Best Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones for Classical Music (Bathys, PX8 or H95?)

[@Danchy082]

Finally someone that takes classical music into account. Thank you for this review.

[@kaustubhthapa5743]

I greatly appreciate your expertise and informed opinion on the headphones. Music to my ears in this noisy consumerist world. Thanks. Wish you will enjoy them for more than 40 years!

[@bekhele]

ha finally someone taking classical in mind :) im kind of a bit in a similar boat then you ( although not even near your level as a musician) played as a child in a youth orchestra and in a rock band as a teenager. by participating and winning some rock rallies i got at an early age in touch with studio recording. had once a situation we had the recording of a song where all sounded amazing in the studio with its professional premium equipment,but when we put that cd ( yes im that old) later in a car radio, we where just shocked how bad everything suddenly sounded lol. even though also not being a sound engineer,nor an audiophile, from then onwards i learned to appreciate better quality of sound and be just that tiny bit more demanding then most people. so i will take your sentiments in high regards with my next purchase. and again thank you, there is an audience for classical music, way too often ignored in reviews

[@wolfganglui]

Thanks for this video. The way you described music and recorded music is really colourful and beautiful.

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

Thanks! Hope you can grasp some of the things and get a value out of it :)

[@MichaelHrivnak]

Very well described. I first approached high-end audio gear after playing French horn in an orchestra for a living, and everything you said reminded me a lot of my own experience. Spending so much time on-stage listening to "the real thing" makes us sensitive to audio that's not just good, but accurate and true. When you get that sense of being present in the room with the musicians, it's magical. I found that the ability for audio gear to reproduce the nuances of articulation was especially key for conveying musical detail and making me feel like I was in the performance space. Likewise, when the gear or the recording itself get the sound wrong, it's much more difficult to enjoy in the same way. Cello is a favorite instrument to listen to, and in fact just today I was listening to Alisa Weilerstein playing Shostakovich with Bavarian Radio. I'd love to know some of the chamber recordings that you especially enjoy.

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

Hi Michael, thanks for this comment! Indeed, its the details and the nuances that we need. Like with a voice, we don't only want to hear the words and the information, we need the fines nuances to understand more about the speaker. Weilerstein is a fantastic cellist - there are really many around. For this recording I listened a lot to Enescu Octet and liked the one with Wilde Frang and Nicolas Altstaed a lot. If you're more into late romantic or modern music, please check out the Bartok Piano Quintet with Kelemen and Altstaed. Let me know what you think and also, please send me your recommendations. Curious to check them out on the Bathys!

[@craigrees7939]

I've watched a lot of reviews for these headphones but I enjoyed the different angle, here 👍

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

Thanks! Was the same for me. So I felt, why not just do it myself.

[@ronaldvulcain3953]

I greatly appreciated your video. Thanks.

[@miguelschoengarth]

You should try the Focal Bathys with the DAC mode. This is another level of audio experience. I use them mostly in the office with FLAC files / streaming. This is really stress-free listening.

[@LegendTheAnonymous]

Thanks so much! Finally a review from a classical musician! Would you also be able to check out the AirPods Max? I am torn between them and the Foucault

[@Factmorsels]

I have the PX8 and use them mainly for rock but also classical. Not sure if you got a faulty pair, as the treble of PX8 is very smooth and generally shouldnt result in listening fatigue.

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

Possible also. Just they sounded cool with other music. Maybe its also my ears being sensitive to a certain frequency range … 🤷🏻‍♂️ Have you tried some classical chamber music?

[@BAKALOID02]

The PX8s are also very boomy coming off the shelf, unfortunately rather needs breaking in for the highs to balance out

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

@@BAKALOID02 That could also be the case. How long did they take to break in in your case?

[@davidprentice6297]

They need at least 200 hours to bed in, 400 hours to reach their best performance. It is essential to run them in before judging them.

[@stephanw.1179]

Danke für die Idee der Klassik-Kopfhörer Zielgruppe, aber dachte beim Schauen an mein persönliches Fazit bzw. meine Erfahrungen bisher: Bluetooth Streaming und Klassik hören passen leider nicht zusammen? Mein Tipp wäre ein kleiner „USB-Dragonfly-DAC“ mit Lightning oder USB Adapter und ein InEar oder Headphone (Kabel-Version) kombiniert mit HiRes-Files von Qobuz/Tidal & Co. - ein Test lohnt sich 😊

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

Das würde mit dem Focal auch gehen, oder? Für mich war bei der Auswahl auch die Praktikabilität (muss öfter auch unterwegs Aufnahmen kritisch abhören) und so schien der Bathys die beste Wahl. Bis jetzt auch sehr happy mit Klang und Funktion. Für zu Hause könnte ich mir ein DAC schon vorstellen.

[@stephanw.1179]

@@mathiasjohansencellist werde den Focal auch einmal testen, aber ich denke halt, dass der Flaschenhals der Sound-Qualität auch durch das Bluetooth Protokoll bestimmt wird. Reduziert und komprimiert wird die Musik noch durch schlechte billige Digital/Analog Wandler im Handy oder iPad zum Daten-Matsch. Die kleinen Dragonfly DACs kosten nicht viel (wie ein kleiner USB-Stick) kombiniere das mit dem Sennheiser IE300 und streame über Qobuz👍

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

@@stephanw.1179 Sehr cool, danke dir. Bathys hat auch einen DAC-Modus, wenn ich das recht sehe, das könnte schon gehen. Bin zwar kein echter Audiophile, aber beim Bathys habe ich das erste Mal - selbst mit BT - das Gefühl, dass nicht nur Matsch ankommt. Bin gespannt, was so ein DAC ausmacht. Kannst du einen speziell empfehlen?

[@stephanw.1179]

wenn der Focal einen DAC hat müsste er mit Kabel sich besser anhören als über BT? Wäre ja fein👍

[@Noypi54494]

Happy with ML 5909. Only paid tax and shipping on them at Crutchfield after using cc points

[@Sunyo]

Nice Review! Mr. Traxxtor :P

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

Mist, ich wurde enttarnt! 😅

[@monacocross4241]

for my Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95

[@lmallard3788]

I like listening to classical music at higher volume than other genres.

[@CS-eu4nd]

Very interesting

[@vibesahead]

You can buy them already now for € 699 in different places.

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

Surely will go further down in future, which is nice. Great tech for less money. Where have you seen them?

[@DrLFV]

Did you break in the headphones? Probably not. Every headphone had to be played for 200-400 hours below releasing their best sound. The px8 are no exception. Immersive sound tech is an excellent sound engineering channel that explains this in his px8 review.... And our lungs don't make noise, rather our larynx does via its vocal cords.

[@hb-robo]

There is no legitimate evidence to support the idea of break in for dynamic drivers. Crinacle already debunked this

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

Thanks for the comment. I never suggested that I'm an audiophile or a pro. I'm just a consumer that likes highest quality for a specific purpose. If Bathys sounds way better without breaking in, they might still sound better after breaking in. Dont think this gap could have been closed, honestly. But yes, I might never find out.

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

@@hb-robo interesting. Do you have a link?

[@andrewthetruth]

​@@mathiasjohansencellist Google "headphone burn -in isn't real," and the link to click is the one posted on sound guys.

[@stephaniewu7643]

How about Sony WH10005

[@mathiasjohansencellist]

You mean WH1000XM5 right? Actually just bought them for traveling. If you‘re interested I‘ll share my thoughts and also compare it to the focals. Its a different price range though.

[@stephaniewu7643]

ah yes thats what I mean. I would love to see the review. And I also wanted to ask for a recommendation. I love to listen to opera singing with high range notes soprano. Do you have any recommendation? I would prefer the one with fidelity.