A New Flagship in Bluetooth? The Focal Bathys MG Review

The wait is finally over: the Focal Bathys MG wireless headphones have officially arrived. Following the success of the original Focal Bathys, these magnesium driver-equipped ANC headphones have generated massive anticipation among audiophiles and headphone enthusiasts. After a brief preview at CanJam, I was eager to dive into a full-length listening session. With a retail price of $1,499, listeners are asking: do the Bathys MG live up to the hype? How do they compare to the original model? This in-depth review will explore everything from design and features to battery life, sound quality, and whether they're worth the upgrade.

What’s in the Box

• Focal Bathys MG Wireless Headphones
• Rigid protective carrying case
• 1.2m (3.9ft) 3.5mm stereo jack cable
• 1.2m (3.9ft) USB-C audio and charging cable
• Quick start guide

Focal includes everything you need for both wireless and wired listening right out of the box. The premium carrying case offers great protection for travel and daily transport.

Design & Build Quality

The Focal Bathys MG carry forward Focal’s signature design language while introducing a luxurious new finish. The headphones retain the ergonomic, over-ear shape found across Focal’s lineup, but now house 40mm magnesium driversunder their familiar M-shaped dome grilles. This gives the exterior a glossy, chestnut-colored shimmer—a nod to the look of the Focal Clear MG.

The build is robust yet elegant, crafted for long-term comfort and stability. The earcups provide a secure, fatigue-free seal, even during hours of wear. For glasses wearers, the clamping force strikes a perfect balance—tight enough to stay in place, but never uncomfortable. At 350 grams, the Bathys MG feel substantial in the hand without being burdensome on the head.

Features & Functionality

The Bathys MG offer hybrid listening options: Bluetooth 5.2 wireless or wired via USB-C DAC and 3.5mm analog. The headphones support aptX Adaptive, aptX, AAC, and SBC codecs, ensuring compatibility with both Android and iOS devices while delivering low-latency, high-fidelity audio.

Pairing via Bluetooth is seamless: simply power on the headphones and hold the pairing button. Once connected, the Focal & Naim mobile app unlocks additional controls. You can personalize your sound signature with a custom EQ, utilize preset EQ profiles, or undergo an ear scan for tailored acoustic optimization.

Additional features include:

• LED light customization
• Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) mode switching
• USB-DAC functionality for high-resolution audio

Battery Life

With up to 30 hours of battery life in Bluetooth ANC mode, the Bathys MG perform admirably for daily use and travel. Extended playback options include:

• 35 hours via 3.5mm analog jack
• 42 hours in USB-C DAC mode

While the headphones do not feature a fully passive mode, the strong battery life across all configurations makes this a non-issue for most users.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)

The Bathys MG includes three ANC modes:

• Silent: maximum noise suppression
• Soft: mild background attenuation for less intrusive environments
• Transparency: allows ambient sound for situational awareness

You can toggle ANC modes with the dedicated button or via the app. The ANC performance is highly effective, minimizing background noise without affecting audio quality. Combined with the excellent isolation and dynamic driver power, these headphones allow for an immersive and distraction-free listening experience.

Tech Specs

• Type: Closed-back wireless over-ear headphones with ANC
• Bluetooth Version: 5.2, Multipoint supported
• Bluetooth Range: >15 meters
• Codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive
• Battery Life:
  • 30h (Bluetooth with ANC)
  • 35h (3.5mm jack)
  • 42h (USB-C DAC)
• Drivers: 40mm magnesium ‘M’-shaped dome drivers
• Frequency Response: 10Hz – 22kHz
• Distortion: <0.2% @ 1kHz
• Microphones: 8 total (for calls and ANC)
• Weight: 350g
• Extras: Google Fast Pair, Focal & Naim app support
• Made in France

Sound Quality Review

Soundstage

The Focal Bathys MG offer a wide, immersive soundstage that defies expectations for a closed-back wireless headphone. The stereo image is not only broad from left to right but exhibits notable depth and vertical layering, allowing sounds to bloom around the listener in a convincingly three-dimensional field. Spatial cues are rendered with precision—reverberant snare tails, panned synth swells, and ambient textures are all placed with care, giving a true sense of space rather than the usual “left-center-right” imaging many wireless headphones default to. The magnesium drivers contribute to this expanded staging by offering fast transient response and low distortion, which helps preserve subtle room tones and micro-reverberation that make acoustic recordings feel more “alive.”

For genres like jazz, classical, or ambient music, this staging brings out the breath between notes, allowing instruments to feel uncrowded and well-positioned. In denser productions like electronic or indie rock, the Bathys MG maintain impressive composure—elements are well-layered, avoiding the smearing or congestion that often affects wireless designs. Imaging is also a standout; sound sources lock into place with confidence, whether you're tracking the panning delay in a dub mix or parsing the left/right interplay of double-tracked guitars.

Low Frequencies

Bass on the Bathys MG walks a fine line between musicality and control. There’s a pleasant lift in the sub-bass that gives cinematic impact and warmth to drums, low synths, and basslines. Think of it as a reference-style low end with a hi-fi polish: it doesn’t exaggerate or dominate the mix, but provides enough energy to feel immersive and full-bodied. Tracks like James Blake’s Limit to Your Love reveal a deeply extended sub-bass foundation with clear pitch differentiation, while kick drums on acoustic tracks have a satisfying punch without bleeding into the lower mids.

Midbass is fast and nuanced—notes rise and decay cleanly without excessive bloom. This is particularly useful for genres like funk or jazz where bass articulation is critical. The dynamic driver doesn’t compress the transient edges of plucked or slapped strings, which helps preserve rhythmic clarity. Importantly, the low-end character remains consistent across volume levels, avoiding the "loudness trickery" some ANC headphones rely on.

Midrange

The midrange is one of the strongest aspects of the Bathys MG’s sonic character. Vocals are forward but not forceful, with rich harmonic content and a natural presentation that suits both male and female voices. Tonal balance leans slightly warm, which makes the mids feel organic without sacrificing definition. Instruments like piano, cello, and electric guitar benefit from this warmth—they’re textured, full, and timbrally honest, with smooth transitions between lower and upper mid frequencies.

What stands out most is the clarity and separation within the midrange. Even when the mix gets crowded—say, during the chorus of a shoegaze or alternative rock song—each midrange element maintains its own lane. This level of layering is a testament to the magnesium driver’s rigid yet lightweight structure, which resists resonant smearing and provides excellent microdynamic control.

High Frequencies

Treble on the Bathys MG is articulate, nuanced, and fatigue-free. Focal clearly prioritized long-term listenabilitywhen tuning the top end of these headphones. There's a mild roll-off above 10kHz that removes harshness and grain, but the region between 4kHz and 9kHz is well-represented, delivering clarity and sparkle without overemphasizing sibilants or cymbal crashes.

In high-resolution tracks or USB DAC mode, the MG’s treble becomes even more engaging—brushed snares, fingerpicked acoustic strings, and subtle synth overtones gain texture and shimmer. Importantly, there's no "edge" or glassiness to the treble, making the Bathys MG an excellent choice for treble-sensitive listeners who still want to hear detail and air.

Wired Listening: USB-C DAC Mode

Switching to USB-C DAC mode is where the Focal Bathys MG start to feel like a true audiophile headphone rather than just a premium wireless option. When connected via USB-C, the onboard DAC bypasses Bluetooth entirely and allows for lossless playback up to 24-bit/192kHz, depending on your source. The change is instantly noticeable: the sound becomes more transparent, better defined, and dynamically precise.

In this mode, low-level detail retrieval improves dramatically—reverb trails are longer and more nuanced, breath sounds in vocal recordings become more audible, and instrumental decay feels more lifelike. The noise floor drops compared to Bluetooth, providing a cleaner canvas for quiet passages in classical or ambient recordings. Imaging also benefits; the soundstage becomes more holographic, and instrument placement sharpens to near open-back levels.

Tonally, the presentation is a touch more neutral in DAC mode. The slight warmth in the mids recedes just enough to provide a more linear frequency response, especially noticeable in genres like orchestral, post-rock, or vocal jazz. Additionally, dynamics have more room to breathe—kick drums hit with extra weight, string pizzicatos pop with greater precision, and crescendos scale more naturally.

For critical listening, the USB DAC mode is the most revealing and sonically rewarding configuration, easily rivaling the performance of many high-end wired headphones in the $1,000–$2,000 tier when paired with the right source material.

Bathys vs. Bathys MG: What's Different?

The core difference lies in the driver material—the Bathys MG employ magnesium drivers, while the original Bathys use aluminum-magnesium. Though specs appear nearly identical, the MG model introduces subtle but meaningful refinements in tonality and staging.

• The Bathys MG have a more expansive, relaxed soundstage, whereas the original Bathys are more intimate and forward.
• High-end detail is smoother in the MG, reducing harshness and improving listenability.
• Bass response is fuller on the MG, adding warmth and roundness without sacrificing precision.

For those who prioritize space, comfort, and smooth tonality, the MG is a worthwhile upgrade. You can read our full, detailed comparison here. 

Final Verdict

The Focal Bathys MG deliver an exceptional wireless listening experience with audiophile-grade tuning, enhanced comfort, and a sleek new magnesium driver design. While the price places them in the premium segment, they offer rich sound quality, flexible connectivity, excellent ANC, and long battery life—making them one of the top choices in high-end wireless headphones for 2025.

You can get the Focal Bathys MG at Audio46. Live chat, call (212) 354-6424 or email us for help!