In September 2023, Focal embraced the sound personalization trend by launching the latest version of their Bathys noise-canceling wireless headphones, now enhanced with Mimi Sound Personalization. These headphones have consistently received widespread praise, with many reviewers highlighting the personal sound profile as a standout feature.
“What is nice is that Mimi recovers some of the treble that the Bathys leaves on the table when set to flat…With Mimi on, some vocal recordings I know well had the details and air I’m accustomed to on my main in-room rig or with top-end headphones (I use the HiFiMan Susvara as a reference). Focal has a great, high-value headphone in the Bathys, and now they’ve added a desirable feature that noticeably sweetens the deal.”
Read more: hi-fi+
“The feature is based on the Mimi hearing test. Mimi has the world’s largest database of digital hearing profiles and it uses those profiles to develop a custom listening profile based specifically on your hearing. That profile then uses advanced digital signal processing to boost frequencies you may otherwise miss, improve the clarity of speech and enhance your overall audio experience. Unlike other hearing apps Mimi doesn’t just analyse your response to musical tones, but also to background noise. That means its audio profiles are exceptionally comprehensive.
The key difference between Mimi and traditional EQ is that normal EQs don’t know what your ears look like, or what frequencies you might be losing as you get older and/or spend too much time down the front at gigs. By analysing your hearing, custom tuning can boost the frequencies you need enhanced without also boosting the ones you don’t.”
Read more: TechRadar
“The integration of the Mimi Hearing Test into the manufacturer’s app is the highlight of these updates. Users can now take a hearing test through the app to assess their hearing abilities. The test involves a series of beeps played against a background of random noise, with users tapping a button whenever they hear the beeps. This data is then used to tailor the headphone’s equalizer settings, making sure that users can enjoy every subtle detail of their audio, even if they have experienced some hearing loss.”
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“In its quest to offer its customers the very best, the Focal teams have incorporated a new feature into the headphones: the Mimi hearing test. Available via the Focal & Naim app, this allows users to configure the sound delivered by Bathys according to their hearing, thereby allowing them to enjoy the Focal sound regardless of their test results. In other words: Bathys adapts to everyone’s hearing. Those with the Black Silver version now also have access to this test, by simply updating the Focal & Naim app.”
Read more: Tech Aeris
“Accessible via the updated Focal & Naim app, the automated Mimi hearing test takes a few minutes to complete. The test uses tones to analyze the unique characteristics of the listener’s hearing and creates a profile that modifies the frequency balance of the sound to compensate for any deficiencies that may exist. Each ear is tested individually to account for likely variances.
Once the profile is set, you can use a slider to adjust the intensity of the customized equalization. The profile can be applied to other headphones; the app also allows multiple profiles to be stored for different listeners.
The Mini hearing test was deemed to be among the five best hearing test apps out of more than 20 currently on the market by soundly.com, a company dedicated to reviewing hearing health products.”
Read more: Sound & Vision
Find out more about Focal Bathys
- Check out the full list of Mimi-enabled partner devices
- Read more about Focal Bathys
- Visit Focal website