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I have been waiting over two years for a watch that will likely never show up at the AD…. I did not buy what I am waiting on but I did pickup something I have been wanting. HS

Phew, soldered some 50x LEDs... Checked the C3675 and A1468 for breakdown voltage. Will use the ones with the highest in the batteries. Are there any fakes of the C3381 and K246 and is there any special procedure for testing those? I mounted only 4 of the total 8 standoffs as the ones close to the front panel are in the way of the Stax connectors and the ones in the back are exactly where the Amphenol connectors are. 4 of them should be fine I think.

Mmm...Tito Puente is good stuff!

Yep, 4 of the original boards. Plus, I found a full kit for a PGA2320 volume control from @luvdunhill in the same box. I'd forgotten how much I used to overbuy DIY bits and baubles.....! I really think you might be better served by the newer more compact version, and they would ship from Canada, but they are yours if you want them.

For the Clear, drop 1.2khz by 2db and 11khz by 5db with Q-factor 2. That goes a LONG way towards mellowing them out. Also you can drop the 6khz peak, but it is nowhere near as problematic as it is on the Utopia and I generally don't bother. Of course, YMMV and when it comes to treble peaks, everyone will hear them in different locations and with various degrees of severity. I hear peaks at 6khz, 8.5khz, and 11khz, but it's the last one that's the major issue. Clear reacts better to EQ than Utopia does IMO.

It could be. Focal drivers use lightweight metal diaphragms with a very thin and flexible surround, and they have a very high degree of excursion so they're able to displace a lot of air despite being quite small. They do operate near the limits of excursion though and have less maximum SPL capability. But I'm non engineer and have no clue how that relates to listening fatigue. In terms of tuning, they're rather Sennheiser HD6X0 like, though they trade off less linear highs for better extension in the bass. This tuning and overall character is why I like them in the first place.

I finally sold my Utopia. I just wasn't using it enough. Yes it was very impressive, but it was far too fatiguing, and a $4k headphone that you could only use 30 minutes at a time wasn't worth keeping. Sadly, I think the Clear falls under the same category too, I can listen to it for longer than the Utopia (1-2 hours) but still it's not an all-day headphone. I don't know what it is about Focals, but they seem to irritate my ears in ways that other headphones don't. Regarding the DSHA-3F, it is a very transparent and resolving amp, and if you want to max out the Utopia's resolution, go with that. But it doesn't really change what the Utopia is. And you find the Utopia borderline, the Clear with the DSHA-3F is nearly as resolving (the highs are worse, but the mids and bass are similar) and definitely less abrasive. You could also try a bit of EQ, the Utopia does have a narrow 6khz peak and exaggerates treble past 13-14khz by about 6db or so. But to me that only mellowed it out a little bit. So, I think I'm leaving team Focal, since my ears refuse to cooperate.

Went to a place that sold biscuits and gravy today; my bad.

It's incredible that wasn't the worst crash of the day. 🥵