New Release Focal Clear Reference Open-Back Headphones

October 6, 2017 8:00 am

The latest addition to the Focal’s high-profile headphone line-up is a silver stunner called Focal Clear.

New Release Focal Clear Reference Open-Back Headphones

The open-back reference headphone is built with an M-shaped aluminium/magnesium dome equipped with a revolutionary copper voice coil that is said to provide remarkable dynamics across the audio spectrum with bass that is always controlled – even at high volumes – while maintaining exemplary linearity in the high-end. For that reason, Focal Clear is symbolic of the new evolution of Focal’s now famous open-back, full-range speaker headphone family.

Each pair of headphones features an identical frequency response curve of +/-0.5dB. This consistency is due to what Focal calls their “five-step driver manufacturing process” in which the transducers are all tested and measured before being paired.

Clear maintains Focal’s signature M-shaped dome – found in both Elear and Utopia – composed of an Aluminum/Magnesium alloy, it offers an ideal combination of lightness, rigidity and dampening. These traits alongside its open-back design mean that listeners will feel like they are using the best high-fidelity loudspeakers on the market, while enjoying the mobility and comfort that a headphone offers.

In comparison to its slightly cheaper brother, the Elear, Clear features an upgraded open-back design with an enhanced speaker driver in addition to a frameless copper voice coil. And if you’re wondering why copper, well, copper creates an extremely strong magnetic field resulting in sound which fully recreates the dynamics of the original recording. In doing so, it reveals the smallest of details.

“With Clear, we solidify Focal’s position as key innovators in the manufacturing of high-end headphones,” said Ben Jensen, president of Focal North America. “Building off the research used to develop high-end headphones Elear and Utopia, Clear is poised to be the reference open-back headphones under $2,000. Clear completely envelopes the user in musical purity, as one of the best headphones on the market.”

In terms of fit, Focal Clear features a newly developed headband where the bend stays consistent, regardless of the shape of the wearer’s head. This means the weight of the headphone is evenly distributed over the head for a more lightweight feel. The solid Aluminum yoke with its asymmetrical attachment points has been designed to improve the distribution of pressure, ensuring excellent sealing and further improving comfort. The ear cups are each fit with new microfiber ear cushions designed with 1mm diameter micro-perforations on the outer edge to offer “unrivaled openness.”

The Focal Clear, which I’ve coined as the Silver Stunner, is a standout beauty, featuring grey leather on the headband and grey microfiber underneath.

The headphones include a rigid, thermoformed case that is also shaped like the headphones. It protects the cans from kinks, bends, and other travel-related hazards. With enough oom to fit a 10ft (3m) cable while still being compact enough to easily be stored in a bag or backpack.

Focal Clear is available now at Audio46 for $1,499 USD.