Is the Focal Bathys worth the upgrade from the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC?
Verdict
Downgrade
The Focal Bathys actually scores 9.5 points below the Audeze Maxwell 2 ANC, so on aggregate review consensus this is a step backwards. The gains are concentrated in value (6.5 to 7.4). You do give up ground on noise cancelling (8.5 to 6.8) and calls (9.0 to 8.1). On paper: weight 560 g to 350 g, full charge time 120 min to 90 min and microphones 2 to 8. Worth checking: battery life goes 40 h to 30 h and bluetooth goes 5.3 to 5.1. And it costs $370 more for a lower score, which is hard to justify on the data alone. Only worth it if a specific feature above matters more to you than overall quality does.
What actually changes
Sub-scores both products have, on the same 0-10 scale. Bars extend right for a gain, left for a loss.
- Sound9.39.2
- Noise cancelling8.56.8
- Battery8.07.6
- Calls9.08.1
- Value6.57.4
Spec differences
Only where the two genuinely differ - everything they share is omitted.
| Spec | Maxwell 2 ANC | Bathys | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery life | 40 h | 30 h | |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LC3, LC3plus, LDAC | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive | |
| Weight | 560 g | 350 g | |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 | 5.1 | |
| Full charge time | 120 min | 90 min | |
| Driver size | 90 mm | 40 mm | |
| Microphones | 2 | 8 | |
| Driver | 90 mm planar magnetic | 40 mm dynamic | |
| Frequency response | 10 Hz - 50 kHz | 15 Hz - 22 kHz |
About this verdict
Direction matters here: this page answers "Maxwell 2 ANC to Bathys". The other direction is a separate question with a different answer. Scores blend published review verdicts across over-ear and shift as new reviews land, so a marginal call today may not be one next quarter.