Focal CANERO Bluetooth Headset with Noise Cancelling

The Focal Bathys are great-sounding headphones — genuinely impressive, and even better once you EQ them to the Harman curve. The clarity and detail are excellent, making them a joy to listen to in the right environment. DAC mode is also fantastic. Connected via USB-C, the internal DAC delivers clean, powerful audio that easily rivals many wired setups. Contrary to what I initially thought, ANC does still function in DAC mode — it’s actually the Transparency Mode that gets disabled. Either way, the audio quality in this mode is stellar. Comfort-wise, I was able to wear them for hours. However, with my larger ears, I did start to feel pressure and aching at the top corners of the ear cups after extended use. They’re well-built and generally comfortable, but may not suit everyone’s ear shape. The biggest letdown is the ANC. On a plane, they simply didn’t block out enough noise to justify being called premium noise-cancelling headphones. For that, Bose and Sony still lead the pack by quite a margin. If you’re at home in a quiet setting, the Bathys are brilliant. But if you’re travelling or commuting and expecting best-in-class ANC, you’ll be disappointed. And if you’re not after ANC at all? There are plenty of audiophile headphones that will pancake these in terms of pure sound quality — often at a lower price. In the end, I returned them. The Bathys are excellent in many ways, but they’re marketed as ANC headphones — and on that front, they just don’t cut the mustard.