I had to sell the clear mg, tried so hard to like the headphone but focal comfort is terrible.

This is great! I love the overviews. Good work!

Loved this video

Hiya! I really love this overview. There’s plenty of models I had considered over the years. I like your candid yet approachable opinions, thank you! Amazingly, I also like the Focal Clear MGs very much. So much so, I have recently bought them! The shopkeeper casually let me audition them after I bought a Bathys off him. “Oh hey, we also just got this in…wanna listen?” He knew exactly what I would like. I almost bought it on the spot, but decided against it. And then I returned 5 days later because that Clear MG just mesmerized me. They sound great on DAPs (running it on a Sony WM1Z) and even better on an RME ADI-2 fs. The latter is my audiophile graduation.

Glad you liked Clear's they are very special sounding headphones, punch and clarity of those is very good (strongly recommended tube amp). I own few pairs of headphones and my lovely tube amp that work together very well, mentioning that I would probably not be much impressed by those headphones in this line up like yourself. Open back headphones are so much easier to tune than closed, thats why my most expensive headphones are closed

Wow cannot believe how in tune you are with headphones and your review was excellent. I had been deciding for over 6 months on which headphone to buy closed or open back high end or low end. I was advised to buy the Stellias (incredibly expensive), I loved the look of the Meze Lirics but heard mixed reviews. Zeos review convinced me in the end. I looked at the Focal Clear MG open back (wanted more privacy) so I knew then I needed a closed back. Checked out the Focal Radiance but did not like the Bentley logo. When I got to the end of your video I was hoping it would be the Lirics that you liked and I was not disappointed. I am so grateful for your comments on the Meze Liric. I love the Meze Liric and have had them for over 4 weeks now. I adore them, they are getting better by the day and I know this because of certain tracks I play for reference. Thank you for taking the time to do this review which was so enlightening.

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

Glad you are enjoying your Lirics! Awesome headphone.

@anncleverley4721

9 ай бұрын

Just an update. With a heavy heart I sold my Lirics and bought the Hifiman HE 1000 se. They were originally priced at $3500 but I got them for $2000. I could only afford to keep one headphone. They are open back, I am absolutely blown away with the HIFIMANs. Tracks that I tested on my Lirics were so much more clearer and enjoyable on the HE1000se. The Lirics were fantastic, but these HE1000se take music to another level. Hope you get to try them. @@MasterMarslander

This was fun! Hopefully you'll be able to give a lot of these a try on your own system and give them your standard sound tests so you could give a full, true impression and not have to worry if the store's equipment was giving you a lesser experience (one would hope that wasn't the case, but you can never be sure...)

I had exact experience with Meze 109 Pro. It was the most fun headphones ever. I need to try the Clear MG.

Great video thanks so much. Just wondering if the amplification would help in some instances,but thank you again great job 🎉

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

I would expect that some of these headphones are very amp dependent and are probably very transparent to their source.

How would you compare the Lirics to the Ether CX in terms of bass texture and soundstage? Hearing a lot of conflicting impressions about these characteristics from other reviewers and I'm curious what your impressions are.

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

The Liric definitely has a wider sound stage. No question. In terms of bass performance, Liric has more punch, extension, and resolution. Ether CX is a much more neutral sound overall, very accurate.

Thank you for the review. I’m puzzled by your experience with the Sony though. I own them and to my ear they deliver smooth, clear, separate, delightful bass. My impression of the Mezes is that their bass is not as marked as you describe it. Interesting.

@MasterMarslander

Ай бұрын

I do want to quickly point out that these were never intended to be reviews of the headphones, but just first impressions of them. I can't say with any amount of certainty the accuracy of what I experience with headphones until I have them on my own, at home, control test bench. There are so many factory that may be affecting my experiences out in the showrooms, who know if they are truly representative of the headphones. Maybe the Z1R had damaged drivers, maybe the source wasn't ideal for them, maybe they were just really old. I have since this trip got myself a set of Sony MDRs and I really enjoy them, so maybe my impression will change for the Z1R if I get the chance to play with them at home.

The hifiman edition HS are the best headphones I've ever heard. I wonder how the 109 pro compares to them?

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

I was very surprised that there were no hifimans at either showroom. My guess is that the edition X has a bit more speed and less warmth. That's just a guess though.

And the STAX SR-X9000?

You try any ZMF’s yet? Based on your descriptions, I think you may love a couple of their models

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

I haven't! I was really hoping I'd see some at the showrooms, but no dice. I'm very, very interested in them, though.

@TheFbiFilesRepeat

6 ай бұрын

Same answer now?

@MasterMarslander

6 ай бұрын

Tried a handful at CanJam and was very impressed. Beautiful stuff. Should have my own ZMF in hand sometime soon!

@asplmn

6 ай бұрын

@@MasterMarslander Love mine. Sold the rest of my cans except my ZMF's.

Nice job , you left out Hifi man headphones , I have the Arya stealth version , would've like to hear your take on them .

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

You know, I didn't see any Hifimans at either showroom. Wierd.

@Angel-AbC9

Жыл бұрын

@@MasterMarslander yes weird ..

How do you think the the 650/660 sounds compared to the 600?

@MasterMarslander

9 ай бұрын

I actually have a video coming soon comparing all the HD600 series, so keep an eye out for that.

I will never forget Zeos going from amp to amp trying to find something that made the new Utopia work. After so much money, that is just wrong. People buy into the analytical trend and get headphones that end up sounding sterile to them but they have to find a way to rationalize the cost, and so you often see "they are great on tubes though"...and I just shake my head, why? Why, after so much money, do we need to do that with a another few thousand dollars sunk into tube amps? They should blow my mind on solid state, and even on middling gear they should sound special. Who knows, maybe people are listening to really poorly recorded music or their chosen genres don't match. But either way, if it ain't working, you should return them or better get off the analytical hype train and buy headphones with a warmer tonality to begin with if that is where you are going to end up anyway. This probably explains why the meze 109 is now popular; as you said, they are not a very "audiophiley" headphone but pleasing to listen to. Maybe the trends are changing, but I doubt it.

@kalakalaiand3343

Жыл бұрын

Not saying you are wrong but dynamic headphones usually pair well with tubes including the old utopia and new utopia,

@chungang7037

Жыл бұрын

@@kalakalaiand3343 Yes they pair well, and if people like both sound signatures that is fine, variety can help

@dan-qe1tb

Жыл бұрын

I agree. I too think it's silly to be spending all this time trying to "find the right amp match" with 'xyz' headphones. Many of them at the same price point, sound more similar than different to me, though it may make some people feel smart to be doing all of this. It could be that tube amps really do add something special but that's not something that I'm willing to pay for, now that I've started learning about DSP and vst plugins. I would give the Cavelli Liquid Platinum one chance. I think Zeos is unbalanced, and it's hard for me to follow many of his videos because he abruptly changes the subject so often. Utopias have a brutally honest studio monitor, "lay it bare", kind of a sound. Maybe too accurate. It's a "technical" headphone. Not warm, lush or romantic. Imaging really good, due to the stiff Be driver. Characteristically small Focal soundstage that's no better than the Clear Mg (which I had owned). This guy thinks Clear Mgs have a wide soundstage? Not compared to HD800, Arya, or HE1000, they don't. I also thought Audeze LCD-X and LCD-3 had a bigger soundstage than Clear Og or Clear Mg. I heard Meze 109 Pros yesterday, and thought they too have a bigger soundstage than Sennheiser HD660 or Clear Mg to my ears. I had stopped watching after the misinformation about both the Clear Mgs and the Utopias. This is an inexperienced reviewer.

I’ve owned the HD820, Z1R, Stellias and I’m very surprised by your impressions because it’s very different from what I remember. The HD820 has great treble extension and much more bass than the HD800s. The treble is far from sibilant. The HD800 is piercing compared to the HD820. It is not lacking in bass at all. One thing about the HD820 is that you can’t wear glasses and it has to sit low and forward. As for the Z1R, I remember it having a spicy treble and can be sibilant on modern tracks and female vocals. And I do agree that the bass can be a bit too much. They work well with lean and clean sounding amps. As for the Stellia, it has great bass, timbre is a bit metallic but it has great details and punch. I think you should try them on a quieter area to truly enjoy these closed backs

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

I'd certainly like to try everything in a better controlled environment, one with sources I am familiar with. That's wild how different your experience was with the HD820s. I was wearing glasses at the time, so maybe that had an impact?

@scottlowell493

Жыл бұрын

the 800's are a flop. Ear drillers. Death by treble.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It is strange with headphones, in one way Harman/Olive claim that there is a strong correlation between their frequency response target and perceived neutrality. On the other hand there seems to be quite differing views on what makes a headphone desirable. I have quite recently had the displeasure of listening to the Focal Clear Mg, and about a year ago I heard the Stellia. Oh boy I am seemingly not a Focal person. For me they (I have only heard these two) sound mechanical for a lack of better words. A bit tin like and brittle . I don’t know what causes this sensation for me. Its definitely not driver breakup because with such small drivers of exotic material as magnesium and beryllium all breakup modes most be beyond my hearing range. Anyway it doesn’t matter what the case is, what matters is that this is how I perceive them. I am not writing this to be critical of your observations, I am basically just finding it interesting that we as people seem to prioritize different things. Before ‘leaving’ I will say that the best headphones I have heard are the Dan Clark E3 and the Hedd Two. The E3 sounds neutral to my ears and the Two’s sound delicious rather than neutral. The headphones I use at home are the Denon AH-D9200. There’s something nice to bio cellulose drivers even though the Denon’s frequency response really can’t be described as neutral. Greetings from Denmark

@MasterMarslander

4 ай бұрын

Hello Denmark! Hope you're keeping warm. You're right on the money. People have their own preference when it comes to sound satisfaction. What's more, taste can often change with time. I know mine sure have. There are so many variables to what makes for a "great headphone," and those variable themselves vary from person to person. I also don't seem to really enjoy Focal very much, with the clear being the only exception, at least at the time. I was very disappointed by the Utopia, and I know folks who really love it. There is a lot of effort from people trying to diagnose what makes for a perfect headphone, but it seems clear to me that it is always going to be a personal journey.

You can try new hifiman mid fi to hi fi headphones.

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

I have a few reviews on hifiman headphones if you want to go take a look. Some of my favorites are the HE4XX, HE560, and HE6SE

And I just heard your comments about the Utopia. I had the pre-2020 version and they are one of the most dynamic headphones are there and is a detail monster. Clear has nothing on it. It can even be fatiguing when listening to the Utopia because of how impactful it is. And between the Clear and Mg, they use different drivers (Mg is Magnesium). Pro versions are only for aesthetics and accessories

@scottlowell493

Жыл бұрын

Yeah the utopia are fatiguing to be sure.

You don't think the meze 109 is very cupped and bloomed sounding? I don't think i could stand it for the price.

@MasterMarslander

9 ай бұрын

It's definitely a warm and bombastic headphone. Not something for critical listening. And yes, the price is a definitely obstacle.

I am a bit late to the party but incase you do see this comment, I would like to say a couple of things about the Utopia. First of all, it's very amp picky. It's very easy to drive but will sound different based on what amp you put it on. If possible, try to use it on tubes, preferebly OTL. That should already make a big difference compared to many solid state amps. 2, arguaby most important. Utopia is the bass queen. I have yet to encounter a headphone that can do as much bass as it does without distorting and retaining every but of detail that the rest of the frequencies have. That however means that you need to do some EQing, as by default it will indeed sound pretty tame. But trust me, once you do that you may start to understand why that headphone exists and why it costs so damn much (I still hate the price tag, trust me). If you want I can drop my EQ profile.

@MasterMarslander

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the insight! I find that Focals, in general, are amp dependent. My Celestee is incredibly picky in that regard.

Stellia is anything but narrow sounding.. In fact they sound as wide as some open back headphones.. Also, there is plenty of high quality bass and it is quite impactful.. especially with the stock pads.. When I auditioned the Stellia against Clear MG, my impression was that Stellia was at leat one level above in pretty much everything..

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

Interesting. What kind of amp/dac did you demo on, if you remember? My understanding is that these focals can be very source dependent.

@starkid9736

Жыл бұрын

stellias are lazer pinpoint sharp in imaging, objekts in the mix are are well placed in depth and left to right they sound heavy and punchy in the lower cycles but soundstage is more on the focus side u want some arya or AKG 701kinda headphone in ur arsenal

Oh yea, about seattle....they are so behind on a/c and its criminal. And im from there

I really have to demo the Liric, there are so many different reviews on this headphone that it is confusing-- from they are outright garbage to great. Thanks for your quick impressions~

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

In my little isolation chamber of cardboard boxes, and listening to it through the owner's MOJO 2, it sounded fabulous 👌.

I recently purchased the 660s2 and sent them back for now ill stick with my 650 and 600. To me its not worth the price

@MasterMarslander

9 ай бұрын

HD660S2 is a great headphones, but it is pretty strangely priced. It'd be a good buy on sale.

Mg identical to Og clear 🌚

I was very surprised by your first impression of the Sony's. Maybe something was outta wack with source or phones themselves. As an owner I do know they need quite a bit of burn in but even out've the box they were not overly bass heavy. Coming from hifiman XS editions I was underwhelmed by the sonys at first but after running them in I'm so glad I didn't send them back. Like the utopia they are amp dependent. I'm using a class A amp with loads of current and they are endgame. I really like your presentation and the circumstances of your video hasn't done your credibility any favors . I'll look forward to your real reviews just the same

@MasterMarslander

8 ай бұрын

At a showroom with equipment out of my control, sure, there's a number of things that could of been wonky in the chain. As a showroom headphone I'm sure burn in probably wasn't a problem, if anything it would be a lot more likely they were over used and the drivers were faulty. Now that I have a set of the MDR-Z7M2, which I thoroughly enjoy, I wouldn't be at all surprised to have a differing opinion on the Z1Rs in a controlled environment.

@johnparsons3761

8 ай бұрын

@@MasterMarslander Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'll have an eye for more focused content from you. You certainly seem to have a knack for this sort of thing. Best of luck to ya

@MasterMarslander

8 ай бұрын

@@johnparsons3761 That's very kind of you, thank you! I know I'm not perfect, I just hope to entertain.

Oh yea, about seattle....they arw so behind on a/c and ita criminal. And im from there

Next time, please show us some pictures with you listening that headphone. For some people here, that listened these hps , it is kinda hard to believe some of the impressions. Also the chain can affect the sound significantly… Stellia and Utopia are amp picky. Also the Senn’s. Clear MG is harsh on highs, clear OG is better. Also Utopia is one of the most engaging hps .I have all Meze and I love them , except Lyric that was really unimpressive for me, testing it for 3 days.

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

I thought about using the pictures I took of myself for the video, but they don't show off the headphones very sell. Here they are you for you if you like. drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-genGB3ozWqqZvJNg0wMbG8m9fiMbftd

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

I've heard from a few people now that the Utopia is really amp dependent. If I get another opportunity like this, I'll try and bring my own stack that I'm familiar with.

@diana73654

Жыл бұрын

@@MasterMarslander I am just saying, is not that I dont believe you . People like to see action haha . The quality of the video is great , and you are good , just add some spice like that and is perfect. At the end it is your opinion and audio is very subjective . We all learn and try things . Thank you ;)

I do not what you heard, but you are just dead wrong. I have spent considerable time with both the Clear Mg and 2022 Utopia. There is nothing, outside of being more forgiving of the source, that the Clear is better at than the Utopia. Everything that the Clear is good at, the Utopia does effortlessly better. It was the very first thing that noticed when I first put the Utopia on after I got them. Which should be the case, given how much more they cost. I really liked the Clear Mg, they are what led me into this rabbit-hole. But there's just no comparison to the Utopia.

@MasterMarslander

Жыл бұрын

I mean you never know when you're dealing with used showroom gear on whatever sources are provided. All I can do is share my experience.