Designed with the same aluminum chassis as the Bathys, the Bathys MG further improves sound performance by incorporating the 100% magnesium membrane from the Clear MG wired headphones. With these new technologies, the new Focal is simply one of the most musical portable headphones on the market.
With a design very similar to wired hi-fi headphones of Focal, particularly the Azurys and Hadenys and the professional Lensys headphones, the Bathys is not the easiest Bluetooth headphone to wear outdoors. Relatively heavy (350 g), they are also quite imposing physically, which is why they seem more suited to a comfortable seat on a long-haul flight or in a large hotel room than on daily public transport.
In this point, the Bathys MG goes even further than the Bathys, as it improves mobile technology while still fitting into a similar frame (distinguished only by a new beige color instead of black), and is refined with a sound quality close to that of the Clear MG (1 500 €). Compared to the first model, the Bathys MG upgrades from Bluetooth 5.1 to 5.2, capable of wirelessly decoding files with HD quality superior to that of CDs. The eight microphones have also been improved and repositioned to allow for better communication during calls or video meetings. On the downside, the noise reduction technology (Active Noise Cancelling) is one of the least effective we’ve seen, designed mainly to limit bass, i.e. aircraft noise, but still very open to the outside world when used in the city, especially on a bike, and even on a train.
When it comes to sound changes, this is where the difference lies, because although the Bathys MG retains a 40 mm “M” profile diaphragm, it eliminates the very dominant aluminum of the Bathys to become pure magnesium. At the same time, the motor has been redesigned to make it even more dynamic and develop musicality that is available via Bluetooth, but also via the 3.5 mm jack included in the pack, or better still, for Hi-Res files at a sampling rate of 192 kHz/24 bits thanks to USB-C. To focus the sound, the leather-covered aluminum structure and headband greatly reduce vibrations, while the brown leather ear pads contain the sound without closing it off too much, while also providing excellent listening comfort.
THE USE
Weighing 350 g and with an imposing size, the Bathys MG is as heavy as the Bathys, but ultimately, this is where its use becomes clear. Without really competing with the more portable B&W Px8 or Dali iO-12, the Focal headphones seem more suited to semi-nomadic use, capable of reproducing much of the sound of a Clear MG (which must be paired with a source and headphone amplifier) for users not at home, without having to carry anything other than a smartphone or laptop. With a battery life of around 30 hours, as claimed by the manufacturer and verified by us, the Bathys MG can logically be used outdoors or on public transport, but it really comes into its own when you can take the time to listen to music in peace and quiet in a hotel room, or for example in a friend’s garden or on long trips where you cannot take your entire hi-fi system with you.
THE SOUND
Designed to be very unrestrictive in terms of sound reproduction quality, the noise cancellation (ANC) is, however, as we have seen, not very effective in very noisy environments, especially as it mainly seeks to reverse low frequencies, at the risk of letting through higher frequencies, such as children’s voices, too loudly.
However, when we received the Bathys MG at the same time as the Clear MG, which we wanted to compare it with (review to be published in VU#61), we were blown away by its ability to perform almost as well as its wired counterpart, which is more expensive and paired with our Sugden and SPL headphone amplifiers and our Atoll ST300 and Lumin T3x streamers. Although it is certainly expensive in the world of portable headphones (1 199 € / $1 299 / £999), the Bathys MG is actually an extremely musical product compared to the amount you would spend on a complete hi-fi system such as those mentioned above.
Very neutral and with very natural timbres, the sound is particularly suited to music played on real instruments, such as classical or jazz, as well as pop. The wide soundstage for a portable headphone and the total comfort of the ear pads allow you to enjoy long listening sessions without fatigue, with a significant sound amplitude effect. Although slightly less wide than the Clear MG open headphones, the Bathys MG’s soundstage unfolds freely and positions the elements all around the ear, without bringing them too much to the center of the ear cup, again for sound comfort worthy of excellent hi-fi headphones.
With electronic music or R&B, the Bathys MG favors well-controlled bass and precise treble, in both cases significantly superior to the Bathys, provided you don’t turn the volume up too high, as this may distort the high frequencies, especially when listening via Bluetooth. When connected via USB-C, it gains even more refinement with denser files, allowing the midrange to shine even more, with a range of nuances that is once again on par with many conventional headphones.
OUR CONCLUSION
Among the most impressive portable headphones, the Bathys MG is above all a high-end model designed to compete with many hi-fi models by avoiding any connections or sources other than a smartphone. With improved microphones and ANC compared to the Bathys, particularly for better phone calls and calls, the Bathys MG really stands out in terms of musical quality and extended listening for those who love sound and, more specifically, dense midrange that is both neutral in tone and very well nuanced in reproduction. This makes the Bathys MG the perfect replacement for your main headphones when traveling.
TECHNICAL SHEET
ORIGIN : France
PRICE : 1 199 € / $1 299 / £999
DIMENSIONS : Case: 240 x 70 x 210 mm
WEIGHT : 350 g / 0.77 lb
TYPE : Closed Bluetooth headphones (ANC)
BATTERY : 30 hours (Bluetooth ANC)
CONNECTIONS :
Bluetooth 5.2 (AAC, aptX™, aptX™ Adaptive, SBC)
3.5 mm jack 1.2 m; USB-C 1.2 m
FINISH : Beige, brown ear pads
