Many audio mastering engineers use the Focal Clear, Clear MG and Sennheiser 800s. Some feel the sound stage on the Sennheiser 800s is too wide and unrealistic while others love them. It really comes down to personal preference. I also realized most headphone fans have more than one pair of headphones. I personally just ordered the Clear MG's. Both left and right speakers are even. I received the MG'S today. They are well made, they look great, and are comfortable to wear. But compared to the Sennheiser 800s and Beyerdynamic 1990's, the top end is dull though they dont sound that way if you dont compare them. However the lows, mids and highs are very balanced and it sounds great. The 800s and 1990's are thinner sounding than the Clears however and the top end is more focused than the mids and lows. It seems there is not one headphone that does it all great as there are trade offs when you want a certain character.
As a regular-ass programmer who just loves great headphones and great music, this is definitely endgame material. I bought a couple of pretty expensive headphones in under 1yr, this completely cured my addiction of looking out for the best next thing. The only thing I'm looking forward to is the second custom cable to use at home, because the Focal cables are goddamn awful. >1 month in, and I'm still absolutely in love with these gorgeous headphones.
Good review, but a more detailed comparison with more headphones would have been nice, especially vs. Elex and Clear, but also against cheaper headphones that the Clear MG could be a good upgrade from (HD600/650, Sundara?)
Hi Joshua - as the drivers and therefore the image/width/soundstage is on purpose narrowed down, as this is a professional mixing and mastering headphone - I wouldn’t call that a downside. In fact many audiophile consumers like that also as it sounds more like two speakers in a room, which is exactly why its used for professional studio work. Also the treble is tamed down as many mixing engineers like it to have (as working many hours ears otherwise get too fast too tired). With a wide spacious soundstage you simply can not mix as you will have zero translation. Also getting lost in details like echos etc can lead to overproducing that easily and will not lead to good translation eiher. That is the reason why headphones like the Heddphone from Hedd Audio need to be crossfeeded to narrow down the stereo image. Often that means loosing some of the initial magic and sound signature. Also it would have been interesting to see what other professional headphones you would recommend or prefer over this. Personally I was missing a comparison in some detail with the LCD-X. Thank you for the video!
The previous gen Clear Pro didn’t come with an XLR cable either. They included an extra set of ear pads instead just like they do in the current model.
Yeah that review is a mess. And I would add that the rather bad channel matching was already there in the previous Clear. It's something you have to live with it. Diyaudioheaven did some fine work on this (in case someone want more details). However when listenning, it's impossible to notice that flaw, we're talking about 1db there or there. Placebo all the way. So yeah... QC like the Arya fanboy did say or maybe something intended by Focal...? But i don't think for a second Hifiman is better in that department. The Kings of headphones (HD 600/650) can rest easy!
I have the “home” Mg model that I just bought, and it has exactly the same treble restraint that you reported on the Pro. I also own the LCD-X and find that the treble impact on the LCD is much more exciting than the Focal. The Focal beats the Audeze in terms of sub-bass extension and sustain, but the LCD-X has that mid bass punch that very few headphones can match, including this Mg Clear. Finally, I find the Mg Clear to be a narrow in soundstage and less immersive than the LCD.
The below average soundstage is what caused me to return these. These were my first "high-end" pair of headphones and made me realize how much I value a grand soundstage and amazing imaging over lush mids or the deepest of lows. I think I'm going to give the HD800S a try as the older HD800 were always cans I strived to one day get when I was younger. I may not like them stock, but they can supposedly take EQ like champs so I'm hoping I can get them to sound the way I want them to without affecting the soundstage and imaging they're known for.
you really nail that mkbhd, optimum tech look in your video. simple slider shot and top down but extra smooth and clean. amazing. i assume you're a 30p video? your videos are a treat to watch. i have been here quite a long time and your production quality has gone up
A professional who knows what they're doing will likely apply a different EQ profile for when they're checking for hiss or other high frequency noise. Pros are not as averse to EQ as some audiophiles. It's a very useful tool for the professional workflow. In that sense, the dark treble you're referring to is a non-issue for pro use.
@@sephondranzer "They don't respond well to EQ" is a matter of sound quality. When you check for hiss, clicks or other noise, you EQ the source--the EQ "profile" includes master level adjustment to counteract clipping--and therefore it's not a matter of the headphone "responding to EQ". It will reproduce what's in the source. Again, in this workflow the main concern is not the sound quality of the headphones, but just checking the presence or absence of unwanted artifacts in the mix.
Pros use many headphones to check stuff. There is no better way to make sure everything is right than checking on 5 or 6 different sounding headphones.
I was going to say the same thing. Its the same as the DT1990 Pros, which were perfect except for high frequency sounds was slightly too harsh. So all you do is quickly modify the EQ on your DAC to reduce the highs and boom perfect headphone. If this is better in all regards to the DT1990 Pro but just needs to have the treble boosted a bit that's no big deal
Josh are the original Focal Clear more accurate and better in a studio environment. Are the original Focal Clears make up for what the new MG's lack in your opinion and would you buy the MG if you own the Clears. Excellent review as usual.
Just ordered a pair and they arrived. Watched this video prior, worrying about the QC issues you noted in the video. Unfortunately, even a year later even, I'm detecting a noticeable channel imbalance between the left and right side. It's so distracting that when any vocalist should be front-and-center, they sound shifted slightly left-center. Everything you described in the video is an accurate representation of what I've heard so far with them. I'd like to give another pair a try since I can hear the potential and the signature is enough to my liking I don't think I need an EQ yet for the genres I prefer. It's just a darn shame that this issue is still presenting a year later. It could be the unit I received is from an older batch that's just been sitting for awhile, which could explain this. Edit: Swapped the pads our for the extras included in the extra case and it sounds slightly more consistent. This isn't good if there's this high chance of pad variation / worn levels. Luckily they give you an extra set, but thought it could be the clamp force like Josh was mentioning. The take away with these headphones is that seal variation affects the channel balancing VERY noticeably. Putting the originally installed pads side-by-side I can see a slight 0.5mm fold on the inside of the right pad, causing it to be angled slightly more inward, possibly causing the poor seal. If you receive a new pair and run into issue with it, first thing I'd recommend is putting the fresh extra pads on and asking for free replacement of the original from your vendor.
@@chamade166 honestly, I’ve listened to Sennheiser HD800S, Focal Clear, Focal Stellia and HiFiMan Arya, and out of all of them I enjoyed the Focal Clear the most and the Arya the least
He put the AB1266 in the background for one of the B-roll shots while he was talking about professional use and I just thought to myself "Imagine mixing and mastering audio with that beast."
1:16 That's an initial defect. My Clear MG pro also had errors on both sides, so I had it replaced with a new one since it was under warranty. After replacing it with a new one, the left/right error was resolved and it maintains perfect balance.
Even though this video is about the Clear MG Professional, but I also want to input my experience with the regular Clear MG as well, in a hope that it paints a bigger picture of how Focal's QC department performs in general. I bought my Clear MG from Audio46 in May and I also encountered this channel imbalance issue. Everything sounded very right-side dominant and the left driver was producing less bass, resolution, and details, compared to the right one. This skewed the entire overall soundstage. I also noticed that the right ear pad was much softer than the left one, which could not hold it's shape well, so my right ear kept rubbing against the metal grill inside of the right earcup. It was consequently down right irritating, almost painful. I decided to purchase a pair of Elex earpads from Drop in order to see if the channel imbalance issue was because of the faulty right ear pad only or the spring mechanism, but it was still there with the new Elex earpads. Personally speaking, with a pair of headphones of this caliber and price point, I expect nothing short of stellar quality, but Focal did let me down. I returned my Clear MG for a refund. I'll probably wait a few more years to see how Focal works on these quality control issues and I also want to see what new and better headphones they can come up with.
Why do all Focal headphones lack soundstage? Like, is that a conscious choice they've made for their “house sound“? I feel like if Focal released just one headphone with really good soundstage it would blow everyone's minds.
I imagine conscious choice. They probably had a sound they were looking for and the trade offs of losing some staging was worth it to them to reach their goal. Also quite a bit of people including myself prefer the more intimate staging of certain headphones especially with vocals
This killed the experience for me when I heard theses in person I honestly thought my fh3 sounded better lol 😂 I was like damn these close back and I was then informed they’re open and it sounds kind of like holding really good speakers to your head and I thought it lacked the immersion I love about headphones I was disappointed
Had these in my hand for a few days. Loved it! But had to return it just to exchange it for the non-Pro Mg. That one comes with an XLR cable but in sacrifice of the extra pads. Also I like the brown/silver color to it.
WARNING!!!! Do NOT buy UNLESS you know which one you are buying. MG & MG Professional are in fact different AND have different cable lengths and other feature differences! Focal FAILED on this launch as they do not even have the regular MG on the U.S. Focal Site, causing cancellations and re-orders (I am one of the people dealing with this).
I had the same channel imbalance issue with the Focal Elex - in my case the cause was that one of the pads was slightly softer, so the driver would sit closer to the ear. If I switched the pads (from left to right) the imbalance would flip as well!
These are easy to drive. Amp isn't required. I would do a basic Topping stack. Depending on your needs and what you want to power your specific model choice will vary. D30/A30 is a good basic setup. If you want to be able to power any headphone on the market then you'll have to go up the amp line. If you want BlueTooth you'll need at least the D50.
Channel imbalance, low soundstage and dark treble unable to extract minutest details easily. A failure in my books. Unfortunate, given the MG is the most beautiful headphone out there... Thanks for an honest opinion Josh.
Please compare the Focal Clear MG vs the Focal Elex! Also, some have called the Focal Elex a “Sennheiser HD600 on steroids” and they seem to sound highly similar. Can you please make a comparison video between the two? I think it would be interesting considering the 600 is half the price of the Elex. Loving the videos!!!
Check and see if the pads are symmetrical with each other and that the thickness is the same. I just received my focal clear mg's and my left one is noticeably thicker than my right side causing my left side to be quieter and my right side seems louder. I switched my pads arounds, the thicker one on the right side and the thinner one on the left and this time the right side was quieter and the left louder.
Should l consider this pair of headphones over the Audeze MM-500 for my studio/ recording/producing…? Which one would you pick as a “good enough” pair, to achieve a super fine & detailed produc/music tone in the end…!?!) Or maybe you can recommend me another name/suggestion in the range of $1,500-1,600 or under… Thank you.
I have TH900MK2 LTD Blue and imp looking to get something else for a change and these sound like a decent upgrade in everything apart from the bass which I don't mind.
So I guess the OG Clear would be the way to go, others seem to think the newer version isn’t good enough in comparison, especially now that you can get the original below $1000
Well, to be real, unless you're doing something with Sonarworks or whatever, you wouldn't be mastering audio with headphones anyways. Mastering is done with EQ'd speakers that involves measuring the acoustics of the room you're in. If you were going to master with these headphones, you'd have to EQ them heavily.
correct me if i'm wrong but isnt that the whole point? having a narrow soundstage will allow someone to hear if their mix isn't wide enough whereas when your listening to music you want to hear the best version possible
Hey Josh!! You weren't excited about these as you were when talking about the original Focal Clear... Is it because you liked the original Clear more? or is it because it feels like its the same?
The treble response is fucked on the MG, and at the $1500 pricepoint, this is just not competitive. Get the OG for $1000 if youre gonna get a clear. Literally a better headphone for a cheaper price.
with the OG clear pads, sure, cause that unfucks the treble response. Otherwise the price to performance ratio is pretty awful. The OG Clear should have always costed $1000 as it does on headphones.com right now, let alone the MG, but $1500 is an unreasonable asking price when things like the Arya exist.
I recently got my Clear MG Pros and thought I was hearing the channel imbalance too, but I realized that at least for me the channel imbalance was coming from the THX 789. Didn't hear it connecting to anything else. Good for the headphones I guess, though now that I've noticed the imbalance on the amp, it's all I can hear...Also started to hear static when adjusting the volume knob. At least it's way less noticeable at higher volumes.
a lot of amps at low volumes have channel imbalance but once you turn it up a bit it should equal out my jds lab element have that issue in the last 5 degrees of rotation.
I tried Focal MG Pro's for two weeks, lots of listening. For me, it was the peaks in the upper treble, particularly the one around 13k, that made me return them. I really want the ultimate upgrade to the HD600. The frequency response of a HD600 but with better sound staging and sub bass is what I'm after. Any suggestions?
This sums up my experience quite well. I totally agree on the topic of treble especially when directly compared to the OG Clear Pros of my friend. But the OGs are lacking the great bass response of the MGs.
It's the same build as other Focal headphones, with some materials differences among models. I don't know why he gushed over the build. Don't get me wrong, the Focal chassis is good, but he made it sound like it's somehow better than other Focals.
@@ismael5310 No way. The insane soundstage on the hd800s pushes everything too far away, unlike the Arya, which actually layers sounds, or the hd6xx/clear which pushes vocals right up against your ear. The frequency response is also weirdly shrill.
What would be the best headphones for picking out details. Mixing, Mastering and picking out parts I am learning to play. I have these and I just ordered the Arya Stealths for a great overall listening experience. I don't want to spend more than $2000.00 preferable less than $1500.00. I also have the DT 1990 and 1880 Pros. Any guidance would be great!
Another awesome video Josh, thanks for showing us this headphone. They are absolutely a GREAT looking and great sounding headphone but for $1500, these headphones have basically priced themselves out of 98% of the population. (Also for $1500, they should come with a reach around LOL). I know that things are changing everyday for the better for us headphone enthusiasts but I wish these headphone companies could make these awesome sounding headphones for a price we could all afford. I, not saying budget friendly by any means but in or under the $500 range would be better. I love watching your vids and you’ve helped me, as a newbie audiophile .. understand the technology and what a lot of the terms mean . . Thank you. I wish someone would do a 15 minute video called “Understanding Audiophile Technology for Dummies” LOL. Tell us what all the terms like sibilance, difference of wide and closed soundstage, open and bright mean and other terms in relation to audiophile technology. Anywho . . Thanks for another awesome video, I’m sure I’ll see you in the next one. Until them . . . Stay safe and happy listening. Kevin 🎧
I will ask a potentiall ydumb question, can I 'fix' the detail and high end of these with an EQ? I have a schiit lokius that really "fixes" the 2k dip in my klipsch rp600m, can I presume that I can fix these headphones high issues with a boost in the eq range?
Focal and their driver issues man. They'll never learn. Seems to me the only "reliable" option at the $1.5k mark is the HD 800s which even includes your unit's exclusive measurements. Germans right?
Hmm, personally I didn't liked the lcd-2c vocals which josh loves for vocals. Its tonality is somehow weird to me and IT sonds like the singer is sitting or "singing" into a bucket. Have to check the MG version out I think :x
Just the color scheme and packaging. Focal says they are tuned exactly the same. The Pro comes with extra pads and without a balanced cable. The non Pro has the 4 pin balanced XLR cable but no extra pads.
How are you correcting for the channel imbalance..? My 660s need about a 2dB gain boost on the left side to sound even, which I can easily do within Cubase, but I don't know what my options are if I wanted to use them through my TV. I don't recall seeing any amps with a pan knob..?
Hey, one question, should i turn my head to focal or abyss? Which company does the better job, does abyss have a headphone better in overall than the focal mg professional in a similar price range?
HI Joshua, great review as always. How would you compare this to the DT1990? From what I understand, the Beyer is more detailed and offers a better sense of space and instrument placing, while the Focal performs better on Mids and Bass ... did I get that right?
Its meant to be a tool for the pro engineer or producer, not really meant for the audiophile community in my humble opinion. Interesting video though...Cudos!
You described a similar subdued top end as my discontinued closed back Elegia which is actually quite nice after a long stressful day at work. I find it weird that that the treble isn't livelier for a "Pro" headphone. I would think that pushing treble sibilance, pops and clicks forward would be preferred in a professional/studio mixing environment. Maybe Focal's definition of Professional is a French to English translation quirk.
