Headphone nerds are a tricky crowd, particularly whenever you take away their treasured cables. Ask anybody who frequently browses the r/headphones subreddit whether or not noise-canceling or wi-fi headphones are any good, and also you’re more likely to get loads of people telling you that they’re superb for decreasing outdoors sound, however can’t strategy what wired headphones can supply when it comes to sound high quality.

So far, these voices have largely been proper. With only a few exceptions, wi-fi headphones sound worse than their wired counterparts. This has led numerous listeners to tote round cumbersome wired headphones, moveable headphone amps, and varied equipment to get the perfect sound on the go.

Now a brand new era of noise-canceling headphones from established audiophile manufacturers like Mark Levinson, Bowers & Wilkins, and Focal need to problem the long-established hierarchy, making it doable for audio nerds to make use of the identical pair whereas straightforward wi-fi touring as they may for wired at-home listening. Of the three manufacturers’ flagship fashions, it’s the Focal Bathys which have impressed me essentially the most.

I’ve spent a couple of months with the French audiophile model’s very good noise-canceling over-ears, they usually’ve develop into my favourite pair in current reminiscence. The beautiful magnesium and aluminum cans borrow design cues and driver designs from Focal’s higher-end wired headphones, however embrace cutting-edge digital-to-analog conversion, and a number of the most comfy earpads I’ve ever worn.

If you’re a discerning listener who loves a bit of fashion you possibly can’t do higher on the go: Ditch the AirPods Max and go together with these. It’s like buying and selling up from a pink Corvette to a Rosso Corsa Ferrari.

Parlez Vous Francais

Say it with me: Foh-Cal Bat-hees. This pair of pricey noise-canceling headphones, named after a spherical submersible from last century, appear like one thing you’d pull from Poseidon’s desk. Spherical cutouts of various sizes and styles circle the tornado-shaped Focal “F” in the midst of every earcup, like a web surrounding a dangerous whirlpool.

Thankfully, there are not any finicky contact controls for brand spanking new musical divers. On the underside of the fitting earcup, you’ll discover a energy change that permits you to choose between off, on, and DAC mode (extra on this later), in addition to a easy three-button setup for quantity up, down, and play/pause (lengthy press for BT pairing). A single button on the left earcup enables you to choose between ANC modes. I like the bezel-like wheel on the Airpods Max for novelty, however I want all headphones have been this straightforward to function.

Turn them on, and an excellent white LED backlights the brand on both sides, making you appear like some kind of nautical Tony Stark. You can flip off the lights (and regulate EQ and ANC settings) in Focal’s app, for those who don’t need everybody round you to understand how a lot you spent on headphones.

After all, units like these aren’t for others to get pleasure from; they’re to assist well-heeled listeners keep their golden-eared life outdoors of their ordinary listening conditions. And boy, are they comfy.