Sold: Focal "Radia" (Radiance drivers in Stellia)
Listing ID: 19367 Views: 3500
1,100.00 USD
Condition
Good
Negotiability
Or best offer
Ships to
  1. United States of America
I'd like to sell a Focal Stellia chassis (inclusive of original Stellia headband and earpads) with Radiance drivers outfitted.

I purchased the Stellia chassis from this listing in January. They are in almost the same condition as from that listing, with only a small amount of incremental patina on the headband. The earpads are still very soft and supple. Besides the headband patina, the chassis has 1-2 1mm (or less) nicks but is in otherwise rather good shape.

The Focal Radiance for donor drivers was purchased New-Open Box from headphones.com (as far as I could tell, they were new with only the outer seal of the shipping container broken). They were run for less than an hour before the transplant.

The sale includes:
  • Focal "Radia" (Stellia chassis/pads with Radiance drivers)
  • Original Stellia leatherette presentation boxes (inner and outer) and wallet
  • Original Stellia single-ended cable with screw-in 1/4" adapter
  • Original Stellia balanced cable
  • Original carrying case
NOT Included:
  • Beryllium advisory pamphlet (no longer applies given driver swap)
  • Original Stellia outer shipping carton (I'll ship securely in a cardboard carton from the Focal Clear)
  • Original Stellia drivers (they will remain in the Radiance chassis)

Please note that driver swaps in these headphones are trivial, non-invasive procedures. The drivers rest on contact pins that serve for electrical coupling; no soldering was required. The install takes only a small screwdriver and 15 minutes and is fully reversible (if you happen upon Stellia drivers). I can provide detailed pictures and information of the procedure upon request.

Due to the unique nature of this item, I will provide a 7-day return policy (refund minus shipping costs to/from and 3.5% nonrefundable PayPal fees -- more details over PM). I believe they sound rather good (think ZMF Atticus sound signature but with TH-900 LTD technicalities) but with this offer you can try it and hear for yourself!


Thanks for looking!
Listed by: 3X0 (37)
Listed: 2022-02-01
Last edited: 2022-07-18
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3X0

3X0

Headphoneus Supremus
conceptcar3 said:
given this, could you potentially swap some Utopia drivers into a focal clear
Click to expand...
As above, this only seems to be possible with closed-back Focals.
peterq said:
Any reason to swap the driver? Did you measure the FR before and after?
Click to expand...
Truthfully, I wanted the Stellia drivers in the Focal Radiance as I prefer the Radiance aesthetic, although the differences in dampening/porting and pads among both seem to confer some subjective sonic differences to each driver. I don't have measurements of this headphone however (no access to a measuring rig currently).
 
PointyFox

PointyFox

Headphoneus Supremus
3.5% nonrefundable PayPal fees
Click to expand...
The PayPal fee is 2.9% + $0.30, or $35.10 in this case.
3.5% would be $42. Not sure where you're getting 3.5% from.
 
Mhog55

Mhog55

Headphoneus Supremus
Can you provide a brief, subjective sound analysis? Do these still sound mostly like the stock Radiance, or does the new chassis somehow alter the sonic performance?
 
3X0

3X0

Headphoneus Supremus
Mhog55 said:
Can you provide a brief, subjective sound analysis? Do these still sound mostly like the stock Radiance, or does the new chassis somehow alter the sonic performance?
Click to expand...
Sorry for the late reply --

To my utmost surprise, I prefer not only the Stellia drivers in the Radiance housing vs. the OG Stellia (the "other half" of this hybrid) but also the Radiance drivers in the Stellia housing vs. the OG Radiance.

I traditionally found the Radiance to be a bit too warm, verging in the realm of dark, and the Stellia housing and pads seem to impart just enough treble sparkle to render its presentation more lively and airy without being fatiguing. Expectedly, the driver swap does not improve the "technicalities" of the Radiance drivers however it does not detract from them.

Another user reported his equivalent Frankenstein (Radiance drivers in Stellia chassis) to be bass cannons, however I don't hear this on my pair. The Radiance drivers do have very low hours however, and there have been some subjective reports of later production models of the Radiance having somewhat less bass which could be some reasons as to why this Radia sounds rather balanced to my ears.

I may get these measured in a few weeks off an EARS rig if they're still around, as I understand it's a big unknown otherwise.
 
Last edited:
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