I managed to get a Radiance and a Clear MG for less than what one pair normally costs due to a sale and I am blown away by both pairs. I think all around the Clear MG are the better pair as they fit more needs. The only time I feel I would rather use the Radiance is if I need the closed back, or want more sub-bass which for some EDM and pretty much any Hip-Hop music, the stuff I listen to most, can sometimes sound better to me on the Radiance. But the Clear MG is just as good for mixing, and is far better for gaming to me, as everything sounds wider, cleaner, less muffled and more detailed. I think for music that's orchestral or like even heavy metal I think the Clear MG shines a little more as the instruments sound more detailed. Both sound great for movies though. I would recommend changing the cable on pretty much any Focal headphones as, assuming they're all the same, the Clear MG and Radiance cables are only about a meter, and aren't the nicest cables to use. For reference I was driving both off an Asgard 3 Amplifier and Bifrost 2/64 DAC.
What a great video! I was thinking about picking one of these up myself, until around the mid-part of the video when the price was revealed... 1500 bucks is a way over budget for me, sadly enough.
great "down to earth" review, no insane audiophile terms, just a great tangible discription of sound. I like the comparison to the Arya because I'm currently deciding between them. The Focals are definitely better tonally, I just hope the soundstage isn't much worse. Here in Germany, the Clear are usually even 250 euros cheaper.
Would you recommend these in 2024? This is around my price range, but I want to get the best bang for my buck. And how would these pair with Scarlett amp? I imagine upgrading that would be recommended as well, but for some reason I am drawn to these. Excellent review!
Great video, and Focal designs are the best looking headphones in my mind. It always amuses me seeing comments by people who seem to think THEIR likes/needs/wants/opinions are the only logical and necessary options. They see a price they can't afford or want to spend, and then try to justify why they are so shrewd by denigrating those who want or purchase a specific item. I will admit I am often baffled by the sometimes outrageous prices people with vast disposable incomes will fork out for things that aren't that much better than cheaper alternatives. But if they perceive it as being better, or just want it as a status symbol, that's their business. The only headphones I'm currently using are the Beyerdynamics DT770 Pro and my 30 year old AKG K240DF open back. I am in the market to get something better, possibly a magnetic planar, but in a conventional type it's probably Focal. Yes, $1,400 is a lot of money for headphones for me, but anything I buy will have a return policy so that if I'm not satisfied I can return it. Anyway, thanks for the informative video.
$1500 for headphones? You didn't seem to mention that. I am as much of an audio junkie as any other being the fact that I’ve been composing and playing keyboards in my own studios for 35+ years. However, this presentation is part of that audioholic delusion that is unfortunately pedaled too often on RUclips. Anyone over 50 is not hearing above 14Khz and the marginal difference between these and my Beyerdynamic pro studio headphones for $179 is negligible for 98% of the population. However, it does appeal to those that suffer the deep psychosis of forever searching and endlessly spending for "the best" and NEVER achieving it. The second delusion, perhaps better described as irony, is when we are finally able to afford the “good stuff”, say in our 50’s and 60’s, so begins the decline of our hearing.
Actually the price is mentioned twice, during the specs (ruclips.net/video/C3RVruKAbeo/видео.html) and here: ruclips.net/video/C3RVruKAbeo/видео.html. I'm not pedaling any "delusion", there are benefits and many people willing to pay for headphones in this segment of the market. You may disagree but I'm happy there are folks in the high end of the audio and video market because it helps keep the companies alive and the technology eventually trickles down to lower priced components. It sounds like you're very happy with your Beyerdynamics and that's excellent (they are good, I showed you the pair I own) but others can and do make different decisions.
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Thank you for your response, Cody. I suppose I was not as concise as I could have been. Obviously, I am not the market target for $1000+ headphones, and most people are not. What I was trying to say is the quality differences as you move up the spectrum starts to become quite minuscule and to me not worth the price. It becomes difficult to discern major differences between $400 and $1500 headphones. That's what I am saying. PS, I do like your channel, and you helped me decide on Klipsch for surrounds. Thanks, Joe
Ok, I understand your comment better now, thanks for additional clarification and I'm sorry for responding harshly. The way some people phrase their comments "XYZ speaker is 100% the best and if you don't agree you're a moron" rubs me the wrong way and that is how I took it on the initial read, so again I apologize. I agree that there is a point of diminishing returns but I'm ok if people want to chase that 0.2% or whatever because their purchase is helping to keep the companies in business. Personally I'm not huge fan of vinyl but I'm happy people are buying because it keeps the hobby alive. Secretly I'm hoping that disc based movies (4K UHD and hopefully an 8K disc format one day) will have a similar draw so we can have disc based movies for many, many years to come. 😁 Also I try not to be to critical of how people spend their money because I know people are critical of how I spend my money. For instance some people question why I've purchased "extra speakers for surround" when TVs come with speakers built in. 😁😁 Hopefully this makes sense, enjoy your weekend. 😁
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Yes, it does. I am also in agreement with you that how people spend extra money is their business (as long as its legal). I was speaking more to people that are forever chasing the fantasy of the ultimate sound. I know exactly what that is, and I have fallen into that trap too. As for physical media, right on-board Cody, I have about 672 movies. Like you probably know, there is a possibility in 5-8 years that streaming will finally eclipse physical media to the point of making collectors a niche. When my buddy, a fellow trekker, went online to watch some episodes, he had no idea that without a Paramount+ subscription, he is not SOL. I own all TOS and next gen episodes and movies largely because I like them but also because I saw the writing on the wall. I hope others do to and start curating a collection before someday they find out it will take 9-10 subscription packages just to watch what they truly enjoy.
Ok I see what you’re saying, they’re are definitely folks out there always looking for the next systems vs. being happy with what they have. That’s actually not a bad video topic, it probably won’t get very many views though. 😁 Yea I’m happy to have a physical collection of my faves to watch whenever I want without worrying about what’s on a service. Thanks so much for commenting, this has been a really good conversation. 😁😁
I managed to get a Radiance and a Clear MG for less than what one pair normally costs due to a sale and I am blown away by both pairs. I think all around the Clear MG are the better pair as they fit more needs. The only time I feel I would rather use the Radiance is if I need the closed back, or want more sub-bass which for some EDM and pretty much any Hip-Hop music, the stuff I listen to most, can sometimes sound better to me on the Radiance. But the Clear MG is just as good for mixing, and is far better for gaming to me, as everything sounds wider, cleaner, less muffled and more detailed. I think for music that's orchestral or like even heavy metal I think the Clear MG shines a little more as the instruments sound more detailed. Both sound great for movies though.
I would recommend changing the cable on pretty much any Focal headphones as, assuming they're all the same, the Clear MG and Radiance cables are only about a meter, and aren't the nicest cables to use. For reference I was driving both off an Asgard 3 Amplifier and Bifrost 2/64 DAC.
Nice deal!!!! Thanks for sharing! 😀
This is not headphones to listen to music ffs 🎧
Fantastic review!! Well done!!
What a great video!
I was thinking about picking one of these up myself, until around the mid-part of the video when the price was revealed... 1500 bucks is a way over budget for me, sadly enough.
I got a used Clear MG Pro for £600. Not cheap but better than £1.5k
great "down to earth" review, no insane audiophile terms, just a great tangible discription of sound. I like the comparison to the Arya because I'm currently deciding between them. The Focals are definitely better tonally, I just hope the soundstage isn't much worse. Here in Germany, the Clear are usually even 250 euros cheaper.
Thanks for watching 😁
Nicely articulated review my brother. Great, useful information in making a purchase decision. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Would you recommend these in 2024?
This is around my price range, but I want to get the best bang for my buck.
And how would these pair with Scarlett amp? I imagine upgrading that would be recommended as well, but for some reason I am drawn to these.
Excellent review!
Hi
In Swedish "Blågutten" menas the "blue boy", but the last half of the word "gutten" is actually a Norwegian word. I hope that helps :-)
Ahhhhh thank you 🙏🏾! Sorry for butchering it, I like the song though. 😁
Great video, and Focal designs are the best looking headphones in my mind. It always amuses me seeing comments by people who seem to think THEIR likes/needs/wants/opinions are the only logical and necessary options. They see a price they can't afford or want to spend, and then try to justify why they are so shrewd by denigrating those who want or purchase a specific item. I will admit I am often baffled by the sometimes outrageous prices people with vast disposable incomes will fork out for things that aren't that much better than cheaper alternatives. But if they perceive it as being better, or just want it as a status symbol, that's their business.
The only headphones I'm currently using are the Beyerdynamics DT770 Pro and my 30 year old AKG K240DF open back. I am in the market to get something better, possibly a magnetic planar, but in a conventional type it's probably Focal. Yes, $1,400 is a lot of money for headphones for me, but anything I buy will have a return policy so that if I'm not satisfied I can return it. Anyway, thanks for the informative video.
Thanks for watching! 🙏🏾
$1500 for headphones? You didn't seem to mention that. I am as much of an audio junkie as any other being the fact that I’ve been composing and playing keyboards in my own studios for 35+ years. However, this presentation is part of that audioholic delusion that is unfortunately pedaled too often on RUclips. Anyone over 50 is not hearing above 14Khz and the marginal difference between these and my Beyerdynamic pro studio headphones for $179 is negligible for 98% of the population. However, it does appeal to those that suffer the deep psychosis of forever searching and endlessly spending for "the best" and NEVER achieving it. The second delusion, perhaps better described as irony, is when we are finally able to afford the “good stuff”, say in our 50’s and 60’s, so begins the decline of our hearing.
Actually the price is mentioned twice, during the specs (ruclips.net/video/C3RVruKAbeo/видео.html) and here: ruclips.net/video/C3RVruKAbeo/видео.html.
I'm not pedaling any "delusion", there are benefits and many people willing to pay for headphones in this segment of the market. You may disagree but I'm happy there are folks in the high end of the audio and video market because it helps keep the companies alive and the technology eventually trickles down to lower priced components.
It sounds like you're very happy with your Beyerdynamics and that's excellent (they are good, I showed you the pair I own) but others can and do make different decisions.
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Thank you for your response, Cody. I suppose I was not as concise as I could have been. Obviously, I am not the market target for $1000+ headphones, and most people are not. What I was trying to say is the quality differences as you move up the spectrum starts to become quite minuscule and to me not worth the price. It becomes difficult to discern major differences between $400 and $1500 headphones. That's what I am saying. PS, I do like your channel, and you helped me decide on Klipsch for surrounds. Thanks, Joe
Ok, I understand your comment better now, thanks for additional clarification and I'm sorry for responding harshly. The way some people phrase their comments "XYZ speaker is 100% the best and if you don't agree you're a moron" rubs me the wrong way and that is how I took it on the initial read, so again I apologize.
I agree that there is a point of diminishing returns but I'm ok if people want to chase that 0.2% or whatever because their purchase is helping to keep the companies in business. Personally I'm not huge fan of vinyl but I'm happy people are buying because it keeps the hobby alive. Secretly I'm hoping that disc based movies (4K UHD and hopefully an 8K disc format one day) will have a similar draw so we can have disc based movies for many, many years to come. 😁
Also I try not to be to critical of how people spend their money because I know people are critical of how I spend my money. For instance some people question why I've purchased "extra speakers for surround" when TVs come with speakers built in. 😁😁 Hopefully this makes sense, enjoy your weekend. 😁
@@HomeTheaterHobbyist Yes, it does. I am also in agreement with you that how people spend extra money is their business (as long as its legal). I was speaking more to people that are forever chasing the fantasy of the ultimate sound. I know exactly what that is, and I have fallen into that trap too. As for physical media, right on-board Cody, I have about 672 movies. Like you probably know, there is a possibility in 5-8 years that streaming will finally eclipse physical media to the point of making collectors a niche. When my buddy, a fellow trekker, went online to watch some episodes, he had no idea that without a Paramount+ subscription, he is not SOL. I own all TOS and next gen episodes and movies largely because I like them but also because I saw the writing on the wall. I hope others do to and start curating a collection before someday they find out it will take 9-10 subscription packages just to watch what they truly enjoy.
Ok I see what you’re saying, they’re are definitely folks out there always looking for the next systems vs. being happy with what they have. That’s actually not a bad video topic, it probably won’t get very many views though. 😁
Yea I’m happy to have a physical collection of my faves to watch whenever I want without worrying about what’s on a service.
Thanks so much for commenting, this has been a really good conversation. 😁😁