Review: Focal Bathys HiFi ANC Wireless Headphones 2022

[@dbean5174]

I actually did not know that the 900hertz dip was to implement a sort of crossfeed. I knew there was a reason why Focal had to have a dip but between all of the videos over the Bathys, your the first to acknowledge this frequency change.

[@-Derp-]

Pretty solid review, well done. These are great cans, really enjoying mine, its a huge step up in sound quality and build quality over Bose etc. I need to point out that an oversight on Focal's behalf is there is no audible battery level indicator. I have emailed Focal about this, I would think an update can address this. Its kinda silly to have to go into the app to see they need a charge. Other than this minor quibble, no regrets. Battery life is amazing, I am getting about a week per charge, and I use them all day every day.

[@SSergey222]

Haha. I've got my pair and was blown away by the BT sound quality. And the only drawback I could find was the omission of the battery indicator. Thought about contacting Focal as well. The other thing I don't like is the low quality default sounds - turning on and off, BT pairing, etc.

[@NipseyHussle1]

Can you compare the Focal Bathys to the Mark Levinson No. 5909, please

[@darthdurkelthewise320]

Really good review on these as I am using them while watching. I haven’t seen anyone speak on the cross fade application. Lastly, I would like to mention one thing. Honestly, these things had to be opened up completely to fit my head and I thought my dome was average but I guess it’s big! So if you have a big head these may be a no go. However, the Bathys are really good especially after some burn in.

[@ajmnsc]

Brilliant. Best review untol now. Make me take the decison to listen to them before christmas. Most useful and this is what tevirws ate for.

[@dmora2386]

OK, am I the only one that noticed the headphone who's band was duct taped? For someone to do that, instead of throwing them away, they have to be pretty good. I already have the Bathys on the way, but I wanna know about the duct tape headphone lol

[@briansowden-worldwidestereo]

Those are the Monster Beats by Dre Studio Pro originals. My first pair of expensive headphones and I think they still sound great. Remember they were tuned flat unlike the other Beats pieces of that era because they were meant for DJs and Engineers. They’re the only ones I have that the ear cup rotates which I use with my mixer.

[@TexSupport]

First off, fantastic review. Answered all my questions and then some. Two questions, as an OG, I gotta wonder about the battery's total life expectancy for a $700 headphone. Only other question i had, is the included USB cable proprietary or can the consumer upgrade/replace?

Fanstastic review! And getting all those details directly from "Focal's mouth" is priceless. You have a new member now. I am so happy to have found your KZbin channel! Thank you!

[@Viewer13128]

18:51 actually that is a major flaw for me. Does the Mark Levinson No 5909 have this issue?

[@WorldWideStereo]

Like I said in the video, I still don't think it's a major flaw (but that's me and not you). As far as I've seen, this similarly with the No5909s and the Sony XM5s. I still think it's a Codec issue not a Focal issue. - Brian

[@shonen84]

Great detailed review! Comparing these to the B&W PX8. First world problems 😅 I guess the Bathys are more “open” and the PX8 “thicker”? Another interesting use case for the USB DAC mode is gaming, I think these would be great for it.

[@angelsales8544]

I used the Bathys for gaming and it was amazing. Still i have other headphones for that. But you wont be disappointed if you use it for gaming

[@thrillseeker7]

@@angelsales8544 I want to get this mainly for gaming. You think I will be able to connect via jack mode to my SoundBlaster AE-9 soundcard external dac to get the best sound quality? Also does this headphones support dolby atmos and all the other virtual surround software? Will be glad if you can help me out. Thank you

[@angelsales8544]

@thrillseeker1829 im not sure of all that. But what i will say is that you cant go wrong with the Bathys, for music its extremely great. For gaming it was amazing. Thats what i can guarantee

[@fabienromero1832]

Hello thanks. I am also contemplating a Bowers & Wilkins PX8...not sure which one is best for me vs the Bathys

[@briansowden-worldwidestereo]

It is really tough to choose between the two. They're both excellent headphones and they're comparably priced. The differences would be purely personal when choosing between them, and I say you have to wear them AND hear them to know which one will be best for you. I got the Bathys, but am also eyeing up the PX8s because I think they sound great, but they also have a 007 version and I just think that's rad.

[@Amanda_wws]

These headphones are stunning 😍

[@querciolee7302]

is It made in China ? The seller says the bluetooth one is made in China

[@TKim103]

best review on KZbin

[@WorldWideStereo]

Appreciate that, Tae! Thanks for watching.

[@TKim103]

@@WorldWideStereo I wanted to ask if you bad any evidence that the DAC was indeed Burr-Brown?

[@gadgetguy007]

Great review but wondering if these headphones can play spatial audio tracks accurately in bluetooth mode and/or in (wired) DAC mode. Desperately looking to find high resolution, quality headphones better than Apple that play in Dolby Atmos. Thanks

[@arronrodgers9186]

How does the anc compare to the mark Levinson 5909?

[@MarkDavidBlack]

Received mine today. I like them.

[@grasho]

@World Wide Stereo I have the Focal Listen Wireless and I am really happy with them. I saw you have them too. Can you say that the sound quality that Bathys provides is worth the triple price? I was able to A/B test them, unfortunately for a short period and they sounded more or less the same to me... If Batys was there when I bought my Listen Wireless, I would not think twice and would have got the Bathys. Now I wonder if I should upgrade, I don't have big need for the ANC itself, and was wondering about the sound quality in comparison by a more trained ear.

[@WorldWideStereo]

Short answer for the Listen Wireless vs. the Bathys: is it worth triple the price for the sound quality, YES. The long form answer: you have to look at the price they are/were to what the Bathys are AND the feature set difference as the headphones have grown over the years. I can say with all honesty I LOVE the build quality of the Bathys, just as much as I love the audio quality. Stack with that the advancement in Bluetooth technology and I’ve gotten to the point I don’t feel the need to connect an external DAC to get the quality I’m looking for in headphones BUT I still have the option to use a DAC or connect directly and use them as a DAC are all big selling points of moving from the Listen Wireless to the Bathys. Also, the ANC is a really nice upgrade. I took my first flight with the Bathys and using over ear ANC headphones over the holiday weekend. How much it controlled the environment sold me on my purchase. It was also nice because I was able to connect the 1/8” analog cable from the Bathys to the headrest monitor to watch a bunch of movies because Bluetooth wasn’t an option. I did also find that the case was made for traveling. I fit in my backpack to go under my seat and even after I spilled a drink on the case, it cleaned up well. - Brian

[@grasho]

@@WorldWideStereo Thanks a lot for that answer :)

[@Avatrode]

Great review. Very comprehensive.

[@WorldWideStereo]

Really appreciate your feedback. Thanks for watching!

[@gianlucaalessia5538]

Love mine, only to qwerks are i wouldve preferred them to look like the celestee or stelia, the grey is blah and the h95 case is a beautiful aluminum, you'd think fir 800 they'd give you a nicer case. But the sound and volume and everything else is awesome

[@chrisnaish1203]

Je possède le Focal Élégia avec le Fiio M15 un régal avec des bons fichiers audio si possible en Hi-Res que du bonheur 😉 J'ai testé avec mon M15 Fiio le Bathys, une vrai ressemblance avec Élégia en plus léger. Super qualité audio, mais manque de puissance en bluetooth en attendant peut-être le rodage du casque où mise à jour. Je testerai de nouveau le Bathys mais en connection Dac pour pouvoir me décider à en faire mon choix et revendre mon Sony XM4. A l'occasion testé les écouteurs Fiio MH7 vous tomberait de votre chaise tellement il sont claquant en Bass😉 Bonne année 2023 à vous tous en Musique et en qualité 👍👏👏

[@Slyclientthetechdad]

Do I need to buy a charger if I plan on picking this up. I may be confused but I thing that is what you said right? Doesn't come with one? Strange

[@WorldWideStereo]

Thanks for asking. A USB-C cable for charging is included. The plug-in power supply is not indicated as included. Owners manual, for your reference: bit.ly/3fwNB7x

[@paradantonax]

i like your passionate way of talking about this product !

[@pauljordan3828]

How do you connect to the wired dac mode to an iPhone ? Many thanks Paul

[@WorldWideStereo]

Thanks for your inquiry. The Bathys owner's manual indicates that the USB-C cable must be connected and the Off/DAC/On must be moved to DAC position. Depending on the version of iPhone you are using, an appropriate adapter may be necessary. focal.pimster.app/bathys

[@briansowdenable]

Also. You need an OTG version of the lightning to USB-C cable

[@sanjayvarma8280]

Thank you for such a detailed and informative assessment of these unique focal headphones. I was hoping you could assist with a problem I'm having pairing the focal Bathys to my Samsung Galaxy Z-Fold 4. I've attempted all the workarounds to pair, but headphones do not show up as an available device despite my mini attempts to connect. I've reached out to the company, to no avail. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions that you might offer. Thank goodness for the DAX mode.... THANK YOU IN ADVANCE.

[@WorldWideStereo]

Without having a Z-Fold 4 it's hard to help with troubleshooting that, but did you try turning it on and off again (kidding). Try running the Focal / Naim app to connect it. However, when worst comes to worst, I always suggest a factory reset. "To restore the factory settings on the headphones, press and hold the “-” and “ANC” buttons at the same time for 8 seconds. Everything saved on the headphones will be deleted. To carry out a forced shutdown on the headphones, press the “+”, “-” and “ANC” buttons at the same time. The latest settings used on the headphones will be stored." - Brian

[@anncleverley4721]

What a beautifully put together review as I listen to you with my brand new Bathys. I am so impressed that I can’t put these down. I have had them for about 3 days and they were meant to be a Christmas present from my husband but I couldn’t wait to try them. There was an unusual thing that happened when listening to them, a strange sound like the noise you get from a submarine (not explaining this very well) it might be that I pressed the wrong button but the sound kept playing intermittently while I was listening to KZbin. It was like a gurgling sort of sound. Just wondered if you might know what this could be. I have tried the dac mode with my Hidiz player and it was wonderful. These are the best headphones I have ever tried. Thank you once again.

[@WorldWideStereo]

Fortunately for me, I've never experienced that sound when listening to my Bathys (although I do see how interesting it would have if it was a submarine sound considering the origin of the Bathys name). I do hope that it has stopped, but did it only happen while things were playing or did it still happen when it's paused? - Brian

[@Kentsf]

Can the Bluetooth 5.1 technology be updated with software?

[@briansowdenable]

No. Limitations on Bluetooth technology aren’t based on software but hardware.

[@gdemirjian]

I wish they gave the option to turn off ANC completely. I would like to use ANC for plane/train travel only. When at hotel I would like to use SE cable from my MQA DAC and wonder if the Bathys would alter the sound with ANC on.

[@WorldWideStereo]

Thanks for your inquiry and comments. ANC typically improves the quality of sound with more audible detail and improved dynamic range.

[@gdemirjian]

@@WorldWideStereo That is greatly appreciated when in travel. When at my hotel however, I want my music as intended. It should be an option, especially at this price point. I think Focal is hiding less than desirable sound quality. I saw a Focal video where the engineers told the project lead that the design is not wireless friendly, and he says he replied, make it work. They had to bend the laws of physics, but they made a great sounding headphone. We are paying for lots of R&D on DSP. We have been saying for many years now, the best of the best wireless, sound as good as they do passively wired. I love my Focal speakers and Elex headphones, but this is a big turn off for me with Focal.

[@gdemirjian]

@@WorldWideStereo Also, I think your reviews are very good. Thank you.

[@WorldWideStereo]

@@gdemirjian As I mentioned in the video, Focal's aim here was to make sure that the ANC did not affect the sound when switched on so it shared the same characteristics any way. I really have enjoyed them, and I don’t think it colors the music to a point where it’s undesirable. It’s a difficult play to make a headphone sound the same in so many varieties wired, wireless, wired DAC, etc., and still come out the best they can. What do you think about the cross-feed feature? - Brian

[@gdemirjian]

@@WorldWideStereo for $800 bucks give the consumer the choice to turn off the ANC. I think it's cover up. Love your videos!

[@electrology]

This is by far the best review of Bathys out there on KZbin. This is amazing. Subscribed to follow all product reviews in the future. Okay. I need advice and need as many comments as possible so that I can make a purchase decision. I currently own a Bose NC700 that I bought for its ANC and call quality. To me, ANC is critical when needed but also need a set of cans that can amaze me with great sound quality. I had Sennheiser Momentum 4 that I returned because the clamping force was a bit too much. Given all this - do you think it makes sense for me to return my Bose NC700 and just splurge on these Focal Bathys. I do not want to own multiple headphones as I am not an audiophile or a professional musician. I just need one set of headphones that can do an amazing job at the sound quality and ANC when needed. Comfort is highly critical too. Have a smaller head so I do not want the headphones to protrude too much. Sorry, I know that it's a bit too much there. I appreciate if anyone can guide me. Thank you.

[@WorldWideStereo]

Really appreciate the kind words, and welcome to our channel! IF you’re worried about the headphones protruding, that is the only thing I will say doesn’t tick all the boxes when it comes to the Bathys with what you’re asking for. They sit very comfortably, even being rated with a higher weight than other ANC headphones in the market, and the ANC and call quality are remarkable on the Bathys (so is the battery life). I am not an audiophile nor a professional musician, I’m an audio enthusiast who owns multiple headphones (as evidenced in this video and I’ve got more since), and I’ve found that I do tend to pick them based on need. The Bathys are astounding when it comes to call quality, audio quality, style, and comfort. But if you are concerned with how big they are or are self conscious about that part, that might be the only drawback for your case. I hope that helps, and other people can chime in with their thoughts. - Brian

[@electrology]

@@WorldWideStereo thanks a lot buddy. I am also like you in that I am a music enthusiast and love to hear Good music all the time and also would appreciate a good ANC. The only part I am different is that I do not own multiple headphones and would love to own one that I can use ..but seems like that's a tall order requirement...I am leaning towards keeping my Bose NC700 for air travel (for it's ANC) and then get a B&W PX7 S2 for music ..what is your take? Do you think I should go for B&W PX8 or B&O H95 or Focal Bathys?

[@WorldWideStereo]

@@electrology Interestingly enough with my most recent acquisition, I’m replacing my original Bowers & Wilkins P7s as my travelling pair (no ANC and old school Bluetooth with a hard wired option) with the Bathys for travel / music. I’m going with a pair of Sony WH-1000XM5s as my around town / conference call / work desk distraction headphones which are replacing a combination of Bowers & Wilkins P3s and the Klipsch T5 II ANC in ears (which I put through the wash and they did not return from). I’m also going to go with a daily carry of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 for discrete music listening and handsfree phone calls. However, I haven’t gotten my hands on the Bowers and Wilkins PX8s yet (YET!!!). So I’d love to see where they would fit in in the mix. And someone will need to convince me I don’t NEED to get the PX8 007 edition specifically. So I can’t say to go for the PX8s vs. the Bathys, yet. We don’t sell the B&O H95s so it would be harder for me to play around with them to give them a fair shake. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to go and listen to them for a couple hours though. Also, if you haven’t been playing around with the ROON ARC app for mobile listening, I will say you’re missing out. Their auto-generated artists playlists have been killing it for me the past week AND they just went with Bit Perfect to a DAC on android phones. Real game changer for mobile listening. And my order of preference for playback for ROON is Qobuz -> Ripped Library -> Tidal (MQA) and if I can’t find it on there, Spotify. And if that all fails, Plexamp. - Brian

[@electrology]

@@WorldWideStereo Thanks again. To be honest, you are a pro level listener (based on your ents so far) and I consider myself a mere music enthusiast who is happy with a good overall sound quality and also decent ANC that can be used to quiet down noises when working or doing air travel). Hence my questions. I do have a Bose NC700 that is good for ANC as far as air travel is concerned. Music quality is something that j think the Sennheiser Momentum 4 I had , had. I also use a Sennheiser True Wireless Momentum 3 for discreet listening. It's awesome.

[@trilingualkid]

how was it compare to the ML 5909?

[@WorldWideStereo]

Hi trilingualkid - Thanks for your question! That's going to depend heavily on your personal preferences. Both are great cans. For me personally, I preferred the Bathys for the aesthetics, sound, and connections. But, I did an in-depth review of the 5909 in a previous video if you haven't checked that out yet. - Brian

[@Viewer13128]

@@WorldWideStereo which do you prefer for comfort? as for sound, what about the Bathys's sound did you prefer over the N5909?

[@exerhlp]

By they way, 2000mA is 2A 😉

[@davidg4026]

Will the Bluetooth connect to your phone and laptop at the same time?

[@lavidapeligrosa]

yes

[@briansowdenable]

They’ll connect at the same time but won’t play simultaneously.

[@epicmike3915]

Another joker talking about burn in headphones. This isn't a real thing. The frequency response shows no change from people that tested this. Also if this was a thing why Don't manufacturers burn in their headphones before they sell them? Why would they sell you something that doesn't sound it's best until 100hrs of use.

[@WorldWideStereo]

Mike, my man, there’s no need to call me a joker. I’m more of a Riddler. :) Sometimes headphones are like a fine wine, if you drink it straight from the bottle, it’ll be good, but if you let it breathe a little bit, it gets better. The Bathys sound great out of the box but will sound better as they break in. Why? Because it’s not as stiff and rigid as when it pops out of the box. A little patience goes a long way. Also, companies like to sell their product new and not used and that’s why they’re not run for 100 hours. But could you imagine the logistics of doing that? It would be a great way to add an extra $300 to every headphone. - Brian

[@epicmike3915]

@@WorldWideStereo That makes no sense. Running your headphones on play wouldn't make them used. They still be new from the factory. If you're burning the headphones yourself is literally the same thing. Just say you believe in this marketing nonsense lol.

[@Viewer13128]

@@epicmike3915 I was dubious about burn in as well, so I researched and read customer experiences and tried to weed out the placebo ones. After weeding those out, it seems burn-in "might be" product/material dependent. One example where a buyer's experience wasn't tainted by bias/placebo was one where he bought an amp with no doubts about how it would sound, only to find it sounding completely different than the demo he heard in store, which he later compared back to the store for confirmation. I give more credibility to experiences where burn-in wasn't even in their minds. I think for those of us who are dubious about burn-in, we can just keep wondering with an open mind. But if we want to adamantly declare to others that it's false for a fact, that's different than just being doubtful by ourselves. To adamantly declare it's fake, we "should" at least find a well-known product that requires burn-in, purchase it from a store, and then ask the store owner to let you A/B your new purchase with the demo in the store. Then ask the owner to A/B with you as a witness/confirmation. This is due diligence and validity. Doing this is what differentiates critical thinking from cynicism. Personally, I've been lazy to do that, so I never declare to anyone it's fake/real. I just remain dubious but open minded. But if I ever did want to declare it fake/real, I would at least have to do some valid testing before declaring it, like the one above where you have 2 units (known for burn-in) side by side at the same time to A/B with others to test as well.