Do you know the French brand Focal? This audiophile brand is familiar with speakers, and the brand has also launched high-quality wired over-ear headphones. This year, they officially entered the ANC-enabled over-ear headphone market with the launch of Active Noise Cancellation Wireless Headphones Bathys. Since it is produced by an audio brand that pursues the ultimate sound, what kind of listening experience will Focal Bathys bring?
French sophistication
Many French brands pay attention to details, which can also be seen on Focal Bathys. The headphone design is inspired by Focal’s open and closed headband headphones (such as UTOPIA). The materials are exquisite, and they are made of materials such as magnesium, leather and aluminum, which give the headphones a sense of boutique refinement. The Focal Logo with white light effect is added to the outside of the earmuffs on both sides. It will light up when using headphones, which is quite stylish (if you want to keep a low profile, you can set it to be darker or even turn off the light effect in the mobile app).
Another detail that can be seen is the ear pads and headband. The ear pads of Focal Bathys are made of lambskin. With an aluminum structure frame and a weight of only 350g, Focal Bathys is quite comfortable to wear, and it won’t feel “dropping” when you hang it on your neck when you’re not listening to music. The ear pads have a detachable design, which is convenient for home users to take out for cleaning or replacement.
Use patented aluminum-magnesium M-type spherical moving coil unit
The pursuit of the ultimate timbre for earmuffs starts with the unit, of course. Focal Bathys uses a patented 40mm C-aluminum-magnesium M-shaped hemispherical moving coil unit with frequencies as low as 15Hz and as high as 22kHz. It is worth mentioning that this unit is manufactured in France and then shipped elsewhere for assembly, which ensures that the sound quality of the headphones is not affected by other factors. In terms of transmission specifications, Focal Bathys uses Bluetooth 5.1 connection and supports SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX Adaptive specifications.
USB direct connection can use the built-in DAC function
Focal Bathys has another way of playing, which is to use a USB-C cable to directly connect mobile devices (such as mobile phones) to listen to music. It turns out that Focal Bathys has a built-in DAC function. If it is connected with a USB-C cable, it can support 24bit/192kHz specifications. I tried to use Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to play high-definition music with USB Audio Player PRO. After connecting Focal Bathys, the program can recognize the DAC function and use it HD output. In terms of battery life, with Bluetooth connection and active noise reduction function, the battery life is about 30 hours. The headset supports fast charging function, and it can listen for about 5 hours after 15 minutes of charging.
Conclusion
PCM Rating: 4.5/5
The author first listened to it through a wireless connection. I think that Focal Bathys will not have a feeling of surging low frequency, but the strength is just right. The layering of human voice and instrument sound is quite enough, and the human voice will feel warm and full. Then connect the device with a USB cable and use the DAC function to listen again. You will feel that the analysis power is higher and the sound field is wider. As for noise reduction performance. After turning on the “Silent” mode, a large part of the noise can be blocked, and you can concentrate on enjoying the music. As for “Soft”, the feeling is so-so. “Silent” is the best for the environment in Hong Kong, while the performance of “Transparent” transparent mode is quite satisfactory, and it still has the feeling of using a microphone to collect external sounds and then transmit them to your ears. All in all, the price of Focal Bathys at $5,880 is indeed reasonable. It has wireless and wired connection, excellent sound level, exquisite earphone texture, and friends with enough silver bullets. It is worth buying.
Focal Bathys spec.
- Connections: Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, 3.5mm
- Decoding: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive
- Driver: 40mm aluminum-magnesium M-type spherical dynamic coil
- Frequency Response: 15Hz – 22kHz
- Use time: 30 hours (Bluetooth connection plus ANC), 35 hours (3.5mm connection), 42 hours (USB DAC)
- Weight: 350g
- Price: $5,880
- Enquiries: SoundWave (2771 8209)
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