[evhvis]

Already fed up with the stock cable after 1 day so I ordered a custom one Sky Audio last night.



It's up there with one of the best deals I've seen, but also goes to show much markup these things have retail price. $2000aud to $700aud within a few years when they're highly regarded review wise.

They probably have normal markup. In my country 1.6x increase from manufacturer price to distributer price and 1.6x from distributer price to the retailer price is around the normal average on hi-fi gear. Cables are much higher in that they can be as high as 10x, more normally 3-5x so if you want a certain cable, haggle on the price when you buy some other gear and you will usually get a good discount. The same multiplication seems to be for other countries as well based on the list prices in my country and the list prices I see on stores in other countries.

It is a low volume business so the only ones making lots of money are those that are both distributer and retailer while most stores that specialize in hi-fi gear are making less profit margin than you would deem acceptable in a lot of businesses.

It could very well be that they are selling those units at a loss as it seems like there is a fire sale, but can't say for certain.

 

[Coolmoose]

Yea this Australia focal deal is making headlines.....2260 usd for 2022 utopia, 450 usd for the radiance....very tempting just to buy them and have someone I know ship em over.

Also I find it funny that they are selling a brand new pair of elegias for less than what Focal wants to charge for a pair of utopia pads. lol

 

[Smirk 24]

RU6 has a R2R DAC which is bit different from Delta Sigma chip DACs found in many portable devices, R2R DACs typically have Oversampling (OS) and Non Oversampling (NOS) modes, NOS is said to be unprocessed or minimally processed sound but its bit smoother sounding than OS mode, I prefer the OS mode with the Radiance.

One more thing I use a balanced cable (4.4mm) made by Audiophile Ninja with my Radiance.

I will second the synergy between the Radiance and an R2R DAC.

Personally, I use a HiBy FC6 (also R2R) and I very much prefer the Radiance on this than on my Mojo 2 + Mass-Kobo 475 stack which is *much* more expensive and superior a stack.

 

[M700LTR]

Definitely makes it less appealing for a new distributor to step in and sell these headphones anywhere near RRP in the near future.

The close proximity of the Adorama Utopia and current Addicted2Audio prices on Focal a) reveal the markups in audio b) puts pressure on other retailers/dealers. For example, headphones.com didn't "match the price" during Adorama for whatever reason (likely because they want to keep the Focal relationship), but clearly, with Addicted2Audio selling Utopias for even lower, there's still plenty of margin (Adorama price minus A2A price).

If anything, this is one for the good guys, the consumer.

 

[evhvis]

The close proximity of the Adorama Utopia and current Addicted2Audio prices on Focal a) reveal the markups in audio b) puts pressure on other retailers/dealers. For example, headphones.com didn't "match the price" during Adorama for whatever reason (likely because they want to keep the Focal relationship), but clearly, with Addicted2Audio selling Utopias for even lower, there's still plenty of margin (Adorama price minus A2A price).

If anything, this is one for the good guys, the consumer.

Not really sure what has been revealed that wasn't already known by quite a few people already. At least it has been very well known for 10+ years by most of the people I know that are interested in audio. For prices to come way down you are dependent on massive volume and selling in stores with people who know little about the products they push. High end headphones and high end audio in general are a luxury products that not that many people buy so the margins need to be higher to have knowledgeable people serving the customers as they demand higher wages than your typical mass market electronics store.

The distributor/seller is often on the hook for repairs that occur after the manufacturers warranty expires, including shipping. On headphones the shipping is low, but shipping a 30kg amplifier across the Atlantic is really expensive and repairs costs are added on top. This comes out of the dealers margin on all the products sold. E.g. in my country the dealer is responsible for amplifiers that break down before 5 years has passed so this must be accounted for in the margins and specialty shops has much higher wage cost per product than mass market electronics stores due to less customers and volume.

My guess is they are selling at a slight loss as it is expensive to sit on unused inventory and that break even would typically be at around 40-50% of MSRP for a distributor while it would be around 65-80% for a regular store that buys from a distributor and sells to an end user. The percentages will vary between products, but that is ballpark for anything that is not cables, feet or other tweaks.

 

[John Buchanan]

Thanks for the detailed response. Yes, I am in Sydney.

I don’t think I will consider the Mono 2 purely due to the price at this stage. Even at $799 it’s more than I want to spend right now, this early into this journey.

I am currently looking at the Qudelix 5G and the iFi GO blue as a DAC/Amp with included Bluetooth is what what fit my needs for now.

I don’t know how much I will really stuff around with EQ etc, so what appears like a simpler solution like the iFi GO blue seems like a better fit. I will spend some more time this weekend trying to really get my head around this.

Thank you for the cable info. That is great advice and I also already noticed that sourcing cables here in Australia isn’t as easy as it is in some other places.


Very tempted to grab the Clear MG’s from A2A too considering the price, but I think that’s just me being overly excited.

My head tells me I should hold off for a while and enjoy what I bought so far and look into open cans down the track when I have a better understanding what I actually really want and what would complement what I bought so far and fills the gaps best.

1. IME, cable changes are unlikely to produce much difference. I've mainly bought replacement cables for increased length. I haven't noticed any change at all between stock and other cables. Also, some cables can be prone to noises when moving your head around. For example, I use the stock AKG K812 cable - although it "looks" cheap, it's silent when being moved, doesn't tangle or have a "memory" and is sonically indistinguishable from others.
2. A well designed and implemented balanced amp will probably sound as good as a well designed and implemented single-ended amp. As you're in Australia, have a very close look at the Australian Burson Audio website. I had a Burson Conductor Reference 3XR amp (prior to the Merging Anubis), but the single ended version (the 3R) would have sounded as nice if I hadn't built my system around balanced connections. When I had a problem with my USB connection, they quickly freighted out a new USB board free of charge, included easy to follow and implement instructions and I was able to get back up and running within 30 minutes. Good customer service.
3. Stick to the stock pads.

 

[John Buchanan]

The close proximity of the Adorama Utopia and current Addicted2Audio prices on Focal a) reveal the markups in audio b) puts pressure on other retailers/dealers. For example, headphones.com didn't "match the price" during Adorama for whatever reason (likely because they want to keep the Focal relationship), but clearly, with Addicted2Audio selling Utopias for even lower, there's still plenty of margin (Adorama price minus A2A price).

If anything, this is one for the good guys, the consumer.

I think I read that A2A is terminating their Focal distributorship and offloading their stock. Check out the prices on the Focal Utopia 2022 and Stellia. I bought the older Utopia when they were offloading them a while back. It's a pity, because A2A are good to deal with. Maybe Focal isn't?

 

[Alexzander]

1. IME, cable changes are unlikely to produce much difference. I've mainly bought replacement cables for increased length. I haven't noticed any change at all between stock and other cables. Also, some cables can be prone to noises when moving your head around. For example, I use the stock AKG K812 cable - although it "looks" cheap, it's silent when being moved, doesn't tangle or have a "memory" and is sonically indistinguishable from others.
2. A well designed and implemented balanced amp will probably sound as good as a well designed and implemented single-ended amp. As you're in Australia, have a very close look at the Australian Burson Audio website. I had a Burson Conductor Reference 3XR amp (prior to the Merging Anubis), but the single ended version (the 3R) would have sounded as nice if I hadn't built my system around balanced connections. When I had a problem with my USB connection, they quickly freighted out a new USB board free of charge, included easy to follow and implement instructions and I was able to get back up and running within 30 minutes. Good customer service.
3. Stick to the stock pads.

A hard disagreement on cables influence.
Let the holywar begin! Okay, let’s not..)

 

[Kevintj604]

Super random question but thought I'd ask anyways.

Would anyone in Australia be willing to purchase a Radiance on my behalf with the sale price and sell it back to me?

I'm looking for a sealed brand new unit.

 

[leng jai]

With A2A not selling Focal anymore after this is there any concern with warranty claims later down the line? I see in the page it only says 1 year too which seems low.

 

[KingsCross]

With A2A not selling Focal anymore after this is there any concern with warranty claims later down the line? I see in the page it only says 1 year too which seems low.

When you register your Focals through the website, you get a warranty certificate from Focal with your serial number, details and retailer.

That certificate clearly states 2 years warranty.
It would be difficult for A2A to not honour that.

 

[M700LTR]

1 year too which seems low.

HK dealer offered only 1 year on my 2020 Utopias, so not all markets are equal fyi

 

[leng jai]

HK dealer offered only 1 year on my 2020 Utopias, so not all markets are equal fyi

1 year is pathetic for something as expensive as the Utopias.

 

[Kevintj604]

Just wanted to publicly thank @redrich2000 for helping me to acquire a Radiance from Australia.

It's very much appreciated.

 

[gibby]

I guess these are being discontinued??? I snoozed on them from headphones.com even at $990.