I think it’s safe to say that when most people look for Bluetooth headphones, they just want something that sounds good enough to wear at the gym or on their way to work. If it has decent enough ANC to boot, even better. But seldom do people think of wireless headphones and ‘luxury’ together the way that Focal has with the Bathys MG. With this latest release, they fuse opulence and mobility without sacrificing quality once more. These stylish headphones are more than just their flashy appearance, albeit with some mild caveats.
Retail Price
$1499
What You Get
Focal Bathys MG headphones
Hardshell protective carrying case
3.5mm headphone jack cable, 1.2m
USB-C cable, 1.2m
Look and Feel
The headphones come off as anything but cheaply made. They’re sturdy, with a matte chestnut finish to its metallic exterior, and a headband made of genuine leather. Even the hardshell protective case that the Bathys MG is stored in feels premium. Just opening the case to look at them, you can tell they mean business.
The earpads sit comfortably over the ears, with the memory foam padding ensuring a snug fit without pushing against one’s ears more than necessary, something which I’m sure most of us can appreciate. There’s a satisfying weight to the headphones, coming in at 12.8 oz, with a nice heft that reminds you of their quality build but without weighing you down. The headband is lightweight, and even after several hours of consistent listening, I did not feel any noticeable pressure on the top of my head.
Design and Functionality
The 40 mm Magnesium ‘M’ profile dome drivers are being utilized to the fullest extent in the Bathys MG, able to create distinction between each instrument, and having the range to make just about any genre of music play at its absolute best.
The Bathys MG offers three listening modes those being Silent, Soft, and Transparent. Silent is your standard ANC, able to block out most ambient sound to provide a more intimate audio experience. Silent mode really did feel as though I had just been put in a separate room from everything else going on, and I could only hear it through the walls. Soft mode allows for some additional noise to pass through while maintaining a lower level of ANC. Transparent mode is simply no ANC whatsoever. I did notice a brief buzzing noise would occur whenever I switched from either Silent or Soft to Transparent mode, and a similar sound would happen specifically when adjusting the volume of music while using the Bathys MG’s built-in DAC functionality.
The Bathys MG comes with a sound personalization function, wherein users can take a simple 4-minute hearing test that can allow the headphones to boost specific frequencies to help compensate for parts of the listener’s hearing that may have deteriorated. It also comes with a 5-band customizable equalizer in the Focal & Naim companion app, as well as three EQ presets for users to try out. I would have preferred a larger range of faders to be able to adjust to my liking, even if the hearing test was already doing a lot of heavy lifting in the background. For $1,499, I would like to have more freedom to curate my listening experience to my own taste. Additionally, I experienced some connectivity issues with the app a few times, with displays telling me my Bluetooth connection had been dropped, despite the fact that I was still playing music wirelessly from my phone. This required me to delete and redownload the app, after which it was no longer an issue.
The box comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable for charging, but also for connecting to audio sources, as the Bathys MG comes with a built-in DAC, which is a really efficient way to take advantage of the headphones having their own power source, and does improve the sound quality on a noticeable level when in use. Additionally, a fun little feature is the ability to brighten, dim, or turn off entirely the light on each earpad. Turning it off can help to save power, but you can also turn the brightness all the way up to ‘flash’ these stylish headphones.
Bluetooth
Focal built these headphones to utilize Bluetooth 5.2, with a range of around 15 meters, or 49.2 feet. It also features multipoint connection, allowing for two simultaneous wireless pairings. During my listening tests, I was monitoring to listen for dropouts or any weak points within the signal, but I am happy to report that none occurred.
Battery Life
The Bathys MG is able to stay on consistently for approximately 30 hours while using Bluetooth ANC, 35 hours while using a 3.5mm cable connection, and 42 hours when using a USB-C to enable the built-in DAC. A full charge can be completed in an hour and a half, and yes, there is a quick charge feature, which can get 5 hours of usage out of 15 minutes of being plugged into a power source.
Soundstaging
The Bathys MG seeks to bridge the gap between Bluetooth headphones and their wired counterparts. Despite being at least partially intended for listening on the go, they offer the same depth of the at-home listening experience using one’s favorite DAC and audiophile headphones. I was able to parse through layers of instrumentation and distinguish each element clearly from one another. While they are not open-backed, they still aim to allow the sound to move freely within their generously spacious cups, permitting often buried elements to find new space within the mix.
Low Ends
Out of the box and before changing the EQ or taking the sound personalization test, the lows can carry some mud in their tone. Some quick adjustments were able to remove this and bring out the true warmth of the headphones. This would be another advantage of having more faders. While there is one for cutting or boosting mud at 250Hz, the Q has a wide spread, and I would have preferred specifically targeting a smaller frequency range without having to risk sacrificing others around them.
Mids
Even before customizing the listening experience, the mids were already shining through. Both acoustic and distorted guitars were shining through, and vocals had a real polish, as though each singer still had a spotlight on them even in the headphones. That said, the vocal playback was improved after adjusting my settings. As a fan of heavier music, the favor the Bathys MG shows towards the mids gave everything a nice edge to make it all come through with strength.
Highs
The highs in these headphones were able to deliver rich acoustic guitar tones, including enriching the actual string noise of the instrument being played, something I always enjoy hearing in acoustic music. I felt they really sang after adjusting my companion app settings to cater to both my hearing and taste. Hi-hats and cymbals became far more crisp and distinct from the rest of the mix after that.
Summary
While definitely in the upper range of price for Bluetooth headphones, the Bathys MG does pack a real punch in terms of audio fidelity, comfort, and style. Their adherence to their intended use as wireless headphones, while still making an appeal to the audiophile community with their design, soundstaging, and built-in DAC, offers a blend of both worlds for those wishing to crossover to either aisle.
However, their tendency to buzz, albeit only a little, while performing normal functions, and the overall lack of detailed customizability may not appeal to some who are otherwise willing to spend $1,499 on headphones of otherwise such high quality. That said, in terms of how these perform once they have been customized to the fullest extent, they’re still able to produce praise-worthy audio that anybody would be grateful to listen to as they go about their day.
The Focal Bathys MG is available at Audio46.
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