Is the Focal Clear worth the upgrade from the Shure Srh1540?

Verdict

Meaningful upgrade

The Focal Clear scores 6.0 points above the Shure Srh1540. That's a real improvement, though not the kind you'd notice on every track. None of the shared sub-scores move by more than half a point, so the two behave very similarly on the things reviewers measure. Worth checking: active noise cancelling goes No to No and weight goes 286 g to 450 g. That costs $950 more, or about $158 per point of score - steep unless the specific gains above are ones you care about. Worth doing if you're replacing anyway; harder to justify as a pure upgrade if what you have still works.