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What we think
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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you prioritize superior sound quality for music and critically listening, the Focal Bathys will deliver a more immersive experience with a higher overall sound quality compared to the Sennheiser 450BT. However, these benefits come with a significant increase in price. The Bathys offer excellent performance for gaming and watching TV as well, and they're well-suited for air travel with strong active noise cancelling. On the other hand, the Sennheiser 450BT provide better battery life, faster charging, and a more robust build that may withstand daily use better. They're also sweatproof, making them a more suitable option for exercise. If budget is a concern or if you need headphones that are more versatile for a range of activities, including calls and meetings, the Sennheiser 450BT delivers good performance at a lower cost. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Focal Bathys
- Very good for music
- Excellent for gaming
- Best in class for TV and video
Advantages of the Sennheiser 450BT
- Excellent for air travel
- Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
8.0
6.2
The Focal Bathys is very good for music, while the Sennheiser 450BT is only fair.
Gaming
9.3
8.8
The Focal Bathys is excellent for gaming, while the Sennheiser 450BT is very good.
Phone Calls
5.2
6.9
The Sennheiser 450BT is only fair for phone calls, while the Focal Bathys is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
6.2
7.9
The Sennheiser 450BT is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Focal Bathys is only fair.
TV and Video
10.0
8.1
The Focal Bathys is best in class for TV and video, while the Sennheiser 450BT is very good.
Noise Reduction
8.3
9.1
The Sennheiser 450BT is excellent for noise reduction, while the Focal Bathys is very good.
Cost
$699
$139
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
The Focal Bathys has a price of $699 and the Sennheiser 450BT costs $139.
Build Quality
9.0
8.0
The Focal Bathys has excellent build quality, while the Sennheiser 450BT has very good build quality.
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Key similarities
Battery
31.0 Hours
27.5 Hours
The Focal Bathys has 31 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser 450BT has 27.5 hours of battery life.
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How the Focal Bathys and the Sennheiser 450BT compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Focal Bathys | Sennheiser 450BT |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$699 | $139 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Focal | Sennheiser | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2022 | February 1, 2020 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired + Wireless | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 8.1/10 | 6.2/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.3/10 | 7/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 9.4/10 | 8.9/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 10/10 | 8.1/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.6/10 | 6.1/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 31 Hours | 27.5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | No | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 1.5 Hours | 2.3 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.1 | 5 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 8.4/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 6.5/10 | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 8.4/10 | 7/10 | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 350 Grams | 240.4 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Waterproof Rating | |||
Waterproof Rating | 0 | 0 | |
Shopping
Focal Bathys
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Dig into reviews and images
Soundguys
Christian Thomas | May 2023
"As much as I hesitate to recommend a headphone that sells for $800 USD, if you’re looking for the best sound quality you can find in the ANC space: it’s the Focal Bathys."
Sennheiser 450BT
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Dig into reviews and images
Sound Guys
Lily Katz | March 2022
"The Sennheiser HD 450BT is a very good pair of headphones for the price, noise canceling is good and sound quality is great—quite rare at this price point. Like any product, this headset isn’t without its faults."
Get a great deal on the Focal Bathys or the Sennheiser 450BT
About Sennheiser
A family-owned company, Sennheiser is a German, high fidelity, audio equipment manufacturer founded in 1945. Their consumer audio division is now owned by the Swiss hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturer Sonova. Sennheiser offers a wide variety of, very high quality, audio equipment solutions, from headphones to earbuds, full sets of monitoring speakers, amplifiers and microphones. They also make what is widely regarded as the best, and most expensive, headphones in existence, the HE-1 Orpheus, costing a whopping $59,000 dollars.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
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Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.
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