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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Focal Bathys are a versatile option with active noise cancelling, making them well-suited for noisy environments like air travel. They are closed-back headphones, offering better noise isolation and are also capable of wireless connectivity, which enhances portability and convenience. Additionally, they have good sound quality for listening to music and a built-in microphone suitable for calls, albeit with moderate mic quality. The Sennheiser HD800S, on the other hand, provide an exceptional soundstage for a truly immersive audio experience, largely due to their open-back design. These are more comfortable but lack wireless functionality and active noise cancelling, making them best for quiet environments where you can appreciate their superior sound fidelity. However, they aren't the best choice for noisy settings or during exercise, and they don't have a microphone for calls. If you're looking for versatility and better functionality in various scenarios, including noise-prone locations or the need for wireless operation, the Focal Bathys could be more appropriate, especially when considering their lower price point. But for critical listening in a quiet space, the Sennheiser HD800S could be the superior choice. 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
Excellent for gaming
Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Sennheiser HD800S
Best in class for music
Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
8.0/10
9.9/10
The Sennheiser HD800S is best in class for music, while the Focal Bathys is very good.
Gaming
9.3/10
7.5/10
The Focal Bathys is excellent for gaming, while the Sennheiser HD800S is good.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
6.2/10
8.1/10
The Sennheiser HD800S is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Focal Bathys is only fair.
Noise Reduction
8.3/10
2.5/10
The Focal Bathys is very good for noise reduction, while the Sennheiser HD800S is poor.
Battery
31.0 Hours
N/A
The Focal Bathys has 31 hours of battery life. The Sennheiser HD800S does not have a battery.
Cost
$699
$1,600
$350
$360
$370
$380
$390
$400
The Focal Bathys has a price of $699 and the Sennheiser HD800S costs $1,600.
"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."
"The cans offer stellar sound quality, comfort, and good maintenance options—so they're an easy recommendation if you have the cash and the need for the last headphones you'll buy for years."
Get a great deal on the Focal Bathys or the Sennheiser HD800S
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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