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Video: Testing Focal's High-End $800 Bathys Over-Ear Headphones

usually any set of 50mm bass drivers works good for me. mostly found in corded not bluetooth headphones. $800 you can buy a nice audio interface for your Mac for that kind of money.

www.sweetwater.com

Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen USB Audio Interface

18-in/20-out, 24-bit/192kHz, USB-C Audio Interface with 8 Preamps, Auto Gain, Clip Safe, Dynamic Halos, and Included Software - macOS/Windows
www.sweetwater.com www.sweetwater.com



 
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Reactions: drumcat
I personally would pay the price if it’s worth the extra over the APMs. At this point I haven’t found the APMs worth the extra over the APPs. Yes I know they’re different types of listening devices but my point is that I’m happy to pay if it’s worth it. Design-wise I think I prefer the B&W PX8 headphones.
 
ISignedUpToAskThis said:
I own a set of Bathys currently, and have previously had APMs.

My main thoughts...

- APMs have better build quality
- APMs have noticeably better ANC and transparency mode
- Bathys sound MARGINALLY better overall, I'd say 10-15% better than APMs
- APMs have slightly stronger bass
- Bathys much better mids and highs
- Similar soundstage
- APMs have better mic for phone calls
- Bathys much better battery life
- Bathys have an actual on/off switch
- Bathys much better connectivity with 3.5mm Jack, USB-C with DAC mode for higher bitrate listening (although I rarely use this)
- APMs a bit more comfortable, I find my ears get hotter with the Bathys
- I found the Bathys had a more stable Bluetooth connection to my Apple devices than the APMs, weirdly


Overall, Bathys are a bit better but if you're buying new they aren't worth $300 more. I actually think I prefer the APMs.
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The thing is that they are 100-150 more, not 300. Not everyone lives in USA. I have watched biased reviews for Focal soundspeakers claiming that they are not worth the 1500 USD price tag, when everyone in Europe was buying them at 700-800.
 
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grad said:
The thing is that they are 100-150 more, not 300. Not everyone lives in USA. I have watched biased reviews for Focal soundspeakers claiming that they are not worth the 1500 USD price tag, when everyone in Europe was buying them at 700-800.
Click to expand...
Yeah you're right. I live in the UK, the cheapest new set of APMs I can find at the moment from a reputable place would be Amazon selling them for £499. The cheapest I can find the Bathys is £699. Works out around $250.

If you're only paying around 100-150 more for the Bathys then I'd lean towards the Bathys.
 
Ion-X said:
I will stick with my $550 AirPods Max thank you very much!

To pay significantly more for a product without the W1 chip for seamless pairing with all Apple products, and with significantly worse active noise cancellation, seems utterly silly.

Some people have more money than sense and I’m sure this brand will find a few marks.
Click to expand...

Some people will use these in the wired mode using home audio equipment or a DAP. With AirPods, due to their Lightning cable, it’s impossible to listen to hi-def audio. So, it’s not about noise cancellation (it’s good enough, and one needs to be careful of the frequency range that brand A does better than band B).

jz0309 said:
Good for those who like and can afford them. After all it’s wireless (aka Bluetooth) and it has limitations… and then there are those who spend $900+ for a Hermes AirPods Pro case..
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No, the is an analog audio port.

Halmahc said:
So all of a sudden, these Focal Bathys wireless headphones are worth their high price just because they are not from Apple, right? I remember how many reviewers were whining about the price tag of the AirPods Max when they were released, but now they are more inclined to praise any headphones that are more expensive than the AirPods Max, even if they offer similar (or sometimes worse) build and sound quality. Personally, I don't like judging products solely by their price tag.
This is not to say that the Focals are not good for the price (I mean, being 'good for the price' depends on what the user wants in a headphone, such as sound quality, which these excel at). It's just the sheer amount of hypocrisy from some of these people that is baffling.
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No, again, we were bitching about their high price because of their LIMITATIONS!!!!

There’s no hypocrisy…
 
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Zest28 said:
The Focal Bathys supports:
- SBC
- AAC
- aptX
- aptX adaptive

So if you have an iPhone, you are paying $800 for a headphone which you cannot even use to it's full capabilities thanks to greedy Apple.
Click to expand...

Explain to me how Apple is greedy, when Focal made the choice to not pay to add the rest?
 
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Just my two cents - I've tried the Bathys, and I really wasn't impressed, especially not for the price. They are very heavy and I couldn't picture myself wearing them for hours at a time on a flight. I've also tried the B&W Px8's (which I liked, but still found to be a bit heavy, not to mention expensive), and finally settled on the Px7 S2's as a compromise between sound quality, weight, and cost.

For anyone looking at purchasing a pair of ANC headphones... please use rtings.com and head-fi - not macrumors.
 
drumcat said:
Explain to me how Apple is greedy, when Focal made the choice to not pay to add the rest?
Click to expand...

Apple is greedy because it is selling low-end features for flagship prices. Even my iPhone 5S from the stone ages has the exact same bluetooth codecs as the latest and greatest iPhone 14 Pro Max.

How is it Focal their fault for putting market standard bluetooth codecs on their headphones but Apple is still putting trash tier bluetooth support on their flagship phone?

It is no coincidence Apple is the richest company in the world.
 
Zest28 said:
Apple is greedy because it is selling low-end features for flagship prices. Even my iPhone 5S from the stone ages has the exact same bluetooth codecs as the latest and greatest iPhone 14 Pro Max.

How is it Focal their fault for putting market standard bluetooth codecs on their headphones but Apple is still putting trash tier bluetooth support on their flagship phone?

It is no coincidence Apple is the richest company in the world.
Click to expand...

Focal's decision to support only AAC is Focal's decision. It's also the widest codec in use outside of .mp3. I *never* faulted that decision; you just called Apple "greedy".

What exactly is a "bluetooth codec"? AAC can be used anywhere, but there are limitations to the use of data over low-power with bluetooth. This restricts the number of bits, and requires more processing on the end-device side.

AAC is a very transparent codec, and if you're not happy with v0 256 vbr AAC with your audio, there's no way you're using a headphone without a wired preamp, etc. Even then, if you encode in 24-bit lossless AAC, it's literally the same bits. I don't know whether these can handle that over BT, but I assume they can.

If your encoding isn't up to scratch, that's on you. I'm not here to get Spotify sounding good. Blaming Apple makes no sense.
 
drumcat said:
Focal's decision to support only AAC is Focal's decision. It's also the widest codec in use outside of .mp3. I *never* faulted that decision; you just called Apple "greedy".

What exactly is a "bluetooth codec"? AAC can be used anywhere, but there are limitations to the use of data over low-power with bluetooth. This restricts the number of bits, and requires more processing on the end-device side.

AAC is a very transparent codec, and if you're not happy with v0 256 vbr AAC with your audio, there's no way you're using a headphone without a wired preamp, etc. Even then, if you encode in 24-bit lossless AAC, it's literally the same bits. I don't know whether these can handle that over BT, but I assume they can.

If your encoding isn't up to scratch, that's on you. I'm not here to get Spotify sounding good. Blaming Apple makes no sense.
Click to expand...

Focal supports also aptX and aptX adaptive. Stop spreading misinformation.

It is Apple that only supports AAC and is offering low-end specs for flagship prices.
 
4LSD said:
I love my Audeze LCD-3 (open back). Sound amazing- warm, detailed, gorgeous bass - paired with my Schiit Gungnir Multibit and Schiit Ragnarok 2. I also have Alpha Prime (closed back) and Nighthawk (open back).

I’ve owned Sony XM1, XM2, & XM3 as well as Bose NC700 and Plantronics BB6100.

Whilst I’ve not heard the Focal (or AirPods Max), based on my experience with the above BT headphones, I would think that the Focal are good but a country mile from higher end wired headphones connected with a decent desktop Multibit dac and a headphone amp.

I think I’d rather dedicate more investment in a headphone rig and “settle” for a compromise in BT headphones with good sq and anc that are geared for mobility by buying a sensibly priced refurbished pair of AirPods Max for convenience listening.
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If you've experienced the XM3, you've heard very good ANC. The AirPods Max are significantly better.

Yeah, an open phone with a planar magnetic or electrostatic driver, mated to a high output amplifier and a whisper quiet, high performance DAC is an incredible setup. But you can't commute with it, can't listen at night without waking up your household...and it's going to cost a lot more than $800!
 
dasmb said:
If you've experienced the XM3, you've heard very good ANC. The AirPods Max are significantly better.

Yeah, an open phone with a planar magnetic or electrostatic driver, mated to a high output amplifier and a whisper quiet, high performance DAC is an incredible setup. But you can't commute with it, can't listen at night without waking up your household...and it's going to cost a lot more than $800!
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Good to know that APM are better than XM3 at ANC.

I was disappointed by NC700 at ANC but I didn’t think they fit that well. Pads are cheap and thin.

My Mrspeakers Alpha Prime are planar closed back so I’ve got that use case covered with my HP rig.

I used to have an LH GeekOut 1000 v2 but I sold it years ago. Perfect for more portable listening but not truly mobile as only worked with my laptop rather than a phone.

Might reconsider a portable amp for my primes.
 
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