[Erick Muller]

I think you'll find that is to do with the yolk, does some times happen with my Clear MGs and it was also present on the Radiance I had on audition. It's not something I would worry about.

It's annoying tho, and it's not present on both my Clears and Elegias, it doesn't affect anything soundwise, but it does speak to QC issues with Focal.

 

[EmTone]

On another topic, does anyone have any recommendations for products to treat and take care of the leather parts, specifically the pads on the radiance and other headphones that have real leather?

I recently saw this post on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/1c8ovnr/you_can_keep_stellia_looking_brand_new/

"You need to look for aniline/full grain leather protection cream, made specially for unprotected leather."

I don't anything about leathers so I guess all I can recommend at this point is the same product the OP used. Just make sure you read the reviews if you buy a different one. Some other leather conditioners I looked at mentioned that they are suitable for anniline leather but people in the reviews state that they stained them. Leather cream conditioners may be the way to go.

 

[donkeywalker]

Serious question. Where you go from here if you love Radiance but want all of its strength but more...

 

[yrstruly]

Serious question. Where you go from here if you love Radiance but want all of its strength but more...

Stelliance

 

[donkeywalker]

Stelliance

I had Stellia and Utopia, both aren't as satisfying bass wise (punch, dynamic) as Radiance, I'm so addicted to the bass and overall balance to mids and highs.. where to go from here

 

[yrstruly]

I had Stellia and Utopia, both aren't as satisfying bass wise (punch, dynamic) as Radiance, I'm so addicted to the bass and overall balance to mids and highs.. where to go from here

The Stelliance has an even more intense bass response than the Radiance...!

Maybe check out the Atrium Closed?

 

[mainguy]

I had Stellia and Utopia, both aren't as satisfying bass wise (punch, dynamic) as Radiance, I'm so addicted to the bass and overall balance to mids and highs.. where to go from here

Haha dude just be happy then!

Radiance are probably better than any closed back on the market just 6 years ago. They are a totl closed back headphone and render music at very high quality.

There are leagues above, but do they offer that much? Well if you prefer the character of the Radiance, things like a Stealth may well be a downgrade. The smidgens of extra detail and staging don't mean much if you you've found your sound.

 

[Erick Muller]

Haha dude just be happy then!

Radiance are probably better than any closed back on the market just 6 years ago. They are a totl closed back headphone and render music at very high quality.

There are leagues above, but do they offer that much? Well if you prefer the character of the Radiance, things like a Stealth may well be a downgrade. The smidgens of extra detail and staging don't mean much if you you've found your sound.

I miss my Radiance, they're on RMA right now, hope to hear soon from Focal but oh boy are they taking their goddamn time with them.

 

[WaveTheory]

Serious question. Where you go from here if you love Radiance but want all of its strength but more...

I honestly don't know. Focal caught lightning in a bottle with this one. I can't name a clear upgrade from it either open or closed.

 

[thelittletaffia]

Serious question. Where you go from here if you love Radiance but want all of its strength but more...

I found my Denon AH-D9200 to have more bass presence than the Radiance I had on home audition. The new Meze Liric 2 has beautiful bass, so detailed. I like my Clear MGs but was quite disappointed with the Radiance overall and returned it.

 

[Guffers]

I honestly don't know. Focal caught lightning in a bottle with this one. I can't name a clear upgrade from it either open or closed.

I do enjoy the bass and detail from OG Utopia (totally different price tier of course) more than Radiance but otherwise I completely agree. It’s wild to me that Focal have made the Radiance limited and now seemingly unavailable new. They are just so well balanced and the synergy with something like a Hugo 2 is just off the charts great. I went Elegia, Celestee, Radiance. I’m not even remotely tempted by the Stellia. I’ve heard them and appreciate the added detail but the tuning isn’t as appealing and the price premium makes no sense.

 

[Erick Muller]

General question for anyone on this treat that has had issue with one of their focal headphones and has had to send it back for RMA.

If you have experience with the RMA process with focal, how long did it take before you heard back from them and how long did it take for them to repair your headphone?

I send back my Radiance over a month ago but haven't heard from them since then, just wondering how long does it usually take or what was your experience with Focal and their RMA process?

Thanks!!!

 

[Guffers]

The left driver on my Radiance died after about six months. I sent it back to Addicted to Audio here in Australia and they handled the repair. It was probably around six weeks before I got them back. No issues since, touch wood.

 

[Erick Muller]

The left driver on my Radiance died after about six months. I sent it back to Addicted to Audio here in Australia and they handled the repair. It was probably around six weeks before I got them back. No issues since, touch wood.

I bought my pair of radiance from headphones.com and they're handling this RMA with Focal, I would need to check again when they got them at their facilities in the US but I haven't got any news from Focal since then.

In my case it was the right drivers that gave up the ghost.

 

[WaveTheory]

I do enjoy the bass and detail from OG Utopia (totally different price tier of course) more than Radiance but otherwise I completely agree. It’s wild to me that Focal have made the Radiance limited and now seemingly unavailable new. They are just so well balanced and the synergy with something like a Hugo 2 is just off the charts great. I went Elegia, Celestee, Radiance. I’m not even remotely tempted by the Stellia. I’ve heard them and appreciate the added detail but the tuning isn’t as appealing and the price premium makes no sense.

I'm glad you like it! It remains my favorite all around closed back. DCA E3 and Meze Liric 2 have come close to it. E3 can best it on detail retrieval (marginally) and holography but it lacks the lushness and organic timbre the Radiance has. Plus it's a bit harder to drive and less thus less mobile/transportable friendly than Radiance, which I think is important for a closed back to be. Liric 2 does a good job of being about halfway between Radiance and E3 sonically on most traits but it's one of the most signal-chain picky headphones out there. Seriously, it's up there with the TH900 series and Utopia for just being hard to please with source gear. I agree with you on the Stellia as well; some wonky tuning. If Focal could refresh the Stellia by smoothing out that midrange FR then they'd possibly have something worth upgrading to from Radiance - at least on the closed back side.