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Focal Clear Mg Professional Open-back Reference Studio Headphones

Professional Open-back, Circumaural Monitor Headphones with M-shaped Magnesium Domes and Internal/External Honeycomb Grilles, Microfiber/Leather-Covered Aluminum Headband, and Memory Foam Earpads
25 Write review Item ID: ClearMGPro
$1,499.00

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Professional Reference Headphones From Focal

Focal is renowned worldwide for their reference-grade monitor speaker designs — and this world-class expertise carries over to modern headphone technology. Focal Clear MG Professional circumaural open-back studio headphones boast Focal’s proprietary M-shaped magnesium domes, which deliver breathtakingly lifelike dynamic response and the remarkable ability to reproduce the most minute details in your mixes across the entire frequency spectrum. Clear MG Professionals transcend the shortcomings traditionally associated with mixing on headphones; namely that mixes don’t “translate” when played back on speakers. This means you can make mix decisions with confidence, assured that your mixes will sound the same, regardless of playback system.

Related Videos: Clear Mg Professional Open-back Reference Studio Headphones

Outstanding comfort over long sessions

Comfort is an important factor in monitor headphone design. If a pair of headphones doesn’t adjust to fit you perfectly, it can affect sonic accuracy. And if your ’phones cause discomfort, you’ll be distracted and unable to do your best work, so this is yet another area in which Focal has lavished attention on Clear MG Professional headphones — and from our perspective at Sweetwater, they have succeeded wildly. To optimize comfort, the design of the headband and yokes ensures that the headphones distribute their feather weight across your whole head, while a new generation of perforated microfiber used for the earpad cushions result in an delightfully airy and open design.

Broad, deep soundstage with pinpoint stereo imaging

Beyond comfort, the earcup design amplifies the wearer’s sense of spatialization to deliver a broad, deep soundstage. The high-frequency reproduction precision needed for pinpoint stereo imaging gets an assist from Focal’s proprietary M-shaped grille, which closely follows the contours of the speaker driver. The net result of Focal’s superior engineering is a monitoring experience in which you completely forget that you’re wearing headphones. A must-have tool for demanding engineers, producers, and artists, Focal Clear MG Professional reference studio headphones enable you to make production decisions quickly and confidently to deliver the highest quality product in the shortest amount of time. And that, friends, is what it’s all about.

Focal Clear MG Professional Open-back Reference Studio Headphones Features:

  • Open-back, circumaural headphones for professional use
  • Consistent tonal balance across the full audio spectrum
  • Exceptional articulation down to the lowest frequencies
  • Breathtaking dynamics and impact
  • Broad spatialization and pinpoint-precise soundstage
  • Comfortable and ergonomic adjustable fit
  • Solid aluminum yoke which molds to head shape
  • Perforated microfiber and leather headband
  • 3/4-inch memory foam earpad, covered with a perforated microfiber fabric
  • Proprietary M-shaped magnesium dome drivers
  • M-shaped honeycomb internal grille; external honeycomb grilles
  • 2 cables (1/4-inch stereo, 3.5mm) supplied to accommodate all uses (console, audio interface, laptop)
  • Includes carry case and 2 spare earpads

Additional Media

Best Open-back Headphones for 2024
Focal Clear MG Pro Headphones Overview

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Wired
  • Open/Closed: Open
  • Fit Style: Circumaural (Around the Ear)
  • Driver Size: 40mm
  • Noise Attenuation: Passive Noise Isolating
  • Frequency Response: 5Hz-28kHz
  • Impedance: 55 ohms
  • Connectivity: 1/4" plug, 1/8" plug (both cables included)
  • Cable Type: Coiled
  • Cable Length: 16.5 ft., 3.9 ft.
  • Detachable Cable: Yes
  • Color: Black
  • Material: Microfiber covered Memory Foam Earpads
  • Case/Bag: Softshell Case
  • Manufacturer Part Number: FOPRO-CLEARMGPRO

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Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5

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Amazing

These headphones are so worth it. The detail and clarity and bass I love. Mixing before these and after made a difference especially if you combine this with sonarworks reference 4.
by Sean Daly from Lompoc, CA on

Very balanced headphones with great detail and very well made.

The Focal Clear Professional open back headphones came out in 2017. We see now in about 4 years they updated them with the new Clear MG Professional. The the sound is very close to the original Clear's which had received high praise by many.

The only difference between Clear MG's and Clear MG Pro version is the color and what is offered in the box with the cables.

The new MG's has a 40-mm magnesium (Mg) M-dome driver replaced Clear's original 40-mm aluminum/magnesium driver. They are a lighter driver which helps add a little more cohesion to the music as well as slightly better dynamics.

Construction of the headphones is top notch. The microfiber pads are very comfortable and your ears won't sweat as much as you might on other headphones with some materials being used. Packaging offers a fancy box, a 2nd pair of ear pads, a coil and straight cables. They do weigh more than some other headphones but are still comfortable.

So how do the headphones sound? Very balanced. You hear a solid strong bass, great mid's and high's that are very even. I personally would prefer if there was a tad more treble response from these headphones. On my NAD preamp, I put the treble to +1 or 2 db to hear the cymbals and snare sound a little more open. With not having strong high's like the Beyerdynamic 1990's or Sennheiser 880's, the sound stage is not a big compared to the other two. While the others have a bigger sound stage including a more open top end, the mid's on those headphones are thinner than the Clear MG's. You also hear more sss when people sing with them. When I hear drum toms on the Clear's from Neil Pert, they are solid and have a good presence. On the 1990's and 880's they have a lighter sound and they are not as full sounding. The Sennheiser 660s actually sound similar in character to the Focal Clear MG's with the exception that the Clear's offer a little more detail information including the ability to hear the reverb tails better.

Audiophile fans and those who work in a studio who want headphones they are even and provide good detail, the Clear MG's are a great option. Is the higher cost for these headphones worth it? Being able to have monthly low payments interest free from Sweetwater does make it easier to work with, but $ for headphones is a lot of money. But once you compare them to other headphones, its hard to go back to your older less expensive headphones. All in all the Focal Clear MG Professional headphones are a joy to hear music through. If you want a solid sound, with music more in your head, these headphones are a great option. Again the one thing I don't love but like is the treble response. Some reviewers say these headphones are warmer sounding due to the high end not being enhanced.

If you want a larger sound stage, lighter headphones, more treble response so you can hear details and separate out the instruments more, the Sennheiser 800's are the way to go. If you don't want to spend as much money for the 800's but want something similar with treble presence and sound stage, go for the 1990's. If you want something similar in character as the Focal Clear MG's but less money, go for the Sennheiser 650 or 660's. These lower cost headphones are roughly 85% as good as the Clear MG and Sennheiser 880s.
by Glenn on
Music background: Audiophile lover for 30 years and studio owner

Excellent tonal balance

First and foremost, I believe that we are blessed to have Sweetwater available to meet our pro audio needs. I've been dealing with them for many years and Mike Arango has been exceptionally helpful and always prompt in returning calls and emails.

I recently purchased the Focal Clear Mg Pro headphones primarily for mixing and mastering. I have a pair of Focal Shape 65 monitors that I like very much and I thought that the Clears would be a good complement in terms of voicing and soundstaging. Indeed, they are eerily close in terms of timbre and dynamics. I'd imagine that the magnesium alloy drivers present in both units are partially responsible. The headphones also have their drivers positioned slightly forward pointing back toward your ears which provides a very monitor-like experience and eliminates the need for dodgy crossfeed circuitry. There is a generous amount of acoustic space between the drivers and your ears as well, which produces a wide open soundstage. Like all Focal products that I've owned over the years including the amazing audio system in my car, they are well built to tight tolerances. Extra cables and ear pads along with a nice storage case are pretty much expected at this price point. Neither cable will work for me. The coiled cable likes to knock stuff over and send water bottles to the floor. The shorter straight cable is totally useless. It barely reaches my ears from my preamp. This is not acceptable considering their retail price.

They sound very accurate, especially in the low end. The Clears handle bass guitar and bass synths with ease and never feel like they are breaking a sweat below 100 Hz. It's very much like having a subwoofer that can prop up everything in the mid and high end. Impressive. The rest of the frequencies are well balanced, although I believe that the top end between 4-10 kHz is slightly recessed. I have a pair of Byerdynamic DT 1990's and the level of detail in the top end is remarkable, so getting used to the Focals took some time. On the plus side, listening fatigue is somewhat mitigated. The Clear Mg Pros are fairly heavy but exceedingly comfortable, even more so than the Byer DT 1990's which I start to feel below my temples after an hour or so.

One thing that the Clears have demonstrated to me--the Byer DT 1990's at less than half the price of the Focals are a fantastic bargain if you like the Byer sound. They won't provide the monitor-like experience of the Clears, but they are highly detailed and have the uncanny ability to convey a precise sense of vertical height to the various elements in the mix. The Clears fall slightly short in this area. However, if you're after a pair of monitoring cans that will give you an impressive sense of acoustic space like a great pair of speakers, the Clear Mg Pros are hard to beat. They will not replace my Focal Shape 65's, but they are a great tool to use in my studio. As for my Byer 1990's, they aren't going anywhere. I love the way they sound and they complement the Focals perfectly, each providing slightly different insight.
by Mellotronix from Fort Collins, CO on

Total Game Changer

I have a small bedroom studio that I've been using for years. My mixes have always been ok but never could get them up to the next level. Especially in the low end. All my mixes came out either muddy sounding or really thin. These headphones have opened up the whole eq spectrum big time. Also, I can finally hear the details of all the plugins. Not to mention each track and nuances of all the instruments. It takes the room acoustics out of the equation. I love these headphones. My first mix was done in about 7 attempts. Some of those first mixes were just me fixing bad habits I developed from poor acoustics. Wish I would've just bit the bullet on these sooner. But better late than never. If you've been debating on these, just do it. It'll save you so much time and headache if you're using a small studio in the house like me.
by Sweetwater Customer on

A Superior Product!

My longtime Sweetwater SE Mike Picotte recommended these headphones and rightly so! Wow! These are easily the best cans I've used in recording studio. I feel like I am wearing a great pair of monitors. The cans are very comfortable to wear for hours on end and there is little to no ear fatigue. Truly amazing! They also come with a carrying case that is well designed. Yes, they are expensive. But if you are the type who spends many hours listening and mixing, they are worth every penny, imho. My only aside is that I could use a little longer cable than the two provided due to my set up. That said, I suspect a shorter cable fosters better overall sound performance. Kudos to Focal for engineering a superior product!
by Steve Waite from Shelton, CT on
Music background: Professional Amateur

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What Do Our In-house Gear Experts Think?

Carson McClain

The Focal Clear MGs are the absolute best headphones I have ever owned and that I have ever personally heard. Not only do I love the open-back design for mixing, but I also love it for when I'm producing music. I turn my studio monitors up to feel the extra bass I like when I'm creating. Don't forget, these have a 40 hour burn in time. If you're only giving these a 2 hour test, you're not letting them get to their full potential. I'm also using the SPL 2 Control with my two sets of monitors and 2 sets of headphones which include the Beyerdynamic DT770's. My monitoring rig has never been better.
See also: Head Phones, Focal, Focal Headphones
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