Thanks for the reply. Seems like Shures are more on the neutral side compared to Focal Radiance but which out of the 2 would you say is more detailed? Which one better brings out quieter sounds and is dynamic? And which ones do you mostly use for what? I'm not seeking neutral sound, rather a balanced profile, without any audible peakiness.
Yes, the Shures are definitely better “all-arounders” with regards to playing different musical genres, as they are more balanced than the Radiances.
For what it’s worth, my one criticism of the Radiance (and it could be a deal-breaker for some) was that with the wrong amplification- ie warm-sounding gear- the bass could be too much (even for me), simply because it was imbalanced. That said, if I’d had a different amp I might have had a different experience.
Now- to your question about details: As I only had the Radiance for a month or so, and used it with my main setup while the Shures are always at my desk/workspace, I never compared them head to head. Therefore I can’t comment on how the two models compare directly with any accuracy.
However, I’ll say this: I’ve never listened to the Shures and thought “this sounds muddy or lacks detail”. The Shures scale really well with surrounding gear, and don’t skimp on details. That said, they’re not “hi-fi sounding” analytical detail monsters. They skew more towards the fun side of the spectrum. The Shures are quite dynamic, though Focal has always done a great job with dynamics within their “house sound” headphones (such as Elear, Clear, Stellia).
But the Radiance is tuned more like Naim gear (if that helps) due to the Bentley connection (Bentley has Naim systems in their cars). Warmer, more rhythmic/pace-oriented. None of this is bad- just different from the Focal house sound of dynamic, clear, detailed sound while maintaining an oh-so-slightly warmer than neutral tilt.
With regards to usage- I used the Radiances in my main system (see below) with rock/pop/jazz/folk/EDM. The Shures are used with my Sony DAP and my work PC. Same musical genres, but also video reviews, video calling, etc (I use the microphone in my external Web cam- the Shure does not have a mic, thankfully).
I hope that helps somewhat. I’d recommend reading reviews on both. They are pretty different headphones, though with some overlap in sound signature so they appeal to similar tastes.