much better or just different? 

[lucretius]

Other than changing the aluminum/magnesium dome to a magnesium dome and changing the grill and back pattern and color,, I do not see the difference between the Clear and the Clear MG.  Am I missing something?

 

I have the Clear and it is noted for its neutrality and realism. I agree with this.  OTH, if your looking for something with maximum power on the low end, then look to Grado.  I don't know what else I can tell you.

[Revelation]

As an update I bought the Focal Clear MG's. Initially I thought the build quality, look and comfort was really good. Bass is solid and detailed, but when I compared them to my 1990's the top end is lacking and the sound stage is smaller. My feeling was if I have to pay $1,500 for headphones and it has these short comings, not sure if I want to keep them. Sweetwater told me my 1990's are more for mixing and not audiophile. They have enhanced top end and are thinner sounding in the mids. Music is actually suppose to sound more even and I should take a break from the heightened 1990's and just listen on the Focal Clear MG's. 

 

So I started playing music with just the Clear's and they are growing on me. With my NAD preamp, I find I enjoy the headphones more when I add 1 to 2 db of treble to the music to add some more sparkle. They are the most balanced headphones I have ever heard. I asked myself however do I need to pay this much money to get decent headphones? So I ordered Sennheiser 660S headphones to compare to the Focal Clear's. It will be an interesting shoot out. I was told the 660S are 650's with some slight improvements. In one way I hope I like the 660's as much as the Clear's...that they sound just as good but different. I would then save $1,000. However my head tells me with the higher end magnesium drivers and design, the Focals should win easily in a shoot out against the 660's. 

 

Based on watching so many headphone reviews on line, it seems most people that really like headphones have more than one pair. If you want something more detailed and spatial like the Sennheiser 800S, they will sound thinner in the mids. If you want more balanced headphones, the nice top end open sound won't be there. So by getting at least 2 different headphones to choose from on a regular basis, one will meet the needs of what your looking for. 

[audiobomber]

On 8/29/2021 at 8:35 PM, lucretius said:

if your looking for something with maximum power on the low end, then look to Grado.  I don't know what else I can tell you.

I guess you mean the over-ear Statement or Pro Series Grados? I own the DT 1990 Pro and Grado SR60 and GH4, have had long periods with the Grado RS2E and Senn HD 650. The 1990 has more bass power and extension than any of the others. The Grados have tight bass but lacking some bass power. The 650 tries to fool you with an exaggerated mid-bass hump, but has nothing much below 100 Hz. 

[audiobomber]

43 minutes ago, Revelation said:

Sweetwater told me my 1990's are more for mixing and not audiophile. They have enhanced top end and are thinner sounding in the mids. Music is actually suppose to sound more even and I should take a break from the heightened 1990's and just listen on the Focal Clear MG's. 

 

I disagree with Sweetwater. There are plenty of audiophiles like me who love the DT 1990. However, I only love them with the Analytical pads. Which pads are you using? I find the Balanced pads a bit too bass-heavy and sibilants are exaggerated.

 

43 minutes ago, Revelation said:

Based on watching so many headphone reviews on line, it seems most people that really like headphones have more than one pair. If you want something more detailed and spatial like the Sennheiser 800S, they will sound thinner in the mids. If you want more balanced headphones, the nice top end open sound won't be there. So by getting at least 2 different headphones to choose from on a regular basis, one will meet the needs of what your looking for. 

 

I agree, it's fun to own more than one pair. I spent a long time with the DT 1990 and GH4 in my desktop system, each with their own amp, switching back and forth. If something didn't sound amazing with one, it surely would with the other. Now I use the 1990 in my main system through an exaSound e32 DAC/headphone amp, and everything I play sounds amazing. They are match made in heaven, the 1990 scales really well.

 

I went to an audio show in Toronto, where I was able to hear some very high-end headphones from Focal, Abyss, Hifiman, Stax, etc., powered by multi-kilobuck DAC's and amps. I had my DT 1990 with me, and switched them in and out in some setups. My conclusion is that the DT 1990 (with Analytical pads) is my headphone end-game. I don't need or crave anything more. 

[Revelation]

MY REVIEW OF THE FOCAL CLEAR MG PROFESSIONAL HEADPHONES

 

The Focal Clear Professional open back headphones came out in 2017. We see now in about 4 years they updated them with the new Clear MG Professional. The the sound is very close to the original Clear's which had received high praise by many.

The only difference between Clear MG's and Clear MG Pro version is the color and what is offered in the box with the cables.

The new MG's has a 40-mm magnesium (Mg) M-dome driver replaced Clear’s original 40-mm aluminum/magnesium driver. They are a lighter driver which helps add a little more cohesion to the music as well as slightly better dynamics.

Construction of the headphones is top notch. The microfiber pads are very comfortable and your ears won't sweat as much as you might on other headphones with some materials being used. Packaging offers a fancy box, a 2nd pair of ear pads, a coil and straight cables. They do weigh more than some other headphones but are still comfortable.

So how do the headphones sound? Very balanced. You hear a solid strong bass, great mid's and high's that are very even. I personally would prefer if there was a tad more treble response from these headphones. On my NAD preamp, I put the treble to +1 or 2 db to hear the cymbals and snare sound a little more open. With not having strong high's like the Beyerdynamic 1990's or Sennheiser 880's, the sound stage is not a big compared to the other two. While the others have a bigger sound stage including a more open top end, the mid's on those headphones are thinner than the Clear MG's. You also hear more sss when people sing with them. When I hear drum toms on the Clear's from Neil Pert, they are solid and have a good presence. On the 1990's and 880's they have a lighter sound and they are not as full sounding. The Sennheiser 660s actually sound similar in character to the Focal Clear MG's with the exception that the Clear's offer a little more detail information including the ability to hear the reverb tails better.

Audiophile fans and those who work in a studio who want headphones they are even and provide good detail, the Clear MG's are a great option. Is the higher cost for these headphones worth it? Being able to have monthly low payments interest free from several on line music stores does make it easier to work with, but $1,500 for headphones is a lot of money. But once you compare them to other headphones, its hard to go back to your older less expensive headphones. All in all the Focal Clear MG Professional headphones are a joy to hear music through. If you want a solid sound, with music more in your head, these headphones are a great option. Again the one thing I don't love but like is the treble response. Some reviewers say these headphones are warmer sounding due to the high end not being enhanced.

If you want a larger sound stage, lighter headphones, more treble response so you can hear details and separate out the instruments more, the Sennheiser 800's are the way to go. If you don't want to spend as much money for the 800's but want something similar with treble presence and sound stage, go for the 1990's. If you want something similar in character as the Focal Clear MG's but less money, go for the Sennheiser 650 or 660's.

[audiobomber]

Once again, I would ask whether you tried the Analytical pads on the DT 1990? They ship with Balanced pads mounted. Changing pads results in a very different presentation, which many owners, maybe most, find  is superior, judging by a very long thread I follow on Head-Fi forum. 

[Revelation]

I use the analytical pads on my 1990's. 

[davide256]

Can't say

12 hours ago, Revelation said:

MY REVIEW OF THE FOCAL CLEAR MG PROFESSIONAL HEADPHONES

 

The Focal Clear Professional open back headphones came out in 2017. We see now in about 4 years they updated them with the new Clear MG Professional. The the sound is very close to the original Clear's which had received high praise by many.

The only difference between Clear MG's and Clear MG Pro version is the color and what is offered in the box with the cables.

The new MG's has a 40-mm magnesium (Mg) M-dome driver replaced Clear’s original 40-mm aluminum/magnesium driver. They are a lighter driver which helps add a little more cohesion to the music as well as slightly better dynamics.

Construction of the headphones is top notch. The microfiber pads are very comfortable and your ears won't sweat as much as you might on other headphones with some materials being used. Packaging offers a fancy box, a 2nd pair of ear pads, a coil and straight cables. They do weigh more than some other headphones but are still comfortable.

So how do the headphones sound? Very balanced. You hear a solid strong bass, great mid's and high's that are very even. I personally would prefer if there was a tad more treble response from these headphones. On my NAD preamp, I put the treble to +1 or 2 db to hear the cymbals and snare sound a little more open. With not having strong high's like the Beyerdynamic 1990's or Sennheiser 880's, the sound stage is not a big compared to the other two. While the others have a bigger sound stage including a more open top end, the mid's on those headphones are thinner than the Clear MG's. You also hear more sss when people sing with them. When I hear drum toms on the Clear's from Neil Pert, they are solid and have a good presence. On the 1990's and 880's they have a lighter sound and they are not as full sounding. The Sennheiser 660s actually sound similar in character to the Focal Clear MG's with the exception that the Clear's offer a little more detail information including the ability to hear the reverb tails better.

Audiophile fans and those who work in a studio who want headphones they are even and provide good detail, the Clear MG's are a great option. Is the higher cost for these headphones worth it? Being able to have monthly low payments interest free from several on line music stores does make it easier to work with, but $1,500 for headphones is a lot of money. But once you compare them to other headphones, its hard to go back to your older less expensive headphones. All in all the Focal Clear MG Professional headphones are a joy to hear music through. If you want a solid sound, with music more in your head, these headphones are a great option. Again the one thing I don't love but like is the treble response. Some reviewers say these headphones are warmer sounding due to the high end not being enhanced.

If you want a larger sound stage, lighter headphones, more treble response so you can hear details and separate out the instruments more, the Sennheiser 800's are the way to go. If you don't want to spend as much money for the 800's but want something similar with treble presence and sound stage, go for the 1990's. If you want something similar in character as the Focal Clear MG's but less money, go for the Sennheiser 650 or 660's.

hmm. Please identify what headphone amplifier(s) you used to draw your conclusions. Results tend to vary based on amplifier design.

[Revelation]

4 minutes ago, davide256 said:

Can't say

hmm. Please identify what headphone amplifier(s) you used to draw your conclusions. Results tend to vary based on amplifier design.

Universal Audio Apollo 8X and NAD 658 preamp.

[Brentz]

Hi, I owned the original Focal Clear (FC) for about à year. The setup is as follows

 

Quobuz/CD - Roon - HQPlayer to upsample: PCM 384 kHz max - RooopieXL/NAA/RPI4 - RMI ADI DAC2 FS (I EQ all my headphones)

 

Before I bought the FC, I mainly used a Drop HD6XX and Drop HE4X, and initially I thought : "OMG these cans are incredibly good" . They have soo much slam and détail - it is really amazing. However very fast some problems became noticable, mainly serious clipping when playing ultra low bass heavy tracks.  the later ZZTop albums or those from Billy Gibbons cannot be played correctly without some very audible and deafening static cracles  above 70 db.  But even at lower level the bass sounds thin and synthetic to me. Some time later, I replaced the HE4X with Sundaras: these are definetely not as detailed as the FC but they simply sounded more natural and engaging to me and found myself listening almost all the time with the Sundaras. On top of that, the bass restitution of the ZZTop/B.Gibbons tracks is absolutley impeccable. Is it because they are planars??  I don't really know. 

 

Anyway, I sold them and bought the Audeze LCD-X (2021 Edition), and I really love those. In the end, I do not regret having bought the FC because through them, I really found what sound I'm looking for in headphones, and thatI prefer open backed planar-magnetic headphones. 

Cheers and happy Christmas and end of year listening session.

[Revelation]

Thanks for your comments. I agree that you don't really know how good headphones are until you compare them to several other headphones. Audeze headphones always get high praise from so many. The two concerns I have is their extra weight vs many other headphones. The second is the larger size of the headphones. Was their weight much annoyance after an hour or two?

[One and a half]

8 minutes ago, Revelation said:

Thanks for your comments. I agree that you don't really know how good headphones are until you compare them to several other headphones. Audeze headphones always get high praise from so many. The two concerns I have is their extra weight vs many other headphones. The second is the larger size of the headphones. Was their weight much annoyance after an hour or two?

Audeze are over rated, after living with LCD3. The weight is oppressive, after 24 months the right driver gave up. The replacement cost was second to the chance that the other driver would also fail. The LCD3 ended up in landfill. Never again, hard lesson learned.

[Brentz]

1 hour ago, Revelation said:

Thanks for your comments. I agree that you don't really know how good headphones are until you compare them to several other headphones. Audeze headphones always get high praise from so many. The two concerns I have is their extra weight vs many other headphones. The second is the larger size of the headphones. Was their weight much annoyance after an hour or two?

Well, for my part, I can say that I do not have any problem with the weight of the LCD-X but yes, they are definetely not light. I can understand that some users find this offputting. The built quality of the LCD-X is excellent (in any case superior to the Hifimans that I own). How they will age in time, only time will tell.