Focal - Bathys MG

I have three of these and will give my opinions. Best for music is clearly the Focal Bathys with the onboard DAC. This rivals my DCA Noire and LCD-3 headphones for separation and clarity. Not as detailed as the LCD-3 but still clearly the best sound profile of the three. The ANC is the worst of the 3 especially for low dB noises. Microphone also worst of the 3. Comfort is ok but not phenomenal. Most comfortable with the best ANC for me is the Bose QC Ultra with the Sony right behind. Bose and Sony both need EQ and I don't see much of a difference between them for that. Sony has more bells and whistles with the APP with a better environment for adaptive sound control if that is of interest to you. And out of the box Sony sound better but for me still needs a lot of EQ to even out the low and high frequencies. Also I'm not a huge fan of the lack of deep cups for the WH1000X6 but that is just my preference for comfort. But agree just test all three by going to big box store or ordering and returning them. I also agree that the #2 for sound is the Sennheiser Momentum 4 which is the best deal of the four.

I have the OG Bathys and the B&W Px8. I like both a lot especially when using EQ. I've not used the others. And the Bathys are quite quiet for me in terms of sound leakage but I don't wear glasses. I think my dad's headphones on par or a bit better than the Bathys but not $1000 better.

This. Love the Bathys and they're good at canceling low, consistent noises but they're definitely not as good at ANC as some of the other options in the market (but still my favorite, because they're the only ones that sound GOOD, not just fine).

The only thing I'd put in the same general category for sound quality is the Focal Bathys, and it's like ... $700 new? I've tried most of the Sonys, Samsungs, Bose, Beats, etc. and been deeply unimpressed by pretty much all of them. The one I did like a lot is the Bose 700, but it's been discontinued. So if you can find a refurbed or new old stock Bose 700? Or a used Bathys?

Depends on your price point. With some light tweaking in the app, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 are my favorite under $300. If you don’t need ANC, the Audeze Maxwell are a great pair of cans, and if money isn’t an object the Focal Bathys are my favorite wireless headphones, period.

I spent thousands of dollars on the top wireless headphones. The best is the Solitaire T. They're in a league of their own, besting the Bathys MG, Dali IO-12, Bang & Olufsen H100, Mark Levinson 5909, Apollo Fokus, and mainstream ones from Bose, Sony, and Apple.

I had the bathys a while ago and Id say these sound better. The bathys had a metallic sound with a bit of sibilance so I upgraded to the MG. Right now A/B’ing the 630 and MG is interesting… huge price difference between them.

Yeah, both are great but they’re quite different. The HDB 630 have that classic Sennheiser sound… really smooth, open and easy to listen to. Nothing’s overdone, they just sound balanced and natural. The Bathys MG are warmer and have a bit more spark to them. They sound more “holographic” and lively, with a bit more texture and energy. The Senns are more relaxed and reference-like, whereas the MGs are more musical and engaging. Both are extremely comfortable to me too, but the Senns are good for walking about whereas the bathys are better for travel as the case is much smaller.

Just done a test with 4 sets and even I’m surprised. Momentum 4 and 630 at 100% anc, anti wind off. Bathys MG on Silent (not soft) XM6 anc on full I stood in my lads room listening to his TV. Momentum 4: 6/10. Had the least good ANC, but still decent. Bathys MG: 7/10. Better than the OG Bathys. XM6: 9/10. Could just about hear the TV was on but nothing was legible. 630…. Almost identical to the XM6. 9/10 The ANC is supposed to be the same as the M4, so I’m guessing the softer more compliant ear pads on the 630 are doing some magic here, but I’m very impressed with that very quick non scientific (but real world) test. For the record I just did the AirPods Pro 3… 8/10. I don’t get the hype. ANC is worse than on the 2.

Bathys MG. I'd say the HDB 630 but I'd miss the MGs more if they were gone.

I love the Bathys MG.

The Focal Bathys/ Bathys MG are pretty close to passive closed-backs in terms of sound, but consumer headphones do NC significantly better for significantly less money.

Never owned the original but I've demoed them briefly, sonically I'd say the MG is pretty iterative - an improvement for sure but not worth an upgrade by itself. Where it differentiates itself is the ANC, it's quite a lot better than the OG. If you value ANC a lot I'd consider an upgrade, otherwise I'd probably hold on to the OGs.

Depends on if the most important item is the ANC or the sound of the headphones. Apple, Bose and Sony make the best ANC out there, but the musicality of the headphones kind of suck. I just went through every pair of ANC cans I could find looking for the best sound, as long as they had “good enough” ANC. Hands down the T&A Solitaire T wins. Much better than the Bathys Mg and literally every other sub $2k pair of over-ear ANC cans I could get my hands on.

I just picked up the Focal Bathys, they’ve got great wireless performance and then a USB DAC mode if you’re sat at home. I wanted something exactly like you do and for me, they do it, lovely instrument separation and great bass response that doesn’t muddy the mids. Vocals are nice and forward without being too sibilant, and a decently wide sound stage for closed back ANC headphones. If you’ve got an iPhone and want to get the most out of the wireless performance, I’d pick up the Sennheiser BTD 700 USB dongle, allows you to use aptX Adaptive as a codec rather than be limited to AAC, same thing that is included with the HDB 630s. Like others have said, you get more bang for your buck for wired only/open back/non-ANC cans like the Audeze Maxwell or Arya Stealth, but as an all rounder that sounds properly good over wireless and even better over the USB DAC mode, they fit the bill imo, and they’re currently on sale for like £150 off the usual price tag for Black Friday

I love my Focal Bathys. Great ANC, battery life and amazing sound.

I love my Bathys!

I have not tried the Mg’s but I cannot say enough about the regular Bathys. https://preview.redd.it/0o26ntdon23g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8e766640d605acbe4618f37c91b941bd547fba28

Wireless needs to jump in. The focal bathys are amazing. Both the MG and the regular ones.

Wireless needs to jump in. The focal bathys are amazing. Both the MG and the regular ones.

I use my Focal Bathys to help me escape my sensory overloads. For some reason, the consistency of playlists calms me and leads to productivity. The Bathys are expensive but I can't recommend them enough.

If you’re absolutely set on wireless headphones, all else ignored, best sound would have to go to Momentum 4s, Bathys, or Bathys MG, the latter of which I highly recommend against. Not because it’s bad but bc for the price you can get so much more. Comfort is also a much larger factor than I would’ve thought when I was starting out so I’d advise to try in store if you can. If you’re open to other options, would reccomend checking out the IE600 (on sale) or HD600, both are lovely.

If you’re absolutely set on wireless headphones, all else ignored, best sound would have to go to Momentum 4s, Bathys, or Bathys MG, the latter of which I highly recommend against. Not because it’s bad but bc for the price you can get so much more. Comfort is also a much larger factor than I would’ve thought when I was starting out so I’d advise to try in store if you can. If you’re open to other options, would reccomend checking out the IE600 (on sale) or HD600, both are lovely.