Hmmm, strange we’re experiencing the difference….
I can definitely confirm with that BT Widget slider, the control is much finer….
What iPhone and iOS are you on…? It may even be the BT standard being used….I’m using what is now a slightly old iPhone Xs….Don’t know if there could be something in that…
When I get a chance, I’ll try again with some different/newer devices, iPads etc, see if the same….
I also noticed today there was a firmware update on the Bathys, 1.5.7 I think…may have been out a little while for all I know…think it was mainly an enhancement re DAC mode playback….
I have had a reply from Focal support partner which does acknowledge this issue…sort of - and confirms that Focal are working on it - quote at the end of this post.
Their advice is actually in line with your experience more than mine for the workaround but they note that the volume steps are not consistent and this might be more at the heart of my issue as the most inconsistent one seems to exist around my usual listening volume.
Maybe you could test yours, but it seems to be around the 45-55% mark on the slider if you use the phone controls - there is a weirdly large jump which does seem inconsistent with the volume steps up to that point which are actually ok. Most my listening is done around this point so that when a track is slightly too loud or quiet, I guess I adjust it from this mid point and experience the worst of the issue!
Reply from Focal/Dealer:
“You are not the first person to mention this and I can confirm it is being addressed by focal already.
Some of the steps are quite small and some are larger.
There will be a firmware update in the not too distant future.”
I have had more feedback from support who have now looped in Focal as well - they reckon the behaviour when using the volume slider or on device volume on the SR35 is not “normal” (though I can see others have reported this elsewhere) and are investigating further.
Samsung galaxy vs22. Latest software, and firmware on the bathys.
Originally the samsung volume rocker and the bathys rocker had huge jumps. There is an app in the Samsung store that reduces the size of the jumps on the phone rocker. Don’t know why you need an app to change the setting but you do.
That helped but didn’t solve the rocker on the bathys. Now i can get modest size jumps on the phone rocker but the bathys rocker jumps them at about 5 steps to 1, so essentially it’s useless.
Above is on Bluetooth.
Behaviour seems different in usb dac mode. Jumps are smaller but total volume levels are also lower.
I had a final reply from the distributer and Focal themselves:
"Please see the reply from Focal:
In fact Bathys has 16 volume levels, whatever the connection mode, sources that offer more levels will only act within this envelope, which could generate the behaviour described by our customer.
However, we’re sorry if we misspoke, but there are currently no plans to increase the number of volume control levels via a firmware update in the near future, though we’ll keep an ear out for it, although at present it doesn’t seem to be an issue for the majority of users, so there are currently no plans to do so."
I ended up selling them on this week with very conflicted feelings.
If they were to be my only headphones for both travelling and At Home “critical listening” then I might have held on to them.
As it was, the overall experience as ANC travel cans was not as good as my Air Pods Max, even though they do sound better, and I will continue to use my Meze at home.
Frustratingly close to being “great” IMHO - be interesting to see what a Bathys 2 might look like in the future!
I would certainly never say they are not worth getting/looking at if you can get them at a sale price IMHO.
For the NZ$ equivalent of US$480 that I paid from them, I reckon they could be a really good buy - as long as the flaws I have mentioned don’t bother you. I think some people genuinely don’t find the lack of fine volume control a deal breaker and that is fair enough…and they do sound really good and have got great battery life.
I am wondering if for people that like to listen either louder or quieter than I do, the weird volume issue is less noticeable outside of that problem zone!
All of that said, I think at RRP I could never recommend them. They are too compromised compared to much better priced options for an “out and about” ANC headset and they don’t sound good enough for home critical listening compared to passive cans at the same price.
Try before you buy or make sure they have a good returns policy would be my advice.
(Or wait for Bathys 2!)
Thanks for sharing the formal response. Seems lame but predictable. Maybe they’ll address on V2 iteration that fixes other flaws and makes other improvements.
There’s no way this is an out and about headphone IMO for several reasons. Loads of better options for that.
I only bought mine because they were 50% off RRP. The first pair i had failed and had to be replaced under warranty.
They do sound better than my momentum 4 on pure sound quality but are interior in most other ways.
I have exactly the same issue with my Focal Bathy’s. It’s actually caused me earache. I just Google searched volume problem with Focal Bathy’s and end up seeing this. I’m pretty sure I saw your post on reddit so I’ve signed up here to comment.
For context I purchased a pair of B&W PX8 (for 499) and a pair of Focal Bathy’s (for 599) to try out from Richer Sounds. The PX8 headphones sounded fantastic but have been returned for a refund because they hurt the top of my head and even gave me jaw ache.
Thankfully the Focals are more comfortable for me but like you I have had an issue with the volume. It doesn’t matter what device I use either.
Predominantly I use them via Bluetooth on my iPad or Apple TV however the issue remains that I can be listening to something and it’s not quite loud enough. Then when I press the volume button either on the headphones themselves or on the iPad or Apple TV then the volume jumps up too much. I have also tried the volume slider on my iPad, the one in the control centre I mean but that just gets ignored and the volume jumps up too much.
I have tagged Focal in on my comment on Facebook but they haven’t replied which I can understand with it being public. I did try posting something on their support page put it kept saying error, field needs filling in.
I really want to keep them as they sound sublime I’m just hoping that now you have got Focal’s attention that they can do something via a firmware update. My other option is to return them before the 6th of January for a refund and consider purchasing the ML 5909 whilst they are reduced in price.
If I had got any indication from Focal they were working on it, then I would have kept them. As it was, their response wasn’t enough to hang on to and I have now sold them to a happy customer at a slight loss to me and a huge drop from RRP for them!
I would be watching for Bathys 2 as it seems from others feedback that neither the B&W nor the Mark Levinson are going to offer what I want either.
Frankly, having gone back to my AirPod Max for travelling, I suspect that the 2nd iteration of those may end up being the winner for me! If they have slightly better tuning and better battery life along with a (officially!) user replaceable headband, then they will probably hit the sweet spot.
I’ve seen people mention Bathy 2, does anyone know if this is something that is definitely happening or what time scale.
I would like some but am put off by the problems encountered by a few.
As far as I know someone has just made a guess about Bathy’s 2.
It is just as likely that Focal will release new headphones with a new name. Having said that the Bathy’s have a lot of positive press so it would make sense marketing wise to go with Bathy’s 2. Just my two cents worth though.
Have to agree with many others that the volume steps are too course - it’s either too quiet or too loud for me. Don’t suppose anyone’s got any more feedback that Focal may address this?? Real shame…
