Focal’s deep dive into wireless noise-cancelling headphones proves a worthy exploration
Headphones | £699 | whf.cm/FocalBathys
Focal says that its first pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones have been named ‘Bathys’ (pronounced “Bath-ees”) after their metaphorical association with the Bathyscaphe, a deep-sea exploration submersible. The French brand says that the vessel is “the embodiment of calm, depth and absolute silence”, so the connection it has made between that and something with active noise cancellation is indeed rather fitting… until you remember that that ‘something’ is designed to first and foremost bellow music into your eardrums. Still, we like the concept.
Had the Focal Bathys launched a couple of years ago, they would have arrived to a crowd of raised eyebrows and perhaps a sneering Reddit discussion, due to what would have been the unprecedented nature of their price in the Bluetooth headphones market. But since the late-2020 release of the Apple AirPods Max, which did have to bear the brunt of being the ‘first’ to push such parameters, a wave of pricier pairs such as the Mark Levinson No.5909 and Bowers & Wilkins Px8 have come along.
All three have proven their extra worth in the sound quality department of late, and you can now add the Focal Bathys to that eminent list too. What’s more, they – perhaps uniquely of the lot – manage to look their price too.
Rare build and beauty
If you are familiar with the company’s wired headphones, the Bathys may not look hugely special. (And if you aren’t, we apologise for future procrastination and inevitable envy at not owning every beautiful pair.) But trust us when we say that this level of build and beauty in the Bluetooth headphones market is very rare – perhaps unprecedented. They share their wired siblings’ sizeable ovular ear cups, their aesthetic defined by aluminium holey details that all but sufferers of trypophobia are bound to appreciate, speckled around a central circular Focal badge.
Focal has been partial to blessing its high-end headphones with bold colour combos, though the Bathys are some of the safer of the lot in their single black and silver finish – and arguably all the sleeker for it.
The leather ear pads are thick and soft, and the headband substantial and cushioned. And yet despite their sturdy build, they pull off chunky and beautiful like a newborn baby in its cute thigh-rolls phase. Too big to be portable? Not at all, but they aren’t as lightweight (they weigh 350g – 100g more than the Sony WH-1000XM5) or as discreet
