Focal - Radiance

Listened to a lot of headphones in stores, bought the ones I thought sounded the best (Focal Radiance and Focal Clear OG).

Because its mostly mid-bass hump, it doesn't have deep sub-bass and the driver isn't as fast so the slam decay leaves a bit to be desired. I loved my Radiances but ultimately I let them go because in a situation where I had to pick between them or the TH900 or D7200 or Atriums, they never got picked. Comfort was also a factor but I'm not focusing on that one too much 

Going to push back on this; not the sentiment, which is well reasoned. And u/PointEither2673 already addressed this, much more succinctly than I am. I'm being more pedantic here because we don't want to lead new hobbyists astray, or inadvertently constrain their available options. I'm a basshead, but also do critical-listening/mixing work. Most of my reference sets are open back and using some form of correction; almost all of them skew neutral or something akin to Harman OE 2018. Admittedly, these tend to be much pricier sets in general. My casual-listening headphones, however, are usually closed backs, or open back planars in rarer cases; sets like the Fostex TH900MK2, Focal Radiance, or LCD-X. Now, while I agree with you in part -- spending 3.5-5k on a summit-fi set that isn't tuned to my personal preference is not good value for money -- there is an argument for buying a well-built headphone with a higher-quality driver, one that is going to be much less susceptible to harmonic distortion as I add a considerable bass shelf, and/or additional correction to the mids and treble. Many of those headphones would fall into the "high end" category; kilobuck and multi-kilobuck sets. Why? Because, frankly, the budget to midfi segment of the market doesn't provide bass-forward headphones that are tuned well and are built on a quality driver platform. The most common "bass" forward headphones are often dark, muddy, lacking clarity and detail, and using cheaper bio-cellulose drivers that struggle with EQ. Can I EQ an FT1 into a basshead set? Yes, absolutely, but simply put the driver in that set is where you start to see through its cracks to its budget price tag. Its cheaper driver is going to be much less capable than something like higher-quality planar or beryllium driver -- which you often find in kilobuck sets. Give me an LCD-X, or the Radiance, and with PEQ both sets can retain much of their best midrange and treble qualities while rattling your cheekbones. Where this argument gets even more nuanced is in whether or not that investment is a good idea in the first place; if you want that much bass, buy a decent pair of near field monitors, a matching sub, make sure to set your high/low cuts properly on both, and add some good treatment to your listening room. Oftentimes, that's going to be a cheaper endeavor than buying some of those higher-end headphones. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to want to use, or can afford, that sort of space. That's when it makes sense to spend a bit more money on a quality headphone that's going to get you closer to your goal. TL;DR: High-end headphones aren't typically tuned for bass lovers, I agree. But, many of them are much more capable of handling EQ compared to budget and midfi sets, which often use cheaper drivers that don't provide enough headroom.

If we’re considering the used market, you’re looking at a used Focal Radiance (~$700), and then jumping up to the Denon D5200 ($800) or the DCA Noire X ($1000) and then jumping up further still to the ZMF Bokeh Closed at $1100. I would argue the Bokeh Closed is the better buy over the Noire X for the additional $100. Also not a fan of the Noire X low frequency performance. And that’s where this gets complicated, because I prefer the 630 to the Noire X, and while the Radiance is one of my favorite headphones in the hobby, it really needs EQ to address some treble timbre and a distinct lack of sub bass — the 630s easily have both of those issues addressed in its stock tuning. So, at least for my money, I’d be looking at moving from the 630 all the way to the Bokeh Closed. That feels more like an actual upgrade path than the 5200, Radiance, or Noire X. And although we could blame recency bias a bit here, the 630s remain on my head far more often than both the Radiance and the Bokeh, simply due to comfort, and weight. The Radiance (like all older style Focal’s) are also extremely sensitive to seal and cup placement, something I never worry about with the Sennheiser’s.

I sold my Bathys after the Momentum 4's; M4's didn't beat them on sound, but better ANC and transparency, better overall user experience. The 630s definitely closed the only gap that was remaining. I was also running the Bathys in USB DAC mode most of the time; I already own the Radiance, so it didn't make much sense to keep them around. >The other issue with any passive headphone is we spend money to feed them. Dac's and amps run up the costs. >If you like the 630's sound they are relatively cheap when compared to good passive closed backs with a high quality amp or dongle. Very good point; even on the budget side (like a Dawn Pro), you're in for an additional $50-$120. Some argument for Jcally, FiiO, or Apple dongles, sure, but I'd relegate those to mostly IEMs use, or very efficient headphones.

Yes, I like both the focals more than the FT1. The glasses thing isn't too crazy, especially for the radiance (because it's a bassy boi). If you're just getting into the hobby and wanna justify the FT1, I'd say do it. It's a great introduction to the hobby and to what good closed-back headphones are. I'd easily take it over the HD620S, Ath-m50x, any Beyerdynamic, and probably the Sony MDR-7506. That said, the Azurys and Radiance easily win out in detail retrieval and dynamism. For the Azurys, get a capra strap if you have a smaller head since the bass response can change depending on clamp force. Recognizing my preferences here, I typically prefer neutral or neutral-bright leaning sets, especially since I'm studying to be a theatrical sound designer. My favorite closed backs that I've tried of late include the DCA E3, Azurys, and Sony MDR-M1. While I like the FT1, it's not nearly as resolving or natural, and it's also not built as well as the others (and definitely needs some help in comfort). I'd definitely recommend trying before buying (or buying from a place with a good return policy) if you can, and I hope this helps! Happy listening :>

Thank you for sharing this. I'd love to find what you're looking for too. I love my Radiance and my FT1 for their different strengths. Ended up selling my Z1R after a couple of years when I realised the 3k spike actually bothered me more than I'd have thought. Haven't tried the TH900mk2 yet, but fear that the treble might be too sharp for my liking. The quest goes on....

I am confused as to why you think the Radiance doesn't tick most of these boxes already? Stick a Stellia driver inside it and it gets even bassier and more aggressive!

Ok fair enough. Installing Stellia drivers and turning it into a “Stelliance” largely fixes this btw - plenty strong sub bass, and you get the speed of the beryllium Stellia drivers.