Focal Clear ....VS....Fostex TH900 MKII....VS....Klipsch HP-3
Feb 4, 2018 at 8:19 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 35
payj

payj

Head-Fier
Joined
Dec 8, 2012
Posts
91
Likes
19
I have spent the last 5 hours researching these 3 best I can. I am torn. I listen to mostly Hip-Hop/Rap and EDM(Progressive House). I also listen to "chill" put you to sleep music as well about 20% of the time. From my research it sounds like the MKII have a good amount of base, which I love. The Focal *might* not be good as good for this? But am reading good things if they are driven well. The HP-3 are hard to find good reviews on but seem to be somewhere in the middle? It's hard to pinpoint the best for my music tastes.

The looks go to HP-3 -> Clear->MKII IMO. I love how the Focal come with a case - they all should imo.

I will be purchasing these with the Chord Mojo AND Poly, so I am in a sense, going all out.

Thank you for any input!
 
Feb 5, 2018 at 9:43 AM Post #3 of 35
Thank you! I looked into them a bit last night. They are about 1/2 the price as the MKII and Focal Clear - that is nice!

Right now I am using Sony WH1000MX2 for my all around, which I love. I just want something at that "next level". I want there to be a CLEAR difference with the type of music I listen to.

Before the Sony 1000MX2, I had V-Moda M100 for your reference.
 
Feb 5, 2018 at 1:35 PM Post #7 of 35
payj said:
I have spent the last 5 hours researching these 3 best I can. I am torn. I listen to mostly Hip-Hop/Rap and EDM(Progressive House). I also listen to "chill" put you to sleep music as well about 20% of the time. From my research it sounds like the MKII have a good amount of base, which I love. The Focal *might* not be good as good for this? But am reading good things if they are driven well. The HP-3 are hard to find good reviews on but seem to be somewhere in the middle? It's hard to pinpoint the best for my music tastes.

The looks go to HP-3 -> Clear->MKII IMO. I love how the Focal come with a case - they all should imo.

I will be purchasing these with the Chord Mojo AND Poly, so I am in a sense, going all out.

Thank you for any input!
Click to expand...

You can't go wrong with the Fostex or Klipsch. Both are V-Shaped phones, meant for that sort of bass heavy genre. Klipsch are more forgiving of poorer recordings, but the Fostex have better technicalities despite it's more strident highs. Both have a deep soundstage giving that live venue feel too.

Haven't heard the Focal Clears, but I'm not sure why they're on your radar. From impressions, they are geared more towards a neutral tuning, and have shown to be lighter on the bass than their Elear counterpart, which is even lighter in bass compared to the other two phones you are looking into. I don't see how these would suit the genre's you're listening to, unless bass volume is not that important to you. I'm pretty sure they're smoother in the highs than the other two though, with the Aeon Flow Open being smoother than the Clear as well.
 
Last edited:
Feb 5, 2018 at 1:39 PM Post #8 of 35
payj said:
can you please go into detail?

What type of music are you into? Its double the price lol. I can swing it, but get worried about the bass reviews.

thx
Click to expand...

I listen to a lot of different genres. The main differences between the two in my system were the amount of detail retrieval. The Clear won out there. They also had more soundstage depth than the AEON, and I find the bass on the Focal to be very good. Don't get me wrong, the AFO is no slouch and I would have been very happy with them if the Clear hadn't come along. BTW, I found the AFO pairs very nicely with the Schiit Jotunheim using the balanced out.
 
Feb 5, 2018 at 1:41 PM Post #9 of 35
I have the Fostex TH900 m2. Can't comment on the other two HPs as I have not heard them. The TH900 is a fantastic headphone that I enjoy, a LOT. I recabled mine with jenalabs ultrawire and it sounds fantastic. I dont know how flexible your budget is but another one to consider is the Sony Z1R. You can get one used for about the same price as the rest. I love mine.
 
Feb 5, 2018 at 1:59 PM Post #10 of 35
musicmaker said:
I have the Fostex TH900 m2. Can't comment on the other two HPs as I have not heard them. The TH900 is a fantastic headphone that I enjoy, a LOT. I recabled mine with jenalabs ultrawire and it sounds fantastic. I dont know how flexible your budget is but another one to consider is the Sony Z1R. You can get one used for about the same price as the rest. I love mine.
Click to expand...

Just want to add that this also a great option, as this is the headphone I ended up with (see signature). Amazing bass and smooth, yet detailed, highs with amazing sense of air. They're more mid-bass focused though, compared to Fostex and Klipsch, which lies more in the sub-bass range.
 
Feb 5, 2018 at 2:29 PM Post #11 of 35
swmtnbiker said:
I listen to a lot of different genres. The main differences between the two in my system were the amount of detail retrieval. The Clear won out there. They also had more soundstage depth than the AEON, and I find the bass on the Focal to be very good. Don't get me wrong, the AFO is no slouch and I would have been very happy with them if the Clear hadn't come along. BTW, I found the AFO pairs very nicely with the Schiit Jotunheim using the balanced out.
Click to expand...


Thank you for the explanation. When you say you find the Focal to have good bass are you saying this coming from a place where you understand the music I am listening to? I am just saying this as a few people seem to complain about it (shrug) and they seemed to be bass heads more or less.
 
Feb 5, 2018 at 3:15 PM Post #13 of 35
I don't feel th900 is for Hip-Hop/Rap.
Yes Th900 is bass heavy but it is not just bass.
It is perfect match for the bass+ soundstage.
Strongly recommend ambient+electronic music,
I am recently fallen in love with Nigel Stanford song like cymatics
:smile_phones:
 
Feb 5, 2018 at 3:27 PM Post #14 of 35
To give you guys a better idea:

Lane 8, Camelphat, HiJacked, Picnictyme, Kaytrananda, Kodak Black, Twista, Mos Def, Mobb Deep, Outkast, Cedric Gervais,....Chill stuff too: what is that? IDK per say, listen to it at a lower volume and can either read a book to it or doze off. Lane 8 Fall Mixtapes are my go to for that as of late.

I don't want base that distorts everything else - just super clean and punchy for when I want to turn the volume up on lets say, Outkast. I just want the music to sound ridiculous - in a good way.


I am coming from the V-Moda M100 and now currently have the Sony WH-1000MX2
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top