Focal Sphear S High-Definition Earphones

Here is a picture comparing them to the formerly standard Apple EarPods. Nearly the same size housing and nearly identical cable thickness [image]

These are what you come to expect from Focal. The best IEMs on the market. See my Focal Elex review to understand Focal. All those things are true here, but as an IEM, and to a lesser degree, since the Elex is more premium. Only downside is that the cable is not detachable.

I will attempt to bring some clarity with a brief review. These have been my daily usage headphones at work for the last 2 months. Build - Very good build quality. They have a stainless steel housing which is solid and a reasonably thick, tangle-resistant rubber cable. The cable is not removeable, which is the only negative in this category IMO. The setup is a little different. The microphone hangs about 4" below the left ear with the control button being at the Y another 8" below that. The steel housing is very large (in order to house the massive driver), but the nozzle to go inside the ear is a standard size. This is where I struggle with the 1More set. They actually pack one of their drivers into the nozzle and it is bigger than standard, hurting my ears. The Focal Spear S fits nicely in my ear. Sound - These are an open-backed set of in-ear headphones, which is where I think the majority of people will struggle to understand them. I am personally a fan of open-backed since they allow the music to feel more life-like and immersive. However, they don't really block out any outside sound. To me this is a positive, since I need to hear what is going on in my office. Open-backed headphones also are typically not as bass-heavy as closed-back headphones since they don't have that rear wall to bounce bass off of. These have excellent bass, but not the substantially boosted bass of a set like the 1More Triple Driver or the ThinkSound MS03. These have a well supported, deep bass, which stems from their massive 10.8mm driver. The best way for me to describe this is if you have ever been in a car or house with a high-end surround system. If it is using an 8" sub the system might sound good and have really loud and punchy bass, but you won't really feel it. If it has a 12" sub that is tuned properly you can REALLY feel it, even if the bass isn't overly boosted. These headphones don't have a neutral sound signature; I would call it U-shaped, not the popular V-shaped that typifies most retail consumer headphones. Accessories - It comes with a good selection of silicon and foam ear tips. It also comes with a small hard shell carrying case. I saw another review comment negatively on the size of the case, but in my mind, the smaller the case (if it still fits), the more portable it is. In summary, if you want a glimpse of the Focal sound that others talk about, this is a great entry point. They have a nice, clean sound. Great bass (but not bass-head heavy). It is also, open-backed, which I have not seen mentioned anywhere else. This could be a positive or negative, depending on what you are looking for.