Headphones Showdown- Spirit Torino Super Leggera vs. Focal Clear

Personal impressions

The Spirit Torino Super Leggera are open headphones with a rather natural and airy sound signature. I wouldn't call them neutral per se, but they are close - more on that later.

Quality of workmanship

Spirit Torino does not use plastic in its headphones. The headphones are made of metal and real leather. The processing quality is very, very good, I love the craftsmanship that goes into these beauties!

The Super Leggera are very comfortable to wear, at least for me. The beautifully padded headband and the custom-made Dekoni ear cushions made of the softest leather are wonderful to touch and wear.



The standard cables from Portento Audio Italy are pretty much the best standard cables, I've ever seen on headphones, period. The packaging is also great, but more about all these details in a detailed review.

Sound characteristics

Just like the Radiante, I liked the Super Leggera straight away. The two are very different, however. The Spirit Torino Super Leggera has a much lighter and - as already mentioned - airy sound signature with an emphasis on the voices and more expansion in the high frequency range. I didn't notice any sibilants and I'm more sensitive to height. For me, the bass / sub-bass is neutral - or to put it another way - not exaggerated. It's rather flat, but with a little bit of energy to support the midrange. Even so, the Super Leggera's bass is far removed from that of the Radiante.

The Super Leggera seem made for vocal and acoustic pieces and work best with music that has been recorded in high quality. Guitars in particular sound so incredibly realistic and engaging, I can almost taste the strings - I love it! I have to mention that they work very well with any other type of music as well, in fact I couldn't find anything I didn't like with these cans.

The channel and instrument separation is excellent and I got the feeling that the soundstage complies with the recording conditions - intimate recordings like Alice in Chains MTV Unplugged sound like they were recorded in a small club (which they were) with the band playing right in front of you. When you play Metallica's S&M album, bring the atmosphere back to life at the Berkeley Community Theater, where it was recorded. There is a lot of space and three-dimensionality.

Amplification / Synergy / Tunability

Like the Radiant, the Super Leggera are quite source-dependent and also voice-friendly. You can adjust the sound very well depending on the source used, although not as much as with the Radiante.

Switching from my main source, the Burson Soloist 3XP to the Cayin N8 DAP in tube mode, added a significant amount of warmth and added a bit of bass expansion while maintaining excellent resolution and smooth highs. The Super Leggera are quite easy to operate, so you can enjoy them on the go with a decent DAP - in fact, Spirit Torino designed them as a "mobile" model. Since their weight is quite low at 365g and they are very comfortable to wear, I can imagine using them outside in less busy environments.

Conclusion

After the time I had with the open Super Leggera, I can already say that I like them very much. There is energy, there is emotion, there is passion, even without the massive bass of the radiante - perfect for the quieter and more relaxed moments in life.

Comparison with Focal Clear OG (FC)

Quality of workmanship & accessories

While both headphones generally have a very good to excellent workmanship, the ear cups of the Focal Clear still have some plastic built into them, which I think about the price from (originally) 1500 € a bit disappointing. The Super Leggera is made entirely of metal and leather and costs € 1600.

The cable quality is significantly better with the SL. The cable from Portento Audio Italy is much more flexible and therefore easier and more pleasant to use. The FC, on the other hand, have a total of 3 different cables in the box and a very cool carrying case.

Comfort

I have to say that the SL is actually more comfortable for me to carry are. The padding of the headband and the auricles is better than that of the FC, in addition, the SL with 365g are much lighter than the FCs with 450g.

+1 Spirit Torino Super Leggera

Overall tonality

The overall tonality of the two headphones is relatively similar. The FC is the overall more neutral and balanced sounding headphone of the two. You could say that FC is the "Swiss" under the headphones: They don't emphasize anything too much and tend to hold back a little rather than polarize. He doesn't want to stand out from the crowd too much, but rather to remain neutral. There's a reason the FCs are my reference point for test equipment.

The SC isn't actually that far away after all. It's a little less neutral than the FC and instead dares to stand out a little from the crowd when the time is right to add that little bit more emotion and energy.

+1 Focal Clear
+ 1 Spirit Torino Super Leggera

Heights

The heights are more pronounced on the SL. The SL is also ahead of the FC when it comes to details and resolution. This is particularly evident with acoustic and guitar titles. When I switched from SL to FC on Alice in Chains' "Rooster" from her MTV Unplugged album, I had the feeling that a veil lay over the whole scene, hiding small details in the recorded guitars on the focal clear.

+1 Spirit Torino Super Leggera

Midrange

The midrange is quite similar for both headphones, at least in my ears. Voices, both female and male, are a bit more prominent and direct on the SL, which leads to a more intense listening experience with certain recordings. As with the highs, when switching between the two devices I had a slightly veiled feeling on the FC that I hadn't noticed before.

+1 Spirit Torino Super Leggera

Bass / Tiefbass

The bass of the FC goes deeper, with more force and sub-bass extension than with the Super Leggera (SL). As a result, certain recordings sound more balanced with the FC than with the SL. One could also interpret that the SL is the more neutral headphone of the two in terms of bass reproduction. I leave it to everyone to judge this for themselves, if they have the opportunity.

+1 Focal Clear

Channel & instrument separation

Die Channel separation is a little better with the FC than with the SL. With certain tracks, such as "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails, one channel just seems to be "dead" with the FC, while with the SL there is still a bit of sound spilling over from the other channel. For me it's almost a bit scary sometimes because I think something is wrong with my headphones. But that is of course a matter of taste.

Due to the slightly raised heights and upper mids, the instrument separation on the SL is actually a whole lot better than on the FC. With hectic tracks such as AC / DC's "Thunderstruck", all elements of the recording can be better distinguished from one another without affecting the bigger picture. Here I have to give both headphones 1 point each.

+1 Focal Clear (channel separation)
+1 Spirit Torino Super Leggera (instrument Sept.)

Sound stage

Here, too, it gets tight, because I have the feeling that the sound stage is quite similar with both headphones. They differ a little in HOW the stage is played, but I can't really decide which is better. I would say that the stage on the SL is a bit wider and higher than on the FC, maybe even more three-dimensional due to the better instrument separation.

The sound stage of the FC is smaller but more immediate (because of the additional bass foundation) if you get me right Sorry if I can't express myself clearly enough, but this is a difficult subject! All in all, the SL has a small advantage for me, especially when it comes to live recordings. But again: Here it will depend on everyone's own taste and impression.

+1 Spirit Torino Super Leggera

Conclusion of the comparison

Both are great headphones in my opinion. The Focal Clear (Original) are certainly the more neutral headphones overall. The Spirit Torino Super Leggera (long name!) Surprised me quite a bit. I never thought they could outperform the FC in certain areas, at least for my personal taste.

The SLs also have one thing that the Focal Clears don't:
They have character and attitude and but rather balanced and natural headphones. I really appreciate this quality!