Hands-on with Focal’s Bathys MG, a lavish pair of kilobuck Bluetooth headphones

When one speaks of audio company Focal, a couple of names spring to mind. I think of the Focal Clears, one of the most bang-for-buck premium headphones in terms of performance; or the S$7,299 Focal Utopia, which is widely regarded as one of the best dynamic driver headphones in the world, even today.

One might also think of the Bathys, which was Focal’s only wireless headphone in its entire lineup. But this is no longer the case because the company recently unveiled the Bathys MG, its second wireless headphone and an update to the original Bathys.

The most notable update in the Bathys MG is arguably the material used for its drivers. Focal is well-known for its use of metallic drivers in its audio products—the Focal Clears back in 2018 had magnesium drivers, the Stellia and Utopia used beryllium, while the original Bathys used a combination of aluminium and magnesium. The Bathys MG make a return to a full-magnesium speaker driver, and it fills the niche of being the only closed-back, wireless headphone in Focal’s line-up to have them.

Listening to the Bathys MG on USB DAC mode (using the bundled USB-C cable), one strong point is its responsiveness in the high mids and low treble. It’s easier to distinguish each individual hit in fast percussive patterns (like triplets) on something like a ride cymbal or hi-hat. This also extends to snare rolls and even arpeggiated synths with a fast gate applied.

And while the decay is fast, the tonality of these sounds is also preserved. Rim shots have some weight to them, sounding closer to a drumstick actually striking a snare rim rather than hitting two twigs together.

This might not apply to the bass on the Bathys MG, though. In my experience (though admittedly in a non-ideal listening environment), certain bass sounds have too much of a decay. Also, certain instruments like bass drums, if recorded in an environment like a concert hall where reverb is controlled but can’t entirely be eliminated, have a chance of sounding a little muddy and overpowering on the Bathys MG. This is where they falter a bit compared to its predecessor—I enjoyed the bass on the original Bathys a bit more.

Happily, the Bathys MG appears to either have a more powerful amplifier in its circuitry or more sensitive drivers, because on my phone I noticed I didn’t have to raise the volume as high. One quick word on soundstage, being a closed-back, you’re not getting Focal Clear-level openness, but it’s good for what it is, and stereo separation is accurate.

Overall, it’s not as huge a leap from the original Bathys, at least in my experience. But that doesn’t take away from the good handle it has on the mids and treble, which was what impressed me the most. What might not be impressive though, especially if you own a pair of the original Bathys, is the price.

Availability and pricing

The Focal Bathys MG is currently on pre-order, with shipments expected around end April to early May. They go for a retail price of S$1,749, which is almost S$700 more than the price of the original Bathys. You can pre-order it at Zeppelin & Co., Jaben, Stereo Electronics, and Treoo.