Focal

What a statement Bluetooth like Bathys is. Through it Focal invites anyone, to listen anywhere. In clear and obvious style. Focal's trademark M-shaped aluminium-magnesium dynamic driver brings you flagship sound on the go. 5 ⭐ came from What Hi-Fi? because "the success of Focal's first effort" isn't surprising. Headfonics say Bathys "represents a serious upgrade on consumer headphone choices from the likes of Sony and Bose", something Digital Trends second.  Superb acoustics on the part of Focal's know-how are a given, and the warm, rich and detailed fidelity of Bathys breaks new ground for a portable headphone of its size – wired or unwired. However, what makes Bathys truly compelling is its range of noise cancelling, Bluetooth 5.1, Qualcomm® aptX™ Adaptive and app-controlled EQ. [See Product Desc. For More] Its name comes from the French word ‘bathyscaphe’, the first submarine exploration vehicle. And Bathys is the embodiment of calm, depth and absolute silence. It's already scooped up TechHive's Editors Choice award, and is ecoustics' favourite noise-cancelling headphone for 2022. Audioholics says Bathys "takes its place among the top sound quality-focused wireless headphones available", and gave it a Product of the Year award. At the cutting edge of tech, but dressed up in finery as a finished product like only Focal can. Blurring the lines between lifestyle and audiophilia has become typical from France's masters of savoir faire. Bathys is proof that Focal has mastered that.  The Bathys design comes inherited from Focal’s open and closed-back audiophile headphones such as Clear MG and Radiance. The earcup grilles repeat Focal’s design language, highly aesthetic curves drawing attention to the company's prestigious logo symbolising style, luxury and belief in better. A white back-lit system beneath the logo may be activated if desired, for an understated, chic effect. Another standout feature of Bathys is its elegant and timeless black-silver colourway, for effortless sophistication. Indeed, this wireless Focal is something you want to be seen with, but also to hear. The comparisons to its bigger audiophile siblings visually are apt, but so are they sonically. Bathys promises a big chunk of Focal fidelity on the move, its M-shaped aluminium-magnesium drivers among the most audiophile-grade mounted in a wireless headphone before.  This driver's stiffness, light weight and damping not only promises you a warm, immersive and authoritative presentation of music in stock tuning. It's also fine ground for EQ to be implemented – and Bathys comes together with EQ pre-sets for listeners to select via the Focal & Naim control app for iOS and Android. Not only does Bathys sound excellent – it can be made yours truly, too, when you select your favourite sound signature.  aptX™ Adaptive ensures wireless transmission stability in most conditions.  Focal added a Silent mode of cancellation optimised for trips with high background noise but let's you switch to a Soft mode to aid concentration at work, while Transparency mode enables you to stay connected to your surroundings. And a USB-C cable gives you the listener the final ability to access Bathys' 24/192 DAC via a computer or phone, when seeking uncompromised fidelity. The sense of completeness in Bathys' package promises that form and function have truly met. Despite its humble entry into the world of Focal, Bathys is in fact one of Focal's proudest Head-Fi releases. And there is much more to explore from Focal for those seeking ever-greater levels of wired sound quality here, and you can also browse all of our Bluetooth headphones here. 

Sans Bentley logo and midnight black finish arrives Focal's Celestee. Building on the success that was Radiance is the navy blue closed-back from France's most accomplished headphone manufacturers. Elevating the fidelity that's possible on the road again is Focal's 40mm aluminum-magnesium M-shaped dome driver, with more than enough trademark dynamics, punch and transparency to retain your attention while moving around.  SoundStage! Solo give Celestee near top marks for a sound the vast majority will enjoy. Enjoy the Music.com praise them for delivering a Live experience with little to no fuss. [See Product Desc. For More] Headfonia praise Celestee as an utterly modern closed-back headphone that "enjoys some much-appreciated trickle-down sonic and visual cues from the Stellia". Headphone Guru calls it an all-rounder. Celestee's 35ohm impedance is splendid for travel listening from a smartphone or a new generation music player like HiBy Music's New R6 and Questyle's QP2R. Prepare for its arrival with another visit to the Bentley-branded Radiance, itself a stunning listening experience that remains in ready stock and a true limited-edition alternative to Celestee. Or view the rest of our Focal offerings here and our other headphones here.

After the brilliance of beryllium, Focal's next rabbit out of the hat is magnesium magic, with the launch of Clear MG. Its predecessor Clear needs no introduction to the modern hobbyist for a perceivably flat response and excellent dynamic qualities. But Focal have found a way to improve on that performance yet with Clear MG, with a drastically increased portrayal of head space, and sub-bass that plunges deeper into the abyss. [See Product Desc. For More] It immediately gets a coveted 'Applause Award' from StereoNET as an all-rounder "with impeccable timing and excellent dynamics, but its sense of space is where it really shines" – imagine that. The same publication elected it Best Over-Ear Headphone in its Products of the Year shortlist 2021. Headfonia reckon our favourite French "have gone and made one of the most instantly easy-to-love high-end headphones with their all-new model" – TechHive similarly awarded it their Editor's Choice gong and a 5 ⭐ ranking from What Hi-Fi? followed soon after. Headphonesty states Clear MG closes in on perfection. Everything's made possible by sporting Focal's famous M-shaped driver with a new magnesium dome for the perfect lightness, rigidity and damping. Clear MG's housing also was built to be more acoustically open. Air exits the back of the cups via bigger, smoother passages, with enlarged grills inside and outside. Tuned linear in the continued tradition of Clear, with a slight tint of refined warmth, Clear MG continues to be Head-Fi's reference where ever you listen. T3 say "very few headphones make it so enjoyable to get lost in your music". HIFI Trends praised the "masterful" MG for "speaker-like vibrancy and fireworks". An included 4-pin XLR cable completes the package for pairing with your desktop set-ups, while a Focal carrying case, 3.5mm jack and 55ohm portable friendliness takes care of you from a music player on your travels. Perfect candidates for the latter are Cayin Audio's N6II/E02, HiBy Music's R5ii, iBasso Audio's DX240 and Questyle's QP2R. To upgrade further, consider iBasso Audio's 4.4mm CB17 silver-plated copper cable. Also check out the rest of Focal's line here, or our other headphones here.

Focal won our hearts when they were the only brand that nailed a hard-shell carry case for top headphones, while retaining style, utility, and keeping it compact.The french design is impeccable here in the perfect shade of grey. Canvas is chosen instead of leather, to keep it light and fuss free to care for.  We should have guess they'd be good at this even if it does not spell Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent nor Hermès.  What they didn't know, but left it for Zepp to find out through popular requests, is that they fit the Germans' Sennheiser HD600, HD650, HD660S. In any case, we ought to say "merci, Focal".===Luggage space required during travel: 24*23*11cm===

It is no longer true that diamonds are a girl's best friend when Bentley's iconic 'Diamond' quilting finds Focal acoustics and sound quality in this stunning collaboration, Radiance. A reference to the signature style of Bentley's Mulliner Bacalar model, this 2020 beauty is here to re-think headphone design, and bring it up a notch to what audio truly deserves. Being named Radiance is apt: the bass, mids and treble shimmer with emphasis, energy and fidelity. [See Product Desc. For More] This luxurious collaboration is truly worthy of wearing the names of its collaborating brands. Headfonia banishes any fear of gimmicks, awarding Radiance a 'Recommended Buy' award for getting you much of the way to Focal's flagship Stellia. It's great across genres, easy and luxurious, and does not require amplification beyond what a smartphone provides, for the newly initiated. From mobile phones to desktop rigs, this designer piece finds its voice gliding through setups effortlessly.  Recommended: Try it with iBasso Audio's new CB17 4.4mm cable, plugged into HiBy Music's R5 Saber. View the rest of Focal's iconic models here, or check out the rest of our closed-back headphones here. 

The spiritual descendant of Focal's Utopia with a beryllium driver, Stellia takes the defining Clear tuning and turns up resolution, speed and dynamics significantly.  Their experience as pedigreed speaker manufacturers means Stellia is capable of delivering some of the lowest bass and most natural mids and highs you'll ever experience. It "illuminated details in music that Audioholics had never heard before", with its measurements served up by the side in tribute. [See Product Desc. For More] All in a closed-back environment that isolates. Its easy-to-drive portability yields travel-friendly reference listening from a smartphone ... or extreme quality via any portable music player, or dedicated desktop set-up through provided 3.5mm and 4-pin XLR cables. Positive Feedback praise it as "a headphone that capitalises on an inoffensive sound with great tonal balance, dynamics, and pinpoint imaging", adding in a follow-up that Stellia "builds on the traditional strengths of closed-back phones, as the bass region is powerful, tight, and transparent". What Hi-Fi? give Stellia an unabated 5 ⭐ and Audiophillia called it a "Swiss army knife" amongst flagships. Unwilling to miss out, Headfonics conclude it's "a closed-back that does so many things almost impossible but Focal pulled it off". Here's a new technological tour de force in closed-back headphones that's entirely documented in its white paper. Also browse all Focal products here, or view our other closed-back headphones plus the amplifiers to drive them with.

Regularly mentioned in the consideration for the world's best headphone, few make music as exhilarating a ride as Focal's flagship Utopia. 2020 brings everything you know about the classic, and upgraded in value proposition with a carrying case plus balanced 4-pin XLR cables. Building on their experience as pedigreed speaker manufacturers is Utopia's beryllium driver, capable of yielding some of the lowest bass and most resolving mids and highs you'll ever experience. Tyll Hertsens crowned it the "world's best headphone" as it hit Innerfidelity's Wall of Fame. [See Product Desc. For More] Form is temporary and class is permanent, evidenced by Part-Time Audiophile's enduring praise for Focal's flagship four years on. One of Focal's senior managers loved the Utopia on Feliks Audio's Euforia tube amplifier so much that he asks for it to be demonstrated like that at shows across the world. If we're allowed our pick, we're going with Cayin Audio's HA-6A and HA-300B. Till today, here's a technological tour de force that's entirely documented in its white paper. Also browse all Focal products here, or view our other open-back headphones plus the amplifiers to drive them with.

A new decade demands a new Utopia. Focal's 2022 flagship reinvents itself six years after its inception, bringing to bear a new pure beryllium dynamic driver to lead the way forward again. Utopia 2022's famous 40mm M-shaped beryllium dome is coupled to the most open honeycomb grille acoustic enclosure seen yet on a Focal headphone for greater bass authority, a richer mid-range, and spacious presentation. Headphone Guru writes "Utopia 2022 is a significant upgrade". 5 ⭐ from What Hi-Fi? was a given. Headphonesty "can offer no higher praise". Focal take home an eCoustics trophy for France. Utopia 2022 is a "slam dunk" for Part-Time Audiophile who make it a Reviewers Choice. Ultimate resolution and dynamics show up as minimum expectations again. But the sense of headstage and space Utopia 2022 gains is something to behold – even at the summit of this golden age in personal audio. Focal therefore decisively carve another place of prominence at the top of Head-Fi again. 2022 extends the legacy of Utopia with another truly legendary in line, mixing the best of the old with the promise of the new. [See Product Desc. For More] Clear MG first gave us a taste of the gains an ultra-open Focal earcup could yield. Listeners imagined what such a new frame might be capable of were Utopia's original beryllium driver mounted. Now, Utopia 2022 tangibly shows up the answer to our dreams – wilder than we dared hope – comprehensively exceeding any preconception or expectation we held. "They are truly magical" to TechHive. Audioholics cites an evolved tuning compared to its Utopia predecessor from 2016 and praised this version of perfection. SoundStage! praised a flawless portrayal of the frequencies that matter. Focal don't know how to build a better dynamic driver than out of signature pure beryllium, and their choice is vindicated. Utopia's beryllium driver is built as a trademark M-shaped dome for great structural rigidity, perfect for rendering the lowest, deepest bass.  Beryllium's hardness also yields excellent air acceleration properties and Utopia propels micro-dynamics with an uncanny realism that leaves listeners in spellbound disbelief. A drastically more open honeycomb grille encourages airflow in tandem, for expanded macro-dynamics. Contrary to many other metals, beryllium is both rigid yet extremely self-damped. Utopia's 40mm diameter is small enough to climb up in frequency without cone or modal break-up, always moving as a perfect piston. Distortion is therefore amazingly low at all frequencies. A micron-thick suspension allows massive, linear driver excursion for rendition of bass waves. Focal's new acoustically open frame supplies plenty of air volume for Utopia to plumb deeper than before. A copper-aluminium alloy former-less voice coil is suspended in the air gap of Utopia's magnet array capable of nearly two tesla. The copper element shorts inductance in the voice coil, maintaining a flatter impedance through the frequency range. And while one of the benefits of aluminium is suppressing eddy currents in the magnetic flux, another is in high reliability.  Focal certainly designed Utopia for ultimate performance – and long-term reliability while pushing the limits of personal audio. It'll rule over your collection of flagships for years to come. Future-proofing also happens in performance, with Utopia 2022's ceiling pushing much higher than its predecessor. Proof is how Focal's latest brainchild scales ever better with the myriad of the very best headphone sources now. Listening via the dCS Data Conversion Systems Lina is otherworldly. While Cayin Audio's HA-300B MK. II and Feliks Audio's Envy cannot but entice tube advocates. An excellent three-metre 4-pin XLR stock cable comes packaged. But the 4.4mm upgrade via PlusSound's X6 and X8 will entice with opportunities abounding for use with Cayin's C9 and N8ii, or HiBy Music's RS8. Cabling in Singapore silver is also achieved by Twilight from Ares Audio.  At the end of the day, enough reading – time to start experiencing the new heights of Head-Fi that Utopia 2022 heralds. Certainly work your way up to this moment by browsing the rest of Focal's difference-makers here, or our other headphones here.