Great! I heard the DAC should be great match for the Focal sound.
I’ve heard of Hart a lot lately. Positive remarks. Will be looking at them closer. And I’m sure it’s very true on the remark about the other cable makers.
Hart is great value for the money. Yes, its’ true that they source top quality components, but I know James a little bit, and he just doesn’t like to price gouge. He’s been working on a silver cable balanced cable for my Audeze LCDi4 IEM for me. They’ve been working hard on sourcing the right components to offer that.
I’ll throw in a recommendation for Audiophile Ninja cables. Great build, work great, fairly priced, high-quality materials and GREAT customer service.
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I’ve looked at them, too. Seen good comments on them as well.
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Some of the best value for the money, if not the best, that’s for sure.
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Q: If the Radiance leans toward the warm side of the Focal sound, what cable type would be recommended? From what I hear, copper imparts a warmer sound, silver adda a bit of brightness, a hybrid would be middle of the road. Does it really matter with this headphone? Thanks for your advice.
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I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Stock cable is copper. If you like that sound then go copper. Silver, pure silver is going to be expensive for that headphone, IMO. I could see a hybrid being reasonably priced.
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Ok. Will see how I like the Radiance’s sound and go from there. Thanks
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I’m not the person to ask about cable nuance. I care about quality connections and lack of microphony, and price. I may hear some differences between copper and silver on the right setup, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Cable differences are generally quite subtle, unlike ear pad rolling.
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After doing some thinking, I think I ended up buying a silver plated cable. Got it from LQI. It’s not nearly as expensive as pure silver. I find it to be pretty good.
Back in my early exploratory days I bought a silver plated cable for my IEMs. YES YES YES. It was very obviously brighter than my copper cables, and I didn’t like it and didn’t use it much. It’s probably still in a drawer somewhere. Case of one example, but silver vs. copper may not be a nuanced thing.
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They definitely can make a difference but not all are equal. Some pure silver sound different than other pure silver. Same with copper and silver plated or hybrids.
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I have a15 foot silver headphone extension cable. It’s ok. An Audioquest silver plate digital cable in my car where I can’t tell a thing, and the Audeze silver and copper IEM cables for the LCDi3 and i4. The LCDi4 sounds slightly better and brighter on the silver. I’m having James at Hart build me a balanced silver cable for them.
I’m running the IEMS through the FiiO K9 Pro ESS because that’s where I can ditch the Apple ecosystem and go to ROON with the LCDI4 EQ. My point is that absent a setup capable of resolving these differences it likely doesn’t matter.
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@C1gar1 I’d recommend trying the cable that comes with the Radiance before you buy anything. When people complain about Focal cables (including me), it’s normally that they are too stiff, not that they don’t sound good.
Try the stock cable and see if you like it. If you do, then you’ve saved some money. If you don’t like it, then come back and let us know if you want a cable with a similar sound, or something that brightens the sound. There’s a small chance you may even want to warm up the sound.
Is the Gryphon the only amp you’ll be using? Then whatever cable you get, make sure that it’s terminated in either a 3.5mm or 4.4mm connector. The 4.4mm output of the Gryphon will give you more power, but the downside of that with a sensitive headphone like the Gryphon is that you’ll have less range on your volume. Another reason to see how you like it with the stock cable, to give you a better idea of what you want your upgrade cable to look and sound like.
Good advice. It’s mainly the stuff I’ve read about the cable being on shorter side, the build of it, too. I will be trying it out for a while and then see if I want to change it. This is my first jump in to higher-end headphones. Just use a few IEMs. (one is the Elixir)
All I have is the iFi GO Blu and the Gryphon. Portability was #1 choice on going that way for now. Desktop amp on the radar later.
Of course, having a home to use this stuff in would be nice…Hurricane Ian flooded me. Being redone now. Which, hey, the portability came in handy!
Finally, received the Radiance a few days ago! Late Christmas present thanks to weather and shipping delays. Alan kept me in the loop.
How do you like them with the Gryphon on Go Blu pairing now that you’ve had a week with them?
HI,
So, been trying to burn in the Radiance per Focal recommendations. 24 hours? And only had to do it on the Gryphon via iPhone and sometimes via Bluetooth.
I’m still limited on my time and connections due the remodeling from Hurricanes Ian flooding and Nicole damage…and getting married during it all on what’s left of our beach and home. yay. Repairs are getting close to be done. And my Christmas present was highly unexpected from my new bride: The Radiance! (was hoping to do a Naim Muso 2 for a replacement sound bar…someday)
So far it’s been OK…but dealing with HD.com on issue of what looks like a bad Lightning -to-USB C cable from the Gryphon. I lose connection with the slightest movement of the 2 devices (Lightning end). I have reached out to you before regarding this situation but have recently figured out what the possible issue is. Hoping to get a new cable shipped to me asap to confirm.
Please, any additional advice and help is always appreciated!!
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Congratulations! Sounds like she is a keeper and hope all is OK as can be with the flooding!
Yes, that does sound like a cable issue and not necessarily one related to the Gryphon itself.
It’s one sadly you can’t really test out without getting a new cable.
Glad we’re helping you out!