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Thanks for your comment. I also use the Px8 when travelling and mostly the Bathys when I'm at home listening to music. Both headphones are mighty fine. 🎶👍

Thanks for your kind words! Much appreciated! 🎶🙏 And thanks for subscribing! Feel free to spread the word about my channel. 👍

Yes, I would say that it would be quite an upgrade. 👍 If possible, the best way to do it, is to audition the Px8 at a local HiFi-store - before making the decision.

Glad you enjoyed it!

It's in the making. The script is way too long, so I have to kill my darlings. Anyway, it will be the first review I film in my new studio. Thanks for your patience.

Thanks for your kind words and your advice! 🙏 As you point out, they sound even better wired. 🎶👍

I gave it a good thought, but can't come up with any suggestion. IMHO, the Focal Bathys sound way better than any wireless headphones in the sub 500 euro price range. It's not even a contest. If you really like the sound, my suggestion is to save up and buy the the Focal Bathys when you have the money. My motto has always been: "Buy expensive, cry once" 🎶❤️

Thanks for the tip! I haven't listened to the Paw S1, but it looks really sharp. 🤩

Thanks for your kind words, Dennis! Glad to help out. How are the headphones treating you? 🎶🤩

Thanks for your input. That's why I always suggest listening to headphones yourself to really find out what sounds the best - to you. I believe headphones offer the most personal listening experience of all, and that's why it's important to do your own listening tests - like you have done. 🎶👍

You could do that, but it means adding a digital -> analogue conversion in the lightning adapter, then an analogue -> digital conversion in the headphones. Both conversion will affect the sound quality. How much? Only you can decide.

Well, as I point out in the review, all three contenders have their pros and cons. I hope you found my my video informative, even if there wasn't a clear winner. 😉

Thanks for your kind words! Much appreciated, and the first time I'm referenced as a grandfather, but I guess there is a first time for everything. ☺️ I'm feel honored to contribute to your journey in the wonderful world of Hi-Fi. You know what, I still learn new things everyday and that's why I love working with music. As a professional sound engineer, I feel blessed being around HiFi-enthusiasts and audiophiles. They often listen to music in the same way as when they were fifteen years old - when music meant everything. And I love being inspired by the way music still affect them. I try to tap into that feeling. How are your new headphones working out for you? Are they treating you well? 🎶❤️

I'm so glad you found the review helpful! Enjoy your new headphones, and let me know how you like them!

Thanks for your kind words! 🙏 The 3.0 software wasn’t available as the time of my review. However, I am mentioning it in my latter video comparing Bathys, Px8 and 5909. 👍

You’re welcome and thank you!

Thanks for your contribution to my channel! 🙏 It means a lot. 👍

It's was the dCS Vivaldi APEX DAC, Vivaldi Upsampler and Vivaldi Master Clock - one of the absolute best-sounding DAC systems available. I love dCS motto: "Only the music" Spot on...

Thanks for sharing your opinion. That's why I always point out the importance of doing your own listening tests - to find out which headphones that sound the best to you. And even more importantly, which headphones that fits your head the best over a long listening period. Personally, I think the Focal Stellia are the best sounding closed-back headphones I've had the pleasure to experience, and I've owned and auditioned a lot of different headphones on the market - in all price segments. And saying that the treble is severely rolled off is not correct at all. To me, listening to the Focal Stellia powered by a Pass Labs HPA-1 headphone amp is just mental with the musical presentation, the vivid sound stage and mid-range depth. Amazing! I've recorded symphony orchestras in concert halls and I've done very vivid recordings in churches, so my ears are very tuned to acoustic events. Listening to the Focal Stellia give be that 'acoustic cue', that sense of not listening through a pair of headphones, and that rarely happen to me on headphones. Owning TAD Compact Reference One speakers with Beryllium mid-range and tweeters makes my level of reference even higher. Still I find the Focal Stellia and Utopia to be among the best sounding headphones on the market. But we all experience sound differently. Thanks for your input! Frederick

@@immersivesoundtech "And saying that the treble is severely rolled off is not correct at all." Sorry, but we will just have to agree to disagree. I don't care how they measure; I care what they sound like to my ears. And my ears tell me the treble is rolled off on virtually every Focal headphone I have heard - the Stellia is perhaps the worst of the lot. The only exception in my experience was the Elex (but I had other issues with them). When it comes to listening in my space, with my sources and my music, the only opinion of any consequence is mine. What someone else thinks is irrelevant. I know a thing or two about audio, and have my own recording studio and have been at it for 40+ years. That doesn't make me right...but it does make me very knowledgeable. All that being said, if the Focal Stellia floats your boat then I'm happy for you. I truly am. But that doesn't change the way I feel about the brand or how I perceive the sound of their headphones. I still haven't found a set of headphones that can come close to the performance of a good IEM like the 64 Audio u18t. But IEMs are not practical for me to mix and master with. I'm thinking about trying the Steven Slate VSX Modeling Headphones. They look interesting and seem to get a lot of love among professionals.

So we're both professional sound engineers. I don't care much for measurements either, all that counts is what I hear. I hear good things about 64 Audio in-ears from colleagues working as monitor engineers. I have still to try them out myself. I have really tried to talk myself into buying custom molded IEM from 64 Audio or Ultimate Ears, but I just don't have use for them as I'm not working as a monitor engineer anymore, and it's too much money. I guess using IEM still gives me that "at work"-feeling so I much prefer leisure listening to music on headphones. I have listened to the Steven Slate headphones and - with or without the digital processing - they didn't impress me. Maybe because I have high quality Hi-Fi headphones as reference. However, as you and I seem to have very different taste when it comes to headphones, maybe you will fancy their switchable sound stage more than I do. ☺️

Thanks for you input! Yes, the headphones will in my experience both open up and become more firm in the low-end, as they are 'broken in'. Just leave them playing overnight for a couple of weeks, and they will keep on giving. 🎶👍

Thanks for your kind words! Highly appreciated! If you want a low-end that digs deep and still sound 'punchy' and vibrant, I would recommend listening to the Focal Bathys. And if you like a slightly overblown but punchy and 'fun' low-end, go for the Bower & Wilkins Px8 with the ANC enabled. Personally, I also love bass (I started my sound engineering career as a DJ back in the late 80ies) and I still can't quite decide which headphones I like the best for club music. If you like to listen loud - which you shouldn't do - the Px8 are definitely better. The louder you play em, the 'better' they sound. Hope this helps. Let us know which you decide to buy and how they work out for you, okay. All the best Frederick

I haven't had the chance to compare the B&W Px7s2 and Px8 yet. And I haven't listened to the Bose Quietcomfort Ultra headphones. Hopefully I will be able to do that in the future.

Thanks for watching my videos! 🙏 In my humble opinion, 'break in' or 'burn-in' is very important and can make all the difference for a pair of headphones. The change in sound is different from model to model. After having reviewed headphones and speakers for more than twenty years, I came to the conclusion many years ago, that 'burn-in' is important. I haven't had the chance to listen to the B&W Px7 S2e yet, but I like the Px8. Good luck with your headphones Frederick

​@@immersivesoundtech Thank you very much, Frederick. For what little feedback an untrained consumer like myself can provide, I very much like the Px7 S2e. The Px7 S2e is has the fabric and plastic build, but they feel identical on the head (that "hug" you describe). To my untrained ears, they sound very similar. I have to say, it's a tough decision. I got both heavily discounted (Px7 S2e new at $239 USD, Px8 B&W Recertified at $399 USD), and I'd love to have both! However, if I was forced to recommend between the two to buyers in USA market, I'd suggest the Px7 S2e over the Px8 and over all the popular ANC headphones that are commonly used here (Bose QuietComforrt lineup, Sony XM lineup, Apple AirPods Max, and Beats Studios seem to be the most popular). The Px7 S2e feels more refined in build and sound over any of those I mentioned at a fair price. I know the market prices may differ overseas. Thank you for your video, and thoughtful feedback. Looking forward to seeing more of your content in the future.

Thanks for watching my videos! I've done some travelling with the Focal Bathys, and even if they are a bit bigger, it hasn't been a problem for me. The B&W Px8 are comparatively a bit slimmer and I really enjoy them as travel partners. Lately, I've used the new Sonos ACE headphones, and even though they don't have the same sound quality as Focal Bathys, they are slimmer, lighter and very comfy.

@@immersivesoundtech I think I’ll switch from carrying a laptop with me and get an IPad. Then I can have space for bigger headphones. Problem solved! Sound quality is number 1 as a priority.

Well spoken and thanks for watching my videos. Highly appreciated! So, please let me know how the Px8 sound now that you've 'broken them in'. Cheers Frederick

Thanks for your comment! I have listened to the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 headphones a couple of times, and while nice-sounding, they didn't blow me away. The filter opportunities are both a blessing and a curse, because as a listener you can really change the sound, and in the hands of a novice user, that might be overwhelming. I have reached out to Bang & Olufsen and asked for a pair of H95, but they didn't have a pair available for review.

Thanks for watching my videos and for your kind words! It means a lot to me. 👍 When you've made your choice, please let me know how your new headphones works out for you, okay. 🎧🎶