Review on Focal Clear MG: Superior Open-Back Over-Ear Headphones for Ultimate High-Fidelity Experience by Brett Morrison

It can be difficult to judge how something is going to sound just by reading impressions on the internet, especially with all the vague and confusing terms. I read all the reviews and watched all the videos on these headphones before buying them (how can you not at this price) - and none of them prepared me for what I have just experienced. In short: it's incredible, wonderfully detailed in every aspect of the sound, and most importantly - it sounds HUGE! The presence of sounds hitting your ears is sometimes almost overwhelming. NO ONE talks about what these bass monsters are! I didn't even know that headphones could convey the presence of a home theater experience, ESPECIALLY with an open back. If you can afford it, do yourself a favor by experiencing it. In short: You hear the same thing over and over again from people who don't understand a sound. Why would anyone spend $1,500 on headphones? How good can it sound? However, you have no problem spending the same amount on a more expensive TV. This is because everyone has seen a high-end TV versus a low-end TV in passing, and it's obvious what you're getting for the money. Almost nobody has heard $1,500 headphones, so they can't understand it without a frame of reference. To be honest neither did I until I got them, I bought them blindly believing they would be better than anything else I have. Boy am I glad I took the plunge. The difference between them is huge. I was worried that $1,500 headphones wouldn't be worth it (diminishing returns and such). Happy to report that I was wrong. In general I was lucky. I was fortunate to be so deeply immersed in the music. I wish everyone could have them to enjoy music. I don't know how much higher the audiophile journey is. Is the Abyss AB-1266 a much higher jump than this? There's only one way to find out. PS: If you spend enough time researching, there are actually people in the audiophile world who believe that amps and DACs are as different from each other as one pair of headphones is to another. This is completely wrong at best and despicable at worst. This opinion is held by equipment manufacturers who try to capitalize on the subjective nature of the hobby. People spend $400 on an amp/DAC stack for their $200 headphones, when the money would be much better spent on $500 headphones and a $100 amp/DAC. Save money on good headphones, that's where the real differences lie. My comparison items: Sennheiser HD 6XX. Bayerdynamic 880DT 250 ohms. HiFiMan HE-400i. Sony MDR-MA900. Blue Monkey Flyer Mod T50RP. Phillips X2. Beyerdynamic T1. Paradigm Studio 20 v5 speakers. Sources: JDS O2, JDS OLDAC, CmoyBBv2, TheBit Opus #11, ifi hipDac, ifi iDSD Signature