[Ansch]

It’s been a week since owning the Bathys and I’m very happy with them. I think I’ve reached the end of my BT wireless headphone journey. The Bathys just does everything well and sounds even better with the USB-C DAC mode via my iPad Pro when I’m at the coffee shop.

I’ve also used them at the gym and did a few outdoor runs with them and they’ve stayed glued onto my head. Can’t complain about comfort because they‘ve been great for hours.

After one month with the Bathys, I wholeheartedly agree. For Focal's first venture into ANC wireless they've really nailed it, and not just with a me-too product.

 

[redmonddad]

I have ordered mine yesterday. Hope it will do it. I also use this adapter from Hidizs, works fine:

My Meenova cable was unable to do it so I returned it.

I'm sorry the Meenova cable didn't work for you. I don't know if this is the difference, but I should note that while my Bathys is running the latest firmware (1.4.2), my iPhone 12 Pro is still running iOS 15.7. That said, it's more likely that this is a QC problem by the cable manufacturer.

 

[Eslaron]

This is my favourite video review so far based on the YouTube videos.

Its good he picked up the dip near the 1K which i feel is evident when I listen to them.
Hence i EQ up in this area to compensate to try and give a fuller mid range.

Unfortunately this dip is bad for certain shouty higher pitched voices which is an issues for some.

Actually, imho this is a bad review. DMS is comparing apples to oranges by mentioning the Radiance. His claim that Bathys replaces Radiance and oh so "Radiance" is still a good headphone... I pulled the trigger on the Bathys. Listening to them since Friday and being the owner of a pair of Radiance I immediately called bull****.

Bathys don't offer as much air, space and stage as Radiance. It's only natural, because... the ear cups are considerably smaller and there's no small vent like on the Radiance. Vocals are much more intimate and beside the ear. There's even more warmth and bass, because they're designed for noisy places and not a leisure home listening experience, although the app does offer such an profile and it actually works.

But, in the category of wireless, over-ear, ANC headphones... Bathys is absolutely bonkers. The sound is quite close to wired HiFi headphones, which is amazing. And when you want a small form-factor solution without having to carry the considerably bulky Radiance carrying case, a portable dac/amp or a DAP then you will be very satisfied.

Heck, I applied my EQ profile for Radiance to Bathys and it works well. Paired with BTR5 out of curiosity and for better volume control (yes, Android has bad volume control). I'll do some back and forth comparisons. And share further thoughts.

But nevertheless, DMS has disappointed me in this review.

 

[Soundizer]

Actually, imho this is a bad review. DMS is comparing apples to oranges by mentioning the Radiance. His claim that Bathys replaces Radiance and oh so "Radiance" is still a good headphone... I pulled the trigger on the Bathys. Listening to them since Friday and being the owner of a pair of Radiance I immediately called bull****.

Bathys don't offer as much air, space and stage as Radiance. It's only natural, because... the ear cups are considerably smaller and there's no small vent like on the Radiance. Vocals are much more intimate and beside the ear. There's even more warmth and bass, because they're designed for noisy places and not a leisure home listening experience, although the app does offer such an profile and it actually works.

But, in the category of wireless, over-ear, ANC headphones... Bathys is absolutely bonkers. The sound is quite close to wired HiFi headphones, which is amazing. And when you want a small form-factor solution without having to carry the considerably bulky Radiance carrying case, a portable dac/amp or a DAP then you will be very satisfied.

Heck, I applied my EQ profile for Radiance to Bathys and it works well. Paired with BTR5 out of curiosity and for better volume control (yes, Android has bad volume control). I'll do some back and forth comparisons. And share further thoughts.

But nevertheless, DMS has disappointed me in this review.

I agree with you and might be buying Radiance. But unfortunately only available at Bentley in UK. I BORROWED them for one month last year.

I didn’t quite understand his comparison to Radiance, but can confirm they are far from close in Resolution, Low end Base extension.

I think if you only have £700 to spend for all your headphones needs then this is a good solution at that price. If £700 is the maximum budget in total because it’s £700 a month now for Home Energy costs.

My main headphone is Clear MG.
I use BATHYS in USB and Bluetooth from my Android Shield for Movies

 

[mainguy]

Actually, imho this is a bad review. DMS is comparing apples to oranges by mentioning the Radiance. His claim that Bathys replaces Radiance and oh so "Radiance" is still a good headphone... I pulled the trigger on the Bathys. Listening to them since Friday and being the owner of a pair of Radiance I immediately called bull****.

Bathys don't offer as much air, space and stage as Radiance. It's only natural, because... the ear cups are considerably smaller and there's no small vent like on the Radiance. Vocals are much more intimate and beside the ear.

This sounds much more like what I'd expect and what my memory of Celestee/Elegia is compared to Bathys. Not saying Bathys isn't great for what it is, but I don't think it compares to the wired closed backs they offer (from memory) and I doubt Focal intended it too. I mean shrinking the cup volume to about half it's original and stuffing it with electronics surely isn't going to lead to the same or better sound.

 

[Eslaron]

This sounds much more like what I'd expect and what my memory of Celestee/Elegia is compared to Bathys. Not saying Bathys isn't great for what it is, but I don't think it compares to the wired closed backs they offer (from memory) and I doubt Focal intended it too. I mean shrinking the cup volume to about half it's original and stuffing it with electronics surely isn't going to lead to the same or better sound.

Exactly. Bathys is a champ in it's category and intended purpose. And stacking it against Radiance is like arranging a featherweight boxer with Mike Tyson at his prime.

The only thing that connects Bathys to Radiance is it's similar signature and nothing more. And I'm keeping both the Radiance and Bathys Maybe I will sell Clear Mg and save up for the old Utopias.

 

[Soundizer]

This sounds much more like what I'd expect and what my memory of Celestee/Elegia is compared to Bathys. Not saying Bathys isn't great for what it is, but I don't think it compares to the wired closed backs they offer (from memory) and I doubt Focal intended it too. I mean shrinking the cup volume to about half it's original and stuffing it with electronics surely isn't going to lead to the same or better sound.

Actually i loved the Radiance, but not the Celeste. Too much treble energy in Celeste and lack of low end Base. I actually prefer the Bathys to Celeste because of this as a tuning.

But Radiance is much better for me

 

[WDitters]

It's interesting to see how the Focal Bathys, while positioned right at the top of the wireless audiophile segment, are the only ones constantly being compared with wired competitors. Of course this is logical because Focal is one of the rare manufacturers that also has a comprehensive line of wired audiophile headphones. But it is my feeling that because if this they get a little bit more negative feedback than strictly is justified. Comparing wireless headphones with wired alternatives is a bit risky and could often lead to unjust comparisons, if not worded properly...

 

[KjellinMusic]

We (human)s have all diffrent ears and genetical aberrations. So its diffcult to tell who its sounds this or that
So try them out! In my case. After one month they start to have an open and clean sound. Very happy owner

 

[Tudorsound]

You can download the app “Lossless Switcher” as it automatically switches the correct sample rate on the Mac for you depending on the song being played. Works great most of the time.

This has been tested on older MacBooks and not newer ones, so not sure, but I downloaded it (MacBook Pro '21) and it seems to work - not sure I can hear it though! Need more time to try.
btw, I bought the Bathys, just trying it out now, so far the noise cancellation seems a bit rubbish (I only know my AirPods Pro 1)- but need more time to try - and the transparency mode is full of white noise and unusable unless you just want to quickly hear what someone is saying. BT mode is just nice. Dac mode is really great. Seems to have some issues with balance though, with a volume change the balance sways to the left, and also at other times. Can manually adjust but it keeps on moving about.
edit: just downloaded 'Balance Lock' and that helps. (should I need this for such expensive headphones?)

 

[soundblast75]

Guys, which usb cable works for iPhone dac mode?
Thanks

 

[tyk103]

Guys, which usb cable works for iPhone dac mode?
Thanks

That is the ultimate mystery for me as well.

 

[angelom]

It's interesting to see how the Focal Bathys, while positioned right at the top of the wireless audiophile segment, are the only ones constantly being compared with wired competitors. Of course this is logical because Focal is one of the rare manufacturers that also has a comprehensive line of wired audiophile headphones. But it is my feeling that because if this they get a little bit more negative feedback than strictly is justified. Comparing wireless headphones with wired alternatives is a bit risky and could often lead to unjust comparisons, if not worded properly...

Yes, very true and a very good observation. And this is too one reason why the Bathys having more critical, and less fanboy, comments even when is enthusiasm too but is more moderate. If you look in the new (700 euros) px8 thread, this is just a BIG b&w / px8 fanclub in so, so many posts, AND the reaction (likes) of the people in the same thread for this posts.

 

[Soundizer]

I discovered a major negative point on the Bluetooth implementation on Bathys.
As Bathys uses AptX Adaptive it is supposed to be backwards compatible with AptX HD (because AptX specifications on QUALCOMM website show’s compatibility with AptX HD). This is important if you have a source device which can transmit AptX HD, but not the newer AptX Adaptive.

I have such a device - Nvidia Shield TV PRO. Which is the main reason I purchased Bathys so i can listen to Movies in wireless. Unfortunately Bathys falls to 16bit Apt X instead of 24bit Apt X HD. i know this doesn’t sound nearly as good. The reason is my previously owned Sennheiser Momentum 4 which is also Apt X Adaptive when connected to Nvidia Shield would receive Apt X HD.

Something gone wrong in this implementation.

 

[ticoss]

It's not the case.
Just for example, look at this thread on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones...ptx_adaptive_codec_isnt_backwards_compatible/

In reality, AptX Adaptive replace AptX HD. If your device does both, well it's an advantage for some but it's a rare thing.
It seems to me that at Qualcomm, they indicated that the algorithms are much more efficient with their AptX Adaptive, so AptX HD (which never had much success) is abandoned.

In the document referring to the Qualcomm SoC used on the Bathys (the QCC5127 if i remember well), this HD version is not even mentioned:
https://www.qualcomm.com/content/da...qcc5100-series-product-brief_87-cf482-1-i.pdf
So, there's no support for AptX HD in their last Soc.

Edit: the SoC is a QCC5126, as @WDitters discovered