Focal Azurys

The reviewer evaluates both the Focal Azurys (closed-back) and Hadenys (open-back) headphones, praising their lightweight comfort and smooth, well-measured sound signatures that deviate from Focal's typical tuning. While the Azurys is noted for its comfortable fit and easy drivability, the reviewer finds its timbre slightly shifted in the ear gain region, which can subtly affect electric guitars and percussive hits, and prefers a small EQ adjustment. Overall, the reviewer is positive about both, highlighting them as a breath of fresh air for Focal's ergonomics.

The reviewer is highly impressed with the Focal Azurys, calling it one of his favorite closed-back headphones at any price. He praises its powerful, clean bass, comfortable design, and technical treble, while noting minor limitations in soundstage width and occasional upper-midrange veiling on certain vocals. Overall, he strongly recommends it despite a few caveats.

The reviewer compares the Focal Azurys and Sennheiser HD 620S, finding the Azurys superior in bass and midrange linearity but with a treble issue that makes it sound shouty or glary. The HD 620S has a more natural treble but a boxier bass. The reviewer cannot decisively pick a winner, noting both are strong closed-back options with different trade-offs.

The reviewer finds the Focal Azurys to be an excellent closed-back headphone that offers a neutral, studio-monitor-like tuning with good resolution, and is particularly praised for its portability and reasonable price of $549. While it is not as resolving as higher-end Focal models, its tonal balance makes it suitable for professional use, and the reviewer is very excited about it despite minor gripes about the included cable and fit for larger heads.

The reviewer finds the Focal Azurys to be a comfortable, well-built wired closed-back headphone that sounds good, but it doesn't offer enough of an advantage over the wireless Bathys to justify switching for most people. The sound quality is solid with a bass emphasis and flat midrange, but the lack of ANC and the microphonic cable are drawbacks. Ultimately, it's a good headphone, but the Bathys' convenience may win out for many.

The reviewer compares three Focal headphones and finds the Azurys to be the worst of the bunch, criticizing its airy, splashy sound and poor tonality, especially for the price. They recommend avoiding it entirely, while praising the Bathys as the clear winner and the Hadenys as decent but overpriced.