Extra processing converting the analog signal from the jack to digital to apply DSP for ANC. Some other ANC headphones do this too, some passively pass through the signal - the ones that do this allow using it even when the battery is dead.
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Well, I couldnāt resist and bought the Focal Bathys from headphones.com (which surprised me by showing up next day rather than 2 daysā¦and I ordered it after the supposed ordering cutoff for that day; Iām not sure if āDiversified Distributingā is Focalās or headphones.comās distribution center, but it turns out they are just 20 miles south of me).
Out of the box, the headphones did not sound very good. In particular, it was quite shallow in the mid-range. To compensate, I used EQ settings (from low to high frequency) of 0, 0, +1.5, +2.5, +3.5dB. With that setting, I thought the Bathys sounded OK.
However, letting them burn in overnight really opened them up (note that Focalās online documentation, in the āOptimizationā tip, recommends 40-70 hours). Itās only been 8 hrs so far, but at this point Iām pretty happy with backing off on the EQ a bit (currently at 0, 0, 0, +2.5, +3.5). I donāt have a Celeste to compare with, but I do have the Focal Clear MG and Focal Stellia. Of those two, the Bathys leans more toward the profile of the Stellia in the level of detail and separation I hear. Please donāt misunderstandā¦I am in no way claiming that these are essentially a wireless Stellia. The Stellia is orders of magnitude better than the Bathys, but I do put them on that continuum (which makes sense given that they are both closed headphones).
From a usability standpoint, I find these to be extremely comfortable to wear. I do not notice any discomfort or hot spots from the headband at all and the clamping force is in my comfort range. I do find that my ears get a little warm, but not anymore than any other closed back headphones. The weight is negligible and the Bathys just disappears as I enjoy the music. Control-wise, thereās a lot going on, but the most essential controls (ANC button isolated on the left cup and volume/pairing on the right cup) are easily accessed. I would really appreciate a way to access the EQ setting when using Bluetooth on a laptop though (itās currently only accessible via the Focal/NAIM app on iOS and Android). I do find it difficult to connect the USB-C cable and 3.5mm cables while wearing the headphones and find it best to remove the headphones to do so.
Iām really enjoying these, but Iām not sure if these will be my go-to travel headphones. I have a pair of Sony WH-1000MX4, which are much lighter, more compact , and have better ANC. I also have the Apple Airpod Max, which also has better ANC (and better Transparancy mode) than the Bathys and extremely good ergonomics. The spatial audio on the Apple APM also makes it a better headphone for watching video. Overall, Iād describe the Bathys ANC as controlled rather than isolating; and the Transparency mode as a bit tinny or artificial compared to the Apple APM but superior to the Sonyās Ambient sound mode. That said, even with the partial burn-in, I strongly prefer the sound quality of the Bathys over my other two travel options. Iām about to take a trip and plan to try the Bathys under real-world travel conditions.
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Thanks so much for your great write-up! Excited to try these, especially with the Stellia comparison in mind.
Yes he did! RMAād back to Focal this afternoon. Props to Headphones.com for the great support.
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Iāve been measuring some more production units and just wanted to post this to show that this is one of the more finnicky headphones to measure. By no means is that a knock against it, but I feel this is important information since I expect there to be some very different FR results thatāll come out once more folks start measuring these.
Specifically, the bump at around 1.3khz flattens out as more pressure gets applied (or so it seems).
There could be a few reasons for this, one is that the pad deformation is so soft that the slightest additional pressure on one side or the other can cause a positional shift to the driver angle. The other is that as the pad compresses it changes the inner volume of the pads. Either way, I think the second result is the more representative one on my head, but across users itās hard to know.
But the point here is that for anyone doing measurements of this one, make sure to take multiple re-seats and take care to ensure the clamp/pressure is in the right spot.
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I feel like I should update here, after venting about the DOA unit.
Iām really impressed with how fast I got a replacement! Thank you Alan and Taron! Bad one arrived Tuesday - replacement was in my hands Friday afternoon.
Overall Iām really impressed. Iāve got a few wireless ANC headsets around, and the Bathys far outclasses them. To be fair, at $800, it should. The next most expensive I own are the Sennheiser PXC 550ās.
I agree with most everything redmonddad stated above, so Iāll just add my somewhat less useful comments, from a much greener audio enthusiast. I have limited stock to compare to, so I wonāt. Iām just now burning them in, so impressions are pre-burnin.
Proās
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I love the way these look! The brushed gray metal ālookā is perfect and the silver badge contrasts nicely. The silver is alot more vibrant in person than the photos. Silver never photographs well. These will definitely get some attention when traveling. I wouldnāt wear them walking around downtown Chicago though.
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The controls are the easiest to access and adjust of any wireless headset Iāve owned. I like tactile buttons. The one single button on the left cup for ANC was a great idea. On the right, I can usually hit the volume up or down in one shot as well as the power switch.
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I like the ANC choices. Low is perfect for around the house, and high blocks about everything. Transparent works fine as well. Iāve seen some comparisonās to Sony and Apple but honestly, when itās this good, 5% in one direction or the other doesnāt matter.
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Iām in agreement with the sound comments above, but a bit of EQ pretty much resolved most shortcomings. (I use Poweramp equalizer instead of the Focal Naim app). Though I thought the bass, while strong, was a bit muddy? Could be me. Iāll play some more after burn-in. Still happy with the sound either way. DAC mode was a bit less of a difference than I expected, but it is a bit more dynamic. All the instruments and sounds were a bit clearer and defined, and there was more separation. Iāll likely use these wireless almost all the time, though.
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Its lighter than I expected. The headband, for me, was perfect. I wore these over 3 hours last night and not a bit of discomfort. Iāve learned that light or heavy, the discomfort usually is the headband.
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The app is nice, easy to use, and it works. This is more than can be said about most of the apps I own that are controllers for hardware. I have a long list of app programmers that will be first on the firing line when the end comes.
Cons - I struggled a bit here. I mean, its my brand new toy!:
- It is still a but bulky for an on-the-go headphone. Iāll still likely wear my AKG N400ās out walking around.
- Price seems high to me. I never intended to spend $800 on a wireless headset of any caliber. But Focal has a reputation for sound quality and design, so thatās what hooked me. That and the Elex Iāve been daily driving for the past year.
- The included cables. Couldnāt they have done something a bit more premium? They work ok, but nothing I couldnāt buy on Amazon for $5. Fortunately Iāll only use the one for charging. Not planning to run this wired.
- Oh, and yeah, the first one I got was defective.
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For those wondering, I asked Focal about battery replacement. This is what they said:
Yes, we will be offering service for battery exchange for this model. Since this is a recent release we do not have the price list for the replacement parts and the fee attached, so I may not supply an answer for this request at the moment. However a repair via focal this at $100 technician fee plus parts. In this case the battery may cost roughly around $100 in parts. I will be in the measure to confirm this once the parts list in completed
So itās good that you will be able to get the battery replaced and it wonāt just be ewaste, though $100 is a lot especially considering you already paid $800 for the headphone in the first place. Sort of like a $100 subscription you pay every 5 years or however long the battery lasts. Still might be worth it to some who really want the functionality, and it is the lightest of the āpremiumā Focal headphones.
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Except that they said $100 for the technicianās fee plus ~$100 for parts.
Thatād be $200.
Not that I expect it will actually cost that much.
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How loud do the Bathys get. I have a hearing imbalance which requires me to adjust l/r channel output. The airpods max had sufficient power and loudness for me. Are the Bathys headphones as loud?
Youāre right! Yeah, expecting to pay $200 to keep using my $800 headphones seems a bit much.
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Would you mind saying if it was an official Focal rep or a dealer? Either way this is definitely going into my Bathys review.
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VSG, man of the people!
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Thank you, thatās handy to know.
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Any ETA on your review yet? Look forward to reading it!
Unfortunately I have yet to get a proper competitor for added context (B&O H95 doesnāt really count). I guess if I canāt find anything within a week Iāll write up the review either way.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of listening to the Bathys together with the Bowers & Wilkins PX 8, after about 3 hours of intensive listening, then my ear hurds to much, 
there was even a clear winner on the podium for me personally.
In direct comparison, the Bathys is the more defined, clearer headphone.
The B & W - PX8 makes a lot more sense in the area of āāāāmobile applications and above all fun, it has, as they say, significantly more āmeat on the boneā everything sounds fuller, more powerful and like almost always with a Focal competitor, more natural with voices.
The Focal has a little more on-stage localization ability as it displays music more āaround the headā where the PX8 would actually have the music coming from the front and with a more realistic stage representation.
Both very good Bluetooth headphones, but if I wanted to buy one and use it on the go, my winner would be clear.
P.S.:
Bowers & Wilkins has really gotten their bass response in headphones under control now, unlike the earlier models whose bass response swept all other areas.
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Interestingly enough, Iāve just discovered this video, and I donāt think Iām all that wrong with my own impressions of the two competitors. 
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Just got back from my trip and trying out the Bathys under real-world travel conditions. As I kind of expected, the ANC did not perform as well as my other two travel headphones (Sony MX4 and Apple APM) but they did well enough to make them suitable for use on an airplane. Just donāt expect cone-of-silence levels of isolation. Sound quality was the best of my three travel options and made listening to music and environmental sounds a relaxing and immersive experience. From a comfort standpoint, the Bathys was very comfortable in terms of weight, clamping force, and tactile feel on the ear. However, I give the Apple APM a bit of an edge in terms of how cool they kept my ears (Iād rank them, from cool to hot, as: Apple APM, Bathys, Sony MX4). I also miss the ergonomics of the Apple APM, with the exception that the Bathys are much more compact in my carryon bag. I think that the Bathys will be my default travel headphones, with the Sony MX4 still getting some time if I need to pack lighter (note that the way the Sony MX5 folds, I donāt think it would earn that distinction). The Apple APM will still be my default for watching video/TV if Iām using an Apple device.
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I demoed both of these sets recently, and I 100% agree with this. I had owned the PX5 years ago, and I was pleasantly surprised at how improved the sound signature was on the PX8. Everything just sounds fuller. The soundstage isnāt great, but I havenāt heard a bluetooth headphone where Iād say the soundstage was impressive. In contrast, I owned the Celestee for over a year, and I was disappointed at how much less dynamic the Bathys sounded compared to the Celestee. Everything was very clear and the imaging was quite good, but I was kind of bored by it. Idk.
The only issue I had with the PX8 is that one of the guys who works in the shop (Audio46 in NYC) was also connected to the PX8, and the headphones kept disconnecting from my device and connecting to his. Sound quality wise, though, my preference was clear.
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