So I was fortunate enough to be able to take the Focal Radiance with me on my trip out to the interior over the weekend. I’ll be putting together a more thorough article on the Radiance in the next few days along with measurements from the GRAS43AG, but in the meantime I figured I’ll post my first impressions here.
Comfort - Definitely more comfortable than the Elegia. I didn’t mind the Elegia’s comfort but it feels like the Radiance has less clamp - or perhaps that’s just the effect of the super soft leather pads instead.
Detail - It sounds slightly cleaner than the Elegia, but also not as detailed as the LCD-XC.
Speed - Out of all the DDs at this price, I tend to think Focal’s Aluminum/Magnesium driver headphones are some of the fastest. So the Radiance is similarly snappy and articulate.
Dynamics - Top marks for macrodynamics. I think the perception is enhanced over the Elegia also in part due to the different tuning.
Soundstage & Imaging - Center image feels closer and more intimate while lateral definition sounds like it can go farther. I do also get a better sense of depth on the Radiance, but the Elegia may have a more even distribution across the front of the stage. I’ll have to do more testing on different recordings.
Timbre - Leans more towards the analytic side rather than the ‘euphonic’ side. I think this is fine but for anyone wanting that lush ‘liquid’ midrange, the closed-back ZMFs may be the better option.
Tonal balance - Definitely more bass than the Elegia, and also a bit warmer in general. This means that it doesn’t come across as mid forward as the Elegia, and overall sounds a bit more balanced. I initially thought I wouldn’t need to EQ it but after spending more time with it I think it does need a boost in the lower treble. I need to do more testing to see how much of this is in the pads and how much is the rest of the headphone’s design.
In theory, you could EQ an Elegia to sound similar to the Radiance, but I get the sense that the Radiance has slightly better technical performance overall - more testing will be required. You do pay a premium for the unique and ‘luxury’ aspect of it all, and considering that right now the Elegia is only around $500 in many places, it’s difficult to say that the Radiance is a top value for sound quality, however it does sound much closer to the Clear - if not bassier and more smooth in the treble (and relaxed).
Edit* the more I listen the more it sounds more like the Stellia than the Clear. But closer to Clear for technicalities (slightly behind).
Nice first impressions. Would this be closer in sound to the Clear, or the Stellia? I’m sure both are technically better than the Radiance, I’m just referring to an overall sound.
I’d say between the two - leaning slightly closer to the Stellia. I think for technicalities it’s similar to the Clear but you do get a more detailed and natural sounding midrange from the Clear. I’ll have to play around with EQ a bit to see if I can get it to sound exactly the same (just so I can compare technical performance without other factors) - but just the default tuning of the Radiance sounds pretty good. I think it could have a bit more presence in the upper mids, maybe a bit more ‘air’ up top, but nothing sounds wonky or out of place.
Atticus and Eikon do that kind of thing reasonably well - if memory serves correctly. But I also do find the Radiance to have better detail. The one other advantage of those ZMFs is that they’re high impedance. I reaaally wish Focal would produce a high impedance headphone at some point to be able really shine on tube amps or get that kind of synergy we all love with ZMFs - or even just for the scaling. I can understand why they don’t, but for our audience that would be desirable, if in fact they would scale in a similar manner to other examples. Maybe one day.
The pricing is close to the Clear, and the luxury touches serve to help people rationalize any technical gaps. I still predict this will be followed by a no-leather, no-Bentley edition.
Something that @Resolve didn’t mention but was immediately noticeable for me is the Radiance cable is the best stock cable that Focal has ever produced. Hopefully going forward this means a change-up for future cables as it was not only the correct length but also pliable and not stiff.
How’s the stock cable on Radiance? From the looks of things, it seems usable, but would be nice to see a picture of it as well as comments on length, flexibility, and any personal impressions such as whether you find it good for desktop / portable use. The connectors + little bit of cabling here look pretty promising, but if it’s still as short and stiff as the previous stock cables then just ditching the nylon weave might not be a big improvement.
Also, is it just a single cable with (presumably) 3.5mm termination, or is there a balanced cable included as well?
I know it’s silly to put so much focus on the cables, but I own the whole family of Focal headphones to date, and the only stock cables I found livable are the ones that come with Clear Pros. I’m accustomed to factoring in a mandatory extra cable purchase with Focal cans, so if I don’t need to do that then it lowers my cost of entry.
Also, if you have Focals’ ear at all, can you ask them if they might offer their travel case in black? I’ve asked previously, and they’ve said they have no plans, but I’d really love a blacked-out case for my Elex, and to the extent I’ve looked into doing my own Rit job it seemed like I’d have to dunk the cases in boiling water, which doesn’t seem like a smart move.
Got one replacement cabe for the broken one of my Elegia. It is the same type I got with my Clear Pro. It is also incredible stiff but without microphonics. I think it’s because they do not use the sleeving material anymore. My free replacement cable was priced 110€.
I wonder what material they use for the wiring. I bought a balanced periapt cable for the my clear but to my surprise it made the clear sound dead and lifeless. At first, I thought it was the pads since I had mine for a little while. But I switched back to the stock balanced to see if it would bring back the original sound and the difference was pretty noticeable. I usually buy cables for the purpose of aesthetics but here the difference was apparent. I was pretty surprised!
Usual thoughtful analysis. I just bought the Elegia at $500 so my question is it worth even considering the Radiance or is the Stellia the next logical leap in Focal closed? It seems they frequently don’t get their pricing in line with the increase in performance from model to model. Insightful as ever Resolve.
If you already own an Elegia I kind of think there’s no point in getting a Radiance. They perform very similarly - just with a bit of a different tuning.
Depending on that tuning difference I may be extremely interested if this dip in the upper mid is smoothed out. I love my elegia, but this would make it that much more perfect.
