I am testing a pair of these right now and was not expecting to enjoy them this much. It’s like Focal but…really fun.
My Elegia might be on borrowed time now…
Damn
My Elegia might be on borrowed time now…
Damn
Focal For Bentley Radiance Headphones
- Thread starter jude
- Start date
Shane D
Headphoneus Supremus
They are a noticeable step up from the Elegia's. Really nice closed back. The best I have ever heard or owned. Of course I don't test high end stuff.
chucknoel2015
Head-Fier
Its very warm and pleasing, im keeping it but its the headphones with less hours atm, coz its heavy for me and also a bit fatiguing to my ears. Im probably biased. I love my u12t to death. As the only iem o own is ie600 u12t and some cheaper chifi. U12t is very detailed.
Do you prefer it to your OG Clear?They are a noticeable step up from the Elegia's. Really nice closed back. The best I have ever heard or owned. Of course I don't test high end stuff.
Shane D
Headphoneus Supremus
That is hard to say. I am still trying to figure out my Clear's and I haven't used my Radiance's in several weeks.
I do want to do a head to head with them, but I have been experimenting with other stuff.
I did find them very similar to my Elex's when I first got them and had hoped they would be a closed back Clear.
solid12345
Head-Fier
Just picked up a pair Friday. They are really nice out of box but I *really* smiled when I threw Stellia pads on. Honestly it is giving my Utopia a run for its money despite being a third of the price, it might have a touch less sharpness in the treble but that sub-bass is just so much smoother to my ears that it’s more pleasurable to listen to. I get more of a true speaker feeling in my ears.
RIGATIO
Headphoneus Supremus
I received them today. They are really nice from balanced out and the Shanling M8. But they are nowhere near to the Monarchs when it comes to the bass separation and impact, detail retrieval, instrument separation and overall smoothness and clarity.
They have too much mid bass for my taste and it bleeds over the mids and muffles them.
Will give them some more time but i think they aren't for me unfortunately.
But in general they are very very nice sounding, one of the best closed backs I've heard.
They have too much mid bass for my taste and it bleeds over the mids and muffles them.
Will give them some more time but i think they aren't for me unfortunately.
But in general they are very very nice sounding, one of the best closed backs I've heard.
RIGATIO
Headphoneus Supremus
So ive decided to keep the Radiance. My judgement was too rushed considering the fact that they were out of the box. Now after around 12h of use, the subbass definitely improved. They sound very very good. They are still a bit too shouty and harsh in upper mids where the Monarchs 2 are smoother and more natural being more separated and 3D but i think this gonna improve with time too. Great closed over ears!
WaveTheory
100+ Head-Fier
Glad to hear that. At the risk of being super controversial, what cable are you using? IME when Radiance is shouty and harsh its generally due to cable. The stock cable and my Hart cables make it do that. A friend loaned me a DHC (I forget the name but it was a silver conductor IIRC) and that was wicked sharp to my ears so it's not all about it being expensive either. A Corpse Grave Digger and a Plussound X8 really make them lush and smooth. Again, I know some people will call me a snake-oil peddler and that's fine, but if you're willing to play with the cables a bit, you'll have arguably Focal's best-tuned headphone to enjoy.
RIGATIO
Headphoneus Supremus
Thanx for the advice! I think i will wait with any cable purchase untill they hit 100h because i already can hear they are improving so it might be an unnecessary buy at the moment.
I got some balanced silver plated cable from amazon for 40e to drive them from the Shanling M8. I can definitely say that they are dac sensitive. They sound way worse from my other sources which have Burrn Brown and ESS dacs. From the M8 with the AKM 4499EQ they already sound way smoother, with a very delicate and detailed top end.
Not the Monarch 2 level yet but i feel they are coming quite close which is already an achievement for closed backs.
Ive tried the Stellia couple months ago and i remember the Stellias were worse tuned, more harsh in upper mids. The Radiance remind me of Focal Elex very much and a bit of Clear MG. Im also very positively surprised with their soundstage, which spreads quite nicely to the left and right.
RIGATIO
Headphoneus Supremus
After extended comparisons between the Radiance vs the Monarch 2 there is a noticeable difference in quality of sound between them. I would say the Radiance plays in a ballpark of 1200-1400 dol. The Monarchs play 2-3 leagues higher (no matter if we are talking iems or full sized). There is no comparison when it comes to the separation, dark blackground between sounds, 3d effect of the soundstage, smoothness and naturalness of the timbre and whats the most important- the tuning. Im not surprised, i remember the Monarchs winning against the Abyss Diana in a A/B comparison so im aware of the differences.
Still keeping the Radiance for a more laid back listening sessions, when i work (i cant focus on anything but the music when im listening to the Monarchs).
Im still surprised how great the Radiance are for a full sized headphones.
Still keeping the Radiance for a more laid back listening sessions, when i work (i cant focus on anything but the music when im listening to the Monarchs).
Im still surprised how great the Radiance are for a full sized headphones.
hello,does any compared radiance vs stellia in sound ,size and exterior details diference? i have bathys and see at wired option from focal family. stellia or radiance to buy. almost isten all genres of music,never use EQ. i like neutral more sound that comes from artists. listen tidal master.
PROblemdetected
Previously known as sakt1moko
From an user that tried a Stellia first getting a Radiance...
Stellia is more technical, radiance is more fun, but they got similarities.
The expensive one are more neutral than the radiance, but both are really nice headphones.
For the actual price u can get a radiance... Dont see the point of getting a 3k stellia...
Agree with this mostly.
Stellia more resolving and "reference", whereas Radiance is between the Elegia and OG Clear in terms of technicalities but its tuning is awesome - very pleasing, almost relaxing (for a Focal), whilst still having tonnes of punch when called for. Radiance probably a better choice for genres like heavy music/metal as the Stellia tuning doesn't lend itself to that. Stellia probably better for things like EDM.
streets112
Head-Fier
Both of these headphones work well with most music, unless you need a big soundstage - they both have limited soundstage and I don't think they work well with something like big instrumental recordings.
Stellia though is a better headphone in almost every category. When you listen to Stellia for a couple of hours and then immediately put on Radiance, you get the feeling that you just lost a part of the music - like if someone closed the door to the room where music is coming from and you can't come in and have to listen from the outside.
Difference in technical capabilities between Radiance and Stellia can be brutal if you're listening to quality recordings, but the brain can always adjust. It's a double edged sword however, as poor recordings sound really bad on Stellia and to that, your brain can't adjust. I have a couple of old mixtapes from 90ties that I like to listen to from time to time, they are in lossless format, but they are really poorly recorded, which makes them unlistenable on Stellia. On the Radiace however, they sound alight, quite enjoyable.
Apart from technical abilities, the difference in price is even more brutal. I like Stellia, but it is definitely not worth the asking price - not by a long shot. If you're planning to get one of these headphones for retail prices, I cannot recommend Stellia. It's way overpriced, to my ears it sounds like a 2K headphone and for that price it would be great. Btoom line is that Radiance offers way more than Stellia for its asking price.
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