Focal Bathys MG Review: Gorgeous Sound for a Pretty Penny Leave a comment

I’m totally immersed within the tones of Jonathan Wilson’s stereo guitars on “Desert Raven,” virtually capable of hear the choose on every jangly strum. The stereo picture is as extensive as you possibly can probably anticipate from a pair of closed-back headphones. It’s nonetheless leaning out to every aspect greater than totally spreading out into house prefer it would possibly with audio system or open-backed headphones, however the beautiful tonality of the replica by no means makes something really feel smaller than it ought to.

The power to completely recreate the whole soundstage in heat and exacting element is sort of a French chef making one thing easy with solely the best substances. These headphones don’t add a hi-fi Instagram-filter tonality to your favourite music; as a substitute, they act like a fantastic Leica lens. Previous favorites merely sound higher when performed by these headphones, particularly in DAC mode.

Plugging into your laptop computer through USB-C and utilizing DAC mode primarily allows you to use these headphones as their very own digital audio decoder—higher than Bluetooth, and within the overwhelming majority of circumstances higher than utilizing your laptop computer or pill’s built-in 3.5-mm port, if the gadget even has one. By plugging straight into USB, you possibly can get pleasure from full digital constancy the likes of which you received’t get wirelessly, and it makes these an actual deal with to take with you for wired listening on the go.

As an alternative of getting to convey a devoted headphone amp just like the Astell & Kern HC4 ($220), you possibly can simply convey these and a USB-C cable. The dongles I normally convey aren’t giant, however I’ll take one much less factor in my journey equipment.

I cherished cueing up outdated favorites like The Commodores’ “Easy,” to listen to the distinction between DAC mode and wi-fi listening. It’s significantly noticeable within the excessive finish, the place the hi-hats and cymbals simply appear to shimmer a bit extra when listening with the USB-C cable. That stated, wi-fi playback is shockingly on par, which is telling to people who proceed to pooh-pooh any type of Bluetooth listening on the excessive finish. I used to be capable of deeply get pleasure from music each wired and wirelessly on the Bathys MG.

As a do-it-all audio accent, you possibly can consider this pair as one thing like Bentley or Rolls-Royce class, reasonably than a Ferrari. Positive, they’re not as sharp, shiny, or excellent as extra premium wired fashions for true analog nerds (which Focal additionally makes), however this pair is the kind that you just actually need to drive day by day. They’re comfy, they usually sound ok you could actually overlook the mess that’s the world round you for not less than a tune or two. Is not that what cash is for?