Focal Clear are melting my ears and not in a good way (review)Submitted by super_smoothie t3_z7y5jz in headphones
super_smoothie OP t1_iy8ptny wrote
TL/DR: They are way too mid shouty for me, even more so than some Sennheiser's I've tried.
Auditioned on a Topping E50 and A90D.
Hopefully this can save some folks some money if they are looking at these and have similar preferences to me.
First the positives: the dynamics and resolution are amazing. Best so far from what I've tried. You can hear everything. They are very comfortable and look like a piece of art in real life, no exaggeration. My wife barely gives a shit about headphones and was making lots of comments about their looks. The bass impact isn't super pronounced at the very lowest end but has really good slam when it is there. While the soundstage is small, it is very very precise and would be good for a gaming/music dual purpose if you like the other qualities.
Now the negatives: The timbre is very metallic. I'm usually an "each their own" guy, but I legitimately don't understand how anyone thinks these sound natural. Maybe on something not solid state? Not sure. The real issue I have with them though, is how forward the mids are. For me, things like the 560s are too mid forward which gives male vocals and other pieces of the music just way too much energy vs the rest of the track. It makes the track sound like everyone and everything IS YELLING ALL THE TIME. These take that senn mid forward approach and push it to 11 for me. It doesn't really measure too hot, but I think the increase in dynamics really double down on this effect. My ears legitimately hurt after listening to these. I like my music on the louder side, but have learned to not go crazy after watching a couple friends get tinnitus. I have no issue listening to these volumes on some of my other sets which I'll go into more later. Also, after coming off of my Sundaras, the music sounds too constrained. That is partially from the smaller soundstage, but is really doubled down because the treble is being buried by this mid bump.
I have tried pulling the mids down around 1250 using PEACE but it loses a lot of dynamics very quickly doing that and I imagine that is why they are tuned this way in the first place.
At this point, I've tried basically every mid-fi headphone "style" and am working my way up the stack.
Some stuff I've tried and don't like.
Beyer DT 1990's (they sounded awesome but the sibilance was eventually too much)
beyer 900 pro x (worse 1990s)
Sennheiser 560s (Too mid forward)
AKG K712 (too dark).
​
Some stuff I do like.
Sundaras(still my fav so far just not enough bass energy for me. looking at the aryas. These sound so ethereal, have really decent bass roll-off, and are very precise with a wide sound stage. If these had slightly punchier low-end, I wouldn't be looking to upgrade at all. The only real unnatural timbre I hear are "lazer" type sounds. They come through HARD, but honestly I really like that, feels like my brain is getting scratched. If you have these, go listen to "Da Funk" by Daft Punk and tell me the lazer part of the track isn't piercing your brain.)
Grado SR60x(Super fun but very fatiguing. They get pulled out once a month to listen to some female vocals at 11)
Sennheiser pc38x(Use these for my ps5 and are scary good. These are my hardest rec for newer audiophiles/gamers. If you don't own these, buy them and use the darker pads which help balance the upper mids for me)
Beyer 770. (I love these headphones so much. I've owned them the longest. They are on the treble heavy side without melting my ears and my only true closed backs)
Harmonicdyne Zeus (I don't usually like a darker headphone, but these are just too good. Listen to some funk or concert hall music on these and you are literally there. Just not enough low end for my tastes)
Stuff I'd like to try/where to head next:
I should have just followed the "buy once, cry once" method and bought the Aryas. I need more oomph in my bass and that seems like the best way to get it without losing the qualities I like in the Sundaras.
I also really want to try some AEON noires, but the measurements look so funky I need to find a place to try them before buying. I can't trust reviewers because almost every one out there likes things more mid forward or darker than I do
QTIIPP t1_iyakrq4 wrote
You basically summed it up at the end. You have different taste and are likely accustomed to a different sound. The Sundaras are essentially the opposite from the 1-3kz region, with a notable dip/darkness to the mids.
Acclimation is huge for tunings like this. I have tried and enjoyed all kinds of tunings over the years, but in recent years, I greatly enjoy present mids, and have to EQ all Hifimans to truely enjoy them. I also have never found the mid hump of the clears or Elex to be that significant from a tuning perspective, but the combination of dynamic range and macro dynamics made the mids/vocals sort of attack you, making them feel more forward than they technically are.
RayceManyon t1_iy8vokh wrote
I just got the elegia, (same driver dome but different magnet structure) and I feel the same about the upper-mids being too shouty. I found the dan clark tuning filters help A LOT! I just pop one behind the pad and it smooths thing out. I believe burn in will help tone it down and little, but for now the DCA filters are great.
klogg4 t1_iy92v5p wrote
>and I feel the same about the upper-mids being too shouty.
You don't even get the idea. The dude will DIE listening to Elegias! They're extremely shouty even for me :)) Focal Clear is a lot more balanced headphone than Elegia
RayceManyon t1_iy94zks wrote
Yeah... The Elegia doesn't make me super happy.
Silverjackal_ t1_iy9grb3 wrote
Just got mine in and listening to them. Actually bought them because of your post! I’m enjoying them quite a bit honestly.
RayceManyon t1_iyaeaam wrote
I'm super glad to hear that. The soundstage and separation are good for a closed back.
jbhatnagar00 t1_iycpdis wrote
Are those filters available to buy on their own?
RayceManyon t1_iycyuvp wrote
https://danclarkaudio.com/accessories/tuning.html
They are $20 + shipping. The oval shaped ones cover 80% of the focal driver. I have mine placed towards the front part. The rectangle ones might need to be trimmed.
QTIIPP t1_iyajpfz wrote
Oh Elegias are way worse for the mids than the clears! This guy will break them if he listens…
super_smoothie OP t1_iy8yka3 wrote
Interesting. I might see if I can source some filters before boxing them up and sending them back. Thanks!
VisceralVoyage420 t1_iy91pji wrote
Strange, the DT 770 (250) is a lot harsher on the treble than the DT 1770, is the DT 1990 really THAT different from the 1770? I did have the treble peak EQ'd down a bit on the 1770, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as the 770. Did you try to EQ the 1990 to remove the sibilance?
super_smoothie OP t1_iy92ov2 wrote
Ear sizzling is the best way I can describe the 1990s. The 770s had a bit of sibilance too but acceptable for me. When I owned the 1990s(about a year and a couple months ago) I wasnt very knowledgeable about EQ yet. If I owned them today, I'd definitely give it a shot because they were great otherwise. They were very heavy too which I didn't think I'd ever care about but was pretty noticable. I just feel like I get 80% of the sound with the 770s and have found signatures I like better at this point.
Lohikar t1_iyafnwt wrote
The 1770s have something like 5 dB less treble than the 1990s, normalized to 1000 Hz. They're either missing treble (except the peak) or have too much mids depending on where you normalize.
In my experience the 1770s are duller sounding than the 1990s without EQ, but the 1990s can also be actively unpleasant on treble-hot content.
exoticsclerosis t1_iya4im4 wrote
>AKG K712
So these are dark ? that's interesting, can't wait to try them then, they are about 150$ in my country (not sure if that's a good price for them)
I thought they were gonna be the same with K701/K702 where both of these have peaky upper mid and elevated low to mid treble, at least that was what I heard when I auditioned K701/K702 in the past.
khayalmania t1_iybh1h3 wrote
> need more oomph in my bass and that seems like the best way to get it without losing the qualities I like in the Sundaras.
You can also try the Edition XS. Recently got these and to me they fill in the exact holes that the Sundara is missing. The bass sounds like a flat line pretty much all the way down to 20hz, and it has noticeably wider soundstage and even better instrument separation. It's definitely not as intense in the mid-mids as the HD650, so it might be up your alley.
Of course if you're set on the Arya that should be flat out better in terms of technical ability, but they ARE supposed to be brighter...
blorg t1_iybyeic wrote
Try Oratory's Harman EQ, (pdf) I find it works very well with the Clear.
That does EQ down the 1250 shout (1350 in this case) as well, I still find them very dynamic.
I find them less shouty and in your face than something like the HD600, and they do graph darker. New pads could be an issue here, I think it will get darker as it gets older.
I have the Arya Stealth, it has that Hifiman 1-2.5kHz recess which may help but it's a lot brighter than the Clear above that. It probably is less "shouty" specifically though. It's less dynamic, less punchy, but better soundstage, better bass extension and I think a bit better tonally overall, and also more detail and layering. I like the Clear a lot, but if I could only have one, I'd take the Arya Stealth over the Clear (and also over the HD800S, HE6SEV2, LCD-X, and I'd have to think about which vs the Utopia). Arya Stealth is a great all-rounder.
https://crinacle.com/graphs/headphones/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Clear,Arya_Stealth
pzsph t1_iya7e2b wrote
Did you replace the pads on the SR60x? Grado pads are terrible.
GoTouchGrassKid t1_iyczcoj wrote
Try a bio-dyna.
I recommend the EMU Teak.
If you can get the stock pads to fit your ears, I think they are worth trying based on what you are looking for: Bass and are often criticized for not being mid-forward enough. Some complain about the treble - and I notice it on certain recordings - but these are genuinely my favorite headphones.
You could also try the Edition XS.
Odd-Spend-8757 t1_iy9mkui wrote
560s "too mid forward"? Are you referring to the 4 to 6 kHz peak? Just EQ
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