I rarely comment, but you provided something that a lot of us needed, in a very clear format, and I want to further help the algorithm know that you're great and deserve more subs :)

Extraordinaryly detailed and accordingly complex review with great understanding of audiophile standards, superb💥

I hope this is not going to be your only youtube test! Excellent review , great very clear sound descriptions impressions.

My man. It is rare to find someone who can make such a trustworthy and detailed review. What makes your review stand out: + You didn't use EQ (manipulation = no longer the original sound). + You didn't use a Cord & DAC (also manipulation). + You listened to the same songs for a long period of several days. + You specify detail differences like: vocals, brass, guitars, bass, general mids, harshness etc. + You brought in people with great credentials to give their drop-in opinion, and who could express their opinion with a developed vocabulary. - The only thing i'm missing is what you thought of Ease Of Use, like buttons etc. Conclusion: Even though you label yourself as a "Focal guy" (biased) you gave your full summarized opinion of what you actually found during your test period. Which shows you are mature enough to take your feelings, opinions and factual experience into account when making a final judgement. It is obvious that you put in alot of time, effort, feeling and analyzing to make this review. Stellar job, 9/10. I rate most reviews between 1-6/10. I hope you make more reviews like this. I would love to see you make a comparison between SENNHEISER Momentum 4 and Bowers & Wilkings PX7 S2 the same way you did here. And between BW PX8 vs PX72s. If you do, take your time, quality is all that matters. Good work, hope to see more from you.

Great review! Incredibly informative & helpful. I've been looking at both & really appreciate the honest comparison. Thanks!

Now this is a proper review. Like what a review really means. I didn't know about this channel before, so it's a pleasant surprise.

I really enjoyed this entire review! The way you fleshed out what you heard, and your deep comparisons left me with a good understanding of the character of each headphone. Thank you!

Thank you for the review. I was waiting for someone to post something on the new PX8.

Thanks for this. Some very clear explanations of the differencies and a clear conclusion. Good effort! 🙌

Excellent review. Very detailed review on the sound quality of each. Thanks

Thanks for the excellent honest, detailed comparison. I was considering the PX8's and this has given me a useful steer.

What an amazing review. You helped me a LOT!!! Thank you so much for such a good video

Excellent and thorough review. Thank you! This helps tremendously on my purchase decision.

Zeb this review is fantastic it’s engaging analytical emotionally rich and qualitatively rich , your audio vocabulary is wonderfully rich . Because of the way you combined the qualitative subjective feeling with the technical analysis this is the best technicals comparative review I’ve ever seen looking forward to many more reviews

Wonderful review. Thank you, this was just what I was looking for.

Best comparison of the two headphones. You have earned a subscriber , thank you so much .

This is undeniably the best review and most thought out/ in depth site (but not overly so) Ive found in years. This will be my go to site on audio matters from now on.

Great review. The best review I found on B&W Px8. Subscribed for your future youtube.

Excellent detailed review and comparison. One of the best headphone reviewers I’ve seen. Wireless headphones are the future imho, dac, amp and headphone in one with the benefit of ANC, great for smaller homes and shared living/working spaces.

Wow. Useful review on KZfaq. Very rare nowadays and much appreciated.

Thank you for such a detailed review! The way you describe the characteristic for these headphones give me clear image of how they present music. In my country, It is hard to find a store had all the ANC headphones I want to try. After watching your video, I bought px8 yesterday, may arrive recently. Really excited about it.

Fantastic review comparing a multitude of different genres of music and having a second professional opinion. Great job!

congrats for this great review! I believe you also published a great post on head-fi post. Super useful and timely. Love the detailed account, track examples and tidbits. Hope you will published more in the future. For instance, a comparison across your Focal headphones would be great! Cheers from France!

I do have quite a collection of headphones myself and never thought to hear an on point analysis like yours. While I absolutely love Focal in headphones jsut as much as in speakers, they do tend to sound "indirect". This, while in some instances is almost otherworldly in its spatial presentation, tends to give them kind of an "engrossed in thoughts presenting the music from another plane of existence" like feeling. I don't really know how to put it. Like distancing itself from the music in a very elegant way. Thank god there are people on YT who have a better way with words and explanations. So TLDR: thank you for this excellent review.

Great way to start first video , you sound like a pro , well done and thanks a lot for a very spot on , straightforward and informative video, am sure you will have more subscribers soon .. you nailed it man

I think you're spot on with the conclusion for what you need in a portable headphone vs. one you want at your desk/listening spot.

Thank you for this review. No one really reviews Bowers and Wilkins and I have 4 of their headphones. The PX7s being my work horse. However I love Focal, I have the clear MG and love them. So this is a review I needed man!! Thank you 🙏🏾 oh and I just subscribed

Thank you for the review. I've been looking at these exact sets.

Well done, excellent review! Ordered px8!

Excellent insight and very useful to me right now. Many thanks.

Best review on KZfaq well done mate

Thank you very much for the review! Just yesterday I managed to listen to these headphones and I devoted 2 hours to this. I listened to the British first and really liked them (had a lot of experience with the PX7 before). I would like to note the linearity of the sound and pleasant sensations from the tactile materials of the headphones. The French surprised no less and it is worth noting from the premium appearance. Until now, I have not decided which I liked more, because the sensations are divided exactly 50 to 50. I am sure that only a private test is necessary when buying. In my opinion, the British are more suitable for portable use on the road, and the French will be able to open themselves up more for thoughtful listening at home. I tested both without noise reduction turned on. My personal headphones: AKG 240 studio, Momentum, B&O H95.

Excellent review! I am not in the market for either headphone, but found your review fascinating none the less.

What a great review. Subbed!!

Viewed, liked and subscribed. Great review and comparison!!

Mate you deserve more subs. This review was spot on. Well structured and educating review without annoying filler content. I already have the PX8 on order so cannot wait to give it a go. Cheers

This is a pretty good and informative video. Thanks!!

Excellent review. Subscribed!

What an amazing review!

Great review, I listen to a lot of electronic / house music with lots of bass. It seems like the B&W are the best for this. This review has changed my mind was pretty sold on the Bathys, but changed my mind now. The Bathys review actually reminds me of the AKG701 from a few years ago.

Great review and comparison.

INCREDIBLE reviews on two cans I have been considering, VERY impressed! Thanks soooo much!

Thank you for doing this comparison video. I found it very useful the way you’ve described both headphones. I have the Sony XM3 currently (and I really do like their bombastic sound. However I am looking for an upgrade for headphones that sound more open and that don’t make my ears hot.

One of the best headphones reviews I've seen in awhile & would love to hear your thoughts on a range of HP equipment

Great comparison mate, I was decided on the Bathys but now I'll need to check out the PX8s too

Thank you! I have been agonizing over which one to buy between these two! After reading and watching every review I could find, most raved about how good the Bathys are, and not a lot of info on the PX8. Although I was leaning towards the PX8, I was on the fence because of the Bathys' stellar reviews. Thanks to your detailed back-to-back review, I'm confident the PX8 is the right choice! Subscribed!

Great review thanks. I tried the PX5 or PX7 back few years ago in Dubai in the middle of the airport. The noise cancelling was uncanny, indescribably good compared to 'mid range' hifi headphones. I'm going to get the PX8 007s to replace my 18 year old IXOS DJ1002s and Senny HD450s (borrowed ;)) for daily use. If they get me another 10 years I'll be happy. Will use them in noisy factories, entertainment business, sleep, long route travel, etc.

Thx for this video. There are some nice discounts on the PX8 at the moment. I heard that there is a hudge quality difference using the Dac mode on the Focals, I also saw that using the Focal app you can make a personnalised sound adjustement called "Mimi". Anyway all very exciting. You personal experience is actually very interesting. Thx again. :)

keep your channel going man. you sold me on the Px8 and they are exactly how you described. Thanks!

Much better review compared to most, not only thanks for doing a review that is needed but also doing it well.

Well done sir, nice review!

Great review. I auditioned both at K55 in Zurich on Tuesday for maybe an hour to an hour and a half so nowhere near as intensively as you but my opinion and conclusions were very similar to yours. I own Sony XM3s which I love but are clearly outclassed by these 2 headphones except for comfort where they are the best. Anyway I was struggling to decide between the 2 but your review is swaying me in favour of the B&Ws. They are definitely a more exciting and engaging listen. To me they are also more comfortable than the Bathys and very slightly more suited to travel as they are marginally less bulky and lighter than the Focals. Thanks again for helping me to reach a conclusion.

Wow, this is the best and most helpful headphone review I found here on KZfaq. Thank you very much!! Listening is always very subjective, but I think you have the best approach to compensate for that. The natural and intuitive way that you describe things makes it easy to imagine which model one would prefer. I really enjoyed your detailed information about different genres, especially on voices. I also find your girlfriend's impressions extremely valuable for me! Thank you very much to both of you! I would love to find more reviews and comparisons on your channel -> subscription made.

Thank you very much for this comparison between Focal Bathys and Bowers & Wilkins PX8. I also sold my Airpods Max and reserved the PX8. There are many nuances that you mention in your video that are in line with what I'm looking for and in terms of comfort and design, in my humble opinion, I think the B&W PX8 is better positioned than the Focal Bathys

EXCELLENT review. IMHO, without having listened to the PX8, the built-in DAC on the Focals is the clincher. Not having to deal with a cumbersome dongle-DAC setup is a big win. I have a new Dragonfly Cobalt that I’m sad & excited to return. 😂 Really like being able to get to the 192 material on Apple Music and not limited to 96 as with the Cobalt. Again, top-notch review. Hope you keep at it. 👏

Been looking for a thorough sound review on B&W's. Comfort and build are a given if you scouted for reviews on it. Cheers! You are also easy to read, holding the specific headphone while talking about it. Happy to hear you prefer the B&W's, sound quality is something I need to experience but boy do they look stylish!

Great review, you have a new subscriber 👌

Awesome review, this is what I was looking for…I’m looking at getting the PX8 or H95…and I’m going with the Px8 ✊🏾✊🏾

I like the methodology. Very expressive comparison. After this it will be enough to have a short comparison to decide between them. Since I didn't like any of the Focals so far, and otherwise I prefer a fuller sound and more like a speaker sound stage rather than head stage, the decision seems to be clear. Thank you.

very interesting and helpful. thank you.

I own both, this is the first review that fully expresses my opinions. Thank you for your unbiased comments.

Sound and the most important is comfort. Very good review and thanks for including opinion of other person. It's hard to compare headphones. I have Grado SR80e, Sennheiser PXC550 and of course Koss Porta Pro. Koss sounds muffled, but it depends on source of the sound (i guess due to higher impedance). Grado has crystal clear sound revealing some details, i can basically guess the size of your room and i can hear low frequency sound when car passes (maybe microphone seems to capture a lot of bass, just like my boya mm1). On the other hand ... some songs or genres are almost impossible to listen on them for long (such as rock or metal with many instruments and constant loudness), while pxc550 have somewhat warmer sound without overemphasis in middle tones and are comfortable to listen for hours.

hats off to you. you had me with the intro saying you would directly go to the sound. indeed who cares about that you need to swipe or push a button when you obviously are buying these headphones for the sound ! the only gripe I had is that its not usable in passive mode and I wonder how long the battery will go...

Only just found this review and I had wondered if I made the right choice with buying the PX8 over the Bathys and now I know I did, Great review and you really need more subs!

Amazing review, thanks for your thoughts. I’m currently considering the PX8 since I can get a very good price for an open box model for $599 cad instead of $899.

I have now owned the Bathys and PX8, The PX8 differs in sound quality with ANC on and off, with ANC on it sounds fuller and punchier, though I miss the details and space the Bathys had. If I were to choose one for general home use it would be the Bathys, if I were to travel outside the PX8.

Thank you for this informative review. It feels like there is something “ extra “ that i rarely feel watching other ‘top/mainstream’ reviewers, maybe it’s called… honesty. You made it straight to the point. Not so many can describe the sound like you, and i think people buying headphones in this price range are more interested in sound than in other features.

Great video! Subscribed

Awesome video brother

Great review , I’ve read that the bathys are difficult to use via a wired connection on an I phone , any thoughts or suggestions for doing this ? Many thanks Paul

great video man, please do more reviews on headphones and audio stuff

I fell in love with the Bathys. I highly recommend testing them live. Fully agree on your opinion

Thanks for the very detailed review. I love rock but, I’m primarily a classical and jazz fan. Your commentator is right, the Bathys sound more like a concert and that what I like about them. I listened to the B&Ws albeit not for as long as you did but, frankly, it was the heavier bass that lessened my appreciation. I went for the Focals and I’m incredibly pleased with them. I pair with the Chord Mojo2/Poly rig for train commuting.

I bought both and you are definitely spot on. Could not explain it better! BUT, at least for me, I get fatigue from the PX8's when listening for long. They're just too lively sometimes. Maybe I'm getting old lol! I listen to the Bathys 70% of the time.

i appreciate that you took very detailed notes!!! I am curious to hear what you left out of the video for times sake.

Absolutely great review mate!! Really, really good! Quick question please: I am looking of a new pair of headsets; I have great hearing (going close to 29kHz - TESTED) and for me the sound quality is important. I am looking now at these 2 but I am waiting for KEF MU7 as well (I know, lower price range; never had the chance to test them) but as I am having the KEF R3 speakers which I love, I would like to see if the cans are going to deliver the same quality as the bookshelf speakers. When you will be able to make a KEF MU7 review?

I own Focal loudspeakers and Clears, I also own the original B&W PX 7’s. I was planning on buying the new PX 8’s, but I believe I’ll buy the Bathys.

Refreshing to see a review that doesn't base everything on how it tracks the frickin Harman curve.

Getting that algo poppin. Great video.

Really really good and honest review of these 2 headphone pairs. It could be felt in the air that you really wanted Bathys to take advantage over PX8 but you've given honesty and justice. Much appreciated for that. I've been researching these 2 headphones for a while.

Thanks for introducing me to these headphones. Peace.

Thx for this. So the BW will be better for prog/metal then? I had the PX7 but the sound was not that good for my taste.

A really clear and thoughtful review. Is there a chance you could throw the Mark Levinson No. 5909 into the mix for the ultimate comparison?

Hello, I have a question. I bought the Focal Bathys however I had to return 2 pairs because both were faulty. There was a problem solely in the left driver in both headphones where the audio was not balanced properly so it sounded like there was audio missing on the left side compared to the right side. Did you experience this at all in your set or am I just unlucky? Its not my ears because I have a couple headphones I use at home and my left ear hears things fine. I really hope its not by design because I love their sound signature and I'm hoping that my third set will be fault free.

I also have the Px8 and the Bathys. I'm finding that on some electronics songs, the Px8 are quite fun, but the Bathys do have a level of clarity, detail that I have not heard, and it therefore hits an emotional place. I have not heard that detail yet in an ANC headphone. But as stated, they are both great headphones.

Have you tried the T&A Solitaire T by any chance? I'm totally curious and interested in these because i own the Px8 and Bathys and one has to go back. It was your reviewing that got me to try out the Px8 as well. For the last few days i've swung back and forth between which one to keep and yes on centain tracks the Px8 does a much better job but on other tracks and types of music the Bathys blows the Px8 out of the water. Both have advantages and both have their pitfalls so i think there is a way to go yet before we experience exceptional wireless music on headphones. I am hearing the closest to wired music is the T&A Solitaire but it's so expensive and there isn't too much information on it out there. By the way I've finally decided to keep the Bathys because the punchy bass on the Px8 can get a bit annoying and fatiguing after a while. Bathys is certainly easier on the ears and better for longer listening in my opinion

For me, the Bathys play perfect. I love the details and clarity, the wide soundstage and the bass rumbles clean and deep. If I‘m in the mood for more direct, more „in my face“ and potentially ridiculously loud music, I plug in my Vision Ears VE7 custom in ears. But nice review (except the person in the background who’s constantly entering and leaving the room) and good point, that on the road, wide stage isn’t that important as punchy, forward. 🙋🏻

Love the review but what about burning in the PX8 when they have been used as long as your Bathys will they still have the same sound signature. or is burning in headphones a bit of a myth?

The color of PX8 looks great. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you! 🎶💙‼️

Great review. Agreed with others - how do you only have 200 subs?

I also have the clear and the Stellea and I absolutely love them both. i’m currently trying to decide on Hindu noise cancelling headphones and I’m stuck between these two and the new momentum. Do you have any experience with the momentum? Also as a sidenote have you ever tried the utopia?

A few minutes in and I know I would prefer the PX8 immensely. I prefer a warmer sound that isn't overly analytical. Though I do also like a wide sound stage, I'm willing to give that up for the tonality that suits me.

Somehow you are the first reviewer to even discuss this issue. It is as I feared: the Focal seems a bit underwhelming. I wasn't impressed when they allowed the headphone retailers to get their reviews out near the day of the launch for the Bathys, like they had had them in hand for weeks already to try them out. This hobby is niche enough, and it just looks bad if they didn't bother sending out review units to actual reviewers in the industry but did so for the retailers who they know are going to say nothing negative about them, and throw in a sponsorship to sell you overpriced cables. Sheesh. Anyway thanks for the review!

Great stuff. I‘ll go for Bathys :)

Ah man what I’ve been waiting for. [settles back and relaxes…]

Thanks for a wonderful review. No time wasted ‘unboxing’… A quick question if I may. With ANC activated on the B&Ws is the audio quality deteriorated? The reason I ask, is that my 5 year old PXs sound v v good without the ANC. When it’s activated, they sound muffled - can only really use for watching TV & movies with ANC. Thank you

Wholy smokes mate, this IS the review I’ve been searching for. It was very detailed when it came to sonics, which is like you’ve stated, it’s what I’m most concerned about when spending this amount of paper on a pair of cans. I was even surprised by your conclusion, yet very satisfied by the review. Great job mate, great job indeed.

Just got the PX8 in and it feels premium all around. Been wearing it for like 7 hours straight now and it's still comfier than any other headset I've owned. Took about 5 to 6 hours for me to start noticing the warmth of the headset in a 20 degrees Celcius environment. The physical buttons are really nice. One complaint would be the feature that detects when you wearing your headset or not. It really does stop music when you are still wearing the headset. For me, it's fine to turn this off.

Considering both of these! Your review was thorough and objective. Q: Do you think the recommended running-in period for the Bathys will remedy some of the tonal and sound dislikes that you noted?