Currently, the ones in my collection are:
Focal Stellia: This is my current favorite. There’s just something so lush, warm, and sensual about it. Sounds very intimate yet not claustrophobic. Doesn’t have as much of that metallic timbre that several people complain about on the Utopia or Clear. It’s detailed and sounds super clean, but, I enjoy that bit of bass boost. It’s a phenomenal can.
Meze Empyrean: It’s so enjoyable. Bass goes deep and it is so versatile. I really enjoy the level of detail retrieval it has because I do not always want to be hyper-focused on the details. It’s bassy and easy going. Very musical.
Focal Clear: I enjoy Focal. These sound so nice and… clear, haha. There’s some bass (which I enjoy. I love my bass) but it still sounds pretty transparent whenever it’s called upon. There’s some of that Focal metallic timbre there, but, I honestly don’t mind it at all and it doesn’t bother me. I also enjoy the intimate sound stage because I like having a variety between large sound stages and intimate ones.
Sennheiser HD800S: I keep this for the same reason that I keep my Clear, except, this has sound stage for days. I don’t find the treble bothersome at all like some people do. I enjoy this one for classical music, opera, ballet, and things of that sort. I’m currently saving for a Susvara to supersede this as my main classical music can, but, I doubt I’ll ever get rid of this one. I enjoy it’s clarity, sound stage, and how comfortable it is.
Focal Radiance: This is my fun can. After selling my V-Moda Crossfade M100s because the comfort ruined it for me, even with pad swaps, I was looking for a fun closed back. I tried the Meze 99 Classics, and while the comfort was great, I didn’t like the sound signature. These are similar to those but are more up my alley. They have BASS. Lots of bass. They have more bass than the Stellia, aren’t as detailed, have a more intimate sound stage, and overall sound warmer and darker in all regards. This makes it great for EDM, synth, trance, and all that jazz. Definitely starts sounding like I have a subwoofer strapped to my head sometimes when the bass drops. It’s Focal, so, there’s still that feeling that you have a quality product on your head, but, I can definitely tell that it’s a very “consumer sound” whenever I listen to these. They’re less refined than the Stellia, but, I didn’t buy these because they were refined. I bought them to be my fun closed back bassy headphone and they fit that bill.
Jerry Harvey Jimi AION iems: Love these iems. Had the chance to do a home demo of these and the Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 and decided to keep these. Absolutely phenomenal sound on these, and, they’re gorgeous. I much preferred them to the Andromedas after spending a week listening to them. They’re my only iem right now. I’ve bought (and resold) several high end iems that were not my cup of tea. So glad that someone gave me the chance to demo these because I’m very picky about iems.
Sennheiser HD650: Nothing shocking here. They’re fantastic. They scale really well, they sound good, and everyone should have a pair of these or the HD600s in their arsenal.
) It really is a keeper.