Would you just go with the Hersey? Strictly speaking for quality/performance

What piece of hardware is this and what tubes? I currently have the HD 600s and I’m about to buy the Focal Clear OG also.

I definitely do not like my midrange muffled or veiled or recessed or whatever the word is. Although closed back is much further down the road & im honestly hoping the Clear will take care of my upgrade-itis for the foreseeable years. I’ll probably get the ADI-2 after the Clear, just because I feel like if I have headphones that are $1500, a $110 DAC just isn’t doing it justice. Plus the ADI-2 has an input for XLR for headphones, and it has XLR output for studio monitors, which I plan on getting. It also has built in EQ, which saves me from buying an external EQ.

Sounds the HD 600 to me. So many people say there is no bass, but to me, in songs that had it, it was there. Just not bloated or anything? Are you saying to check out the Noire just because it punches above its price point, is it a real contender to the z1r?

Looks like you and everyone sold me on the og clear. So glad I made the post. You also confirmed what I figured— at that price point I’m getting different brands. I want different sounds from my closed back & sometimes (especially with video games and movies) the V shaped is really nice. And when I’m in the mood to put on gangster rap I want that bass. So when I go to buy closed back, I’m first looking at the mdr-z1r. I know it’s expensive, but oh well. I want the clear first, and the much smaller price I can justify it for me getting a new job and it being my first salaried job. Gotta treat myself. The Sony— well we get a yearly bonus and I’ll be able to get them then & have left over money so I won’t feel bad. Figure if we reach our goals I can treat myself as well once a year. Not always headphones, but you get my drift.

Is the Radiance better than the MDR-Z1R, in your opinion? I do eventually want to get a pair of closed back headphones. Part of me thinks it would make more sense to not have all my headphones the same brand, and the other thinks “if you found what you love, why change it”

But ya, i listen to a lot of like vocal songs and classic rock, opera, pop. I really enjoy the HD 600 and how they are but I know there can be so much more clarity. With knowing that, are the OG Clear a great option? They aren’t v or u shaped tuning are they?

It’ll probably be in a month and half; I start a new job this week and there’s a big gap between my last paycheck and my first full one, so it’ll be probably 3 paychecks before I get them. I’ll DM you so I can remember to let you know.

I want to eventually get the DCA Aeon 2 Noire to have a set of closed back headphones, in case I ever have kids or anything of that nature. Besides that, at a certain point I was told you basically are just picking what you want it to be the best at (HD 800s for soundstage) but something else will be a trade off. And someone else told me it’s very a massive drop in diminishing returns after the $1500 price. The Utopia’s will sound better than the Clear, without a doubt. It definitely won’t sound 3-4x better though.

Eventually I might make that jump, as time passes & I move up within my career path. But that will have to be in a very long time. Not just to have that kind of money, but I’m also going to upgrade my DAC next & same kind of thing. I want the RME-ADI 2, but it’s probably pointless to get something at that level. Something like $700 would be just fine with no real upgrade in sound, maybe just had more connection tires or something. That’s the kick in the dick of this hobby; FOMO and massive diminishing returns

It almost has me tempted to buy both. Even if I buy the OG first and absolutely love them, I will always be wondering what the other sounds like. FOMO is a major thing. I just can reason having both of those headphones & keeping both, because at that point, I might as well just get the Utopia lol. Which, yes that has crossed my mind, but then I’m wondering is there any more improvement after a certain point, and I’ve talked myself out of the Utopia. I just don’t have the funds to justify spending $3k+ on headphones. I also haven’t even experienced the $1k range & I know there’s so many more than perfect ones in there. I know new versions isn’t always better, as I found the HD 600 to be the best version for me.

Also, I see our music tastes are very different, and I see you said you like bass heavy music. I typically am listening to a lot of strings music (yes I know plenty of strings do have deep bass) and live performances and what not. So clarity and instrument separation in big mixes is important to me. Upon reading about every article I could find, once I have the money, I’m going to buy the Clear Mg Pro and I will come back with all the good, bad, and ugly.

Have you ever heard the Clear Mg Pro? It kinda seems like the OG Clear are more towards consumers and have a U shaped tuning versus the mg pro being more flat and neutral. I love how the Hd 600 doesn’t really color the music or anything, at least I thought. Could be wrong. I just don’t wanna regret a purchase of $1000 or so.

This is confirmation that getting the Clear Mg Pro is the logical choice. My nicest pair right now is HD 600 & I figured I’ll just save money and hearing my gf complain about buying too many headphones, I’ll just jump right up in the big leagues.

I know you have the OG Clear, but any negatives one can think of? Also, what amp/DAC are you running

How are they for music? I hear for videogames, it’s the absolute best. Does the massive soundstage make movies/music sound unnatural in anyway? I’ve heard some people say that. Which is why I think I’m going to get the Focal Clear Mg Pro as it seems to do everything I want. Maybe eventually I’ll get the HD 800s— if once I get the Clear Mg Pro and feel like I need an upgrade