T3 - UK (2021-07)

72 T 3 JULY 2021

Tested

Focal Clear MG

£ 1 , 499

focal.com

he Focal Clear MG are luxurious

headphones,made for aluxurious

listening experience, and they hit

that markdead on. For our money,

these are absolutely thebest wiredheadphones

on the planet.

e Focal Clear MGcost roughly the same as

the Sennheiser HD800 S that are their single

biggest competition and about half of what you’d

pay for Focal’swonderful Stellia headphones. So

in the scheme of audiophile headphones, they’re

pretty well-priced, even if they make the cost of

Apple AirPods Maxlook like pocket change.

Microfibre earpads and headband material

feels like sinking intoa sofa when you put them

on, and they held firmlyin place on the head

without being uncomfortable or warming up too

much over a long period oflistening.e

aluminiumframe and honeycomb design on the

outside of the earcups feel premium too.

e ClearMG are so comforting and

enveloping, and give you exactly the kind of

natural and infinitely detailed soundyou want.

From the inhalation of the singer to every

vibration of a bass string,you’reunquestionably

getting the fullpicture of the music.

Youget a sense of the dynamic rangeof the

headphonesfrom the bass, which can resonate

strongly inthe mix even ifthe rest of the song

suddenly brings in high vocals and instruments.

Similarly,at the top end you can hear the

accidental popof a singer’s lips sticking together,

even while instruments bounce under it. e

headphonesjust eat up as much detail asyou can

give them, and presentit back to you with

impeccable manners.

Even insongs that build to anintentional

cacophonyof clashing sounds, you get to hear the

T

Officially rated the best

wired headphones at the

T 3  Awards 2 021, these are

about as good as it gets for

luxurious home hi-fi

Focal

Clear MG

OH MG!

WE’RE IMPRESSED Gorgeously

rich and realistic sound;

premium build quality; easy to

drive; very comfortable.

WE’D IMPROVE Open-backed

has disadvantages; maybe not

totally neutral.

THE LAST WORD Simply

fantastic audio quality, and a

comfortable design. And they

can even be driven by portable

devices, though are at their best

with a great hi-fi setup.

VERDICT

Find great deals on theFocal

Clear MG at: bit.ly/t3focalmg

individual instruments, not just the mix overall.

It feels reallytrue to the music as a result. If a

song wants to be smooth, the ClearMG will

spread it likeNutella. If a song wants to be crisp

and hard, it turns todiamond. While the

resulting sound isn’t what you’dcalltruly neutral

• it takesa little shuffle towards some warmth in
  the mid and bass – you’ll get no complaints from
  us about that.
  Being open-backed means they’re capable of a
  natural and expansive sound, but that sound
  leaks both in and out something rotten. at’s
  fine – it’s by design – but it means they’re
  explicitly not for taking on the trainor, really, to
  the office.ey’refor listening athome, inan
  environment where you control how much
  outside noise there is.
  We don’t really haveany complaints about the
  Focal Clear MG. e price sureis high, but it’s right
  in line withequivalent audiophile headphones.
  Otherwise,we’ve just found them to be glorious.
  Paired with a suitably high-quality audio source
  and DAC and/or amp,they’reheadphonesthat
  just let you revel in sound. And they’re
  comfortable and stylish. Very few headphones
  makeit so enjoyable to get lost in your music.