Focal Bathys Review
The Focal Bathys are the first Bluetooth headphones from the French manufacturer. They embody many elements of Focal’s luxurious wired headphones and aim to deliver top-notch sound quality on the go.
The French manufacturer Focal is known for its high-quality audio products. All of Focal’s products exude stylish luxury. Since 2023, Focal has also offered its first Bluetooth headphones. The Bathys aims to bring Focal’s high sound quality to the portable realm. The name Bathys comes from “Bathyscaphe,” the name used for the submarines of Swiss researcher Auguste Piccard in the 1930s. The name is a combination of the Greek words for “deep” and “ship.” Focal intends this homage to suggest the feeling of being completely cut off from the outside world.
Compared to the manufacturer’s wired headphones, the Focal Bluetooth headphones are relatively affordable,. In comparison, Focal’s reference headphones, Utopia, cost $5,300. However, when compared to other Bluetooth headphones, the Bathys ranks at the top price-wise and is even more expensive than Apple’s AirPods Max or the recently popular Sonos Ace. It should be noted that the “street price” of the Focal Bathys. The price category of the Bathys is immediately visible.
Focal carries over many design elements from its other headphones, making this model look extremely high-end and sophisticated. The headphones are made of metal and plastic, which offers a good balance between weight and durability. The craftsmanship is excellent. A real eye-catcher is the Focal logo on the ear cup, which lights up when the Bathys is turned on. Focal’s design and manufacturing expertise are evident, making the Bathys perhaps the most elegant Bluetooth headphones on the market. The carrying case is just as high quality, well-made, sturdy, and even includes two small inner compartments for storing cables and other accessories.
Features
As sound transducers, two 40-millimeter aluminum-magnesium drivers are used. These have the M-shape, which Focal also uses in their speaker tweeters. The drivers are slightly angled, allowing for a more natural, speaker-like sound. There is plenty of room for the ears inside the Bathys, making them very comfortable to wear. The headband is also softly padded. Despite its substantial weight – it weighs 350 grams – it sits securely and comfortably on the head.
Those looking for subtle, discreet headphones might want to look elsewhere. The ear cups are about six centimeters wide. As expected from good Bluetooth headphones, the Focal includes an integrated DAC, allowing it to be connected via USB to a computer. The headphones handle signals up to 24-bit and 192 kHz sampling rates. For wireless connection, it features Bluetooth 5.1. Focal promises a battery life of 30 hours in Bluetooth mode. Our everyday tests confirm this.
Controls and ANC
The controls for the Bathys are located directly on the headphones. On the left side is the button to activate noise cancellation (ANC). For this and for making phone calls, the Bathys has a total of eight microphones. There are three modes for ANC: Soft, Silent, and Transparent. The latter is more of a “pass-through,” allowing external sounds to come in. This works quite well, and other voices are understandable. However, the effect is not entirely realistic. One minor complaint is that ANC cannot be completely turned off. When at home, noise cancellation is simply unnecessary.
Overall, the active noise cancellation here is perfectly adequate and works well on the Bathys. However, it doesn’t completely isolate you. Also, in silence, the typical ANC hiss is quite noticeable. Nevertheless, the Focal Bathys effectively blocks out ambient noise in cars or on trains. The remaining buttons are on the right side. There are buttons for volume, Bluetooth, and the voice assistant of our choice. The Bathys supports Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant.
The headphones are powered on via a slider switch, with the middle position labeled “DAC.” To use this mode, the headphones must be connected to a computer via the supplied USB-C cable. We’ll discuss how the DAC mode sounds later. Another wired option is using a 3.5mm jack. The Bathys also includes a jack socket, though this doesn’t use the DAC but provides an analog connection. As active headphones, they still consume battery when connected via jack.
App Control
Of course, the Focal Bathys also has a dedicated app. Fortunately, Focal doesn’t rely on new software but uses an app that Naim customers might already be familiar with. With the “Focal & Naim App,” you can adjust an EQ, the brightness of the LED logo, ANC, and sound personalization for the Bathys. The sound personalization consists of a hearing test, which then suggests an individual sound adjustment. The result of our test slightly boosts the frequencies starting from the midrange.
To us, this seems more like a highshelf-EQ than personalized tuning. We appreciate that you can adjust the intensity of the sound personalization from 0% to 100%, allowing us to find the ideal setting. We kept the dial at around 20%, which adds some airiness without sounding too sharp. Since we’re already discussing sound, let’s move on to the sound experience.
Superb Sound Quality
We had the pleasure of testing the Focal Bathys over the course of a week. During this time, we used them in the office, at a café, in the car, and on the train – a rigorous everyday test. Sound-wise, we found the Bathys to be incredibly impressive. Everything we listened to felt broad and open, enveloping us in the music.
The headphones deliver a highly detailed and delicate performance, revealing nuances that we couldn’t hear with other Bluetooth headphones. This is likely because the side signals are quite prominent, making the sound appear very spatial. The sound is consistently balanced and wonderfully musical. The bass is tight without droning, the highs are clear and airy, and the mids are present and well-defined. Since the drivers are relatively far from the ear, the headphones sound open and unforced. They play with an ease that we truly enjoyed.
Every time we put them on and started playing something, we were immediately surprised by the sound. The finesse, the tasteful bass, and the airiness of the highs are delightful. The Focal Bathys are tuned in a way that makes all kinds of music sound great. Whether acoustic or electronic, every signal benefits from the great sound of these headphones. They are always balanced and musical. Since they aren’t studio headphones, they are allowed to sound pleasant.
We were also positively surprised by the DAC mode. When we connected the Focal Bathys to our computer via USB and selected them as the audio output, the headphones converted the audio signal, and it was amazing how good they sounded. Compared to their already audiophile Bluetooth playback, the DAC mode brought out even more detail and clarity. In direct comparison, the sound was even more free and playful. In terms of sound, the Focal Bathys truly deliver something extraordinary and should silence any critics of Bluetooth music playback. However, the Focal headphones do lack some features and functions that other reference models offer to make everyday use easier.
For example, the Bathys lacks an auto-stop feature when removed from the head, and there’s no head tracking. We also found it unfortunate that ANC cannot be completely turned off. Additionally, the headphones are quite large. In these aspects, Focal leaves a little breathing room for its competitors. However, in terms of design, build quality, and sound reproduction, Focal is at the forefront.
Focal Bathys Tech Specifications
General
Device Class: Headphones
Price Category: Upper Class
Manufacturer: Focal
Model: Bathys
Dimensions (W/H/D): 24 × 21 × 7 cm
Weight: 350 g
Information: www.focal.com
Technical Data (According to Manufacturer)
Operation: Active
Design: Closed, Over-Ear
Frequency Response: 15 Hz – 22 kHz
Connection to Headphones: BT (5.1), 3.5mm Jack, USB-C
Battery: Runtime: 30 hours, Charging Time: 1.5 hours
Connections: 3.5 mm, USB-C
Noise Cancelling: Yes
Ear Pads: Leather
Conclusion
The Focal Bathys impresses as the first Bluetooth headphones from the French luxury audio manufacturer, with a high-end design and excellent craftsmanship. In terms of sound, it offers exceptionally detailed and spatial music reproduction, which shines both in Bluetooth and DAC modes. Despite these strengths, there are some minor drawbacks: The ANC cannot be turned off, and modern features like auto-stop and head tracking are missing. Overall, the Bathys is ideal for sound purists who primarily value excellent sound and first-class design and are willing to forego certain convenience features.
Special Features
- DAC Mode
Advantages
- Excellent sound quality (9/10)
- Long battery life (8/10)
- Excellent build quality (9/10)
Disadvantages
- ANC cannot be deactivated
- No head tracking
Rating
Bass Reproduction: 9.5/10
Midrange Reproduction: 10/10
Treble Reproduction: 9.5/10
Spatial Sound: 10/10
Playback Quality: 9.7/10
Build Quality: 10/10
User-Friendliness: 6/10
Intermediate Result: 84 out of 90 points
Price/Performance: Good (8/10)
Final Result: Excellent (92%)
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