I was going to put up a review sooner, as I'm done going over my notes. However, I wasn't able to take the headphones off long enough to write one. Don't bother trying to write while listening to the Clear, it will demand your complete attention. Where to begin? I suppose I should start with my experience. I don't think I'll be able to write this review strictly focused on the FOCAL Clear. I'd never experienced a balanced system before. I got the Clear about a month ago, and it was killing me wanting to know how it sounded balanced. FOCAL included a ten-foot balanced XLR Neutrik terminated cable, so I just had to get a balanced amp. It felt like FOCAL was saying "If you ain't balanced, you ain't schiit, mon ami ", cuz they're French (I didn't even know that FOCAL pronounces it like locale). I had a great experience with my little Schiit stack for a little over a year, but it was time to get serious. Once I had the Jotunheim and balanced Modius DAC in my hands I found out how serious.I ordered the Clear about 4 weeks ago from HeadAmp. Justin and co. did a great job for me. The very next day, I received a beautiful, brand-spanking new Clear headphone via insured Fedex (driver got my signature, precluding delivery going amiss). I'll just say that was a real treat. Did I mention the fact that overnight was included in this deal? And if there ever is a problem, I'm know HeadAmp has my back, with their return policy and personalized customer service.I got the Jotunheim and Modius (from the mothership) last week, so I could hear the Clear balanced. I ordered on a Monday and they got here via FedEx that Friday, and I reaped rewards with my loudspeakers, its like I got new ones. I was eager to try the Clear but I couldn't pick my jaw up off the floor long enough. My speakers sounded better than I even hoped. I can definitely speak for the preamp outs! These guys really know their Schiit, duh. Amazing difference when you upgrade to a true audiophile quality balanced amp and dac.For these tests I ended up wearing the Clear for about eleven hours in a caffeine-fueled rush of experiencing balanced audio for the first time. Proof enough of their comfort. I'd never worn hp that long before, but they just disappeared. I can't give a higher compliment than that. It was a joy to live through, and I didn't want to stop. I even took notes, I was so impressed. I didn't go through my entire music library, but its fair to say it was an extensive sampling. Some albums I had to hear in their entirety, I was so enchanted once again by music.I started with the single ended 1/4" terminated cable, in order to properly compare to my other, single ended HPs, then I did an A/B test with the MassDrop x Sennheiser HD 6XX and the Drop + HIFIMAN HE-4XX (I guess it was A/B/C). I was really surprised at how well the Sennheiser held up compared to the Clear. The HIFIMAN fell by the wayside early (a surprise for planars), sounded like maybe it was driver breakup. All I know is I started hearing distortion at even moderate SPL. The HD 6XX hung in until I tried them at a bit more power, then the Clear started to show why they sell so dearly. I got 'jumpscares' from music with which I was intimately familiar, I thought there was somebody else behind me, beside me, in the room with me. The transients were transient! The sound was so realistic, I literally had company in my listening area. If the separation wasn't startling me, the overall tonal quality literally gave me goosebumps, like when I played 'Abbey Road' balanced. The harmonies were simply beautiful. Its not like I didn't know that, but the Clear is so resolving that 50+ year-old recordings sound brand new. With the Magni and Modi 3 stack and single ended HPs, I wasn't able to hear any of this at this level. I expect an improvement in sq when upgrading to a better amp, but the Jotunheim is fantastically rewarding.Clear balanced, then it was game over for the Senns. High-end had crystal clarity. The Senn seemed 'veiled' a bit on the highs (I know, dead horse). Its really the mids where the Clear started showing it's stuff. Never heard vocals like this. The presence. The sq of the dynamics that must be heard to believe. The sound stage wasn't just wide, I think it was half in the neighbors yard. It wasn't merely three-dimensional, it was truly holographic, all-encompassing. I can't believe what I've been missing, if you haven't gone balanced you need to try it, just to experience what its like to be in the studio when they're recording. Its Clear, alright.Its the low end with the Clear that got my attention most, I put on the first track from 'Dark Side of the Moon' on TIDAL flac. 'Speak to me' started with the bass drum and low synth, I felt my entire head reverberating to the almost heart-beat like thrum. I could literally feel the bass down to my toes, with headphones!! I seriously had never heard low end, this...low. The other hp just played it as bass notes, without attack and prolonged decay. Not even out loud with tower speakers had I heard notes this deep. Not even with the new Jot and Modius sending to my Audioengine HD6 and the Klipsch R100-SW subwoofer. I had to keep telling myself to calm down. I also had to keep reminding me that this is headphones we're talking about. Headphones! Several times I reached for the speaker volume, forgetting that its not them!! Fast, fat, smooth and deep? Check. Sub-sonics? Check. Cliche I know, but there were things in there I'd never heard, and I've heard 'Dark Side' a hell of a lot! My God, when 'Money' started I heard each and every ha' penny as they fell into the till. The Clear has the low end to end all low ends. Or high end. Never was the high end fatiguing in the slightest. It was like little tweeter fairies were bonking me on my ears with their little fairy wands. Crystalline cymbals. Even the little tinkle of bells, harp and triangles were clearly heard. There's that word again: Clear. That's probably due to the upgraded voice coil in the Clear. The inverted dome driver with pure copper formerless vc in the Clear is an upgrade (among others) from the Elear, which I haven't heard.Don't get me wrong: they're no bass cannons, if you like that, but they damn sure reproduce whatever bass notes are there, just no BS extra fake oomph added in. I've read comparisons to the Utopia and the sound architecture of FOCAL is on display here, to reduce harmonic distortion in the fragile mid-range register, which is so very crucial for presenting the artist’s emotions, the Clear doesn't have the beryllium dome like the Utopia, but it is hyper-fast and resolving of the most minute details. The mids are where the Clear earns it's stripes, that's where most of the music lives.To be fair, I need to get balanced cables for the 6XX and the 4XX (right, just an excuse to get more gear), for a proper comparison. When I auditioned using single ended, the two others tried to keep up, but the 4XX went down first and the 6XX lasted longer but failing, in the end to keep up. Nice to know the more expensive one sounds better. The Clear took everything I threw at it and said "Thank you sir, may I have another?". The Jotunheim balanced would not let me turn the Clear up past nine o'clock (on low gain!), that's a TWO, in other words. It was overpowering any louder than that. Won't be turning it up to 11 with this amp. Amazing separation, as expected with balanced, and there's so much more power that way that you have to be careful not to hurt your ears. Its a good thing that good amps sound good even at low volume.The Clear is one of the finest-looking headphones on the planet (not just my opinion, but I agree). Leather over the headband and solid aluminum yokes and driver screens. All with French styling. Sweet. The cables are even better than Utopia or Elear. Lighter, fabric covered with black and white stripes. You get three cables with the Clear: a 1.2 meter with 3.5mm termination for portables, a three meter cable with 1/4" termination and a three meter balanced cable with that Neutrik XLR termination. Comes with the gorgeous FOCAL hard-shell form-fitting case, standard. Easier to drive than Utopia or Elear at 55 Ohms, but quite scalable and will definitely resolve even more with a good amplifier.The comfort is almost unbelievable for a set of over-ears, due to their innovative cushioned and pivoting headband and gently springy ear capsule design which keeps equal force around the ear, no hot spots! The ear pads are microfibre and 20mm memory foam, the most plush I've ever felt. FOCAL designed these capsules deep, with angled-forward mounted drivers, they treat the space as their 'room', employing techniques pioneered in their (legendary) loudspeakers. The critics say the Clear gives you 95% of the Utopia sound quality, just as the Elear is said to bring 90-95% of the Clear's sq. FOCAL has said they want you to forget you're wearing hp and think you're listening to loudspeakers. To my ears, I can tell you they've succeeded admirably. Stated plainly, they have the most balanced tonality of any headphone I've ever heard. The sound is just...open, with nothing between you and your music. Reference, resolving, yet musical. When I say the sound is simply beautiful, its an understatement. If you'd hear them you'll know why they called it the Clear. That's my prejudiced and totally biased opinion anyway.Any mistakes are mine, any of the beauty described here belongs to FOCAL Clear and Schiit Audio.These are definitely more resolving with better upper mids than the Focal Elear, and a bit less brittle in the highs than the Utopia. Both are headphones which I have had in-house and reviewed in the past.The build quality on the Clear is basically the same as the Elear, but it looks cooler due to the silver/grey color. And, Focal finally includes nice cables that make sense with the Clear, versus the way too heavy and super long cables they included on both the Elear and Utopia. The included hard case is also something that is very well designed and fits the headphones perfectly.I've stated before that I didn't feel the Utopia's were worth the $4,000 price tag, and I think Focal probably agrees since they then lowered the price by about $1,000. I think the Clear is worth the money.And with regards to the Elear, I liked them for the price, but thought there was an audible upper midrange hole in the frequency response, on many vocals, something just felt missing.The Clear sounds closer to the Utopia than it does to the Elear. When comparing them to my Sony MDR-Z1R, they certainly sound a bit brighter, with less bass. This is to be expected given that the Focal Clear is a very open headphone whereas the Z1R is a closed headphone. I do long for a bit more bass with the Clear, however you can boost the bass using some digital EQ. In the end, these are quite resolving headphones with a slightly lean sound signature when comparing them to warmer headphones such as the Sony Z1R or Audioquest Nighthawk. The sound stage while quite wide, still seems not quite as wide as with Sennheiser HD800/S by the way.The Focal Clear bridges the gap between the Elear and the Utopia models well. I suspect it will eat in to sales of both the Elear and Utopia. My guess is Focal is likely working on a Utopia 2 for a super expensive flagship headphone, and the Elear may be discontinued.I will be updating this review as the headphones get more "burn-in" and I also listen to them more, so be sure to check back.NOTE: Mine did arrive with a defect in the finish of the mesh on one side. It looked as if the factory did not get a good silver coating on the mesh. I had to sent them back and think Focal could have done better with quality control here.UPDATE: When direct comparing the Focal Clear to my Sony Z1R, the Z1R sounds more engaging due to increased lower bass response and also smoother vocals. Example, when playing the recently remastered release of Metallica's Master Of Puppets album, on the Clear it sounds good and analytical whereas on the Z1R, it's more 'right on' and engaging. Also quite interestingly, the Z1R has about the same wide sound stage as the Clear. The Clear has a narrow sound stage for headphones as open as they are, whereas the Z1r has quite a wide sound stage for closed headphones.HEADPHONES I CURRENTLY OWN:Sony MDR-Z1RAudioquest NighthawkShozy Zero earbudsApple Ear Pods (hate them for music, only use for phone calls/podcasts)PREVIOUSLY OWNED:Focal Utopia (loaner)Focal ElearSennheiser HD800 SSony MDR-Z7Cardas A8 Ear SpeakersAudeze LCD-3Beats ExecutiveDenon AHGC20AKG Q701AKG K702 65th Anniversary EditionAudeze LCD-2Cardas Ear SpeakersV-Moda Crossfade M100Accidentally Extraordinary 51st StudioAudio-Technica ATH-M50BeyerDynamic DT880 PremiumBeats ProFostex TH900Sony MDR-1rSennheiser HD600Sennheiser HD800Sennheiser HD598Denon D7000Denon D5000Ultrasone Pro 900 SKlipsch X10 EarbudsSony MDR-7506Sony MDR-V6Grado SR60Incuriosito dalle recensioni internazionali che parlavano in maniera molto positiva di queste cuffie, quando ho visto che erano in offerta , ho deciso di acquistarle. All'inizio devo ammettere che ero un pò scettico perché possedendo già delle cuffie di buon livello non mi aspettavo un miglioramento sensibile. Ed invece mi sbagliavo decisamente. Queste Focal Clear hanno una capacita di esprimere una qualità sonora ed un dettaglio molto elevato, veramente sorprendente. I bassi sono definiti e corposi senza mai eccedere, i medi molto precisi e distinti, e gli alti morbidi e brillanti senza mai essere fastidiosi. Il soundstage è più intimo rispetto ad una HD 800S , ma gli strumenti musicali sono riprodotti con un ottimo effetto tridimensionale che si estende in altezza , lunghezza e profondità. Le Clear , a mio parere, sono cuffie molto musicali e ben si adattano a qualsiasi genere , senza generare mai fatica d'ascolto. Suonano bene anche con uno smartphone, ma quando sono pilotate da un buon DAC ed un buon amplificatore si esprimono al meglio e sanno emozionare come poche. Insomma se la giocano alla pari con cuffie ben più blasonate e costose e spesso le battono senza mezzi termini.Trovo anche che siano estremamente comode, ed infatti dopo un pò che le porti ti dimentichi di averle.Ottima anche la dotazione che arriva in confenzione, con ben tre cavi di cui uno bilanciato XLR.In questo senso molti concorrenti dovrebbero prenderle ad esempio visto quanto sono micragnosi nelle dotazioni che accompagnano le le loro cuffie.Le consiglio senza riserve, per me sono cuffie quasi da endgame come dicono gli americani.such a great headphone, build is great nice finishes everywhere on the headphone.ive heard some reviews talking about the headband creaking even when its on your head the headband does have some play but no worse than some other headphones I own with similar style a non issue with me.very comfortable fitting I've been wearing these for about 3 hrs with no issue.sound great as you might expect in a $1900.00 headphone.what really sold me on this headphone other than the great reviews it had it was really the only high end headphone in this price range that came with multiple cables didn't need to go out and buy a balanced xlr cable.currently running on my XDUOO-TA10 hybrid tube amplifier sounds great.6 wks in no issues with headband as described in other reviewsSie klingen halt ziemlich "anders" gegenüber alles andere was ich bisher so gehört habe. Das macht die Focal Clears so interessant. Bequem sind sie auch, nur etwas schwer. Ich bezweifle nur, dass das Kopfband über einen längeren Zeitraum "sauber" bleibt, da müsste man etwas mehr aufpassen. Haben extreme Dynamik (muss man mögen), auch klingen sie analytisch. Der Bass ist sehr punchy und geht ziemlich weit runter. Kopfhörer sollte man definitiv vorher testen bevor man sie kauft, da hilft niemandem ein Review :)Sehr klarer, "ehrlicher" Kopfhörer, der die Musik sehr neutral abbildet. Danke Christian habe noch einen Denon AH-D7200, der einen etwas "wärmeren Klang wiedergibt. Für manche Musik (Blues, Rock) erscheint mir dieser Klang fast passender, auch wenn er die Realität nicht 1:1 wiedergibt. Dennoch: Der Focal ist ein super Kopfhörer. Note: Irgendwo zwischen 4,5 und 5.Des sources de qualité ainsi qu'un bon ampli casque sublimeront l'écoute.Confort et son exceptionnels