A huge thank you to Todd at TTVJ for organizing this loaner program so that the community can demo the very striking Focal Radiance!
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Build:
The quality of materials and build quality seems to be very nice at a glance. I’m not sure how long the headband padding and earpads will last though, having seen pictures of others’ deteriorating earpads and headbands. If anything else, these can be used as a weapon and probably still be fine. The earcups have a spring mechanism on the vertical adjustment on the earcups which I quite like.
The loaner unit came with a single 4ft 3.5mm cable with a ¼” screw-on adapter. Inferring from an unboxing video, I think that’s all the cables that come with it which is a bit disappointing. I would’ve liked a longer cable to use at home as well. Considering the MSRP, I don’t think that’s too much to ask for. I’m not sure how many people actually use these on-the-go.
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Fit/Comfort:
The fit is quite nice. Snug on my head. The headband and earpads are very comfortable and soft. I have a fairly large head and I didn’t max out the headband slider (6 out of the 9 clicks). The headphones are, however, very heavy. I start feeling these pulling my neck down within 5 minutes of wearing them and I’m used to heavy planars. I don’t think I can wear these for long periods of time without breaks. These may get really sweaty on hot summer days though with the leather pads.
The earpads seal very well and not like a vacuum seal where you would get nauseous. A plus for me. The noise isolation is very good. I’ve got a Vornado tower fan on full blast like 5 ft in front of me and I don’t hear it with a very moderate listening level.
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Sound:
Source: Schiit Modius > Topping A90; briefly listened with my LG G8X ThinQ
Preface:
As a reference for what headphones I’ve been using, my daily driver is a Hifiman Susvara that I’ve pad swapped with something that looks like Beyerdynamic earpads (though has non-perforated underside unlike most Beyerdynamic earpads). I remember they were on an old vintage headphone that I bought but I forgot which one. I have also been using a Sony MDR-MA900 almost exclusively as of late since they’re very breathable in this heat wave. What I’ve been using will very likely influence my thoughts on the Radiance.
Also, we were allowed a week to listen to the Radiance. I think it’s more than enough time to get the gist of a headphone but some might not.
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Bass:
Bass extension is very good. I can easily hear and feel the rumble in my test tracks. The bass response is boosted from neutral but I think it’s still very tasteful in level. It doesn’t bleed into the midrange. There’s a bit of a dip in the lower mids/upper bass that sort of aids in sounding less “cuppy.” More on that later though. I like a bit more bass like here with the Radiance in closed-back headphones. However, the bass response seems a bit lacking in detail and one-noted. The texture of the bass sounds a bit mushy. The elevated bass from 150 Hz on down would suggest a fairly punchy and visceral bass and sub-bass response but it sounds fairly dampened than what measurements would suggest.
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Midrange:
I actually really like the midrange as-is. Because of the bit of a dip in the lower mids and in the upper midrange, it sounds a tiny bit focused 500 Hz to 1kHz. Not honky or “middy,” if anything, it sounds a bit colored from neutral. I think there’s more energy around 2-4 kHz than what my measurements below show and suggest. I think it’s just at my limit of tolerance before it gets too “shouty” and “blaring” sounding. I’ve read of other impressions describing the midrange as sounding thin and I definitely get it. It’s not a warm and “chesty” sounding response and because of that, I really like the midrange response here. I mean I’m used to certain planars that don’t have that lower midrange and upper bass sort of bloom so I may be biased here. There’s a definite dip around 4-5 kHz that eases the upper harmonics in vocals and instruments. No raw or grating response here. The dip around 4-5 kHz also aids in the perception of “depth” and layering in its overall sonic presentation. I think the resolution here is good.
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Treble:
Relatively easy going compared to the couple of other Focals I’ve heard (Elex and Clear). Noticeable peaks around 5.7 kHz and 11 kHz give a slight “SHHH” and tizz to the sound. Not annoying peaks but noticeable enough to give a sort of character to the treble. I do like to EQ so I do pull those peaks down a couple db. Otherwise, the treble response is pretty smooth and easy-going, and honestly, I don't have much to say about the treble. It’s not crazy detailed but also not dull and unengaging. I’d say that I’m very particular with the treble response like with crazy peaks and dips *cough MDR-Z1R cough*, but I don’t mind the treble response here on the Radiance if that says anything. I think the resolution here is ok but not great.
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Soundstage/Imaging:
To be honest, I mostly listen to open-backs so my reference on soundstage and imaging for closed-backs is not very good. I very briefly owned an MDR-Z1R but I did not like those at all. Back to the Radiance, the soundstage is not particularly wide. I can hear “cup-verb” here on the Radiance where the sound would bounce back from the earcups back to the ear which I think sorta interferes with the perception of soundstage and imaging. It’s not severe like with certain over-dampened planars where it just sounds like a wall of sound but I still don’t think imaging is incredibly sharp or clear because of that. I know Focal has tried to mitigate the backwave energy with an intricate looking design in the earcups like an anechoic chamber but I’m not sure if it’s enough in practice.
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Measurements:
Measured on a MiniDSP EARS. HPN compensation. Left channel at 90 db. The 3-5 kHz region on the MiniDSP EARS measured on most if not all headphones is inaccurate. The MiniDSP EARS is also not accurate at measuring the treble region though it does provide a bit of insight if overlaid with another headphone’s response. I typically identify dips and peaks in the treble by ear with a tone generator - how reliable one thinks that may be is up to whoever’s reading really. There are also more reliable measurements done on more reputable rigs so please refer to those for a much more accurate response.
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Conclusion/TL;DR:
Overall, I like them a lot to my surprise. I say that because I was a bit lukewarm on the Elex and Clear. The bass response here could be a lot better in its articulation and texture, and the soundstage and imaging could be wider and more precise. The midrange is not warm with a dip in the lower midrange/upper bass giving it a more focused sound around 500 Hz to 1 kHz. I think it’s tastefully tuned. The treble is ok sounding - nothing to write home about but no major issues either. I think the overall frequency response is very agreeable for most people, myself included. They’re built very well. I think they look very classy in person. Maybe if it dropped the Bentley badge and price by like 300-400 bucks, it’d be a very good proposition.
Price aside, I’d rather get these than the Audeze LCD-XC 2021; ZMF Atticus; Eikon; Auteur; and Sony MDR-Z1R. Haven’t heard any ZMFs beyond that. In defense of the Atticus, Eikon, and Auteur; I’ve only demo’d them with whatever pads the owner had on them. However, I’m very sure I’ll still feel more or less the same with an extended listening session with those with different pads. I didn't like the 2021 LCD-XC at all. The ZMFs are more of a matter of preference but the MDR-Z1R is just bad
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As a side note, I’m very curious about the Stellia now, especially how the bass response differs.
