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.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.
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.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.
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.
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..
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.
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.
then you wouldn't buy new headphones in 5 years.Until wireless headphones at these prices get the option of easily replaceable batteries there not worth the price.
Explain to me how Apple is greedy, when Focal made the choice to not pay to add the rest?
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.
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.
Focal headphones are the hifiman of Europe.
It's a more specific term than "buy with the full intention of returning."I knew you were serious when you said you audition them…
If you've experienced the XM3, you've heard very good ANC. The AirPods Max are significantly better.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.
Good to know that APM are better than XM3 at ANC.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!
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.