For those of you who think this design is long in the tooth, consider this...When you have a winning design, little improvements over time are the most profitable solutions, for brand recognition as well as cutting down on R&D costs. Look at the Apple iMac, iPhone, Jeep, & all the cereal that you eat now as an adult that we’re around when you were a kid as a few examples. On a side note, I quite like this look. Each headphone that they design is slightly different, I think my fav is the Radiance, then the MG Pro with that black & red, which goes great with the Pathos Aurium in black & red headphone amp as well, what a combo!
How about the elephant in the room? About 3 years ago there were quite a few complains about the Clear having problem with distortion @ low bass. In the left side as I recall, the wire from input to driver breaking as it was too thin. Has Focal finally addressed that problem?
I love the MG, especially with a tube amplifier hooked up to it. A good tube amp, to my ears, tames the treble to just the right levels. Since I listen to a lot of free jazz, having a headphone with a less than sharp high end, will definitely save your ears. The MG simply rocks!
Can't thank you enough for that HD650 reference. I've had Clear MG's for a week now, they're absolutely stunning. I do hear a bit of a peak at 13-14khz that. Wondering if that's just me or if I'm perhaps too accustomed to the HD600's.
I own these headphones and I personally find them currently the best BY FAR for my personal preferences in terms of the sound signature (and I really had a lot of headphones). I am looking now a while for a closed back headphone alternative for mobile usage which sound close to the focal clear mg, but I cannot find any :( They sound so gorgeuous "warm" with a spectacular amount if micro details.
Honestly, I think where FOCAL missed an opportunity here was when they did not just release the MG in multiple color ways. Imagine the MG in black/gray or even an oxblood. It just makes sense in my mind as these are just as eye-catching as they are ear fetching.
The HD800S has too much treble and is impossible to listen to on any modern music. A shame because its spatial qualities are superior to any headphone.
Wait does that mean that DROP will come out in a few weeks with a CLEAR XX since there is a new CLEAR MG with a launching price at $600 with two cables + rewards points ?
Cannot wait to get my hand on it. I guess it will be one more line on the shopping list. This year is going to be tough as I will need to find so many excuses to my wife...
@@JTB-- Clear MG Professional is better deal imo. Two sets of pads are better then a XLR cable. Focal cables look good, but are horribly stiff and microphonic. Also Focal earpads are atrociously expensive.
Ugh, I guess beauty really is in the eyes of the beholder. I love Focal house sound but can't stand its aesthetics. I like how their speakers look though.
It’s an amazing modular design. While I would prefer Focal would work on getting a more secure clamp for heads on the more narrow end of the size spectrum with a progressive rated spring steel band the design is robust.
While I have a strong preference for the Sennheiser HD800S, some people still prefer the HD800 (though I *think* most prefer the HD800S). As for this pair of Focals, only time will tell, but I feel very confident most will prefer the Mg to its predecessor as more comparisons are made.
When you have a winning design, little improvements over time are the most profitable solutions, for brand recognition as well as cutting down on R&D costs. Look at Apple iMac, iPhone, Jeep, & all the cereal that you eat now as an adult that we’re around when you were a kid as a few examples. On a side note, I quite like this look. Each headphone that they design is slightly different, I think my fav is the Radiance, then the MG Pro with that black & red, which goes great with the Pathos Aurium in black & red headphone amp as well, what a combo!
This design works. It’s modular enough where changes can be made for new models. The build quality is excellent and if you don’t like the form factor and aesthetics there are plenty of other headphones out there that you might like.
