They’re nicely controlled and a offer a good amount of bump without being too overpowering. Focal Listen Closed Back Over-Ear Headphones. Visit our corporate site. The one-button remote lets you pause playback or answer phone calls if you click it once, and it can return to a previous track if you press it twice. The Focal Listen Professional is great to hold. For $250, however, the Focal Listen is a very comfortable pair to wear over long listening periods, and produces fantastic audio. However, you’ll want to try the Listens out before buying them, as some of the review team found them a little too tight and pressuring after lengthy use. The review of the Listen and the Listen Wireless continues on Page Two of the review, after the click HERE or the jump below / … I give the Focal Listen Professional 4 out of 5 subs, they offer great build quality, comfort, and versatile frequency response. Focal is more than capable of making stunning pairs of headphones, but the Listen Wireless don’t quite meet the company’s usual high standards. Why? So if you’re looking for a pair of on-the-go over-ear headphones, the Focal Listens are a smart choice. That said it does fit great on the head, so even if they aren’t the most comfortable up top they fit over the ears perfectly and I had no problem wearing these for hours without needing to remove them to let my ears breathe. The battery lasts 20 hours and only takes 3 hours to fully charge. Pros Cons Use-case Tech specs Review Headphone amp Build quality Sound Balance Comfort Price Correction Rating Conclusion. So many audio brands are out in the market and one you may not have heard of is Focal. Wearing these on a subway blocks a good part of the sound without even using active noise cancelation which is impressive. The Listen Wireless is the wireless version of Focal's high-end portable headphones. They’re not, overall, an especially bad pair of cans – but at their price, the lack of transparency, dynamism, and questionable perceived build quality mean it’s entirely justifiable to want more. This is by no means a dealbreaker, as they make up for it with their solid bass and impressive volume, but it is something to watch out for. A good example of this is in the song “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix. WhatsApp. But now they’re taking that experience and applying it to more affordable headphones. The bass is great on the Listens. Vocals always sat nicely on top of background instruments but never got lost in the mix. The good part of that is these don’t seem like they’d break easily. The Focal Listen Wireless headphones are a luxurious option for those who want a vegan-friendly set of cans that can be worn for hours at a time. These have more of a rubberized padding on the headband that isn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it isn’t the most comfortable either. Focal Listen Wireless headphones features review. The first thing you’ll notice about the Focal Listen Wireless headphones is their design, and they look very nice. The headband has a secure, yet comfortable clamping force. About 3 inches down from the audio cable is the built-in microphone which is fairly standard, but then about 10 inches below that is the round one-button control module. Focal Listen Wireless review: These Bluetooth headphones offer good sound and value for money, although they aren't the most comfortable long-term listen. Bath A local electronics market upped their focal game and had the Elear, Listen and Listen Wireless out. 17. Focal Listen Review Design. Designed in France by Focal's acoustics engineers, Listen combine all the advantages of premium portable headphones for hours of intense listening pleasure. If sound is your main concern, you can't go wrong with the Focal Listen headphones. The earphones have a balanced sound with comfort for long sessions of listening. The Focal Listen delivers lots of detail and vitality, and the bass is to die for. Excellent noise isolation is guaranteed with the closed-back design and the large ear cushions, which preserve the headphones acoustic qualities, even in noisy environments. If I had to make a request I would have liked to have a bit wider stereo imaging so that they felt less like listening to headphones after a while. Detachable cable includes an integrated one-button remote. These cans can stream videos with ease due to aptX compatibility for high-resolution audio playback. We start by connecting them up to our laptop through the Arcam irDAC-II and start playing Julie Byrne’s Sleepwalker. They recently released 3 new pairs of headphones, one of which are the Listen over-ears. But would prefer the Wireless version. The Listens also lack a little in the amount of clarity or enthusiasm you get. Focal Save this story for later. Focal LISTEN Review. Jun 17, 2019. A pair of headphones that can go loud with a rich and insightful sound. Focal is an audio company that specializes in high end audio products. For over $200 I guess I just want more of premium design but that’s just personal preference. 0. Sign up below to get the latest from What Hi-Fi?, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! As a result, it exudes a sense of balance. The super-soft microfibre ear cushions feel great against the ears, while the overall weight is also impressively light. The thick headband and large ear cups aren’t going to be easily crushed in a backpack and seem like they would hold their own with anything you can pile on top of them. Focal Listen review. These are meant for people who are looking for premium sound quality on-the-go, hence their closed-back design which prevents sound leakage. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Both their dynamism and sense of timing is a bit restrained, which will leave you wanting for the aggression in harsher tracks like Kanye West’s Black Skinhead. From the moment you take them out of the box, the resilience of Focal’s headphones is obvious – you can twist and turn the headband any way you like (within reason) without fear of breaking them. But now they’re taking that experience and applying it to more affordable headphones. The Listens turn your attention to the little details, like the short breath Byrne takes before she starts singing, putting across the sense of fragility in the song well. Focal Listen over-ear headphones are an add on to colorful headphones. While there are some improvements that can be made, on the whole the Listens are a good piece of kit. The breaths that start the song, rather than sounding intimidating, come across a little weary. The Focal Listen Wireless headphones delivers a beautifully balanced frequency response in an easy-to-operate design. Its burgundy and black colour scheme definitely evokes its bigger brother, the Focal Clear Professional. They plug in to the headphones via a 3.5mm input on the bottom of the left ear cup and have twist to lock for a secure connection. The Focal Listen Wireless headphones promise about 20 hours of battery life, and that checks out with my use. Holding down the button will let you access Siri or Google Now as well if you need to use voice commands. Employing a pretty standard setup the Listen’s headband is made from a pliable plastic giving it the ability to stand up to the abuse of being an on the go headphone. You press once to pause or play a song, twice to go to the next track, and three times to replay. Review: Focal Listen Wireless. If you like your music loud, the Listen’s sensitivity means that you won’t need to turn the volume up to produce a big sound. Focal is a brand better known by audiophiles, which makes the new Listen, available at a relatively affordable $250 price point, something of an anomaly. These are great for vegans as these have leatherette ear padding. In fact, it weighs in at a mere 284 grams without a cable. The cable is also removable so if it breaks you can just get another cable. MORE: Best headphone deals: in-ear, over-ear, wireless and more. The Listens turn your attention to the little details, like the short breath Byrne takes before she starts singing, putting across the sense of fragility in the song well. Bored with the basic black and tan colored headphones for a time now. They sound great. MORE: How to avoid buying fake headphones. Review: Focal Listen Professional These Focal Listen Professional headphones see the studio-monitor creator transfer its tried-and-trusted expertise into a … The plush padding on the ear cups paired with the firm fit of the headband creates a near-perfect seal that passively blocked out most outside noise. They actually look like an average pair of over-ears and the decision to move the control module so far down the audio cable is questionable and not entirely necessary. Focus might not have made the most ideal pair of portable headphones if you’re a commuter, but they definitely got the sound aspect right. Unfortunately pressing it twice will not skip to the next song which is curious since that’s a fairly standard function on most other pairs of headphones. I could only listen to the listen though. Rudi in Headphone reviews. The Listen’s safe sound is also something of a double-edged sword. This also means that battery life will last a little longer too, which is useful if you predominantly play your music through a smartphone or other portable device. The Plantronics also have a nifty auto play/pause when you take off your headphones. The matte black headband of the Focal Listen Professional headphones consists of thick, strong plastic. The hard plastic headband isn’t too flexible, but they do have hinges so you can fold the headphones for a smaller overall footprint. Focal Listen Pro Studio Headphone Review. The snaps throughout the song in “Ashley” by Lido teeter on uncomfortable. The Good The Focal Listen has a sturdy design and a comfortable and snug fit, and it sounds excellent for the price. These headphones have a spacious soundfield, and keep it organised. Rich, balanced sound. Focal Listen ⭐ review. Today, Focal has sent me one of their newest pairs of premium over-ear headphones; it is the new LISTEN by FOCAL. The Focal Listen Wireless utilizes Bluetooth 4.1 wireless technology and is aptX compatible. It just might not be the right headphone for you and your listening tastes. FOCAL is a well-known maker of audio products and is based in France. Not at all. Facebook. Placing it on my head, I feel it run across the entire top of my head. Review: FOCAL Listen & Listen Wireless The bass is a little above neutral, giving the sound a firm bottom without mucking up the voice. Please refresh the page and try again. The impact is very good (I would have expected nothing less after hearing the Elear), and the bass sounds pretty clear. These are priced at $250 but they don’t really look it. All rights reserved. These cans are insightful, rich, sensitive and spacious, but are a tad too reserved to get full marks. Though the design of the Listen headphones aren’t the prettiest in my opinion, the build quality is top notch for a mostly plastic pair of headphones. They’re detailed, with a strong sound that can compete with the busy street, and their smoothness makes them well-suited for music streaming. The smooth vocals peacefully coexist with the guitar and drums throughout the song and ever get lost or drowned out. Her resolute vocals are conveyed cleanly, and with a decent amount of insight. Riotby Childish Gambino begins with a cacophony of sound with vocalisations coming from … The band is quite thick width-ways. Even though these retain the details in the highs, they were slightly piercing. We start by connecting them up to our laptop through the Arcam irDAC-II and start playing Julie Byrne’s Sleepwalker. Discover the key facts and see how Focal Listen performs in the headphones ranking. Pinterest. Excellent build quality. You may know of them from their highly acclaimed car audio speakers, amplifiers and digital signal processing units. Her resolute vocals are conveyed cleanly, and with a decent amount of insight. The Focal Listen is a full-size wireless headphone with quality design. The only thing that I really have an issue with is the audio cable. Not only do these sound great, but they also do a god job at noise isolation thanks to the closed-back design and memory foam padding on the ear cups. Focal Listen Wireless review They deliver outstanding Bluetooth wireless range and hands-free performance, but you'll want to plug them in to get the best sound. July 31, 2017. No idea. Focal is best known as France’s leading speaker manufacturer, but in 2016 they turned a corner and entered the fiercely competitive high-end headphone market with two extraordinary ’phones, the Elear and the deliriously great Utopia . COPYRIGHT © 2021 SoundGuys, All Rights Reserved. Anyone know if the wireless version sounds the same as non wireless? There was a problem. We’re yet to hear a product from Focal that we didn’t like; every piece of kit that we’ve reviewed has usually received either four or five stars. The packaging is fairly standard, with the headphones, a carrying case, an airplane adapter, the audio cable, and the warranty information booklet. How high end? Jason Million - March 20, 2020. The Listen Professional headphones from Focal represent the only closed-back phones in the French company’s ‘professional’ range, replacing the now defunct Spirit Pros. Still, if you care about good sound these are hard to beat. 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L serves up 19-speaker McIntosh sound system. These aren’t wireless so if you’re one of the people who plan on buying a phone without an audio jack, you might want to look somewhere else unless you’re a fan of adapters. As such, we have high hopes for the Focal Listen headphones, and they perform well. However, it is noticeable that they don’t quite put the same force behind the track as other headphones do, nor do they dig down to quite the same depths. Furthermore, you get good value for enjoying your favorite tunes in the comfort of your home. Thank you for signing up to What Hi-Fi?. Riot by Childish Gambino begins with a cacophony of sound with vocalisations coming from multiple directions, and these headphones keep each instrument in line when lesser cans would struggle. Save this story for later. Sony WF-1000XM3 vs Bose QuietComfort Earbuds: which are better? It h… It’s a hefty cable that it ends in an angled audio jack, but they made an awkward design choice here as well. You will receive a verification email shortly. BA1 1UA. Although these headphones are made for people on-the-go, they’re not small. $299 at Amazon. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, And using Tidal on an iPhone 6S, the Listen’s handling of bells, horns, guitars, and synths in Mike Oldfield’s cover of the William Tell Overture avoids the brittleness that you sometimes get with streaming services, while still revealing how the whimsical high-pitched notes shimmer. Mind you they been around since the early 80s but are based overseas in France. That great experience in the lows also extends to the mids, with soundstage being pretty impressive for a pair of closed-back headphones. For all the audiophiles out there, it's a clear Editors' Choice. Find out now! The plastic used is obviously strong and premium plastic, and it’s coupled with rubber buttons and some fo… In terms of functionality it works fine and there’s no inconvenience to having it there, but aesthetically it’s just — weird. The brushed chrome ear cups feel strong and sturdy, holding in place the memory foam ear-pieces which, in turn, sit over the 40mm titanium drivers. There’s also a flat, round button approximately halfway down the cable, which is used for playback control and activating your smartphone’s AI assistant. © Great noise isolation. Let’s just say that instead of buying their Grand Utopia EM speakers, you can buy a house. By. Twitter. Since these were mainly intended for mobile use we did most of our testing via mobile phones and tablets. These headphones have a spacious soundfield, and keep it organised. Playing Mombasa from Hans Zimmer’s Inception soundtrack, the deep horns and pounding drums come across well, and these headphones have no fear when it comes to the grittier notes. Let’s just say that instead of buying their Grand Utopia EM speakers, you can buy a house. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, We check over 130 million products every day for the best prices, Best headphone deals: in-ear, over-ear, wireless and more, Sony 2021 TV line-up: models, sizes, specs, everything you need to know, Sony's new Bravia CORE streaming service goes big on IMAX Enhanced movies, Sony Bravia XR TV range brings cognitive intelligence to picture processing. How high end? Focal Listen Wireless review: ... That doesn't mean the Focal Listen Wireless is a bad headphone. The Focal Listen Wireless also lack active noise cancellation, which the cheaper Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2 have. If you don't need wireless headphones, take a look at the original Focal Listen, which has a similar sound and design, but is a fully wired headphone and lacks the Bluetooth features. What Hi-Fi? Really the only thing that isn’t good about these headphones in my opinion is the design and the price. At the low end of the frequency range, the bass has an undeniably rich quality. Bass notes in “iRobot” by Jon Bellion have the perfect amount of detail and make the overall experience very enjoyable. Are they far behind the sublime Elear? Spoiler alert: if you’re looking for a little accuracy with a lot of fun thrown in, these are perfect for you. Although you can’t expect high-end materials throughout for the sales price these headphones go for, the choice of materials here are a good choice and the workmanship demonstrated … Updated 9/9/19 1,079 word post, approx 3 min. Focal Listen Wireless Review. is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Before we get into the Focal Listen Review, grab a snack, … In fact, they’re more on the bulky side and have a solid weight to them. They have titanium coated drivers 40mm drivers and are priced at $249, so did Focal strike gold with these? The headphones are built largely out of plastic, but in this case that doesn’t seem to be such a bad thing. We were really impressed by the all-round performance of the Spirit Pro phones back then, with, perhaps, the only misgiving being the fit. I liked it. Even though they aren’t small, the folding design is great for stuffing them in your bag and they’re durable enough that they could survive the trip easily. Best 55-inch TVs 2021: smart, 4K, HDR and OLED TVs, Best cheap TVs 2021: the best budget 4K TVs, Best 50-inch TVs 2021: 4K TVs for all budgets. MSRP $299.00 PCMag editors select and review products independently . Bluetooth headphones that look even better than they sound. The Focal Listen and Focal Listen Wireless are to Mid-Fi over ear headphones from the French Focal. As such, we have high hopes for the Focal Listen headphones, and they perform well. The headphones feature a sleek black design save for the Focal logo on each ear cup, and we really liked the look. Focal is an audio company that specializes in high end audio products. read Kalimera friend and Welcome aboard!! Normally headphones have similar padding on the ear cups and on the headband, but that isn’t the case here. We’re yet to hear a product from Focal that we didn’t like; every piece of kit that we’ve reviewed has usually received either four or five stars. It’s clear that these headphones are designed for on-the-go use, and as such, Focal has added a microphone to the 1.5m cable. Focal Listen Wireless Review. Black headband of the frequency range, the bass has an undeniably rich quality across. And applying it to more affordable headphones have high hopes for the.! Like they ’ re looking for a time now plastic used is obviously strong and plastic! Cherokee L serves up 19-speaker McIntosh sound system than sounding intimidating, come a! Fact, it weighs in at a mere 284 grams without a cable audiophiles out there it. 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