[FinalAd]

Love it.

My Azurys are en route. I'm going to compare them directly to the Bathys and maybe the Celestee if I have time, will post a comparison for prospective buyers. For me the big question is whether someone should just get a Bathys or these, looking forward to finding out.

Also FinalAd I see you have a stelliance. Which brings up a very interesting possibility, what if Stellia drivers can be put in the Azurys? That would be incredible performance in such a tiny package.

I'm personally gonna run my Azurys with a BTR15 to get a Bathys equivalent without DSP (and ANC but that's a worthy compromise for a unrestricted driver and therefore better sound). Will be curious to see your comparison!

Regarding your question, that's unfortunately not possible. While they also use a 40mm dome-shaped driver, they do not share the modular design of the bigger closed backs. It would've been very cool otherwise!

@FinalAd thanks for the feedback
I'm tempted to try these to give my ears a rest with IEMs times to times.
But I'm concerned about sound leakage. I'm working in a quite office and it will be an issue...
Also you say they are too neutral for your taste . What are your daily driver ?

Thanks

As long as you don't blast your volume up and your coworkers aren't right next to you, you should honestly be fine. It will leak more than an IEM at a similar volume, but it's still quiet enough to be useable IMO.

I currently daily drive a pair of Stellia with Al-Mg drivers, which is quite a bassy pair of headphones. I also run a pair of Stelliance which is quite warm.

Even then, I still really enjoy the Azurys with their stock signature. For my own tastes I'd most likely boost up the low end while slighty taming down the highs a call it a day! I just love Focal's dynamic sound in general.

I like the direction theyve gone with the pads, more Airpod Max like and Im sure breathable, but I'd bet you could pad swap with Bathys and potentially get better isolation. I'll try it when they get here. I'll compare isolation to Airpods Max too with ANC just for fun.

They use the same clipping system as the Bathys so both the official Bathys pads + the Dekoni ones should work on the Azurys/Hadenys. It should also make them more isolating like the Bathys (Altho they're both more open than it)

As for those new pads, they are indeed very breathable and comfy, the foam is the same as usual and top notch! I'm just someone who's very sensitive when it comes to certain textures/feels and noises, and well when this fabric is rubbed onto itself it gives me some slight unpleasant shivers. Also you'll be more akin to confirm it but as far as I remember the fabric on the Airpod Max felt slightly softer, not by much but enough for me to notice it when I first handled the Azurys.

 

[kman1211]

Received my pair today, so far I'm quite pleased!

First impressions:

- Insanely light! They dissapear when worn, truly impressive! It does make them feel cheaper to the touch but that's okay.

- Materials are fine. This new fabric feels slightly rough when handled, and I don't like how it sounds when the 2 pads are touching each others. But when worn it doesn't bother me and it's more breathable. Would've still preferred the leather and alcantara from the Bathys. Rest is identical to the Bathys, pads should be easily swappable between both.

- Isolation isn't great, same for sound leakage. Slightly worse than the Bathys for the latter. Very light clamp pressure, they're not gonna stay on your head if you move too much.

- I do not have a single ended balanced cable, best I could do is use one side of my double mono balanced and it did work on one side. I don't really think it means anything but yeah.

- Sound wise I'm truly impressed! Sound signature is a bit too neutral for my tastes but they seem to handle EQ quite well! I've pushed them really high to find any clipping and there was nothing. Unlike the Bathys, it can also handle a good amount of bass before distorting, that was the main reason why I didn't keep the Bathys and it shows that those drivers are more than capable, the DSP is just too restricting.

So far they still seem to retain that Focal soul and the insane dynamics, albeit with a more neutral signature. I'd take the Azurys over the Elegia any day of the week, and a good argument could be made compared to the Celestee. However, I do think the Radiance edges it, those drivers simply have more space to move and play with and the materials are a significant jump (ignoring the design flaws). But at this point it says more about how strong this little Azurys is, to be compared with the second highest in Focal's closed back lineup. You could get both the Hadenys and Azurys for less than a Radiance at MSRP, and I don't think the fancy materials will be enough to justify that gap for most.

Thanks for the impressions. Waiting for my unit to be shipped. Should be soon. How’s the imaging and soundstage of the Azurys?

 

[FinalAd]

Thanks for the impressions. Waiting for my unit to be shipped. Should be soon. How’s the imaging and soundstage of the Azurys?

I forgot to mention it mostly because it's quite unimpressive, soundstage is smaller than the bigger Focals which aren't really known for being wide themselves. Feels like a closed-back for sure.

Imaging seems decent, instruments are well separated from what I've heard and placement seemed right. However, I did notice the lack of depth compared to what I'm used from Focal, it's very left-center-right with little to no front and back.

Hadenys will most likely have more openess which may help, but it honestly shouldn't be too different between both. Focal's sound signature has always been quite intimate no matter what so to me it's really not a big deal, and most likely come from the smaller chassis + different drivers (smaller magnets, less room to move).

 

[KaiFi]

Disappointing about the "meh" isolation. The full-sized Focals have excellent isolation; the Celestee was best isolating headphone I've ever heard. It was almost like wearing ANC headphones.

I know one critique of the Celestee was that the soundstage was narrow (I found it to be okay myself, but could definitely recognize it was narrower than other closed-backs I'd heard like the NightOwl); so the Azurys has an even narrower soundstage than that? Hmm. Still interested, but yeah, good to know the downsides.

 

[liujun050612]

Personally I don't think Focal will put Be driver into the Azurys even they could do so and sound better. Because Be drivers are reserved on higher end models for best performance possible. So far, only Stellia and Utopia use be drivers, which are their top of the line closed and open back models.

 

[kman1211]

I forgot to mention it mostly because it's quite unimpressive, soundstage is smaller than the bigger Focals which aren't really known for being wide themselves. Feels like a closed-back for sure.

Imaging seems decent, instruments are well separated from what I've heard and placement seemed right. However, I did notice the lack of depth compared to what I'm used from Focal, it's very left-center-right with little to no front and back.

Hadenys will most likely have more openess which may help, but it honestly shouldn't be too different between both. Focal's sound signature has always been quite intimate no matter what so to me it's really not a big deal, and most likely come from the smaller chassis + different drivers (smaller magnets, less room to move).

I never found the open Focals I heard all that spacious either so did expect it to be on the less spacious side. Though may be less spacious than expected; but I know things do vary some person to person in terms of imaging and soundstage, but good to know general trends among impressions. My other closed backs are spacious sounding so an intimate sound will likely be a nice change.

So definitely not going to be comparable soundstage wise to my massively spacious and deep sounding DT 480 (modded). But curious how it will compare dynamics wise to the DT 480 (another headphone that uses metal drivers, pure aluminum in the DT 480’s case). Problem is those old Beyers are heavy and very bulky so not practical for portable use or even long listening sessions.

 

[FinalAd]

Disappointing about the "meh" isolation. The full-sized Focals have excellent isolation; the Celestee was best isolating headphone I've ever heard. It was almost like wearing ANC headphones.

I know one critique of the Celestee was that the soundstage was narrow (I found it to be okay myself, but could definitely recognize it was narrower than other closed-backs I'd heard like the NightOwl); so the Azurys has an even narrower soundstage than that? Hmm. Still interested, but yeah, good to know the downsides.

I did an AB swap between the Azurys and the Stellia next to a fan and yeah it doesn't isolate nearly as much, the fan was quite audible while wearing the Azurys. Wearing them truly feels like you're wearing nothing, be it weight or isolation.

However I mostly think it's due to the pads, as the Bathys was much better at isolating without ANC. So if that's important to you then I would highly consider a pad swap to either the Bathys pads or maybe the Dekoni leather ones. Note that it does have an extra opening compared to the Bathys + less density so I don't think it will reach the same level no matter what.

The soundstage being narrow is again not too bad since there wasn't much soundstage to begin with, as you pointed out. My main surprise was the lesser depth, as to me Focals make up the lack of soundstage with how they make you feel in the middle of the music, as if you were the microphone. I didn't find that in the Azurys, they sound like headphones. Kinda reminds me of the Z1R which had a truly impressive soundstage especially for a closed back, yet lacked the depth of a Focal. Well the Azurys is like the Z1R minus the wide soundstage!

Personally I don't think Focal will put Be driver into the Azurys even they could do so and sound better. Because Be drivers are reserved on higher end models for best performance possible. So far, only Stellia and Utopia use be drivers, which are their top of the line closed and open back models.

Agreed, I don't think this chassis will ever see a Be driver. However, a full Mg one could be an interesting take as we're still lacking a closed-back using them.

I never found the open Focals I heard all that spacious either so did expect it to be on the less spacious side. Though may be less spacious than expected, though I know things do vary some person to person in terms of imaging and soundstage, but good to know general trends among impressions. My other closed backs are spacious sounding so an intimate sound will likely be a nice change.

So definitely not going to be comparable soundstage wise to my massively spacious and deep sounding DT 480 (modded). But curious how it will compare dynamics wise to the DT 480 (another headphone that uses metal drivers, pure aluminum in the DT 480’s case). Problem is those old Beyers are heavy and very bulky so not practical for portable use or even long listening sessions.

Dynamic wise they're clearly worthy of being called Focal, it feels as snappy as the others Al-Mg drivers and with a bass boost they become really punchy with somehow no clipping (instead they'll bottom out and distort like a more common pair of headphones). I'm having a blast listening to them this way, makes them so damn fun, dare I say even more fun than its bigger Al-Mg brother! Gotta get out the Stelliance to surpass it!

I'd be very curious to hear how they compare to your DTs!

 

[kman1211]

I did an AB swap between the Azurys and the Stellia next to a fan and yeah it doesn't isolate nearly as much, the fan was quite audible while wearing the Azurys. Wearing them truly feels like you're wearing nothing, be it weight or isolation.

However I mostly think it's due to the pads, as the Bathys was much better at isolating without ANC. So if that's important to you then I would highly consider a pad swap to either the Bathys pads or maybe the Dekoni leather ones. Note that it does have an extra opening compared to the Bathys + less density so I don't think it will reach the same level no matter what.

The soundstage being narrow is again not too bad since there wasn't much soundstage to begin with, as you pointed out. My main surprise was the lesser depth, as to me Focals make up the lack of soundstage with how they make you feel in the middle of the music, as if you were the microphone. I didn't find that in the Azurys, they sound like headphones. Kinda reminds me of the Z1R which had a truly impressive soundstage especially for a closed back, yet lacked the depth of a Focal. Well the Azurys is like the Z1R minus the wide soundstage!


Agreed, I don't think this chassis will ever see a Be driver. However, a full Mg one could be an interesting take as we're still lacking a closed-back using them.


Dynamic wise they're clearly worthy of being called Focal, it feels as snappy as the others Al-Mg drivers and with a bass boost they become really punchy with somehow no clipping (instead they'll bottom out and distort like a more common pair of headphones). I'm having a blast listening to them this way, makes them so damn fun, dare I say even more fun than its bigger Al-Mg brother! Gotta get out the Stelliance to surpass it!

I'd be very curious to hear how they compare to your DTs!

It should be quite different from my other headphones so looking forward to them. I have some bass-head tendencies so may be quite fun to tinker with the bass. Very curious about them, been wanting a Focal for a while now.

The DT’s are a freak of nature, and sound far better than expected considering their age; they are very midrange and vocal focused though. They have massively dynamic midrange and vocals. Makes the Senn HD 6xx line sound downright thin in the mids in comparison. Bass presence was a real challenge to squeeze out of them with modding but finally got them to a nice level, but they refuse to distort so the bass does come to life when it gets loud and also when the pads get warm. They’ve been a modding project headphone of mine for years.

 

[mainguy]

I did an AB swap between the Azurys and the Stellia next to a fan and yeah it doesn't isolate nearly as much, the fan was quite audible while wearing the Azurys. Wearing them truly feels like you're wearing nothing, be it weight or isolation.

However I mostly think it's due to the pads, as the Bathys was much better at isolating without ANC. So if that's important to you then I would highly consider a pad swap to either the Bathys pads or maybe the Dekoni leather ones. Note that it does have an extra opening compared to the Bathys + less density so I don't think it will reach the same level no matter what.

That's a little concerning isolation is so poor, I might just cancel my order. Closed backs really should isolate well otherwise they're pretty pointless for my use cases, or people would just by the superior Hadenys lol. Hmm.

Puzzling as Focal know how to make closed backs that isolate very well indeed. I was hoping with a Bathys pad swap I might get this close to Celestee isolation, then it'd compete with many mid tier ANC headphones

 

[Surf Monkey]

Kind of shocked. The light blue is catering to what? Young boys? Price points are going down? Hard pass. BTW, anyone that has a really nice condition of FOCAL BENTLEY RADIANCE, note me. Now THAT's a closed back MAN's headset!!

I really like the light blue, and I’m a 60 year old man.

 

[subwoof3r]

Hadenys just received today!



So far, from the first impression out of the box after the very first hours spent with it, I can directly say without any ambiguity that it's a keeper.
I directly enjoyed its warm overall sound with the delightful subs, clean non-forwarded mids, non fatiguing but sufficiently detailed highs (no peak at 3.5kHz felt personally).
The signature remains balanced, with a soundstage that's both intimate and wide. Clearly audiophile-quality listening, precise yet relaxing and very smooth, and versatile enough to suit just about any type of music.
My brain will just have to adjust a little on the bass front, as I wasn't used to so much quantity on my ATH-MSR7b, nor so much warmth (two completely different headphones, after all).

You can clearly see that the headphones will respond very easily to the EQ if need be.
For the time being, I prefer to immerse myself in its default signature, and break it in for many hours.

I'll deliver a second impression once the headphones have received 100 hours of break-in, and then deliver my final conclusions after the double or triple.
This is the second pair of open-back headphones I've tested since I started audiophilia, and I personally really appreciate the fact that I can hear the different noises around me at home, which reassures me.

Comfort is indeed excellent, although I was expecting a more cheap and small headset, but this is definitely not the case. My ears aren't encased in the cushions, but it's already much more comfortable than an on-ear headset.

Quick question: does anyone know how to remove the pads please?

Cheers'

 

[evhvis]

I've had the Hadenys for a few days now and been able to listen to them for about 15 hours due to working from home. The short version of my first impressions is that the weight is great, everything else is good. Basically, a balanced headphone that doesn't have any major weaknesses and makes for a great allrounder, even if it isn't outstanding in a single area when it comes to sound. Early impressions are that this will be one of my favorite headphones due to the completeness of the total package. They are not a direct drop-in replacement for a HD650 due to upper midrange/lower treble, but my initial impression is that these kind of make the HD650 redundant in my collection.

Comfort will depend on your head shape quite a bit. The pads are great for me and the fabric feels good. The headband has the same issues as the Bathys in that the padding doesn't extend that far from center so you might touch the parts of the headband that has very little padding. Not a big issue and I'm fine with using these for hours, but a tiny bit more padding on the headband would make comfort go from good to great for me.

The weight is excellent and one of the main reasons I wanted a pair of these. I just find 400+ gram headphones tiring for sessions beyond 3-4 hours and 2-3 hours if it starts approaching 500 grams. Having recently gotten a good closed back and now a good open back in my collection that both are close to the 300 gram mark is great. They will see a lot of usage due to the weight and good sound.

The frequency response is a bit to the relaxed side of the spectrum. The bass has good level overall, not just for an open back. Those who like a lot of bass might find it is not enough while those who like their headphones lean will probably find it too much, but I do believe most fill find it just right. I like midrange on these but would like a tiny bit more in the 1.8 to 3khz range. It would make the headphones feel a bit more energetic, but you would lose a bit of the laid-back sound. They will be a bit polite when it comes to instrument attack etc. due to the frequency balance but sustain and decay seems good. There seems to either be some peaks or driver limitations that causes a bit of harshness in the treble when I crank it really loud, but they are not present until you are closing in on 100 dB so not an issue for my use. The issues are mainly at volumes you should not be listening to over time if you want to take care of your hearing. These also seem to be a bit polite in the treble, but it is fine for me. I feel the overall frequency response is well judged and good, just shy of great.

PRAT is good. Rhythmical music sounds exciting and enjoyable. These are among the better headphones I've heard when it comes to highlight well played rhythmical pieces and this is very important for me when it comes to musical enjoyment.

The soundstage has decent width and depth. You will find headphones with significantly larger soundstages, but it works more than well enough for my needs. Imaging is OK, but not great. The feeling of space between performers and how they occupy a position in the soundstage can be a little bit fuzzy, but it is not bad. It doesn't detract from how I enjoy the music, but I do feel this is probably the weakest point of these headphones.

These have good dynamic capability, but you will find faster and harder hitting headphones. These put something like the HD650 to shame, but lose out to my Elear with Elex pads, Solitaire T and quite a few others. Most will be satisfied with the dynamics though.

The bass level is more like what you would expect from a closed back headphone in level. It is tuneful with fairly good definition, but lacks the slam/punch and speed that you get on headphones that have excellent bass. I find the bass to integrate well with the rest of the frequency spectrum and creates a good foundation for the rest of the music.

Midrange and treble are generally well balanced. There seems to be some areas where I would like a tiny bit more or tiny bit less, but I feel that these do not need EQ and that the improvements from a good EQ would be minor unless one is looking for a special sound.

Detail level and general clarity is good, but not outstanding. I am more than fine with at the given price but would probably be a bit disappointed if they were twice as expensive. There are fine details than I can hear easily on some of my other headphones and in my stereo that aren't that obvious on the Hadenys. I do believe a little bit of it is related to the frequency response and some of it is limitations in technical ability.

Most of my listening has been on a Violectric DHA-V226 fed by a RME ADI-2 DAC FS, some directly from the ADI-2 DAC FS and a little bit with the Mojo 2 feeding the V226. I felt both the V226 and ADI-2 DAC FS worked well for amplifying the Hadenys though I did prefer them through the V226.

The Hadenys are a great buy based on my first impressions. While it isn't outstanding in any one area, outside of weight, I do find it good in all areas and a great allrounder at a good price. I've run many different musical genres and these feel just at home with Metallica as they do with Sonny Rollins, Wu-Tang clan and different types of electronica. They do handle poor recordings well unless you really crank the volume to unsafe levels. These are likely be one of the 2-3 most used headphones in my collection going forward based on early impressions.

 

[FinalAd]

Hadenys just received today!



Quick question: does anyone know how to remove the pads please?

Cheers'

You need to pull them, I'd recommend grabbing them from the back with your fingers pushing from inside, they should come off relatively easily. Note that clipping them back on is a bit more annoying however.

 

[subwoof3r]

My Hadenys has just reached its 100-hour break-in period (as recommended by Focal, i.e. a break-in period based on a minimum of 25 hours at relatively high volume on tracks rich in low frequencies).

I was surprised by the result: these headphones really do need a serious break-in before showing their true potential. The result is now finally here!

I imagine that Focal must have put a lot of thought into their display model when it came to presenting it to the public, given the very positive reviews and to be compared with the Clear MG and co.



First impressions of these headphones when they're unpacked from the box should be taken with a pinch of salt, although they already seem to show a lot of character that can be appreciated straight away. Personally, the first few hours I spent listening to them confirmed that I was going to go a long way with the Hadenys.

In any case, this headset is really surprising in terms of sound quality and comfort. Admittedly, there was never a “wow” effect on my side, but with the break-in I really began to appreciate these headphones, which have a lot of quality.

The break-in process slightly smoothed out the original impact of the bass, making the original sound signature slightly less 'hot', thanks to the opening up of the midrange (and in particular the detail in the treble), which regained a little more of the upper hand. The soundstage has also gained a little more width.

For an open-type headphone, I find it relatively surprising when it comes to mid-bass precision. At times, I even have the impression of listening to closed-type headphones, so deceptive are they depending on the track.

Overall, the character remained warm, very slightly colored for my taste. In terms of transparency, I've experienced a little more.

Its sound signature makes it possible to listen to any style of music. Personally, I listen to a lot of electronic music, but I also enjoy good jazz, rock, etc. Everything comes through extremely well.
Everything comes through extremely well. It sounds very good, without excelling in all areas. In the end, the highs are very pleasant, as is the overall tone, with the highs sounding just right. There's neither too much nor too little, and I think that's a real masterstroke when it comes to doing justice to songs that are meant to be presented as they should be.
The highs never whistle or beeing sibilant, but are very present when needed, without ever becoming annoying. For long-term listening pleasure, this is ideal.
The same goes for the midrange, which could do with an extra 1 or 2db, but in the end sounds just right and leaves plenty of room for the use of an equalizer to adjust this point if need be.
As for the bass, I'd prefer 1db less in the mid-bass, as this allows me to appreciate the natural sound that these headphones can really offer.

It's not an analytical sound, but rather smooth, warm and ultimately very pleasant.

I'm planning to buy a top-of-the-range pure silver cable for it in the near future, to further improve the soundstage, boost the bass slightly less and the midrange slightly more, without resorting to the use of an equalizer. I'll have to wait and see, but I'm already convinced that the original cable somewhat restricts the many qualities of this 40mm transducer, which is just waiting to express itself.

As I write these lines, I have always continued to express my feelings without any equalizer to appreciate the original sound signature.
It clearly improves with time, so don't hesitate to give it at least 100 hours (at least 60 hours, for those in a hurry) to begin to form a true opinion of the Hadenys.

I'll come back to you soon for a final verdict within the 200 hours of running-in that I'll interrupt afterwards.
But I don't think it will change much now

Cheer's

 

[evhvis]

My Hadenys has just reached its 100-hour break-in period (as recommended by Focal, i.e. a break-in period based on a minimum of 25 hours at relatively high volume on tracks rich in low frequencies).

I was surprised by the result: these headphones really do need a serious break-in before showing their true potential. The result is now finally here!

I imagine that Focal must have put a lot of thought into their display model when it came to presenting it to the public, given the very positive reviews and to be compared with the Clear MG and co.



First impressions of these headphones when they're unpacked from the box should be taken with a pinch of salt, although they already seem to show a lot of character that can be appreciated straight away. Personally, the first few hours I spent listening to them confirmed that I was going to go a long way with the Hadenys.

In any case, this headset is really surprising in terms of sound quality and comfort. Admittedly, there was never a “wow” effect on my side, but with the break-in I really began to appreciate these headphones, which have a lot of quality.

The break-in process slightly smoothed out the original impact of the bass, making the original sound signature slightly less 'hot', thanks to the opening up of the midrange (and in particular the detail in the treble), which regained a little more of the upper hand. The soundstage has also gained a little more width.

For an open-type headphone, I find it relatively surprising when it comes to mid-bass precision. At times, I even have the impression of listening to closed-type headphones, so deceptive are they depending on the track.

Overall, the character remained warm, very slightly colored for my taste. In terms of transparency, I've experienced a little more.

Its sound signature makes it possible to listen to any style of music. Personally, I listen to a lot of electronic music, but I also enjoy good jazz, rock, etc. Everything comes through extremely well.
Everything comes through extremely well. It sounds very good, without excelling in all areas. In the end, the highs are very pleasant, as is the overall tone, with the highs sounding just right. There's neither too much nor too little, and I think that's a real masterstroke when it comes to doing justice to songs that are meant to be presented as they should be.
The highs never whistle or beeing sibilant, but are very present when needed, without ever becoming annoying. For long-term listening pleasure, this is ideal.
The same goes for the midrange, which could do with an extra 1 or 2db, but in the end sounds just right and leaves plenty of room for the use of an equalizer to adjust this point if need be.
As for the bass, I'd prefer 1db less in the mid-bass, as this allows me to appreciate the natural sound that these headphones can really offer.

It's not an analytical sound, but rather smooth, warm and ultimately very pleasant.

I'm planning to buy a top-of-the-range pure silver cable for it in the near future, to further improve the soundstage, boost the bass slightly less and the midrange slightly more, without resorting to the use of an equalizer. I'll have to wait and see, but I'm already convinced that the original cable somewhat restricts the many qualities of this 40mm transducer, which is just waiting to express itself.

As I write these lines, I have always continued to express my feelings without any equalizer to appreciate the original sound signature.
It clearly improves with time, so don't hesitate to give it at least 100 hours (at least 60 hours, for those in a hurry) to begin to form a true opinion of the Hadenys.

I'll come back to you soon for a final verdict within the 200 hours of running-in that I'll interrupt afterwards.
But I don't think it will change much now

Cheer's

Most of the break-in was done in the first 24 hours for me. I did a comparison to other headphones after a few hours of music then another one around 15 hours of break in. The second round of comparisons showed some improvements, but later comparisons are fairly consistent with the second comparison that I did. They now have around 100 hours of break in and maybe 25 hours of music, but relative performance to my other headphones has stayed the same after the first break in session.

I do use 10hz sine waves instead of music to break in bass drivers on speakers and headphones has they allow lots of excursion without the heat, watts or audible sound and I find it a lot more effective than music. Since headphones only have one driver a 10hz sine wave at 80-85dB will soften the surround quite quickly as there is a lot more movement of the driver compared to most music.