The Focal Clear Mg are audiophile headphones with a very premium design and a comfortable fit. They're the next generation of the Focal Clear, and unlike their predecessor, their drivers have M-shaped inverted magnesium domes. These are advertised to improve their damping capacities as well as make them lighter and more rigid. They have a smooth and warm sound profile that reproduces clear and accurate vocals and lead instruments. However, their treble range is a bit recessed, which veils the upper harmonics of vocals while sibilants are dull. Even though their soundstage doesn't sound as spacious or wide as other open-back headphones, they can still offer an immersive audio experience suitable for studio use.
Our Verdict
The Focal Clear Mg are very good for neutral sound. They have a smooth and warm sound profile with a flat mid-range, well suited for accurately reproducing vocals and lead instruments. However, they lack a bit of low-bass, and their underemphasized treble range veils and darkens sibilants. While they have consistent bass delivery, their treble delivery can vary depending on fit and seal. That said, although their soundstage doesn't sound as wide or spacious as other open-back headphones, it still feels like audio is coming from speakers placed around you, rather than as if coming from inside your head.
- Comfortable fit.
- Very well-built.
- Great overall frequency response consistency.
- Underemphasized treble range.
The Focal Clear Mg are poor for commute and travel. They aren't designed for this purpose as they're big, bulky, and not very portable. Their open-back design allows audio to bleed, so other commuters can hear whatever you're listening to, and they don't block out almost any background noise. On the upside, they're comfortable and very well-built.
- Comfortable fit.
- Very well-built.
- Don't block out background noise.
- Bulky design that isn't very portable.
- Leaks a lot of audio.
- No music or call controls.
The Focal Clear Mg are disappointing for sports and fitness. They're not designed for this purpose as they're bulky, not very portable or stable, and lack an IP rating for dust and water resistance, although we don't currently test for this. Their over-ear fit can also make your ears sweat more. They're very comfortable, though.
- Comfortable fit.
- Very well-built.
- Don't block out background noise.
- Bulky design that isn't very portable.
- Leaks a lot of audio.
- No music or call controls.
The Focal Clear Mg are poor for office use. Although they have a comfortable design, they're open-back headphones and leak a lot of audio, which can annoy coworkers around you, and they don't block out almost any background noise. They also don't have any call or music-related controls and are pretty bulky. On the upside, their wired design means that you don't have to worry about battery life.
- Comfortable fit.
- Very well-built.
- Don't block out background noise.
- Leaks a lot of audio.
- No music or call controls.
The Focal Clear Mg are wired-only headphones and can't be used wirelessly.
The Focal Clear Mg are okay for wired gaming. These headphones lack a microphone, so you can only receive audio on PCs or consoles. They're comfortable enough for long gaming marathons, and their wired design ensures virtually no latency. Their warm sound profile can also help bring out sound effects in gameplay.
- Comfortable fit.
- Very well-built.
- Don't block out background noise.
- Leaks a lot of audio.
The Focal Clear Mg don't have a microphone and can't be used for taking phone calls.
Changelog
- Updated Aug 31, 2023: We've added a comparison between these headphones and the HiFiMan Arya Stealth Magnet Version in Treble Accuracy.
- Updated Nov 05, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Apr 21, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Apr 16, 2021: Early access published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Focal Clear Mg comes in one color variant: Chestnut. These headphones also come in a professional variant called the Focal Clear Mg Professional. The Professional have a black design and come with more audio cables. As the Professional are tuned the same as our model, we expect both headphones to perform similarly.
If you come across another variant of these headphones, please let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Focal Clear Mg are premium audiophile headphones. They're the next generation of the Focal Clear, and unlike them and the Focal Stellia, these headphones use magnesium domes within their drivers, which is advertised to improve their audio reproduction and make them lighter. That said, they maintain an outstanding build quality and have a very comfortable fit. Although they don't sound as neutral as the Sennheiser HD 800 S, some users may prefer their smooth and warm sound profile.
Check out our recommendations for the best audiophile headphones, the best studio headphones, and the best open-back headphones.
Both the Sennheiser HD 800 S and Focal Clear Mg are premium open-backs geared at audiophiles. While both headphones are very comfortable, the Sennheiser have a more immersive sound and a more breathable design. However, the Focal have a better build quality and a warmer treble, if that's your preference.
The Focal Clear Mg are open-back headphones, while the Focal Celestee have a closed-back design. The Clear Mg can reproduce bass more accurately, and their passive soundstage is more spacious, open, and large, which can help immerse you in your audio. However, the Celestee are better at isolating noise around you and leak less audio.
The HiFiMan Arya and Focal Clear Mg are similar open-back headphones. The HiFiMan are significantly less expensive and have a similar sound profile. However, the Focal feel better-built and come with a case.
The Focal Clear Mg are better headphones for neutral sound than the Focal Stellia. The Clear Mg have a more neutral sound profile, more consistent audio delivery, and a more immersive soundstage. However, the Stellia are closed-back headphones, which some users may prefer since they leak less audio and isolate against more background noise.
The Sennheiser HD 650 and the Focal Clear Mg are both audiophile headphones but depending on your preferences, you may like one over the other. The Sennheiser have a more neutral sound profile. However, the Focal are more comfortable, better-built, and have a more spacious soundstage.
The Hifiman Sundara 2018 are better headphones for neutral sound than the Focal Clear Mg. The HiFiMan are planar magnetic headphones with a slightly more neutral sound profile, even though they lack a bit more low-bass than the Focal. They also reproduce audio more consistently and their soundstage is perceived as larger and more spacious. However, the Focal are dynamic transducer headphones that are better-built and come with a carrying case.
The Focal Clear Mg are better audiophile headphones than the Meze Empyrean. While both headphones are very comfortable and well-built, the Focal have a more neutral sound profile with better bass accuracy and have better frequency response consistency. However, the Meze have a larger, more immersive passive soundstage.
The Beats Solo Pro and the Focal Clear Mg have different strengths and, depending on your usage, you may prefer one over the other. The Beats are more suitable for casual use as they're closed-back headphones with an active noise cancelling feature, which can reduce a great amount of noise around you. They also have a wireless design, a more neutral sound profile than the Focal, and an H1 chip for seamless pairing with Apple devices. However, they can't be used wired. The Focal, in comparison, are audiophile headphones with superior comfort and build quality. They also have more consistent audio delivery and their passive soundstage seems more spacious and immersive. Thanks to their wired design, they have negligible latency, too.
We've upgraded our Headphones Test Bench to 2.0! This update brings several key changes to our tests and usages, making it easier than ever to interpret our sound results based on your personal preferences. You'll also find a brand-new interactive graph tool featuring multiple targets (including our own!) for you to explore and compare.
For a full breakdown, check out our changelog, which includes detailed commentary from our test designer explaining the rationale behind our update.
We'd also love to hear your thoughts: your feedback helps us keep improving, so join us in the comments!
Test Results
The Focal Clear Mg have a somewhat similar design to other Focal headphones like the Focal Stellia or Focal Clear, with the brand's signature logo on each ear cup. However, they have a contrasting mixed-metal build with silver honeycomb grilles on both ear cups and a chestnut trim. Overall, they look very sleek and premium.
The Focal Clear Mg are very comfortable. They have a similar fit to the Focal Stellia but with microfiber ear cushions rather than leather, which feels nice on the skin. The headband is well-padded, while the cups are spacious and deep. On the downside, the materials in their design make them feel quite heavy and bulky, but you shouldn't feel too much fatigue from wearing them.
The Focal Clear Mg have alright breathability. Like the Focal Elear, their open-back design helps promote airflow. They're not designed for sports, but if you're wearing them for this purpose, they could make you sweat more than normal. However, if you're using them in a studio, your ears shouldn't get too warm.
The Focal Clear Mg aren't very portable, which is expected from over-ear headphones. They don't fold into a more compact form, and their ear cups can't swivel to lay flat. That said, they come with a hard case to help protect them when you're on the go.
These headphones come with a great hard carrying case. Its solid design helps protect the headphones against scratches, drops, and water exposure. The interior is molded to fit the headphones and to store the audio cables when not in use. There's also a carrying handle on the top of the case.
The Focal Clear Mg are outstandingly well-built. They have a similar build to the Focal Stellia with a mostly metal design, and the headband has good leather padding on top with microfiber underneath. The ear cushions are made from microfiber. The detachable audio cables feel sturdy, too, and are coated in a rubber silicone-like finish. Like most audiophile headphones, they don't have an IP rating for dust or water resistance.
The Focal Clear Mg have acceptable stability. Like the Focal Celestee, they're not designed for sports or physical activity and can fall off your head with moderate movement. However, they should maintain their position if you're wearing them in the studio or during more casual use.
- Focal Clear Mg headphones
- 4 ft 1/8" TRS to L/R 1/8" TRS cable
- 1/4" to 1/8" TRS adapter
- 10 ft XLR cable
- Carrying case
- User guide
The Focal Clear Mg have a warm sound profile. They lack a bit of low bass, which is expected from open-back headphones. They also have a recessed treble range, so vocals and lead instruments are slightly veiled while sibilants are dark. That said, even though they lack sound enhancement features, they're still suitable for a variety of audio content.
The Focal Clear Mg have great frequency response consistency. Their bass delivery is consistent, even if you have thick hair or glasses. While their treble delivery can vary depending on fit and positioning, as long as you take the time to adjust them to your head, you should get consistent audio delivery.
These headphones have excellent bass accuracy. They're slightly underemphasized in the low-bass range, which results in less thump and rumble in your mixes. However, the rest of the range is fairly well-balanced, and there's even a small bump in the high-bass range, which adds a bit of extra boom.
The Focal Clear Mg have outstanding mid accuracy. The entire range is very flat and even, resulting in present and clear vocals and lead instruments. While the small peak in the high-mids also intensifies these sounds, it shouldn't make them sound too honky or harsh.
These headphones have sub-par treble accuracy. It's underemphasized across the range, so vocals and lead instruments sound veiled, while sibilants like cymbals are dark and dull. If you're looking for open-backs with a brighter treble response, try the HiFiMan Arya Stealth Magnet Version.
The peaks and dips performance is satisfactory. There's a small peak in the high-bass range, which adds boom. Another peak in the high-mids, followed by a smaller peak in the low-treble makes vocals and lead instruments slightly honky and harsh. A large dip between the low to mid-treble veils vocals, lead instruments, and sibilants like cymbals, while the steep peak in the mid-treble makes other sibilants piercing.
The Focal Clear Mg's imaging is great. The entire group delay response is below the audibility threshold, ensuring tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. Also, the L/R drivers of our unit are very well-matched in frequency, amplitude, and phase response, ensuring accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, and video game effects) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.
The Focal Clear Mg have a good passive soundstage. Although the soundstage isn't perceived as wide or large, it seems spacious. Sound also feels like it's coming from speakers placed around you rather than as if it's coming from inside your head.
The weighted harmonic distortion performance of these headphones is good. There are a couple of small peaks in the treble range at normal listening volumes. However, it's very minor, and it can be hard to hear with real-life content. That said, most frequencies fall under acceptable limits, which results in clean and pure audio reproduction.
These are the settings used to test these headphones. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.
The Focal Clear Mg have bad noise isolation, which is to be expected from open-back headphones. They don't block out any bass-range noise like bus engines or mid-range sounds like ambient chatter. They also barely reduce the high-pitched hum of an AC unit.
The leakage performance is bad, which is common for open-back headphones. They leak a lot of audio by design. That said, if you're listening to audio at a high volume, people around you can easily hear it, even if the room is moderately noisy.
These headphones come with a 1/8" TRS cable as well as a 1/4" adapter. They also come with an XLR to L/R 1/8" TRS cable, which makes them compatible with different amps, receivers, or other audio gear.
While you can connect these headphones with Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles using their 1/8" TRS cable, you can only receive audio as they don't have a microphone.