The dog is the hidden one, i think youre the only one to find it. Very flippy floppy.
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Itās adorable and I love it and it made my day.
(I guess for me the skyline is the hidden one)
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I would agree that waiting on the used market for something interesting to pop up is likely the best option for value, although if you are looking at the mass kobo or lta, those seldom come up on the used market and when they do itās close to MSRP, so honestly you arenāt taking that big of a value hit buying new. Although you could get hit with heavy shipping and tax/customs/etc which might make it way over what you want to spend. If you are patient you can probably find solid matches with the headphones which would be a fair bit more accessible, but if the added fees arenāt too bad I donāt think buying what you mentioned new would be a bad idea either
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Keep in mind that the LTA integrated amps will also work very well with the utopia since I believe it is basically just the headphone portion of the mz3 incorporated in a separate HP stage. The integrated amps come up way more often on the used market than the mz3 does so it might be easier to find one, plus you get a more capable speaker amp and preamp too if that is something that interests you.
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Also think about the warranty on new purchases vs normally no warranty on used sales.
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Expected Delivery Saturday before 9PMā¦ 
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Thank you kindly for all your input. Iām greatly enjoying talking to people with the same interest. 
@Towa Thatās fantastic information. Unfortunately, I donāt have/use speakers 
Music is a way of escapism for me, so blending out the outside world is a requirement for me (and I say this with all the enthusiasm I have for this hobby). I actually got roped into hifi because I mostly had IEMs before and wanted to see what all the fuss about headphones was.
Hifishark does show one ad for the LTA MZ3 so I decided to give that a shot, though the seller hasnāt answered yet so who knowsā¦
@Souldriver If you wanna talk Radiance a little, I have them at the moment (though Iām selling them - but not cause I dislike them). Fun fact: your review on hifiguides is why I got them! It sounded like we might have similar taste and, at least in this case, it turned out to be true and I really like them.
They blew me away when I first heard them. They brought an effortlessness and naturalness to the instruments which I hadnāt heard before. A wonderful rich, warm sound, yet not lacking in treble energy for me. To my ears they also do bass so incredibly well that I can feel it in my ears (rather than just hear it). I am lacking experience with bassier headphones, so I suppose itās not hard to impress me in that way.
From every headphone, even if I donāt like or keep it ultimately, I learn something new and I greatly enjoyed my experience with them. They taught me first-hand how important pad placement is. The more I pressed them onto my head the more muffled the voices got (and the more emphasized the beat). They became almost entirely different headphones just depending on how much I pressed them on my ears.
So why am I giving them up?
- The biggest k.o. criteria that almost makes every other reason unimportant: they donāt fit me well. Which is bizarre cause I have both the Clear and the Utopia and those sit wonderfully on my head. But not this one - the top part of the cups doesnāt mold to my head, which means bass doesnāt play as well as it could/should. Is this a unit issue or a me issue, I wonder?
- Getting the Utopia way earlier than I intended put things into perspective for me. I had to really think what headphones I would listen to and with the Utopia there and the awkward fit I decided pretty quickly to give them up to a more appreciating owner.
- This didnāt actually factor into the decision, but it further supports it: I immensely adore the ADX5k and I do not believe the Radiance does instruments as well as the ADX does.
- There are different positions open in my collection and the Radiance and the LCD 2 pf were fighting for the same spot - even though I consider them to be very different headphones. Ultimately, I decided that I would listen to the LCD2 more often than the Radiance, considering all the above reasons.
Theyāre still amazing though, and if theyād fit me better, I might be listing these reasons on the Audeze thread instead. I think what Iāll miss most about them is the bass. While I do have the Nighthawk, theyāve never wowed me regarding bass.
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I actually have had no issues with the cups, and they seal incredibly well and they isolate to the point i get spooked by people around me since i donāt hear them. That is with or without glasses.
Have you tried swapping pads to make sure if its a pad thing, they are extremely supple so maybe too much squish? I dont know if there is any difference in size and shape of the headbands for any of the focals but borrowing the pads from one may clarify where an issue lies.
They are my favorite right now for acoustic sets, maybe moreso than the hd6xx. Theyre closed but seem to avoid the condensed, high pressure feel of other closed sets. And the treble, which is initially too recessed and pushed back for me, can be brought up with eq. Just dont eq too much or the treble gets glaring and glassy. Not piercing, but like a finger going slowly around the wet rim of a glass.
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Arrived this afternoon and just now getting a chance to listen. First impressions are they are not what I was expecting, but thatās not impacting me negatively. I like what Iām hearing so far, it is just Iāll need more time to sort them out.
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A lottle of column A, a little of column B.
One thing i havent seen any new radiators comment on was the aesthetics. Was I the only one to get wowed by them?
Theyāre gorgeous - I thought that was a given lol. I like the Focal look/style (Iāve had two sets of Elegia in the past) so they already had that going on for me. I do like the colorway I did not realize until I got them in how well they fit in with the copper/bronzish of the Holo and Ferrum gear I have. I see too that the cable I already had doesnāt do them justice aesthetically, so Iāll have to fix that. I think something all black might be nice or a solid copper. I also need to get another Woo audio stand.
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The plussound coppers match the colorway near perfect. They dont do a metric ton for the sound but the nudge it along just fine.
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Thank you for that suggestion.
I got them out again today (already had them safely packed away) and tried out swapping pads. Unfortunately, the result remains the same 
The issue seems to lie in the headband which is just a bit too wide for me. Consequently the cups do not swivel enough/do not apply enough pressure to smoothly fit my head. Itās disappointing that it seems to be just that tiny tiny bit (weāre talking millimeter) that keeps them from creating a good seal. I suppose I could try bending the headband, but I must admit Iām too afraid to try.
May the next owner be blessed with either a wider head or more confidence than I.
I have to ask: what were you expecting?
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Yeah I wouldnt try it either. Maybe a slight manufacturing difference or something with the headband padding. I always took it as all focals used the same headband size and shape but maybe there are some differences? Youre also right that there isnt much movement.
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I was expecting something with more bass quantity, closer to the Fostex TH9xx series bottom end into lower mids. I think with just the short time Iāve had them, that it is that the bass decay is quicker than Iām used to and Iām missing some of that extra bit that adds to texture and timbre. Donāt take me wrong Iām not disappointed in the sound and actually pleased that I have something different, and am not duplicating.
I picked up that Radiance because I wanted a closed back to have for if we start traveling more and if I begin working more from the office than from home. Also, if I set up listening area anywhere my wife may be too, I want something that seals better - both ways. So I need an all-rounder that I enjoy and also looks good 
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I feel like people emphasize the bass on this like it is a fostex monster. I had the pleasure to burn mine in and early on it had a tighter square punch. As it broke in it softened up a little and it inched closer to the mids a little. I will say there is enough natural bass that i sometimes wish to turn it down.
Have you tried any eq on it? Not for the bass but possibly bringing treble a little more forward? Also whats the chain?
Looking forward to the rest of your impressions. Going to be using mine a lot this week with some air travel.
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No I am not an EQāer nothing against other than I have enough going on as it is and it would really, really trigger my OCD ā¦ fidget, fidget, Perfect, is it? fidget ā¦
I have used it with two different amp/dac combos and sources - so thatās the extent of my EQ
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I have conceded this as well. On the cowon i do use eq, i would normally spend hours with it but i set it to the ārockā preset and i dont look back. Im not only a dirty EQer but a small brain preseter as well.
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Thatās very fair. I was impressed by the bass, but as I said before itās due to my inexperience with bassier headphones. Your comment makes me certain I wanna try a Fostex sometime in the future 
I hope you continue to like them. Are you still deciding on keeping them or not?
You both make me feel so much better about my EQing. I did try EQ in the beginning, but have mostly given up on it now. I struggle to estimate what changes improve the sound for me: itās different yes, but is it better? Do I need to get used to it first and listen to it like this for a few hours/days? And if I then switch back do I hear an improvement or am I just excited to hear something different again?
I do feel lucky that the Utopia seems to be so close to what I like (in many, many ways). At the moment, I donāt feel confident commenting on the hp as a whole, but I do have some thoughts I wanna put down (mostly for myself?). Forgive my rambling.
Overall, I donāt tend to gush over headphones, even though I can imagine it doesnāt seem that way 
I tend to use somewhat flowery language, mostly as a means to bring some sunshine into my (and othersā) lives.
But the Utopia have really impressed. Iāve been listening intensely to them the past couple of days and theyāre like a massage for my brain. This is the second time I have been in awe of what you can get out of your gear and I was pretty sure it wouldnāt happen again after trying out so many things (the first time was about a year ago when I upgraded my source chain to RNHP - Bifrost 2).
They donāt have the magical charm of the ADX5k, but they are able to make everything sound good/better/great. In contrast, the 5000 makes some of the songs I love sound stunning and others like gravel.
Iām also quite happy I have a Vio 281 for these. I did try them on my Little Labs Monotor for a moment and I do like them on there! But I did find they severely limit the Utopiaās capabilities.
Since I like them so much on the Vio I do question myself if Iām sure in what direction I want to upgrade my source gear. Maybe I do like a bit more space? The Utopia are pleasantly bright themselves, maybe I can safely balance them out and still enjoy them?
I suppose the best way is to go to a shop after all and try out amps there. I just feel so guilty knowing Iāll never actually buy one there 
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So I spent about another 8-12 hours with the Radiance in long 4+ hour sessions on my most recent trip. Below are my thoughts. They may confirm, contradict, expand on previous thoughts. The only thing I promise is that they are more current, and should hold you over until we guilt @Delta9K into writing more.
Chain: Cowon Plenue S ā Bal Out ā PlusSound x8 ā Focal Radiance.
EQ was used. I am tired of ocd so I didnt customize anything but instead used the āRockā preset. This may of added some DSP but the preset doesnāt specify. This is generally a U-ish shape to my ears.
Comfort: They are as comfy as they look. Leather is still soft and supple. Works well with glasses and a mask squished between others in economy class. They dont get hot for me. I would say at the 5 hour mark my ears do start to get sore, but nothing unique to these headphones as other sets do that and usually sooner. It doesnt help i was wearing a mask and glasses for 12 hours straight and that was digging in.
Isolation: Probably the best non active isolation ive heard, once again even with a mask and glasses. Theyre great for commuting, the busy terminal was totally replaced by music, and you forget how loud the jet engines are until you take the headphones off. Theyre horrible for commuting because the second you dont keep your head up something will sneak up on you.
Sound: So the Sās EQ does a few thing that help out the shortcoming of the Radiance. It adds a little treble to bring vocals and high end more forward and present, leaving them more even with the rest of the spectrum. It adds bass feel (slam/punch/rumble) which is something that prior can feel off despite bass quantity being good and it already ābeing presentā. Delta9K touched on this earlier. It does sometimes mean too much bass but it thankfully doesnt get bloated. It then spaces things out and adds blackness between it all. So although somethings are more distant small details are still clear.
I think my favorite thing is still the staging. It is that round, around the head feel. It doesnt quite go 100% around to the back but it dies feel like some things are set behind your ears. Very often sounds are coming from the more extremes of the width. Pairing with what to me is a very 3d placement adds to the feel of space and seperation. Pieces bloom in and fade out into the blackness. Size feels good for a closed back and it doesnt have the usual closed wall feel. It has that nice floating in the darkness of outer space feel. Every here and there the headphone will put something outside the normal boundaries and it adds to the 3D, holographic, sounds flying by in space feel.
I wont go too much into the bass, mids, treble, breakdown as its been documented and I use eq which alters it a little. But it feels best for acoustic sets (alice in chains unplugged) and 90/rock. With eq it goes from warm to neutral-er warmish. Overall it tends to lean more correct and organic. I dont get the bombastic, exaggerated dynamics or feel that say the Atrium throws at you. Going straight from that to the Radiance makes the Focal feel flat. It isnt, it is just more in line and still retains more macro focus. Also contrasting the Atrium, it doesnt have that no outline, relaxed, smooth treble. There is still touch and sparkle helping with engagement.
End Notes: While the good aspects may not be as extreme as on other cans, I feel the bad parts are equally less prominent. I think the Radiance chainās plus sides generally play into a lot of my preferences which is why I tend to like it so much. I could try on other chains or without eq but, why? I am not going to use it that way as it is dedicated to my specific use. But even without EQ i think it is quite worthy, and tbh i think here the dap is really more for the dap than the headphones. I would like to see a little more something with the bass as it is 80% there but at times just lacks weight. Its something you take notice to when texture for big stringed instruments just falls short. There were also times thing felt incredibly real. One track had a low but growing rumble, we were lined up for takeoff and i thought it was our jet spinning up to go. I felt dumb when we were still standing still and I realized it was just the song. I do hope as prices on these lower more give them a try as I think they will be generally well received.
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