FOCAL – Bathys
Premium wireless headphones with built-in DAC
Focal (formerly known as JM-Labs) is one of the pioneers of fantastic-sounding speakers, where specialized sectors of the company create advanced speaker sets for home, car and professional recording studio, and even boats and yachts. The history of the brand dates back to 1979, where in the small town of Saint-Etienne located in central-eastern France, classic car enthusiast Jacques Mahul, after many hours of traveling accompanied by music, created the first speaker sets for car audio systems. Continuous research and work on improving loudspeaker diaphragms quickly contribute to the creation of the first bookshelf loudspeakers made of Polyglass and Polykevlar. Further research into the creation of professional loudspeaker sets leads to close cooperation between the French FOCAL and the British NAIM, which soon leads to even greater pressure on the bonds and merger of both companies as Vervent Audio Group.
The dynamically developing company is quickly conquering the global market, and the top UTOPIA and SOPRA series are quickly winning laurels and winning the highest places among the leading manufacturers of loudspeaker sets, offering fantastic sound values, at the same time becoming a reference point for the highest quality sound. The unusual design and shape of the housing and the beryllium tweeter are the company's hallmark.
BATHYS
The construction of the closed Bathys headphones is based on large 40mm 15/8" speakers, and the aluminum magnesium dome itself is made in the shape of the letter M. The frequency response starting from the lower range reaching 15 Hz and the highest 22 kHz at +/- 3 dB does not impress premium headphones in this price range. The harmonic distortion factor at 1 kHz is only 0.2%. The headphones are packed with new technologies designed to provide high-fidelity sound reproduction. The built-in Bluetooth 5.1 wireless module supporting AAC, aptX™, aptX™ Adaptive, SBC codecs combined with active noise reduction (ANC) technology provides comfort during everyday use and will probably be perfect for traveling when the headphones are in wireless mode at a moderate volume. able to withstand up to 30 hours of playback in Bluetooth mode, 35 hours in mini-jack connection mode and up to 42 hours in USB-DAC mode. Fast charging in just 15 minutes will provide up to five hours of music playback.
The headphones look very elegant, the use of good quality materials and interesting styling combined with the large size of the ear cups decorated with round protrusions around the exposed manufacturer's logo, which can be illuminated using the application, will certainly make us stand out in the crowd.
As standard, like most wireless products, BATHYS allows operation in wired mode via a cable. The cable with a 3.5 mm mini-jack plug allows connection to most audio products, but the set does not include a 6.3 mm jack adapter, which allows connection to more professional studio equipment. The built-in dedicated 24-bit USB-DAC digital-to-analog converter supporting up to 192 kHz expands the sound capabilities offered by Focal for devices such as a laptop or desktop computer with a USB-C port.
The headphones are quite large and, weighing 350 grams, they are probably not the lightest, although their light, specially designed aluminum structure and soft, breathable cushions covered with leather and microfiber materials ensure comfort regardless of the size and shape of the head, even when worn for long periods of time.
Their major disadvantage is the inability to fold the headband, which increases the size when transported in the large, rigid case provided. Another inconvenience is the wired connection, which requires a battery power supply without which the headphones do not work. This solution excludes the use of cabled equipment with discharged batteries, which require 1.5 hours of charging to reach 100% total capacity. The great benefits include the built-in DAC in the headphones, which is tuned to perfectly reproduce all the qualities of sound through dynamics, purity and subtlety.
BATHS has as many as 8 microphones built-in, making the headphones perfect for phone calls and video calls, and the SIDETONE option allows you to adjust the appropriate voice level by transmitting a small amount of voice to the speakers while speaking to make sure that the microphones are working and you can adjust the appropriate intensity for them.
The headphones are constantly being improved thanks to updates to the Focal & Naim software, which allows you to select many interesting features for music equalization, including the introduction of a dynamic reference equalizer that approximates the Harman goal considered by most people to be the optimal sound signature in headphones. The Focal & Naim app, available in the Android Store and App Store, adds a convenient and intuitive player to the headphones, allowing you to turn on and off the noise cancellation feature, which uses a hybrid feedback to provide a fantastic listening experience wherever you are. Several settings are available (quiet for high-noise environments, planes and trains, soft for concentration at home, and a transparency mode to keep you aware of your surroundings). The application allows you to run songs stored in memory, supports Internet Radio, AirPlay, Spotify, Tidal and many others thanks to evolving software and updates.
The headphones are quite large and, weighing 350 grams, they are probably not the lightest, although their light, specially designed aluminum structure and soft, breathable cushions covered with leather and microfiber materials ensure comfort regardless of the size and shape of the head, even when worn for long periods of time.
Their major disadvantage is the inability to fold the headband, which increases the size when transported in the large, rigid case provided. Another inconvenience is the wired connection, which requires a battery power supply without which the headphones do not work. This solution excludes the use of cabled equipment with discharged batteries, which require 1.5 hours of charging to reach 100% total capacity. The great benefits include the built-in DAC in the headphones, which is tuned to perfectly reproduce all the qualities of sound through dynamics, purity and subtlety.
BATHS has as many as 8 microphones built-in, making the headphones perfect for phone calls and video calls, and the SIDETONE option allows you to adjust the appropriate voice level by transmitting a small amount of voice to the speakers while speaking to make sure that the microphones are working and you can adjust the appropriate intensity for them.
The headphones are constantly being improved thanks to updates to the Focal & Naim software, which allows you to select many interesting features for music equalization, including the introduction of a dynamic reference equalizer that approximates the Harman goal considered by most people to be the optimal sound signature in headphones. The Focal & Naim app, available in the Android Store and App Store, adds a convenient and intuitive player to the headphones, allowing you to turn on and off the noise cancellation feature, which uses a hybrid feedback to provide a fantastic listening experience wherever you are. Several settings are available (quiet for high-noise environments, planes and trains, soft for concentration at home, and a transparency mode to keep you aware of your surroundings). The application allows you to run songs stored in memory, supports Internet Radio, AirPlay, Spotify, Tidal and many others thanks to evolving software and updates.
TECHNICAL DATA
Type: Wireless headphones
Technology: Bluetooth 5.1
Bluetooth range: up to 15m
Bluetooth frequency range: 2402 Mhz – 2480 MHz
Supported codecs: aptX, AAC, SBC, Adaptive aptX
Voice assistants: Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Google Fast Pair functions
SPL sensitivity: 104 dB
Impedance: 80 Ohms
Frequency response: 15 Hz – 22 kHz
Harmonic distortion factor: <0.2% at 1 kHz
Microphones: 8
Weight: 350 grams
The set includes: case / 3.5 mm jack cable / USB-C cable
Color: Black / Silver
Elaboration: Przemysław Łabędź
