Focal - Clear MG

One of the nicest and best headphone I have heard till date. These cans offer superb audio quality and I have currently paired it with the REM ADI 2 DAC. Can be worn for hours together for long listening sessions. You would need to burn in for 50 to 60 hours for it to come into its true element. Being an open back, its more natural sounding but you would need your own personal space to listen to these. Compared to the HD800s I have, the soundstage is on the slighter lower end but this has more punchy and smooth bass, This is more of a personal listening preference I would say. These are easy to drive and can be used with any phone jack, but to reach to audiophile levels you would need a dedicated DAC/AMP setup. Yes it is expensive, but with the discounts being offered currently at headphone zone, this is totally worth the money. The only gripe I have if any is the length of the Mini Jack cable as it is too short, but yes there us a 3 meter, 4 pin XLR cable given. To get the best sound I have upgraded the default cable to the LISTA silver cable from Headgear Audio, and this has it own advantages on the sound signature and is now much improved than using the default cables. Lastly a big thanks to Headphone Zone team for having this shipped in a timely manner considering the current situation prevailing.

Amazing headphones but they do take some time to burnin.

At first I wanted to return but give it a good 50hr burnin and the soundstage opens and everything improves.

These headphones have amazing clarity, detail and the punch and slam is extraordinary.

Soundstage wise they are not the best but I cant explain there's something to them that doesnt make them feel like they are missing something.

I have arya's too and compared the only advantage aryas have is soundstage other than that clear mg's all day.
If you listen to track that are dynamic in nature, the dynamic slam of this headphone is unparalleled.

I havent heard the clear og's but this seems to have more bass and a bit more smooth treble.

Focal clear Mg is a beautiful open back dynamic head phone with French “luxe” built all over it. Even the fragrance of the leather head band is so arousing. One can simply keep looking at this mademoiselle for hours, leave alone wearing it. I mostly listen to Tidal masters from lap top through Topping D70s /A90 combination using balanced 4 pin cables.
My observations and usage may not be that of a sound engineer or that of an audiophile, but will benefit a normal listener looking for sound quality who is willing to spend that extra bit. This can is definitely a neutral one which tends to lean over a warm tonality. What I liked the most (a feature that stands out ) is its bass that sounds so natural as if the drummer is right in front of you and the mixer did not add his extra bit while recording. You can even distinguish the second drummer. Bass has reasonable extension to the sub level, and does not bleed into the mids. Mids are good and Diana Kralls and Natalie Merchant will sound so good that one can hear their whispers. Coming back to bass, it is fast and has good slam. Listen to Batshit by Sofi Tukker, Billie Jean by M.Jackson or Mellow my man by Roots in MQA to feel the bass of this can. Treble timbre is questionable and has something lacking in a specific range of frequency. Guitars of the blues are forward and close to the ear. However there is no distortion or sibilance and is smooth.
Sound stage is wide (180 deg and forward) and I felt it has more depth than width. Imaging is excellent where you can pin point the instrument . Instrument layering, separation and details are excellent. Listen to AR Rahman - Khwaja mere Khwaja in tidal masters to experience it. Focal provides you good 1/8” tangle free SE cables with ¼” adaptor and also with a 4 pin balanced cable. It comes with a nice hard case with pockets to store the cables.
To drive a focal clear mg one does not require D70s/A90 and D30/A30 will suffice for nearly same quality of music (and save 65 K) unless you have plans to upgrade in future. Even my FiiO BTR5 was driving focal clear mg so well.
To sum it up focal clear Mg
Strengths : 1. Build and Comfort 2. Clear and fast 3. Natural sound and bass slam with no bleed.
Cons : 1. Price to benefit ratio