So I've had Bathys all day, and spent a good 3+ hrs listening. It's been great fun.
I decided to sit down and compare it thoroughly to the Bowers & Wilkins P9, mainly to decide if I'm going to order PX8, and also because I'm planning on doing a video review of Bathys. A user here did mention the PX8 is reminiscent of the P9 in many ways, as it's name suggests, so I thought this may be useful for people considering both to get an idea of B&W vs Focal. Comparisons are split by genre. I usually listen to a minute at least of each track on the headphones back to back, comparing particular details and overall presentation.
Vocals
Radio - Lana del rey
Vocal is much fuller and more detailed on P9, more pleasant, more forward, instrumentals take a back seat and complement the main portions. Beat has moore oomph due to the magnitude of bass.
On Bathys details pop forwards more. The instrumental parts are more defined, however it is at the expense of the vocals which feel smaller, less detailed and present.
Warrior Aurora
Again, auroras vocal is fuller and more impressive on the P9, it has a real wow effect. it’s nice and clear on Bathys, and enjoyable, but it doesn’t have that fullness.
The Bathys impresses with a sense of clarity, the P9 with sheer force and body.
I’ll be honest, for vocals alone, the P9 is in another league. It is a more impressive and powerful performance.
Electronic
Grimes - various tracks
Electronic music full of beats and exciting effects.
The Bathys, due to the way it renders instrumentals adds energy and sharpness to electronic music which is impressive. It has more ‘energy’ than the P9 which at times sounds a little weaker in comparison, lacking the sharpness and definition that makes electronic music really pop.
At points I’d say the Bathys is rendering this type of music much better. I notice aspects of songs that really drift too far into the background on P9, while on Bathys they are fully present and adding to the song as they should.
The P9 is still a great listen here, but I’d give a firm nod to Bathys.
Chemical Bros - Catch me im falling
Details sound more seperated and defined on Bathys, beautiful seperation.
some effects on the bathys sound a tad harsh but on P9 they are not as harsh, especially the horns. P9 feels more cohesive, and I preferred how it dealt with this track overall.
Lorn - Anvil
Details sound exquisite on the Bathys on this track, they have a sharp edge to them that demands attention. Everything feels nicely balanced
P9 - Some details are more filled out, but they have softer edges.
Bassier sound overall, again, feels more impressive and ‘big’ overall. Vocal sections have more body.
Could go either way here.
Classic Rock
Led Zeppelin/Greta Van Fleet
The seperation on Bathys again lends more space to each instrument, it’s much easier to perceive them separately and pick them out in the stage. This is very nicely done.
The Les Paul has a bit more body to it on the p9, but a bit more grunt on the Bathys. Both really nice presentations.
Once again vocals sound slightly distant and lacking on Bathys in comparison. This is less pronounced with rock though compared to the vocal heavy songs mentioned earlier, due to the overall band having more presence in the mix.
Classical
Bach Cello Suites
Bathys shows the power of it’s superior instrument separation here. The air it lends instruments, the space, is more compelling than what the P9 can do. Because the latter emphasises low frequency regions a tad too much it sounds a bit busy, and doesn’t give the Cello the space it needs.
Both still deliver a wonderful performance, but the Bathys I think is a more sophisticated listen here.
Debussy - Claire De Lune
Not a great performance here from Bathys. On one level the air it gives the strings gives a lovely separation and space from the piano. But the strings sound harsh at moments, noticeably so.
The P9 doesn’t achieve the same level of separation of the strings and piano. However, the notes have more body, and it never enters a harshness that the Bathys does, making it a much more agreeable listen. I think this is largely due to the superior timbre of the P9 which can make or break classical.
Overall
I think overall the P9 is a better headphone, it has more impressive moments. It delivers vocals with more body, detail and better timbre. It also reproduces natural instruments with ease, and lacks the harshness Bathys conveys at points when presenting strings.
On the flipside, the performance of Bathys for electronic music cannot be understated. The seperation and definition it brings to effects really shines, and if you’re a lover of EDM, high energy music, DJ sets, I’d say Bathys are an absolute win.
When listening to Rock, the two blur a little and give a fairly similar performance.
I think this is a very impressive performance from Bathys, given its additional capabilities over the P9 in aforementioned areas. However if the PX8 can match or come close to the P9, then Bathys is looking less like a clear buy to me, as the P9 is overall a better headphone in my opinion. Yet this is genre dependent, audio I've found is very rarely clear cut. Given the artists and genres you like it could go either way. Nonetheless this comparison has inspired me to place an order for PX8, so a proper comparison will come then...
I decided to sit down and compare it thoroughly to the Bowers & Wilkins P9, mainly to decide if I'm going to order PX8, and also because I'm planning on doing a video review of Bathys. A user here did mention the PX8 is reminiscent of the P9 in many ways, as it's name suggests, so I thought this may be useful for people considering both to get an idea of B&W vs Focal. Comparisons are split by genre. I usually listen to a minute at least of each track on the headphones back to back, comparing particular details and overall presentation.
Vocals
Radio - Lana del rey
Vocal is much fuller and more detailed on P9, more pleasant, more forward, instrumentals take a back seat and complement the main portions. Beat has moore oomph due to the magnitude of bass.
On Bathys details pop forwards more. The instrumental parts are more defined, however it is at the expense of the vocals which feel smaller, less detailed and present.
Warrior Aurora
Again, auroras vocal is fuller and more impressive on the P9, it has a real wow effect. it’s nice and clear on Bathys, and enjoyable, but it doesn’t have that fullness.
The Bathys impresses with a sense of clarity, the P9 with sheer force and body.
I’ll be honest, for vocals alone, the P9 is in another league. It is a more impressive and powerful performance.
Electronic
Grimes - various tracks
Electronic music full of beats and exciting effects.
The Bathys, due to the way it renders instrumentals adds energy and sharpness to electronic music which is impressive. It has more ‘energy’ than the P9 which at times sounds a little weaker in comparison, lacking the sharpness and definition that makes electronic music really pop.
At points I’d say the Bathys is rendering this type of music much better. I notice aspects of songs that really drift too far into the background on P9, while on Bathys they are fully present and adding to the song as they should.
The P9 is still a great listen here, but I’d give a firm nod to Bathys.
Chemical Bros - Catch me im falling
Details sound more seperated and defined on Bathys, beautiful seperation.
some effects on the bathys sound a tad harsh but on P9 they are not as harsh, especially the horns. P9 feels more cohesive, and I preferred how it dealt with this track overall.
Lorn - Anvil
Details sound exquisite on the Bathys on this track, they have a sharp edge to them that demands attention. Everything feels nicely balanced
P9 - Some details are more filled out, but they have softer edges.
Bassier sound overall, again, feels more impressive and ‘big’ overall. Vocal sections have more body.
Could go either way here.
Classic Rock
Led Zeppelin/Greta Van Fleet
The seperation on Bathys again lends more space to each instrument, it’s much easier to perceive them separately and pick them out in the stage. This is very nicely done.
The Les Paul has a bit more body to it on the p9, but a bit more grunt on the Bathys. Both really nice presentations.
Once again vocals sound slightly distant and lacking on Bathys in comparison. This is less pronounced with rock though compared to the vocal heavy songs mentioned earlier, due to the overall band having more presence in the mix.
Classical
Bach Cello Suites
Bathys shows the power of it’s superior instrument separation here. The air it lends instruments, the space, is more compelling than what the P9 can do. Because the latter emphasises low frequency regions a tad too much it sounds a bit busy, and doesn’t give the Cello the space it needs.
Both still deliver a wonderful performance, but the Bathys I think is a more sophisticated listen here.
Debussy - Claire De Lune
Not a great performance here from Bathys. On one level the air it gives the strings gives a lovely separation and space from the piano. But the strings sound harsh at moments, noticeably so.
The P9 doesn’t achieve the same level of separation of the strings and piano. However, the notes have more body, and it never enters a harshness that the Bathys does, making it a much more agreeable listen. I think this is largely due to the superior timbre of the P9 which can make or break classical.
Overall
I think overall the P9 is a better headphone, it has more impressive moments. It delivers vocals with more body, detail and better timbre. It also reproduces natural instruments with ease, and lacks the harshness Bathys conveys at points when presenting strings.
On the flipside, the performance of Bathys for electronic music cannot be understated. The seperation and definition it brings to effects really shines, and if you’re a lover of EDM, high energy music, DJ sets, I’d say Bathys are an absolute win.
When listening to Rock, the two blur a little and give a fairly similar performance.
I think this is a very impressive performance from Bathys, given its additional capabilities over the P9 in aforementioned areas. However if the PX8 can match or come close to the P9, then Bathys is looking less like a clear buy to me, as the P9 is overall a better headphone in my opinion. Yet this is genre dependent, audio I've found is very rarely clear cut. Given the artists and genres you like it could go either way. Nonetheless this comparison has inspired me to place an order for PX8, so a proper comparison will come then...
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