Focal Listen Professional

I'm just a keen music lover, I use the headphones at home with an Audiolab M-dac+ and a PC. I've been using these headphones for just over a month so far, and I'm enjoying them.

Pros,
Excellent sound
Good build quality
Stylish compact design
Nice storage case and two cables

Cons,
Can be a little uncomfortable to wear for longer periods if you have larger ears.

Build:
Build quality is excellent. These headphones look fantastic, are well put together, don't feel fragile, and all the visible parts are finished to a high standard. The case and cables are of the same high quality and they arrive beautifully packed with the phones and cables already in the case, packed inside a sturdy card outer box. - 5/5

Sound:
The sound is flat and uncoloured, just as you would want with studio headphones. I've been hearing lots of extra detail in music I'm familiar with, especially at low frequencies, and in particular, if an instrument or vocal has been recorded with distortion, I find it very noticeable with these phones. - 5/5

Comfort:
The ear cups are not the largest. The inside of the memory foam rings make an elliptical space about 50mm high and 40mm wide and my ears just squeeze into them, they get a little uncomfortable after an hour or so. They could have done with being 60mm by 45mm for me, but they do sit securely over my head without discomfort, and they give modest attenuation to ambient household noise. - 4/5

Summary:
Good sound with just a minor issue over comfort.

Use : I'm using the Focal Listen Professional for both recording as well as mixing purposes. I lost my previous headphones, which literally fell apart from old age and extensive use, and with a recording and mixing job within three days of losing them, I needed a quick replacement. Luckily, I had already done my research, and pulled the trigger on these. It didn't disappoint.

Sound : After having been used to the sound of my old Sony V700DJ phones, I didn't know what to expect. What I got, was a pair of cans with a great sonic balance. The bass response, which often is too overbearing in closed back phones, is present and well defined. Mids are clear enough to judge mixes by, no mean feat for phones of this price range. And the highs are clear, articulate and never too shrill. The overall sound doesn't tire out my ears. On the contrary, it makes me eager to put them on and work with them. If I had to use one adjective to qualify the sound, it would be 'natural'. Closed back headphones design clearly has come a long way since I last bought a pair.

Comfort : Before ordering, I read in some reviews how the cups didn't quite fit people's ears. I'm happy to report that I'm not experiencing this discomfort. The cups fit my ears perfectly, and the whole thing sits comfortably on my head. The plastic used on the head rest feels a bit cheap, but it does its work well and never feels unpleasant, not even after long stretches of recording. And the overall build quality is much, much more superior to that of my old Sonys.

All in all, these headphones are an absolute sonic delight, which will see a lot of action and, because of their excellent build quality, will probably outlast my previous headphones by a long time.

I dread using headphones and only do so when it is absolutely neccessary. However, I own a pair of those Focal Alpha 80 mixing monitors and these are an amazing companion.

PROS: I can get a similar vibe on a mix and now trust that when I use these phones that the mix will translate much better to my monitors than using other headphones.

Typically headphones result in a flat and very lackluster mix - these phones have given me much much better results in those regards. Finally I have no real issues to use headphones when I need - I trust them now.

In addition, they are cloth covered, not that fake leather sticker junk that peels off after 6 months.

Worth the extra expense when comparing to other mixing headphones.

I was always an AKG Fan. Working long hours with closed headphones recently and my K271mk2 started to fatigue my head after a couple of hours... Was looking for something with higher comfort and oh man..higher comfort it is.. Very comfy! The sound is totally different than AKG... The middle is way more pronounced. More Bass. They are of course way louder too, so that can be a plus. I am still burning them in...

They are definitely not "problem solvers" but I think one can make great mixes with them as they sound more "Consumer HiFi" but with great detail, AKG is more analytical for sure but lacks the vibe. Listening to music in Focal is just FUN and does not fatigue the ears as the high end is a bit darker.

Great job Focal. Perfect solution for people looking for high comfort and detailed sound with a HIFI twist.

These are the best headphones I’ve ever had. Period. The balance, clarity, comfort, all the little extras like phone cable and box. This is an absolutely stellar creation.

I’ve been using them rigorously for over a year. They are absolutely great for studio work, and I’ve also used them on-set during film work, they can be driven quite loud whilst still maintaining clarity. They are very very comfortable, you can use them for longer than is recommended to use headphones in one sitting.

It also comes with a high quality case, as well as a curly cable for more professional applications (screw adapter for 1/4 inch), and a thinner, TRRS cellphone cable complete with microphone and button, great when you want to plug out of the mixing console and into your phone for referencing that last bounce.

Only con is that now after a year, the red outer cushioning has started to deteriorate and I can see the inside foam. Time to contact their customer support I guess, but this is also maybe an inevitability with such comfortable cups.

Overall a great product, I hope they keep them in their lineup for many years. Would replace if lost/broken.