Admittedly, I am very late to be posting my impressions. I guess that’s mostly to do with how I just didn’t fall in love with these headphones.

My immediate impression of the sound was that they seemed thin at first, but still a full feeling (possibly due to less energy in 150-200 hz range based on measurements I looked at after listening). It’s not like I could specifically pick out any notes that were missing and they seemed to have more sub-bass than my open backs (my go-to reference are HD580s), but there just wasn’t a ton of body, the bass was mostly all slam. There was detail without presence. I would describe the sound as clear, possibly clinical.

They felt a little bit bright? My "torture" track for treble is Out Of The Races And Onto The Tracks by The Rapture and is definitely make the highs somewhat piercing.

That said, the vocals were lovely, easy to get lost in a track and enjoy. The vocals felt very present, holographic even, on something like Friend by Cheyenne Marie Mize. Great detail in there.

On the topic of detail, stereo separation and instrument placement on something like Jethro Tull's Mother Goose was excellent. It's tight and well defined.

That said, I was still somehow expecting more punch from the lows than I was getting, but that could be an expectation bias for any closed-back set.

They’re remarkably airy and have a wide soundstage for close-backs. Not a tremendous amount of isolation, granted, but more than my open backs afford, obviously. The pads made good seal on my face, and they didn't lose that seal when I moved my head or jaw, unlike other closed-backs I've worn. As such, the sound profile remains the same and I wouldn’t have to sit perfectly still to avoid dramatic changes in perceived frequency response as the closed chamber around my ears changed.

That build quality is tremendous. The materials feel truly luxurious, solid. Very nice details to the design and assembly. They were also extremely comfortable, mostly due to the richness of that material.

As has been mentioned in most other reviews, the cable is indeed too short. Maybe the design idea is for mobile usage, but I personally couldn't imagine walking down the street with headphones of this cost.

In the end, I wasn't exactly sad to pop my HD580s back on, despite their age (though possessing nearly brand new earpads and headband) and their plastic construction. Soundstage isn't quite as wide, but there's some warmth back in the mix that I felt was missing with the Focals. Vocals perhaps a little less angelic/holographic, but the full mix feels more present, and it's not like vocals don't sound lovely. There's more detail in the Focals, to be sure, but if it was my $1k I don't think I'd spend it here. There's something in the Focals that just doesn't have the full mix rise during an epic rise like Purple Rain or Brandi Carlile's The Joke. It's good, it's airy, detailed, and built to a tremendous quality, but does it _swing?_ It didn't for me. The overall sound could be described as lean, missing a visceral body. It would be great for mastering, if not for relaxed listening.

I found them easy to drive, which is nice for a portable source. Given the short cable, I figured I'd give that a try. On an older iPod full of ALAC files or an iPhone using the Apple Lightning-DAC playing qobuz, it was indeed easy to power, with plenty of loudness around the middle of the volume range (HD580s needed one or two notches down from max to achieve the same approximate spl). Similar audio results to desktop amplification. Passive isolation was nice enough in an office environment, but given the choice, I'd stick to some IEMs. If you're entirely opposed to in-ears, though, this was good. Can't say they’re kilobuck good for me, though.

They’re beautiful to look at, and have a wonderful build. The included case is also very nice.

If one's priorities lean more towards the luxury material side than the pure audio performance side, I could easily recommend these.

I definitely enjoyed my time with this set as a learning experience and want to thank Todd of TTVJ for the loaner program and the opportunity to test out a headphone I otherwise likely would have only have otherwise known of by reading others experiences.