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For its second act, Focal takes its Bathys Wireless headphones and moves them decidedly upmarket to create the new Focal Bathys MG.

Focal Bathys MG Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sharper looks, better performance, and higher-grade materials are the name of the game here.

The Focal Bathys MG is a serious evolutionary upgrade over the original Bathys wireless headphones that came out in late 2022. While the general design may be easily recognizable, Focal has pretty much upgraded or re-engineered almost every other facet of this popular noise-cancelling headphone. Everything from the aesthetic design and color to materials choices, along with new drivers and electronics. It all got reworked and re-engineered into the very attractive-looking set of cans I have here for review. Focal promises not only noticeable sound quality and performance improvements in the new Bathys MG but also a better tactile experience with higher quality materials used throughout.

Did Focal’s efforts in improving the Bathys MG actually pay off? That’s what we’re here to find out.

Highlights

Focal Bathys MG Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphone

  • Cleaner and more transparent-sounding than the original Bathys.
  • Bass and sub-bass performance is significantly improved.
  • New Magnesium drivers and overall colorway inspired by the Clear MG headphones.
  • These headphones look and feel expensive.
  • The app allows for sound tuning via presets, 5-band EQ, and a hearing compensation test.
  • Phone call quality and intelligibility were very good via built-in mics.
  • Noise cancellation is effective but not quite class-leading.

Focal Bathys MG Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones situated on top of a scientific miniature human skull anatomy model which is located on top of a dark wooden table surface within a living room or dining room area of a home with a nearby plant vase containing flowers plus a small lantern object

Introduction

The wireless noise-cancelling headphone space is becoming a very crowded section of the market with several decent choices at various price points. Focal has had its sights firmly set on the higher tier of this category with the original Bathys, and the Bathys MG aims to push farther in on that beachhead. I got a chance to spend a good few months with the new Focal Bathys MG, putting them through their paces with a few domestic and international flights (along with all that entails), general day-to-day usage, extended music listening, and productivity. I distilled my thoughts and experiences with the Focal Bathys MG into the video review below. I touch on the design, features, and sound quality along with comparing them with some existing competition in their price category. I hope you enjoy the review and find it useful.

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Focal Bathys MG Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphone Specifications
Type:

Closed-back wireless headphones with active noise cancelling

Bluetooth® Version:

5.2 Multipoint

Audio Codecs:

SBC, AAC, aptX™ Adaptive, aptX™

Battery life:

30 hours Bluetooth® Noise Cancelling

35 hours Analog Cable Mode

42 hours USB-DAC mode

Other functions:

Google Fast Pair

Frequency Response:

10Hz to 22kHz

Harmonic distortion rate:

<0.2% @1kHz

Microphones:

8

Weight:

0.77lbs. (350g)

Speaker drivers:

(40mm) Magnesium speaker drivers with ‘M’-shaped domes

Accessories:

1.2m (3.9ft) 3.5mm analog cable, 1.2m (3.9ft) USB-C® cable, quick start guide, carrying case

Control application:

Focal & Naim, iOS and Android compatible

MSRP:

$1499.00

Company:

Focal

Website:

https://www.focal.com

SECRETS Tags:

focal, bathys, headphones, noise cancelling, wireless

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A native of Toronto Canada, Carlo's interest in audio began at a young age when, unbeknownst to his mother, he started taking apart her numerous transistor radios to see how they worked. This desire for “knowledge through deconstruction” continued through to the family’s 8-track tape player, turntable, headphones, and speakers. Carlo subsequently spent a lot of time in his room. Toronto was a fertile ground for Hi-Fi in the 1970s and 80s and Carlo spent much of his wayward youth hanging out in downtown Toronto stereo shops, listening to all manner of gear and picking the brains of the various store owners. Through that formative experience, Carlo developed an appreciation for good music and good sound reproduction. Also, as a budding graphic artist, the aesthetic aspects of a given piece of gear became increasingly of interest to his eyes. It was at about that time as well that Carlo began purchasing “Audio Magazine” on a regular basis and came to appreciate, in particular, the writing and reviewing of the late Leonard Feldman. Later on, he was also influenced by the writing and observations of the staff at Sound and Vision Canada, helmed at the time by Alan Loft. Carlo graduated from Sheridan College with a degree in Classical Animation and was subsequently employed by Walt Disney Consumer Products for 10 years as a Character Artist and Art Director. Having become disenchanted with Los Angeles, he then decided to strike out on his own. Carlo started his own company and has been freelancing artwork, from his home studio, primarily for the toy and publishing industries since 2001. In 2013, on a bit of a lark, Carlo answered a “Call for Writers” ad from an AV website that he had been regularly reading for about 5 years called Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity. He had come to appreciate the website’s combination of subjective impressions along with the objective bench-testing available in several of the reviews. The “B-Team” must have been working that day because by some miracle he was hired as a writer and his first review for the site was published early in 2014. Carlo has been continually writing, editing, traveling, listening, and learning on the company’s behalf ever since. Carlo currently lives in Granville, Ohio with his wife, two sons, and a very old, but chill dachshund.

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