[alohatom]

Thanks, that was perfect. I really appreciate it.
I may just wind up going for the Bokeh.
The delayed gratification for an unknown period of time to actually be able to get my hands on them will probably make them sound even better!

 

[glpsace]

If you like Sub bass then I guess Atrium Open from ZMF is what you are looking for. Atrium open has good impact with right amp and dac.

Hello,

Thank you. I know that but unfortunately the price is just too steep for what I'm willing to spend, even used (which is still expensive, at least in Europe). So the Bokeh is overall a nice option. It does almost everything right. A tad more sub-bass and it would be almost perfect, for me.

Cheers.

 

[vkenz]

I wouldn't worry about not having enough subs.. it still got subs by the truck loads compare to say... almost everything else?

 

[NewEve]

Hi everyone,

Quick question for the Bokeh owners who have experience with Focal headphones:

• Are the Bokeh as much in your face than the Focal’s?

 

[jsmiller58]

I used to own the 109 Pro but it's been probably 9 months or so since I sold it so just going by memory - The 109 Pro was a bit v-shaped. Sharper and more crisp sounding with more pronounced highs. It had solid bass which was probably a bit tighter and punchier than the bokeh but it had less bass overall and it was less impactful. Just in general the 109 had less weight to the sound. The mids were also not as present as they are on the Bokeh (specially with the Hybrid or Suede pads). I don't really remember how it stacked up in terms of soundstage and imaging.

The 109 Pro was a good, fun, headphone but the Bokeh is on another level imo. Not to mention you can tweak the sound of it quite a bit from stock with pads and mesh. Currently I'm using hybrid pads with solid mesh and it's just enveloping, lush, impactful without being boomy, warm without being muddy.

I have, really enjoy, and am keeping the 109. I am awaiting the Bokeh, and I believe that along with a few others I have (Eikon, HE6SE, Maxwell, Noire, Elex, Bathys), these will be my core set of headphones and I’ll sell my dozen or so other headphones to new owners who will be able to appreciate them more!

 

[vkenz]

Hi everyone,

Quick question for the Bokeh owners who have experience with Focal headphones:

• Are the Bokeh as much in your face than the Focal’s?

to my recollection... having had a good listen to the elex while it was still working... it is similar or a bit wider. a bit smaller than the utopia 2022 and atrium closed.

 

[erics75]

Hi everyone,

Quick question for the Bokeh owners who have experience with Focal headphones:

• Are the Bokeh as much in your face than the Focal’s?

My only currently owned Focal is an Elegia with leather pads, sounds similar to the Celeste. I've also owned the Celeste, Clear OG, and Radiance.

Disclaimer, I run my headphones on R2R dacs and tube amps, which will give a smoother more analog presentation vs delta sigma and solid state. This setup favors ZMF more than Focal IMO due to dampening factor (Focals are relatively low impedance vs ZMF).

The Bokeh is not as aggressive sounding as any of the Focals I've owned. It's very dynamic and powerful, like the Focals, but somehow is smoother and less fatiguing. I really enjoy Focal's tuning, especially the Clear OG, but it fatigues me. They all do to some degree, unfortunately. I get none of that with the Bokeh. It's not as tight and precise as the Focals, but more engaging to me, and similar dynamically. Even on my iFi Zen stack the Bokeh is smooth and non-offensive. It is a warmer tuning vs the Focals, even the Radiance. It's thicker and more powerful sounding, though you can cool it off significantly with pad and mesh rolling.

The closest Focal I've heard to the Bokeh would be the Radiance. I MUCH prefer the Bokeh. I enjoyed the Radiance but found it would fatigue me if I tried to listen for more than an hour or two. I listen mainly at work so listening time can be 8 hours or more a day. When I had the Radiance I would listen for maybe an hour, stop for an hour, then start again, so on and so forth. The Bokeh stays on my head all day without fatigue.

 

[NewEve]

to my recollection... having had a good listen to the elex while it was still working... it is similar or a bit wider. a bit smaller than the utopia 2022 and atrium closed.

Thanks, are you referring to the soundstage (it seems like it)?
My question was referring to the "delivery" of the sound which I find very agressive / "in your face" on the Focal Elex.

My only currently owned Focal is an Elegia with leather pads, sounds similar to the Celeste. I've also owned the Celeste, Clear OG, and Radiance.

Disclaimer, I run my headphones on R2R dacs and tube amps, which will give a smoother more analog presentation vs delta sigma and solid state. This setup favors ZMF more than Focal IMO due to dampening factor (Focals are relatively low impedance vs ZMF).

The Bokeh is not as aggressive sounding as any of the Focals I've owned. It's very dynamic and powerful, like the Focals, but somehow is smoother and less fatiguing. I really enjoy Focal's tuning, especially the Clear OG, but it fatigues me. They all do to some degree, unfortunately. I get none of that with the Bokeh. It's not as tight and precise as the Focals, but more engaging to me, and similar dynamically. Even on my iFi Zen stack the Bokeh is smooth and non-offensive. It is a warmer tuning vs the Focals, even the Radiance. It's thicker and more powerful sounding, though you can cool it off significantly with pad and mesh rolling.

The closest Focal I've heard to the Bokeh would be the Radiance. I MUCH prefer the Bokeh. I enjoyed the Radiance but found it would fatigue me if I tried to listen for more than an hour or two. I listen mainly at work so listening time can be 8 hours or more a day. When I had the Radiance I would listen for maybe an hour, stop for an hour, then start again, so on and so forth. The Bokeh stays on my head all day without fatigue.

Clear, thanks a lot!

 

[DavidSerig]

I WANT MY MTV!

 

[Casey’sToneQuest]

My only currently owned Focal is an Elegia with leather pads, sounds similar to the Celeste. I've also owned the Celeste, Clear OG, and Radiance.

Disclaimer, I run my headphones on R2R dacs and tube amps, which will give a smoother more analog presentation vs delta sigma and solid state. This setup favors ZMF more than Focal IMO due to dampening factor (Focals are relatively low impedance vs ZMF).

The Bokeh is not as aggressive sounding as any of the Focals I've owned. It's very dynamic and powerful, like the Focals, but somehow is smoother and less fatiguing. I really enjoy Focal's tuning, especially the Clear OG, but it fatigues me. They all do to some degree, unfortunately. I get none of that with the Bokeh. It's not as tight and precise as the Focals, but more engaging to me, and similar dynamically. Even on my iFi Zen stack the Bokeh is smooth and non-offensive. It is a warmer tuning vs the Focals, even the Radiance. It's thicker and more powerful sounding, though you can cool it off significantly with pad and mesh rolling.

The closest Focal I've heard to the Bokeh would be the Radiance. I MUCH prefer the Bokeh. I enjoyed the Radiance but found it would fatigue me if I tried to listen for more than an hour or two. I listen mainly at work so listening time can be 8 hours or more a day. When I had the Radiance I would listen for maybe an hour, stop for an hour, then start again, so on and so forth. The Bokeh stays on my head all day without fatigue.

Interesting thanks! I have radiance and plan to only keep the Bokeh or Radiance, so will do a lot of testing! I should get my shipping notification this Friday

 

[erics75]

Interesting thanks! I have radiance and plan to only keep the Bokeh or Radiance, so will do a lot of testing! I should get my shipping notification this Friday

I'm looking forward to your impressions! I did like the Radiance quite a bit, but found long term listening was tiring. I liked the overall signature of it, but something in the upper mids was just tiring me out. Fun bass though! For me personally the Bokeh does the good parts of the Radiance better, and the worst parts MUCH better. Overall it was a meaningful upgrade. Even the Atticus handily beat the Radiance for me due to it's mellow easy going tuning.

 

[PopZeus]

Fatigue with Focal headphones is not about too much bass or treble. I think it has to do with dynamics and sound pressure. It’s like having someone slap your ear repeatedly. There’s something to be said about things being too dynamic, which sounds looney. It’s also why I think Audeze and Meze (or any headphone maker known for great bass extension and impact) really try to balance detail and impact with comfort and listenability.

 

[NewEve]

Fatigue with Focal headphones is not about too much bass or treble. I think it has to do with dynamics and sound pressure. It’s like having someone slap your ear repeatedly.

That's spot on how I felt when listening to the Elex.

 

[idairyou]

Just got my shipping info!!!!

 

[Casey’sToneQuest]

Just got my shipping info!!!!

Me tooooo woooo