Focal Bathys MG - Review

Introduction

Ask an audiophile what the most immersive, resolving, and affordable way is to listen to music, and many will say to buy a good pair of headphones, whether wired or wireless. £999 for a pair of headphones seems excessive, but in the context of loudspeaker cables, racks, amplifiers, and streamers (to name but a few items), this is small beer for such a liberating and flexible way of listening to music where, really, you only need a smartphone.

Design

The Focal Bathys MG are closed-back wireless over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation available through the Naim-Focal App. They feature an onboard USB-DAC mode that provides high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192kHz. The DAC chipset is not specified.

These Bathys feature a Magnesium driver that is lighter than the Aluminium/Magnesium driver in the previous Bathys. Magnesium has a high damping factor, which Focal claims “adds dynamics and detail across the entire sound spectrum, while maintaining a neutral, balanced signature.” Similar to Beryllium, Magnesium offers a fast-responding dynamic driver in Focal’s 40mm M dome configuration, which returns to shape rapidly for the next beat. This is what you’re paying for over the original Bathys.

The Bathys MG use Bluetooth 5.2 (multipoint) and support AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive, and SBC codecs. They do not support LDAC.

The Bathys MG is controlled with the Focal & Naim iOS and Android-compatible app, which is faultless these days. The App features MIMI, an ear correction measurement that can tailor the sound of the headphones to your listening capabilities. It is a bit like room correction, but for your ears.

Quality

The headphones are made with a magnesium yoke and an aluminium headband with a leather and microfibre headband cover. The feel and finish are solid and there’s a high-quality finish across the piece. The colour profile is a chestnut brown, with a hint of bronze going on.
Focal claims over 30 hours of battery life in Bluetooth mode, with a fast-charge function that offers 5 hours of listening time in just 15 minutes of charging. The battery is Lithium-ion with a claimed 1060 mAh capacity.

In the Box, Specification and Price

Performance

Review Equipment

I have tested the Bathys MG both wired with a Pixel 8 smartphone (USB-C digital) and various headphone amplifiers (3.5mm analogue) and wireless (Bluetooth) with my smartphone.

Physically

Having listened to these headphones extensively, both on the move and at the desktop, I can say that they are very easy to wear, and the soft ear pads are extremely comfortable.  The earpads are snug over the ears (if you have large ears, we recommend trying them first), but this provides better noise cancellation.  I’ve recently noticed this with the Focal Azurys; the headband is too thin in my opinion, making the Bathys MG less stable on the move. This is a minor annoyance but not a showstopper. Overall, I’d describe their comfort as being sumptuous.

The Focal Naim App is also available here, working seamlessly.  In the App, you can dim the logo on and off; this is juvenile, but fun.  You can also customise the sound profile in the App with a rudimentary EQ or a Sound Personalisation test, which identifies areas of deficiency in your hearing!

Battery

The battery in the Bathys MG appears to be excellent; I’ve been getting a full day of listening, running them constantly on Qobuz with ANC generally on.  Focal claims there are 30 hours of available battery life with Bluetooth Noise Cancelling, and I’m not getting near that limit with my listening. I noticed that you could charge the Bathys MG from your smartphone,  if it allows it.

Bluetooth aptX

Here I have a few questions. My Google Pixel 8 Pro has aptX HD and Adaptive, but I’m not seeing that option in the Focal App or on the phone. Ideally, you would want LDAC (also available on my phone) at 990kbps, but this is not an option. aptX is 352kbps; even aptX HD would be just 576kbps, and aptX Adaptive is only up to 420kbps (adaptive is primarily about connectivity and adjusts accordingly, so HD would be a better option). If there’s no aptX Lossless (up to 1.2 Mbps), I feel these headphones should have higher data-carrying codecs at this price.

Sound Personalisation & The App

In the Focal App, there is the option to try Sound Personalisation, called MIMI. This is essentially a hearing test; it’s a straightforward 3 minutes. In my case, I have the typical middle-aged treble that tends to fall off, which the App can adjust for. It is a simple matter to turn off the Sound Personalisation in the App if preferred.

The App has an EQ that allows you to adjust the output at various (five) frequency bands. This works well.

Active Noise Cancelling – ANC

… some of the best ANC results I have ever experienced…

The ANC can be managed in both the App and with a button on the left ear cup. The ANC works with eight microphones, which is impressive. There are two noise reduction modes and one transparency mode. They appear to work in 3.5mm analogue jack mode as well, though this is not in the online instructions.

These are some of the best ANC results I have ever experienced. Walking by a nearby motorway with the dog is excellent. The ‘soft’ ANC mode offers a very dull and fairly useless noise-cancelling proposition. Transparent mode does work for a conversation if needed.

Don’t tell the guys at Focal, but I did mow the grass to Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here (Qobuz 24-bit, 192kHz), as my grass takes just over the 44 minutes and 10 seconds of the album. The ANC was a joy here.

Bluetooth

… connectivity is seamless with an enveloping soundstage that is hard to beat

The key question, of course, is what these Bathys MGs are like? It is fair for me to say that there’s a difference between driving around on four wheels in a luxury sofa and the same in a Bugatti (also French blood). The point is that these headphones are as soft and easy to listen to as they get in Bluetooth mode. They are as comfortable as a cosy sofa, offering pure immersive joy! You really can’t fault the presentation, comfort, or experience; connectivity is seamless, with an enveloping soundstage that is hard to beat. Stretching the car metaphor, they are not like a Bugatti, which I imagine to be chaotic, noisy and challenging to drive, in headphone terms.

But what about if you feel there’s more? There is more to be had because with aptX, you’re only getting a quarter of the data (352 kbps) feeding this incredible 40 mm Magnesium ‘M’ driver, which claims a frequency response of 10 Hz to 22 kHz (+/- 3 dB). Like putting on a new pair of tyres, it is time to see if there’s more grip!

Google Pixel 8 Pro USB-C digital wired, i.e. DAC Mode

… it is just better…

Using the supplied USB-C cable, we are essentially utilising the 24-bit, 192kHz DAC in the headphones, which is set to DAC mode. In DAC Mode, the streamed (or local) music file is received in full-fat, maximum bit clarity, offering more information, more detail, and more transients; it is just better. Can you hear it? Only you’ll know, but the result is still rich, warm, and intimate, like a closed-back headphone, intensely immersive.

I feel and hear more energy and presence in the head stage in DAC mode; it is crisper and a fraction more accurate, particularly with vocals. I’m not claiming I can hear the full sonic range, and that this is a night-and-day experience, but it is tangible if you listen often enough for these things. The midrange vocals are centred, with warmth but plenty of detail, particularly with male vocals. The clear treble is a feature of these headphones. On the bass side, I feel these Bathys are controlled, not the lowest, not ‘Beats’, but they’re on the heavy side, and I like this.

Valkyrie 3.5mm analogue wired

I’m having an exceptional experience with the Flagship iFi Audio Valkyrie headphone amplifier; I’m almost running out of superlatives. I have the Valkyrie hooked up to my Windows desktop computer, where I’m running my music files through Audirvārna. Using the supplied 3.5mm cable into the Bathys MG, (which appears to turn off the automatic Bluetooth pairing to my ‘phone), you still need to turn them on, they’re not passive (meaning you’ll always need them charged).

Volume control on the head is not very sensitive, but is good nonetheless on the right-hand cup. Happily, ANC is still controlled by the left cup button.

I noticed something in the Bathys MG for the first time with this Valkyrie. There’s a suppressed sneeze (at least I think it is a sneeze) at 38” in the intro to Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here (Audirvārna FLAC file 24-bit, 96kHz). I have heard something before, but not as clearly as this. That’s got to be good, right?

The A&Ultima SP3000M 3.5mm analogue wired is a fine partner on the move with these Bathys MG. I do appreciate, however, that you might be buying these Bathys MG for Bluetooth purposes. I, however, might buy them for wired purposes. I think these are the only closed-back MG headphones Focal makes. The Clear MG are open-backed, and the Stellia have the expensive Beryllium driver.

Music

Here’s the Tidal Playlist compiled during the lengthy listening sessions.  Right at the end is a stunning Arooj Aftab remix by Texan trio Khuangbin.

Overall

What is there to say, a fabulous pair of closed-back headphones with a super-fast and technical magnesium driver.  Digitally wired, they are exceptional. On the Bluetooth side, this is unrivalled immersive luxury travel from Focal, characterised by a softer presentation for extended listening.