Focal Sphear S High-Definition In-ear Earphones, Black

Ok, this will be long, I'm sorry, but it needs to be. I bought these for the office, which is not the place I really get to settle into a piece of music and loose myself. That said, I had been using some nicer sony ear buds, but they were just ok, they made a noise and got the job done, sorta. Before I go on, I do love my 2 channel audio, my homes systems include PS audio, Parasound Halo, Martin Logan, higher end AKG Headphones , Shure IEM's, lots of Audioquest, ect. I bring this up because these are what my taste and references are for sound. Now back to the Focal Sphear S. Nice build, they look great, came with a good selection of tips (foam and silicone), cable feels solid, and I actually really love the angle the cable exits the plug. But the sound..... well.... this gets interesting. They need to be broken in (burn in), they just do. Brand new, they sounded thin, kinda. They extend down, but aren't weighty. what this means, you hear the note but you don't "feel" it. As I tried rotating through 3 other ear buds (2 sony and one cheapo (better sounding than you think, but I forgot the brand)) I noticed something, the other buds lacked balance, and had been swaying my "normal" or "correct" sound (these don't insert deep enough compared to my Shures (which are very balanced) for me to really think of them as IEMs, they don't block the same amount of sound or seal as completely). After 24 hours continuous playback at hi-ish volume with tone sweeps, and another month of listening daily, these have now opened up. Bass is improved, still not huge in weight, but more correct. these are detailed, almost too much so. The highs are sharp, and will reveal poor recording and equipment for what they are (I was/ am using a Denon USB 300 dac/headphone amp, which is smoother sounding). I really like them, but they didn't grab me at first, but once broken in, I started the really appreciate all that they did right. Like many things, the truth (accuracy) isn't always as much fun as people might think, most people like a little exaggeration in their sound, images, video. These are honest, almost to a fault, but I really like that, I can trust them. FYI, the foam tips sound best (a better seal is the trick for good bass as is with all IEMs), but given my use, the silicone tips are work well enough. They are really making my day to day much better, I am able to enjoy work more with such a nice sound in my ears. These are pretty close to my Shures, but much more convenient to use at work ( The Shures block too much sound for work, take time to seal when removed), and I don't have to give up much, if anything, the Focal's may be more resolving. I have become a fan.

I've been aware of Focal as a speaker and speaker driver company for several decades, and several times have heard them at trade shows and audiophile gatherings, but the relative lack of distribution kept them from ever getting into a local retailer.Their foray into headphones has garnered rave reviews internationally, but for the most part the products getting attention have been extremely expensive high end exotica like the $4000 Utopia. When I saw that they had released an affordable IEM I was curious as to whether they could make an affordable headphone with some of the same sonic pedigree. To answer my own question: Yes they can, quite brilliantly.The Focal Sphear is one of the most comfortable IEMs I've ever owned and not just in a fit and comfort sense, but sonically as well. The Focal Sphear is one of the most well voiced and balanced audio products I've ever heard. It is seamlessly cohesive from the bass to the treble with no distracting coloration and no weaknesses across the spectrum. It is one of the most natural and least mechanical sounding audio devices I've come across.As for shortcomings, they are a small lack of air in the very high treble, and a bit too much warmth in the lower frequencies, but these deficiencies are most evident on first listen. After only four days listening both ends of the spectrum have become more extended and controlled.I've owned many IEMs, including Ultimate Ears Triple Fi Pros, Sennheiser IE8s, Sonys, etc., but these are the best all around I've used to date. At the price these are simply unbeatable.

I’ve purchased those earphones a few months ago and I absolutely love them. The resulting sounds is really great and pure, no twisting around with electronics to compensate bad material or design. I have Focal speakers and home and in the car and have become a fan. However in most cases, there need to be some adjustments done before you can really enjoy their full potential.First of all, the plastic tips in the box are absolutely not up to par, and as a result you don’t hear enough bass. This is a big problem because those are already earphones on the brighter side. Like others have recommended, I have purchased a pair of Comply memory foam tips and the difference is night and day. I would not think of using the earphones without them.Second, like every time I have used Focal products, the high clarity and precision of the high frequency range means that they are bright and personnaly I prefer to use an equalizer to smooth the frequency above 4000Hz. Maybe not everyone prefer this, but I end up doing this for all my focal equipment as I find the high end too overwhelming otherwise. I recommend using the free app VOX for music with a very good customizable EQ. Forget using the iPhone Music app EQ presets, which are much too generic.So my expérience is very good and I would recommend those earphone to anyone willing to take the time to make them work well. But some people want a perfectly functioning product right out box, so I substract 1 star. I would also add that they may need a couple weeks of burn-in before the low range really starts getting good ( although that maybe due to having the bad tips at the beginning, but I feel it did improve)

je suis passé de Senheiser à Focal et, même si je n'ai pas l'oreille musicale, j'ai cru sentir un gain de qualité.Il est fourni avec un étui costaud mais pas pratique à mettre dans une poche.

Was running ikko om1 (a well reviewed 3 driver earpiece) until I received these. From the get go without any burn in they were well balance, more defined bass and more neutral high. Very comfortable and snug fit for small ear canal and small ear. They sound like my Beyer Dynamic St 770 Pro. I am very surprised to compare them to an open back pro headphone set at triple de cost and size. Being a single driver, they are very easy to use with non amp set-up. I have a set of 814 Focal speakers and can vouch for the Focal brand. They have the same sound signature. The biggest difference vs other other high end iems I have tried is their large and deep soundstage... Wow for a $100 item, I am truly surprised. They are my go to for now....

Ich bin bitter enttäuscht. Ich habe einen Focal Clear als Kopfhörer für Zuhause. Ein wunderbarer Hörer und, wie es scheint, auch ausgezeichnet verarbeit. Ich wollte noch einen Kopfhörer für Unterwegs. Ich bin kein "Basshead". So dachte ich nach den Rezensionen, der Sphere S ist genau der richtige für mich. Er kam an und hatte genau den Klang, den ich wollte. Unaufdringlich und mit einer für einen In-Ear ungewohnten Räumlichkeit ohne überbetonte Bässe. Sowas wird gemeinhin als tonal balanziert beschrieben. Das ist er. Der als Ersatz beschaffte Beyerdynamic IDX 200 klingt deutlich bassbetonter und "enger". Für den Klang daher noch 2 Rest-Sterne.Nun zur Verarbeitung. Nach etwas mehr als drei Monaten verspürte ich während der Nutzung ein sehr unangenehmes Fremdkörpergefühl im linken Ohr. Ich nahm den Hörer ab und habe mit dem Finger das Gitter, dass den Wiedergabekanal abdecken soll, aus meinem Gehörgang entfernt. Ich hab noch Glück gehabt, dass ich mir dabei keine Verletzung zugezogen habe, oder dass das Teil weiter ins Ohr gewandert ist. Das Gitter ist einfach verklebt und hat sich durch den Schalldruck gelöst und ist in den Gehörgang abgefallen. Die Watte zur Dämpfung kam auch schon raus.Das darf nicht passieren. Schon gar nicht bei einem Kopfhörer dieser Preisstufe. Nur zum Vergleich: Der Beyerdynamic ist an der Stelle aus einem Stück Metall und nicht aus einer Verklebung auch Plastik und etwas, was wie Metallgitter aussieht.Ich hoffe nur, dass der Clear nicht auch solchen inneren Werte besitzt. Meine Alternative muss auch erst noch ihre Alltagstauglichkeit beweisen, aber rein optisch ist die Verarbeitung schon eine andere Liga.Ich kann aus diesem Grund vom Kauf abraten, leider. Wie gesagt, solche Mängel hätte ich nicht von einer High End Firma wie Focal erwartet.

Sound quality is fantastic and the inclusion of foam ear buds makes them very comfortable, enough so wear on a 14hour flight without them grating. Soundwise, it's a lot softer and flatter than senheissers tend to be in the same price range

Pros:- Superb sound. Simply beautiful music. Good depth sounds very 'full'.- Good staging feels like listening in a hall.- Detailed and layered sound. Plays the sound how it was originally presented.- Multiple ear plugs in box (including memory foam type).Cons:- Not built for daily use. Cables doesn't look sturdy enough for everyday usage.- No volume control on remote.- Noise isolation average at best.- Badly recorded tracks and low quality files sounds terrible (on the other hand, high quality files sounds perfect).In summary, a product for people who wants enjoy beautiful music and listen to the small details. For this price the best in terms of listening pleasure.