In the era of bass-boosted headphones, it's always refreshing to see a pair that can reproduce deep low-end when necessary, but avoid embellishing it to a fault. The Focal Listen, a $249 over-the-ear model, delivers rich, deep lows when they're in the mix, and doesn't invent them when they're not. The result is a compelling listen. Deep bass fiends might not find what they're looking for here, but audiophiles in favor of a balanced, crisp, clear frequency response that can reach down to the deepest lows when called for will be quite happy. That earns the Focal Listen our Editors' Choice award.

Design
Visually, the mostly black design isn't our favorite—it's not ugly, but it looks a tad uninspired, utilizing lightweight plastic instead of more alluring materials. The Listen's circumaural (over-the-ear) design is exceptionally comfortable, however, even during long listening sessions. The earpads are very well cushioned, as is the underside of the headband.

Inside the earcups, behind red cloth grilles—one of the few eye-catching design flourishes—the Listen uses 40mm Mylar/Titanium drivers to push out audio.

A detachable cable connects to the left earcup. It has a chin-level microphone for phone calls, and there's a single-button inline remote that controls playback, track navigation, and call management. There are no volume controls, however.

Focal doesn't include a ton of accessories, but the focus here is really on audio performance. You get a padded, zip-up protective pouch that the headphones fold down into, as well as an airline jack adapter.

Performance
On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the Listen delivers powerful deep bass response, and at top, unwise listening levels, it doesn't distort. At more modest volumes, the Listen still produces healthy, robust low-end, and the high-mids and highs sound well-balanced with the rest of the range.

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Bill Callahan's "Drover," a track with less deep bass in the mix, gives us a better sense of the Listen's sound signature. The drums on this track can often sound overly boosted in the lows, lending them an unnatural, thunderous presence. Through the Listen, they receive little in the way of bass boosting—there's a pleasant fullness to them, but nothing like the sub-bass thunder we hear on heavily bass-boosted models. Callahan's baritone vocals get an appropriate amount of high-mid and high frequency presence, lending some treble edge and definition to their richness. The guitar strumming also benefits from the crisp highs, and we end up with a very clean, clear sound signature with fullness in the low-mids and a lack of heavy boosting in the deep lows. In other words, it's a fairly flat response sound signature that should appeal to audiophiles.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop's attack gets the perfect amount of high-mid presence to slice through the layers of the beat. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the drum loop sound robust and powerful, just as they were intended. They aren't exaggerated, but they do sound deep and full, and when headphones can produce those lows and manage to avoid adding in low frequency response where it doesn't belong, it's an excellent sign.

Orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound fantastic through the Listen. The crispness and brightness of the higher register strings, brass, and vocals is the most powerful element of the mix, but the lower register instrumentation sounds rich and, when appropriate, full and powerful. This is a very pleasing, balanced sound signature that works across all genres.

Once you're willing to spend more than $200, there are plenty of excellent headphone options. We are also big fans of the Blue Lola in this price range, and the more expensive Master & Dynamic MH40. If you are looking for a little more bass in your mix, that won't be hard to find—we recommend the KEF M400. And if you like the idea of a balanced sound signature like the Listen's, but want to spend a little less, consider the Samson Z55 Professional Reference. For $250, however, the Focal Listen is a very comfortable pair to wear over long listening periods, and produces fantastic audio. For all the audiophiles out there, it's a clear Editors' Choice.