Focal Bathys Wireless Headphones - Black

Biggest thing is they are substantially better sounding than any Bluetooth headset I've heard I do have currently the Sony xm5 my wife has the xm4 and the Bose QC 45s. I also tried the panda if that's the right name and those were so so. The DAC connection is a really cool option, although it does seem to lack the ability to adjust the sound like a nice equalizer. Honestly even when it's in Bluetooth mode focal surprised me with a small five band equalizer. I'm really surprised not to see a nice parametric EQ.With the sound quality being an obvious big plus the battery life is solid the build quality is great and they actually fit really nice I could see someone if they have a little bit bigger head than me maybe struggling a little bit. But overall they're ... MoreBiggest thing is they are substantially better sounding than any Bluetooth headset I've heard I do have currently the Sony xm5 my wife has the xm4 and the Bose QC 45s. I also tried the panda if that's the right name and those were so so. The DAC connection is a really cool option, although it does seem to lack the ability to adjust the sound like a nice equalizer. Honestly even when it's in Bluetooth mode focal surprised me with a small five band equalizer. I'm really surprised not to see a nice parametric EQ.With the sound quality being an obvious big plus the battery life is solid the build quality is great and they actually fit really nice I could see someone if they have a little bit bigger head than me maybe struggling a little bit. But overall they're actually pretty comfortable. I do like the way they look they stand out and look different than any other headphones I have.But I really enjoy about the sound is the bass isn't so overinflated but it's very accurate sounding, the soundstage is great the separation in the instruments is solid and they're almost too good at times because you can actually hear bad recordings are bad studio versions. I will say the DAC does seem to lack the volume that Bluetooth has I'm not sure if it was just the song I was listening to but I noticed I had the volume maxed out whereas on Bluetooth I'm rarely past 50%.The price is pretty steep but it's a big jump up from the xm5 that were about $300 less. I don't think they can replace a top tier wired headset like focal offers or Sennheiser and many of the other planar headsets but it does a really good job as a stopgap.

Amazing Headphones!

Had to write this review after getting the headphones earlier today and listening to some of my fav tracks. The sound quality met and exceeded my expectations. Brilliant cans! Comfortable enough, decent to good quality hardware and a hi fi sound with good bass weight, mids and highs. Linear response across the frequency range with no overemphasis on lows and mids unlike some consumer grade headphones. Glad I made the purchase.Just for reference I own Dynaudio Special 40s, KEF R300s, Buchardt S400 MKIIs, REL S/510, Exposure 3510, Primare i35 and Rotel, Primare, Oppo CD/UDP players etc. I was a drummer when I was a teen so my taste in music has gone beyond ordinary over the years. Would highly recommend these to music afficionados.

Audiophile quality headphones on the go

I wanted some noise cancelling headphones that didn’t compromise audio quality - the Focal Bathys fit the bill. Audio quality is shockingly good for bluetooth headphones, with additional EQ settings (in app) to tailor the sound profile to your preferences. The noise cancellation isn’t best in class, but sufficient for my purposes, there is notable hiss when silent though (particularly in transparency mode). This isn’t an issue with music playing. Controls are all button-based and largely intuitive, and I’ve had no problems pairing the headphones with my phone or other devices. They’re comfy, even with glasses, but bulky and may grow a little warm with extended use. The design is also too ‘flashy’ for my tastes and I much preferred the B&W px8s on that front, but the ... MoreI wanted some noise cancelling headphones that didn’t compromise audio quality - the Focal Bathys fit the bill. Audio quality is shockingly good for bluetooth headphones, with additional EQ settings (in app) to tailor the sound profile to your preferences. The noise cancellation isn’t best in class, but sufficient for my purposes, there is notable hiss when silent though (particularly in transparency mode). This isn’t an issue with music playing. Controls are all button-based and largely intuitive, and I’ve had no problems pairing the headphones with my phone or other devices. They’re comfy, even with glasses, but bulky and may grow a little warm with extended use. The design is also too ‘flashy’ for my tastes and I much preferred the B&W px8s on that front, but the audio quality was sufficient to override those concerns (and thankfully, you can turn off the light-up logo!)Overall, expensive, but recommended if you want audiophile quality sound in a pair of wireless headphones. However, if noise cancellation is the primary concern (with audio quality secondary), alternatives may be preferable.

Best audiophile bluetooth till daye

1. Portable. The pads rotate to fit in a smallerand flatter box. Not on the heavier side but manageable.2. Pads look a bit underpowered as far as durability is concerned. These pads are soft, comfortable and spacious but looks like they might wear down quickly.3. Noise cancelation- good, not best but not bad either. Works pretty well in crowded situations.4. Bluetooth performance - easy connection, no skipping, connection is very good even across larger rooms or around one wall.5 Battery - fast charge, very strong battery performance. One charge last 3-4 days of several hours per day music. With noise cancelation applied battery last lesser but still very good performance.6. Sound quality- very good with bluetooth. Almost true audiophile quality. Bass is very ... More1. Portable. The pads rotate to fit in a smallerand flatter box. Not on the heavier side but manageable.2. Pads look a bit underpowered as far as durability is concerned. These pads are soft, comfortable and spacious but looks like they might wear down quickly.3. Noise cancelation- good, not best but not bad either. Works pretty well in crowded situations.4. Bluetooth performance - easy connection, no skipping, connection is very good even across larger rooms or around one wall.5 Battery - fast charge, very strong battery performance. One charge last 3-4 days of several hours per day music. With noise cancelation applied battery last lesser but still very good performance.6. Sound quality- very good with bluetooth. Almost true audiophile quality. Bass is very good but no bleeding. Good thump but not overpowering. Mids are very well presented and no harshness. Top end slightly clipped but represented very well. Mids slightly recessed.7. With analog input from external DAC- it is as good as other entry level headphones from focal like focal clear. Slight veil in comparison to clear but almost 90% of focal performance. It requires slightly more power than focal.8. Verdict- steep price but if you can buy, its worth every penny.

Hearing Aid Wearers Rejoice

These are amazing sounding headphones and very comfortable to wear. I was easily able to pair with my Cambridge bluetooth turntable. For anyone wearing hearing aids these headphones are hands down the best choice. They now allow correction of the EQ for your hearing loss with the Mimi hearing app. This works way better than trying to do it yourself with the 5 band EQ in the app. I had 10 different saved settings, none of which compared the the EQ achieved with Mimi. My airpod pros also allow me to EQ with Mimi or my professional audiogram. Though the airpod pros are lovely and comfortable, particularly for travel, they do not compare sonically with the Bathys. The Bathys is highly recommended for all hearing aid users and anyone with hearing loss (everyone over 50). ... MoreThese are amazing sounding headphones and very comfortable to wear. I was easily able to pair with my Cambridge bluetooth turntable. For anyone wearing hearing aids these headphones are hands down the best choice. They now allow correction of the EQ for your hearing loss with the Mimi hearing app. This works way better than trying to do it yourself with the 5 band EQ in the app. I had 10 different saved settings, none of which compared the the EQ achieved with Mimi. My airpod pros also allow me to EQ with Mimi or my professional audiogram. Though the airpod pros are lovely and comfortable, particularly for travel, they do not compare sonically with the Bathys. The Bathys is highly recommended for all hearing aid users and anyone with hearing loss (everyone over 50). Now on sale as a plus. My only complaint has been when I receive a call through my Iphone the Bathys does not return to the music I was listening to when the call is disconnected without my turning the power off and turning them back on which reconnects to my bluetooth turntable. Something fixable with a firmware update I presume.

Immensely Nice

Very nice sound out of these. They’re somewhere warmer than neutral and slightly brighter than neutral but not enough to bug me (I’m not keen on either very warm, or very bright so take that for whatever it’s worth) and they’re well tuned overall so the audio presentation is very cohesive. They’re definitely the best wireless headphones I’ve ever tried, but its when you put them into USB DAC mode (the feature that I didn’t realize that I needed) that they really start to shine. The brightness was a bit grainy out of the box but that disappeared entirely after run in.One minor quibble is that the supplied USB-C cable is rubbish. Mine has gone flaky after about a dozen cycles. That’s a small thing to replace but it’s still an overall negative point that, while ... MoreVery nice sound out of these. They’re somewhere warmer than neutral and slightly brighter than neutral but not enough to bug me (I’m not keen on either very warm, or very bright so take that for whatever it’s worth) and they’re well tuned overall so the audio presentation is very cohesive. They’re definitely the best wireless headphones I’ve ever tried, but its when you put them into USB DAC mode (the feature that I didn’t realize that I needed) that they really start to shine. The brightness was a bit grainy out of the box but that disappeared entirely after run in.One minor quibble is that the supplied USB-C cable is rubbish. Mine has gone flaky after about a dozen cycles. That’s a small thing to replace but it’s still an overall negative point that, while irritating, doesn’t impact my enjoyment of these wonderful cans.

It's worth keeping, satisfied

I'm a pretty big fan of Focal products.But am also flexible on sound quality requirements depending on the music being listened to and the situation.At home, I like to have the best sound I can for classical and acoustical jazz. While traveling, I don't care as much.The Focal Bathys set high expectations because of all the reviews. I was expecting exceptional transients (of course, falling shy of the Utopia and Stellia, but still much better than the Sony XM5).If I were to arbitrarily and subjectively give the XM5 a 2/10 on transients, and the Focal Utopia/Stellia an 8.5/10, I expected the the Focal Bathys to be about a 5/10. In reality, while still better than the XM5, it was only marginally better, like a 3/10. A far cry from expectations.Someone mentioned ... MoreI'm a pretty big fan of Focal products.But am also flexible on sound quality requirements depending on the music being listened to and the situation.At home, I like to have the best sound I can for classical and acoustical jazz. While traveling, I don't care as much.The Focal Bathys set high expectations because of all the reviews. I was expecting exceptional transients (of course, falling shy of the Utopia and Stellia, but still much better than the Sony XM5).If I were to arbitrarily and subjectively give the XM5 a 2/10 on transients, and the Focal Utopia/Stellia an 8.5/10, I expected the the Focal Bathys to be about a 5/10. In reality, while still better than the XM5, it was only marginally better, like a 3/10. A far cry from expectations.Someone mentioned that using the USB cable in DAC mode, the sound improves. And it did bring the subjective score up one notch. But using it in a wired mode was definitely not the reason for getting these headphones.The ANC was pretty good.Also, I found the Bathys rather fatiguing. Grating on the ears on initial use. After updating to 1.5.4 (which worked on my backup Android but didn't work on my main iPhone), I was able to futz with the EQ to get rid of painful glare. But that took away a little from the transients. With the eq, the Focal Bathys is really not better or worse than the Sony XM5. Just different.In short, the open box price was a little expensive for what I got out of the headphone. But low enough in price that I'll keep them. At MSRP, the Focal Bathys is overpriced, at least for the value I perceived.

Pure Bluetooth Listening Enjoyment

Sound:The sound is so natural and clear that every detail can be heard from the speakers!Features:Physical buttons are so well thought out that it is easy to find each function!Ease of Use:The equalizer is spot on for 5 bands.Quality:The build feels like someone really does know what bluetooth pair of headphones should feel like for hours of use.Value:I'd say if anyone wants a quality set of headphones, than these are worth the price!Manufacturer Support:N/AThe Wow Factor:The lights built in the headphones are a beautiful touch of elegance!Overall:Wow, what a set of cans! Price is right for a quality product that brings you excitement every time that you put these over your ears and tune to your favorite music. Plus, the comfortable feeling ... MoreSound:The sound is so natural and clear that every detail can be heard from the speakers!Features:Physical buttons are so well thought out that it is easy to find each function!Ease of Use:The equalizer is spot on for 5 bands.Quality:The build feels like someone really does know what bluetooth pair of headphones should feel like for hours of use.Value:I'd say if anyone wants a quality set of headphones, than these are worth the price!Manufacturer Support:N/AThe Wow Factor:The lights built in the headphones are a beautiful touch of elegance!Overall:Wow, what a set of cans! Price is right for a quality product that brings you excitement every time that you put these over your ears and tune to your favorite music. Plus, the comfortable feeling that these headphones have during hours of playing music! They produce a natural sound. The bass is not exaggerated but it is spot on. The app has an excellent equalizer to tune in to what ever music genre that you want to enjoy. The design will attract attention from those around you. The noise cancelling is definitely impressive and great for traveling. You can definitely dround out noises that would otherwise be annoying. Definitely a must have set of headphones for the more casual listening experience that is not over processed.

[Rewarded Review] Best Bluetooth Wireless Audiophile Headphone To Date

I bought a pair on a whim because I got tired of using Airpod Pros 2 IEMs to use while on the couch or in bed waiting for the kids to fall asleep. I am into the Audiophile hobby so I am nitpicky when it comes to sound but obviously for wireless devices I understand sacrifices have to be made. I own a Hifiman Susvara, a Focal Utopia, and Sennheiser HD800S, all of which are considered summit-fi headphones which I use when stationary at my audio stack at my PC Desktop so I know what good heaphones sound like.The headphones are slightly consumer tuned to be warmer on the bass region (typical) but not overly annoying. ANC isn't as good as Apple solutions but sound quality is leaps above it. The sound quality is definitely on par with Focal's sub-$1000 offerings and ... MoreI bought a pair on a whim because I got tired of using Airpod Pros 2 IEMs to use while on the couch or in bed waiting for the kids to fall asleep. I am into the Audiophile hobby so I am nitpicky when it comes to sound but obviously for wireless devices I understand sacrifices have to be made. I own a Hifiman Susvara, a Focal Utopia, and Sennheiser HD800S, all of which are considered summit-fi headphones which I use when stationary at my audio stack at my PC Desktop so I know what good heaphones sound like.The headphones are slightly consumer tuned to be warmer on the bass region (typical) but not overly annoying. ANC isn't as good as Apple solutions but sound quality is leaps above it. The sound quality is definitely on par with Focal's sub-$1000 offerings and they are more resolving than my classic Sennheiser HD650 for sure. Where I find this shines is with the Sound Personalization feature in the app where it auto-EQs based on your hearing capability. If this is your only pair of audiophile grade headphones, you'll appreciate the DAC feature where you can plug it into your USB jack of your PC to feed a pure digital signal to the headphone's built in DAC/AMP, this is where I feel this headphone performs its best (though BT is still best in class amongst its wireless peers).For anyone who just needs a pair of audiophile wireless headphones that can be used as a wired version (USB or headphone jack) as well look no further. As of the latest firmware version I do not notice any delay playing music or content on my phone as other users have noted.

[Rewarded Review] These are great!

I have a Focal / iBasso / Cardas kit that cost 3 times as much as the Bathys and while I'm not going to say that the Bathys are better - I don't use that kit anymore and will be selling it in the near future. In bluetooth mode the Bathys are in a different league from mySony WH-1000XM4s, in DAC mode they are comparable to the above mentioned Focal / iBasso / Cardas kit. Little things like the switches and the case could be better, as could the software (which is slowly improving). Comfort - I can wear these all day and often do. I bought both the B&W PX8s and the Bathys from B&H. Sent back the PX8s - no comparison sound-wise, though the PX8s had a more premium build quality.Be sure to break-in your headphones properly. Both the Bathys and the PX8s need at least ... MoreI have a Focal / iBasso / Cardas kit that cost 3 times as much as the Bathys and while I'm not going to say that the Bathys are better - I don't use that kit anymore and will be selling it in the near future. In bluetooth mode the Bathys are in a different league from mySony WH-1000XM4s, in DAC mode they are comparable to the above mentioned Focal / iBasso / Cardas kit. Little things like the switches and the case could be better, as could the software (which is slowly improving). Comfort - I can wear these all day and often do. I bought both the B&W PX8s and the Bathys from B&H. Sent back the PX8s - no comparison sound-wise, though the PX8s had a more premium build quality.Be sure to break-in your headphones properly. Both the Bathys and the PX8s need at least 100 hours (300 is better) in order to fully bloom. Short of that you will not be hearing them at their best. The sound signature doesn't change that much as they break-in, but the sound opens up substantially with fuller, tighter bass, more relaxed and extended highs plus greater inner detail. They become appreciably more musical - which is what we're after - right?