Focal Clear headphones
Oct 14, 2017 at 5:47 PM Post #286 of 12,501
There is a 32 ohm version of the 990.

Most headphones have some fans and also people who don't like them, so it all comes down to personal taste, sound signature preference, and the music you like...

It's all about finding a good match for your ears and while higher prices might mean better technical performance generally speaking, it does not equate to a better headphone when it comes to your personal preferences (unless technical performance is what is most important to you).
 
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Oct 14, 2017 at 9:13 PM Post #287 of 12,501
That's not right.

DT990 offers plenty for the money and can be a very enjoyable headphone if you happen to like its sound signature.
Going up in price, diminishing returns strikes quite hard and then what should be a "huge objective upgrade" is more often than not a slight upgrade overall.
Paying 5 o 10 times the price of an already good headphone won't necessarily buy you a huge upgrade.

You surely can compare DT990 with 1000usd headphones and that's usually very useful because it put things in perspective.
I'm sure many would find the DT990 to provide a bigger more open stage than the Elear and the LCD-2, also more extended in the treble region which can be useful to spot background noise on the recordings. DT990 is also lighter so many can find it more comfortable for long sessions.



I wouldn't say "a whole different experience", but you'll get more precision and better balance across the board.
DT990's bass lacks some neutrality and layering that you can find on headphones like the Elear or the Audeze LCD-2.
You might find that these headphones are less bright than your DT990 so more often than not they present the music in a smoother, more balanced way.

If you like slightly raised bass (and coming from DT990) the Elear might be more suitable for your prefences than the Clear.

When you hear the top of the line stuff and go back to something like a 990, its not like you're missing any details. And i'm not talking about the studio mixer's co-worker flushing his goods down the toilet 30 feet away. Maybe the Utopia level cans will reveal that. The Utopia is hardcore bottom to top and effortlessly. Its the best my ears have heard. Its not so much the details as much it is the ease in which it operates. If you take an amateur figure skater who has been landing a triple jump for a month vs a pro Olympian who has been doing it for 10 years and mastered it. Both will give you the triple, but one will do it more gracefully. Thats what the top tier does that a 990 will not do. A dt880 is like 95% there. Is the 5% extra worth it. Yes. The brain is so amazing the 5% is a lot. Its the brain's magic which is the tragic blow to the wallet. :D
 
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Oct 14, 2017 at 9:43 PM Post #288 of 12,501
When you hear the top of the line stuff and go back to something like a 990, its not like you're missing any details. And i'm not talking about the studio mixer's co-worker flushing his goods down the toilet 30 feet away. Maybe the Utopia level cans will reveal that. The Utopia is hardcore bottom to top and effortlessly. Its the best my ears have heard. Its not so much the details as much it is the ease in which it operates. If you take an amateur figure skater who has been landing a triple jump for a month vs a pro Olympian who has been doing it for 10 years and mastered it. Both will give you the triple, but one will do it more gracefully. Thats what the top tier does that a 990 will not do. A dt880 is like 95% there. Is the 5% extra worth it. Yes. The brain is so amazing the 5% is a lot. Its the brain's magic which is the tragic blow to the wallet. :D
This is perfect. A very good statement
 
Oct 14, 2017 at 11:19 PM Post #289 of 12,501
The Utopia is hardcore bottom to top and effortlessly. Its the best my ears have heard. Its not so much the details as much it is the ease in which it operates. If you take an amateur figure skater who has been landing a triple jump for a month vs a pro Olympian who has been doing it for 10 years and mastered it. Both will give you the triple, but one will do it more gracefully. Thats what the top tier does that a 990 will not do. A dt880 is like 95% there. Is the 5% extra worth it. Yes. The brain is so amazing the 5% is a lot. Its the brain's magic which is the tragic blow to the wallet. :D

I listened to the Utopia yesterday and I couldn't agree more with this. I was having a hard time describing what that experience was and this is it. It's like the contrast of Federer and Nadal, both are awesome and play great tennis in their own way. But Federer has that grace that makes the game look so easy.

Honestly, the only reason I preordered the Focal Clear (was only set on buying 1 headphone and that ended to be the Aeon Flow open, but ended up with this also) was because of how impressed I was with the Utopias. I am hoping that the Clears get to 95% of the Utopia :)
 
Oct 16, 2017 at 1:50 AM Post #290 of 12,501
Oh what I meant to say was that the Elear is very different from the HD800S, way more narrow and intimate. And the Clear is very similar to the Elear in that sense (I haven't heard it so don't take my word for it, just what I've gathered from impressions, reviews and the fact that the voice coil material is the only change sound-wise), so it should still be very different from the HD800S. There's very few headphones that can compete with the HD800S' soundstage width, depth/height, airiness and imaging. The Elear is very far from being a competitor (it focuses on other things), and I suspect that the Clear is closer to the Elear than to the HD800S.

Yes the Elear has a bass-boost in the low/mid-bass, but has a typical dynamic-driver roll off in the sub-bass (still good extension though, great for a dynamic driver). However, with the Sonarworks reference 4 calibration for the Elear, I'm getting very impressive sub-bass response, far better than stock, almost to the level of an LCD-2.
The Clear seems to have a slightly leaner bass-response, more neutral and leaning more towards the Utopia's signature.
On the treble, the Elear's is a little toned down but still has some decent sparkle and air to it. Some people complain about a 10k peak, but personally I haven't noticed it (I know it's there from FR graphs etc, but it's not an issue for me personally). The Clear's treble seems to be more forward than the Elear's, again more like the Utopia signature. Clear also reduces the 4k dip in the Elear's upper-mid, which is the main problem I'm seeing people having with the Elear.

The LCD-2 will probably be more similar to the Elear/Clear than the HD800S is, but still definitely not the same . To me, the LCD-2 (with fazor) has a more recessed treble than the Elear, which results in a less airy and more "closed-in" sound imo. The mids on the LCD-2 does not have the same 4k dip as the Elear, and as a result vocals will have more presence. I will argue that the Elear has better resolution, layering and separation in the mids though. The bass is where the LCD-2 shines IMO, just like all Audeze products I've heard. The bass is just so instant, clean, fast, powerful and extremely well extended. Audeze headphones are probably my favourite for bass.

at the end of the day, it's up to preference. Fans of the HD800S will probably think the Elear/LCD-2 is closed-in, lacks air, dull-sounding without details being brought forward in the mix. Fans of the Elear/LCD-2 will probably think the HD800S lacks body, wheight and warmth, and (for me) it's too lively in the treble. I experience the Senn's treble as harsh and fatiguing while I have no problems with the Elear/LCD-2, but then again I'm treble sensitive. Also, soundstage preferences will vary. To me, the Senn's soundstage is impressive but ultimately sounds unnatural and a little too distant. I prefer the more intimate presentation of the Elears, but I could easily see why a lot of people disagree with me. The best advice is to go demo and see for yourself :p
Very detailed explanation. I see you have good know how on the subject. Wish I could demo but where I stay I can only count on impressions and details for taking my decision.
 
Oct 18, 2017 at 4:23 PM Post #291 of 12,501
I've been looking at Elear for some time but the announcement of Clear made me pause and rethink, its a few steps higher in price and Pretty close to the sky for my wallet for a pair of headphones, not that it doesn’t justify, music worths it, right? :)

I'm looking at other options/brands, my requirements is that they can be driven by a DAP (X7 mk2), preferably open back and the price doesn’t exceed the Focal Clear. My dillema starts when I see Sennheiser HD660S at 499 Eur and start wondering if, considering all the relativity of the matter and personal taste, an option for the Clear will be undoubtedly better in SQ?? I wouldn't expect 50% better or anything like that, just audibly better in soundstage, resolution, etc. I never EQ, neither on DAP or on my home system, like flat clear responses from top to bottom.

Sorry the "naive” question but would thank an honest opinion, its my first incursion on high quality headphones (I already have a good set of IEM's)
 
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Oct 18, 2017 at 4:51 PM Post #293 of 12,501
if HD660S is better than HD650 it will be better value than Elear

Thanks, straight answer but “better value” was not my question. I am really interested in absolute perceived quality, I am willing to pay double the price for 20% better.
What I would not like is to pay is 3 times the price for 5% or even not perceivable difference.

As I won’t be able to try and compare by myself, my doubt is how “good” will be HD660S, compared to Clear. As a reference, if like 80% of people that listened for HD650 and Elear said Elear was better, that would be enough for me.

Edit: Forgot to say, Clear has the 3 cables and the beautiful box, that’s an added value too
 
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Oct 18, 2017 at 4:59 PM Post #294 of 12,501
Hard to say, as they are both brand new and I don't think anyone has received theirs yet?
Anyway, personal preference will be the deciding factor as always. You may well prefer the 660 over the Clear for all we know, ynly your ears can find out what's right for you.
Often in audio gear, price tag is not a reliable factor to determine quality.
 
Oct 18, 2017 at 5:02 PM Post #295 of 12,501
Hard to say, as they are both brand new and I don't think anyone has received theirs yet?
Anyway, personal preference will be the deciding factor as always. You may well prefer the 660 over the Clear for all we know, ynly your ears can find out what's right for you.
Often in audio gear, price tag is not a reliable factor to determine quality.
 
Oct 18, 2017 at 5:24 PM Post #297 of 12,501
Your inputs do enlighten with information and comparison. However, if I conclude you mean to say Clear is almost similar to 800s in soundstage and brightness right. How about Clear compared to the Audeze LCD2. Of what I have heard from some the Elear has a bit of bass and is narrow sounding and the highs have a bit of distortion. But the Clear is more transparent and neutral. I maybe wrong.

I don’t think the 800s sound stage as compared to the Clear are remotely similar.
 
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Oct 19, 2017 at 3:05 PM Post #299 of 12,501
You will most likely get the best price on Amazon once the resellers get the Clear in stock. I got my Elears for $800 shipped new in box so street price for the Clears should be $1200 to $1300.
 

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