Focal Clear MG | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi

Since the tuning is the same and the stock cables are butt, it's basically just down to which color scheme you prefer for this headphone. The ... Menu Home Forums HeadGear Gallery Articles Sponsors Classifieds Login Register What'snew Search Newitems Newcomments Latestcontent SearchHeadGear Menu Login Register Installtheapp Install Youareusinganoutofdatebrowser.Itmaynotdisplaythisorotherwebsitescorrectly.Youshouldupgradeoruseanalternativebrowser. FocalClearMG Addedby WaveTheory Createdate Oct1,2021 Tags clear clearmg focal focalclearmg focalclearmgpro focalclearmgprofessional Home HeadGear HeadGear Headphones Over-Ear Overview Reviews(1) Gallery Latest Rating Filters 3.00star(s) Oct1,2021 FocalClearMG-byWaveTheory Pros:Macrodynamicimpact;separation;comfort;buildquality Cons:Signaturetoomid-forwardforthisreviewer;somedetailretrievalissuesinthemid-range;stockcableisawful;amp-picky;arguablylacksastand-outsonicfeatureinthe$1300-1800pricerange INTRODUCTION TheFocalClearMGwasanothergenerousloanfromMr.@sa11297–thanksforkeepingmyeffortsgoing!–andwasfortuitouslytimedasIhaditin-houseatthesametimeasit’sbigsiblingtheStellia.IshouldaddthecaveatthatIhaveunfortunatelyneverspentanymeaningfultimewiththeoriginalClear.So,thisreviewwillnotbeacomparisontotheOGClear,ratherareportontheClearMGasIseeitonitsownmerits.Let’sdoit… TL;DR TheClearMGisagoodheadphonethatdoesseveralthingswellbutdoesn’tdeliveranysingularfeaturethatstandsoutatthepricepoint.Ithasamid-forwardsignaturethatwilllikelybetoomuchforsomelisteners(includingthisreviewer!)andthathasanadverseeffectontimbrethroughthemid-range.However,ifthatdoesn’tbotheryou,it’salsoaheadphonethatdoesn’tdomuchofanythingelsewrong,either.Thus,itfallsintoajack-of-all-trades-master-of-nonetypeofterritory,thatwhencombinedwithitscomfort,canbeanattractiveoptionforsomeonelookingforasolid,well-roundedheadphonethatcanbewornallday. KNOWYOURREVIEWER Mypreferredgenresarerock/metalandclassical/orchestralmusic.I’mgettingtoknowjazzmoreandenjoyingquiteabit.IalsolistentosomeEDMandhip-hop.Myhearingquirksincludeahighsensitivitytomidrangefrequenciesfromjustunder1KHztoaround3Khz,giveortake.Myearsarethusquicktoperceive“shoutiness”inheadphonesinparticular.Idescribe“shoutiness”asanemphasisonthe‘ou’soundof‘shout.’It’saforwardnessintheneighborhoodof1KHzand/oronthefirstoneortwoharmonicsaboveit(whenImakethesound‘ooooowwwww’intoaspectrumanalyzerthedominantfrequencyonthevowelsoundisaround930Hz,whichalsomeansharmonicspikesoccuragainataround1860Hzand2790Hz).Intheextreme,itcanhavethetonaleffectofsoundinglikeavocalistisspeakingorsingingthroughatoiletpapertubeorcuppingtheirhandsovertheirmouth.Itcanalsogiveinstrumentslikepiano,butespeciallybrassinstruments,anadded‘honk’totheirsound.Ialsogetdistractedbysibilance,orsharp‘s’and‘t’soundsthatcanmakessssingerssssssoundlikethey’reforssssssingesssssssssssoundsaggresssssssively.Sibilancedoesnotphysicallyhurtmyearsnearlyasquicklyasshout,though.It’sdistractingbecauseit’sannoyingandunnatural.Finally,I’mdiscoveringthatIhaveapreferenceformoresubtledetail.Ilikegooddetailretrievalandhearingwhatarecordinghastooffer,butIpreferwhatmanywouldconsiderrelaxedandsubtleratherthanaggressiveordetail-forward.Tomyear,moresubtledetail-retrievalsoundsmorerealisticandnaturalthanaggressive,detail-forwardness.Thereisabalancehere,though,becausedetailretrievalcangettoorelaxedandthatcansoundunnatural,aswell,orsimplyleaveoutimportantaspectsoftherecording.Readersshouldkeepthesehearingquirksandpreferencesinmindastheyreadmydescriptionsofsound. FEATURES&BUILD TheClearMGisanopen-back,around-the-ear,dynamic-driverheadphone.Thedriverismadeofmagnesium(hencethename“MG”,Ibelieve)andisconeshaped.ThisshapestandsincontrasttootherFocalmodelsthatfeaturetheirM-shapeddome.TheMSRPis1490USD. Withthebuildit’sgettingtobeabitofabrokenrecordstatementatthispoint,theClearMGisaFocalheadphone.Ergo,it’smadewell.It’srugged.It’shandsome.It’scomfortable.It’sclampforcestrikesanexcellentbalanceofkeepingitontheheadwithoutslidingaroundyetstillnotbeingsotightthatitbecomesuncomfortable.Thecablingisdual-entrywitha3.5mmjackrecessedintoeachcup.Thosejackrecessesareratherlargeindiametersothatjustaboutanyaftermarketcablecanbeused.Andthat’sgoodbecausethere’sanotherbrokenrecordstatementatthispoint:Focalstockcablesarehorrid.Honestly,ifyou’rebuyingtheClearMG,justgetyourselfanicecableuponplacingtheorderanddon’tevenbothertakingthestockcablesoutofthebox. AuniquefeatureoftheClearMGintheFocallineisthattherearetwomodels.There’saconsumereditionandaprofessionaledition.Theheadphonesthemselvesonlydifferincolorandaretunedthesame.Theyonlydifferbytheincludedcables,Ibelieve.Theconsumermodel(whichmyreviewunitis)isachestnutbrownwithbrownearpads: The“Pro”modelisblackwithredearpads: Sincethetuningisthesameandthestockcablesarebutt,it’sbasicallyjustdowntowhichcolorschemeyoupreferforthisheadphone. TheMG’sdifferentdriverthanotherFocalmodelsleadstoaslightlyhigherimpedancethanmostoftheirmodels.TheMGisratedat55Ωbutwithastill-efficientsensitivityof104dB/mW.ThatstillmakesitveryfriendlyforDAPs,mobileamps,andotherlower-poweredamps.IfoundthatitneededaboutonehourhigherpotentiometerpositiononmyViolectricHPA-V281thanitssiblingmodelstheStelliaandtheRadianceforvolumematching.But,thatstillkeepsitfirmlyineasy-to-driveterritory. SOUND TestGear IrantheClearMGdirectlyfrommyChordHugo2transportableDAC/ampandonmymaindesktopchaincomprisedofaWindows10PCrunningAudirvana3.5,aSingxerSU-2digital-to-digitalconverterandUSBinterface,aBerkeleyAudioDesignsAlphaSeries2DAC,andaViolectricHPA-V281headphoneamp.LateinthereviewprocessaRAALRequisiteHSA-1bamparrivedforevaluationandIgotacouplelisteningsessionsinwiththeMGonthatampaswellusingthesameDDCandDACfrommydesktopchain.Also,forkicks,IusedtheSEoutputonthesameBerkeleyDACandusedtheCayinHA-1AMK2tubeampandtheSchiitAsgard3toseewhatwouldhappen. It’saFocalHeadphone! Unsurprisingly,everyaudioequipmentcompanyendsupadoptingahousesound.Theytypicallyhaveacommondesignerordesignteamthathasopinionsabouthowthingsshouldsoundandtheytweakandtuneuntildesiredtraitsarereached.IwasabletodoaFocalheadphoneshootoutrecentlywhereIspokeaboutsomeofthefeaturesoftheFocalhousesound.Ifyoumissedthatvideo,here’sarecap:Focalfavorsamid-forwardtuningthatgivesthemid-rangefrequenciesmoreaudiblepresencethanthebassortreble.Evenso,thereisstillexcellentextensioninbothdirectionswithafairamountofairuptopandquiteexcellentbassextension.Focalheadphonesareallverydynamicandpunchy.Theyhaveeffortlessandhugedynamicrangeandtheycomewithlotsofslam.Theywillhityou.Theirbassoftenhasatactilequalitytoit.ThesoundstagingonFocalsisneitherlargenorsmallbutcreatesmoreofawrap-aroundeffectthanaspeaker-likeout-in-frontstaging.IdescribeitasbeingontheMaestro’sstandofasymphonyratherthanbackintheaudienceoftheconcerthall.Myexperiencewiththe4FocalmodelsI’veheard,includingtheMG,makesthesetraitsprettyclear–withthenotabletuningexceptionoftheRadiancebeingwarmerandbassierinitsfrequencyresponse.Withineachofthesetraits,thereissomevariation.Let’sdiveintotheMG’suniquetwistsoneachofthesethings. SoundSignature–FrequencyResponse TheMGiscertainlymid-forward.Mostofitsmid-forwardness,atleasttomyear,isinthe1KHz-ishrange(whichmakesitnotagoodmatchformyears–seetheKnowYourReviewersectionabove).However,thereisalsoasenseofwarmththatotherFocals(saveRadiance–whichhasitinspades)lack.So,thereisabitextrapresenceintheupperbass/lower-midsthatbringsinthatwarmth,butit’snotasforwardorasprominentasthemid-range.OutsideofthosetraitstheclassicFocalextension–bothhighandlow–isdefinitelypresentasthereisafairamountofairwithoutbeingsibilantorpiercingandsomedeepbasswithoutanybloatorbleedintothemids. Thatmid-rangeforwardnessisprobablythebiggestdetrimenttothesound.Now,I’vedeclaredmy1KHzsensitivityandgeneraldisdainforshoutyvocalsandhonky/hollowinstrumentssounds,butthisheadphoneticklesthattolevelthatfewdo.MyguessisthatmanywillnotexperiencewhatIamabouttodescribetothesameextentthatIdo,butthereisafairamountofcriticismfloatingaroundoutthereabouttheMG’smids,whichleadsmetobelievethereissomethinggoingonhere–orsomethingnotgoingon,whateverthecasemaybe.Thetimbreisalloffthroughthemids.Vocalsgetshoutyandwhentherearemulti-partharmoniesitcanbeverydifficulttoseparatethevocalsfromeachother.HowmanysingersarethereinEaglesSevenBridgesRoad?TheMGdidnotanswerthatquestionforme.Similarly,instrumentscanbecomeoverpowering,honky,orhollowquitequickly,andit’snotalwaysbigandbombasticbrasscrescendosthatdoit.TheopeningofASpoonfulWeighsaTonbyTheFlamingLipshassomeflutesorclarinetsor…oboe?...intheleftchannelthattheMGturnedintoablaringmesstomyear.They’renotrecordedparticularlyaggressivelyeither.ThePoetandPendulumbyNightwishfeaturesanepicsectionfromabout7:00to9:00withafullmetalband,backingorchestra,andaduelingelectric-guitarandviolinsolo.MGdidaprettygoodjobholdingallthattogethersaveforseparatingthatguitarandviolinfromeachother. MorethanonefellowaudiophilehascomplainedtomethattheywishtheMGhadmorevocalpresenceassometimesvocalsweren’tasfeaturedastheywouldlike.Idon’tthinktheproblemisalackofmid-rangepresence.Ithinkoneoftheproblemsisthemidsaretoopresentwhichoftenendsupwithvocalandinstrumentsoundsgettingmuddledtogetherabittoomuch. Macrodynamics It’saFocal.Itpuncheshardandhasdynamicrangeinspades.Ilikethephysicalityhere,asIgenerallylikethephysicalityofFocal’slineup.TheClearMGcertainlydeliversonthisaspect.Thisisatraitthatyoueitherlikeoryoudon’t.Let’smoveon. Staging ThetechnicalabilityoftheMG’sspatialpresentationseemspriceappropriatetome.TheFocalwarp-around,“bubblearoundthehead”presentationishere.Thesoundstagesizeisneitherremarkablybignorsmall,justis.Theimagingandseparationareprettygoodtoo.Withwellrecordedsymphoniesandorchestrasit’sfairlyeasytoplaceinstrumentswheretheyare,andjustasimportantly,wheretheyaren’t.I’veheardbetternearthe$1500pricepoint,butI’vealsoheardworse.Moreonthisinthecomparisonsectiontocome. DetailRetrieval Forthemostpartthedetailretrievalisalsostrongandpriceappropriate.OntheconcertrecordingofJohnWilliamsinVienna,thingslikechaircreaks,musicpagesbeingturned,andtheclicksofbowsasthey’rebeingsetdowncanallbeheardalloverthesoundfield.Now,Irealizethatchaircreaksandpageshufflesarenotpartofthemusic,buttheabilitytoresolvethosethingsservesasagoodproxyforbeingabletoresolvethesubtletiesthatareinthemusic.Thosesoundsalsocontributetoa“youarethere”kindoffeelingwhilelistening.Ithinkthatthemid-rangeissuementionedaboveisalsoadetail-retrievalissue,however.Theremightbeasmalldipinresolutioncapabilityinthesamerangeastheprominentmid-rangewhichmakesdistinguishingvoicesandinstrumentsfromeachotherallthemoredifficult. AMPPAIRINGS OftheFocalsIhaveexperiencewith(Stellia,Radiance,Elegia,ClearMG),theMGseemstobethemostamppicky.Itchangesitsbehaviormorethantheothersmovingfromamptoamp.TheStellia,Radiance,andElegiamoreorlessmaintaintheiroverallbehaviorandeitherbecomemore-or-lessresolvingwithcleanerorquieter(ortheopposite)sonicbackgroundasampschange.Inotherwords,theyremainaversionofthemselves.TheMGseemstoexperiencesomefrequencyresponsechanges,however.Itcanvaryafairdegreeintheamountofbassandrumble,andthatmid-rangeforwardness,whilealwaysthere,canalsovaryinpresence.TheHugo2isnotaparticularlypowerfulampinthelowend,sothebassisabitlighterontheMGonthatone,whichisn’tsurprising,butthatcomboisalsooneoftheworstoffendersintheshout/honkregion.OddlyenoughtheAsgard3wasprobablythesecondleastshouty/honky/hollow,butalsodidn’thavequitetheoomphinthelowend.TheV281wokethebassupquiteabit,withlotsofpresenceandslam,andwasarguablytheleastshoutyofanyampItried.Andyes,thatmeansthatthe$4500RAALampwasshoutier,honkier,etc.withtheMG.But,theRAALampalsohadevenmorebassquantitythattheV281,morebasspunch/slam,moreoveralldetail,cleanerbackground,andmoreaccuratespatialpresentation.TheCayinHA-1AMK2tubeampgavethemostbasspresenceofanyoftheamps.Infact,thebassquantityfromthatampwashighereventhantheRadianceonanyofthoseamps,whichisabigswitch.Themidswerestillreallyshoutythoughandtheoverallpresentationtookonawetterandoversmoothedcharacter.That’slikelybecauseofthehigheroutputimpedanceonthe1AMK2(evenonitslowestoutputimpedancesetting).IenjoyedtheMGthemostontheV281becausetomyearitstruckthebestbalanceoffullnessandpowerinthebasswiththemidsbeingtheleastaggressive(butstillobjectionablyaggressiveandshouty/honky/hollowtoooften). COMPARISONSWITHOTHERHEADPHONES IcomparedtheClearMGtotheRadianceandStellia,asIsharedearlier.Thepunchlinethereisitwasmyleastfavoriteofthethree.TheStelliaisalsomid-forward,butalittlehigherinfrequencythantheMGiswhichgetsitoutofshoutterritoryformemoreoften.TheStelliaalsoholdsitselftogethermoreeffectivelywhenitdoesgetshouty.MGgoesofftherailsmore,sotospeak.TheRadiance,tomyear,wastechnicallyequaltoorsuperiortotheMGinjustabouteverysoniccategorysavemaybejusttheslightestofedgestotheMGinspatialseparation.TheMGcanpresentspacebetweensonicimagesjustalittlebitmoreclearlythanRadiance–butIhadtostraintohearthat.BecausetheMGisopen-backandtheRadianceclosed-back,andwithRadiancebeing$200cheaper,IwouldexpecttheMGtobecomfortablysuperiorinitsspatialpresentationandit’s…not.Idon’tthinkthat’sbecausetheMGisbad.IthinkthathasmoretodowiththeRadiancebeingsomethingspecial,actually. Lookingattheheadphonemarketinthe$1300ish-$1800ishrange,IeitherownorhavereviewedtheFocalRadiance(commentsabove),theFostexTH900(whichIaddedLawtonchambersto),ZMFEikon,AudezeLCD-X(maybethatone’salittlelessinprice,butstillclose),andHiFiManAryaandEditionXV2(nowdiscontinued).LookingatthisgroupitstrikesmethattheMGisnotthebestatanyonesinglesonictechnicality.Norisittheworst,exceptmaybethemid-rangetimbre.TheLCD-X(pre-2021,anyway)andtheMGwilllikelyhavequiteafightoverwhowantstobetheshoutiestinthemid-range.InthisgrouptheEikonhasthemostnaturaltimbreuntilthemusicgetsverybusy,whereitcanstruggle.Butwhenit’sinitscomfortzone,thattimbreisphenomenal.TheAryahasthenextbesttimbreallthetime,probablywithitssiblingtheEditionXV2behindit.TheTH900canbesttheMGinphysicality,punchingwithevenmoreauthorityinthedeepsubbass.TheLCD-XcanalsochallengetheMGinphysicalitywithsomebassboost.TheAryaisthemostresolvingofthisset,probablyfollowedbyitssibling,theTH900,andtheMG.MyTH900withLawtonchambersismoreresolvingthantheMG,butthestockTH900likelyisn’tquitetothatlevel.TheAryaalsohasthebiggestsoundstageandthemostaccurateimaging,separation,andlayeringwithinthatsoundstage.Forsoundstage,biggerdoesn’tmeantechnicallybetter,butthoseotheraspectspointtoaclearsuperiorityfortheAryainthispricerange–andit’swayaheadoftherestatthat.Thesecond-bestheadphoneinthisgroupwouldbetheotherHiFiMan,theEditionXV2.MGcomesinmiddle-of-the-packhere,earningitsplaceatthepricepointbutnotstandingoutamongstthecrowdeither. Alloftheseheadphoneshavesomesortofcriticalerrorofflawinthemtoo,whichyou’reeitherwillingtolivewithoryou’renot.TheLCD-Xhastheshoutymidsand,withoutEQ,aquicklyrolled-offsubbassandsomewhatincoherentspatialpresentation.WithEQ,thebasscomesback,shoutinessdiminishes,andthespatialintegrityimproves,butthenyou’restuckdealingwithEQ,whichcanbeeitherveryexpensivetouseeasilyorarealpaininthe…Ithinkyougetit.TheAryahasahotzoneinthetreblewhichcomesacrossasverysharpandsibilanttomanyandgavemevertigo-likesymptoms.Itcanalsobeabitbass-lean.TheEditionXV2wasdiscontinuedawhileago,whichisashamebecauseit’sreallygood,andcanhardlybefoundanymore,evenontheusedmarket.TheTH900seriescanbetoov-shapedformanylistenersandisalsonotoriousforbeingtoosharpandsibilantinthetreble.TheEikontendstofreakoutalittlebitwithcomplexmusic,losingitresolutionchopsandspatialintegrity,andalsodoesn’tsoundasgoodasmanyoftheotherswhenit’splayingmusicofgenreswhereitdoesn’texcelie.itfallsapartmorethantheotherswhenit’snotcomfortableasageneralrule,beingmuchmoreaspecialistthantherest. PutallthistogetherandausecasestartstoemergefortheClearMG.Ifyoucanhandleitsmid-rangepresence,andmanycan,yougetaheadphonethat’sverysolidinallthetechnicalareasanddoesaprettygoodjobwithmostgenresofmusicmostofthetime.Callitajack-of-all-trades-master-of-nonesituation.Thereisaplaceforthatifyourtasteiseclecticandyouwanttopluginonecanwhileworkingfortheday. FINALTHOUGHTS Ifitisn’talreadyapparent,theClearMGisn’tforme.It’stoomid-forwardtoooftenformyearsandleadstotoomuchshoutiness,honkiness,andhollownessinthesound,wreckingtimbreandtonalitythroughthemid-rangeforme.Evenso,therewerestillmultiplestretchesinmytimewithitwhenIwasabletoenjoythemusic;bobmyhead,tapmyfoot,singalong(poorly,haha).Themagnitudeofthosemid-rangedifficultiesmightbesomewhatuniquetomeasIseemtobe1KHzsensitive,butIdon’tthinktheywillentirelydisappearforverymanyeither.Idon’tthinktheMGisquitethe$1500benchmarktheoriginalClearwasconsideredtobebackwhenitruledtheroost,butit’salsogoodenoughatenoughthingsthatitcanearnaplacebybeingsomewhatofageneralist–providedthatitsmidsarenottoomuchforyou.Detailretrievalisoverallsolid.Theimagingandseparationarealsorightwheretheyshouldbefortheprice.Themacrodynamicpunch/slamisalsoplentifulandfun.They’rewellbuilt.They’recomfortable.Andtheylookgood.Ifyouneedasingleheadphonetocoverawiderangeofmusicgenresforextendedlistens,needall-daycomfort,andcanhandlethemid-forwardpresentation,theClearMGisworthcheckingout. Thanksforreading,all.Enjoythemusic! Thereviewinvideoform: Lastedited:Oct1,2021 Reactions: Uguccione,Andrew_WOT,RayMets1and3others RayMets1 IactuallyowntheMg'sandhavethempairedwiththeToppingA30D30Pro,andmustsaythispairingsoundsgreatwiththeMG's.TheD30Prohavingamorerelaxedsignaturereallytametheshoutiness. S srinis Thanksforthethoughtfulreview.Mymusicaltastesalignwithyours.IwouldappreciateifIcouldhaveyourrecommendationforasuitablemidtohighendheadphoneformetal/hardrockandsometimesjazz.IamcurrentlylisteningtoFiiOm17withTiaTrioandwouldbekeentohaveasimilarprofileinoverears.IsoldmyEther2.Eventhoughthedetailretrievalwassecondtonone,theysoundedalittle…safeandbland!! WaveTheory @srinisthatcanbeabittrickyifyouhavenootherampoptions.IloveFocalRadianceforrock/metalanditcouldprobablyworkoffyourFiioampwell.TheAryaStealthmagneteditionisprobablymyfavoriteall-arounderatitspricepointbutyouwillwanttogetanampforitforsure. Home HeadGear HeadGear Headphones Over-Ear Wearecurrentlyupdatingthesearchindex,anditmaybetemporarilyunavailablewhilethisisinprocess.Thankyouforunderstanding. Thissiteusescookiestohelppersonalisecontent,tailoryourexperienceandtokeepyouloggedinifyouregister. Bycontinuingtousethissite,youareconsentingtoouruseofcookies. Top