Stuff - UK (2020-12)

TESTED FOCAL FOR BENTLEY RADIANCE

3

2

4

GOOD

MEH

EVIL

Luxurious

sound

quality

Pulse-

racingly

pricey

Strong look

with Bentley

flashes

Robust

build yet

super-snug

Might be

too bulky

for some

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Can’t afford a Continental GT but like the idea of

telling everyone you own a Bentley? Focal’s luxury

headphones can help you live (a bit of) the dream...

There’s a sweet spot connecting

audiophiles and petrolheads.

British hi-fi firm Naim has been

in the zone with Bentley for over

a decade, creating audio systems

for its luxury cars. The business

was even founded by sometime

racing driver Julian Vereker.

French speaker company Focal

came on board in 2011 and made

that partnership even mightier: on

the 2020 Bentley Continental GT

you’ll find an 18-speaker system

with 2200W of power.

Luckily, you don’t need a lavish

whip to relish the trio’s latest joint

efforts (although they’re still very

expensive). The Bentley edition of

Naim’s Mu-so speaker (see panel)

and the Fo ca l Fo r Bentley Radiance

closed-back headphones mark

the great car maker’s centenary

celebrations, and give a visual nod

to its EXP 100 GT concept.

The ’phones might seem like

a portable sideline to the imposing

Mu-so opposite, but they make

their own presence felt in terms

of sonics and eye-catching style.

£1199 / stuff.tv/Radiance

Bentley rhythm grace

Plush it

Belying their chunky dimensions

and weight (nearly half a kilo), the

cans’ aluminium construction is

designed to mould to the shape

of your face, and the full-grain

leather headband (2) and earpads

create a soft, snug fit allowing

you to settle deeply into any

extended-mix session.

Dome believe the hype

The 40mm drivers (3) feature

a patented M-shaped dome

developed from the company’s

car tweeter designs. A broad

frequency response makes for

superbly spacious sound: bass is

lushly resonant, top notes never

feel constrained, and there’s a

thrilling intimacy to vocals.

Can I click it?

Headphone cables tend to

be where connections – and

tempers – get frayed over time.

The 1.2m Radiance leads feel

reassuringly sturdy and click in

securely (4), so you barely notice

them when you’re listening. It all

adds to the old-school experience

for audiophile purists.

Me, myself and hi-fi

While there’s no noise-cancelling

option here, those snug earpads

allow you to feel enveloped in the

music without muffling the sound,

while the closed-cup design (5)

ensures they don’t leak sound

even when you’re blasting out

Skindred at full throttle while

headbanging around the kitchen.

Get ur chic on

These are undeniably ‘statement’

headphones. Bentley fans will

note plenty of visual echoes to

signature car designs, including

burnished copper accents, winged

symbols (1) and diamond motifs.

These aesthetics extend to the

packaging, including a hard-shell

carry case in coordinating colours.

Leather

isn’t for

everyone

My Naim is...

These headphones

are tuned to share the

same sonic signature as

Naim’s Mu-so series,

using aluminium/

magnesium

drivers.