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Audio · head to head

AirPods Max vs Bathys

Reddit's answer is the Focal Bathys. Buy only if you want wireless headphones that sound like a proper audiophile reference and look the part. The AirPods Max is a Stay Away — don’t buy it — get the Sony XM4 instead.

Apple AirPods Max
Apple · Audio

AirPods Max

Stay Away$397.67
40% of 2,158 owners recommend
~1 in 2 failure rate — ~1 in 2 long-term owner reports describe a failure — the highest failure rate of the 10 wireless headphones we track, against a category baseline of 27%. Connectivity is the most cited component, followed by battery and moisture/condensation damage. Failures typically surface between 12 and 31 months of ownership. Of tracked warranty outcomes, 111 cases landed unresolved versus 66 resolved — so failures usually land outside warranty or go unmade-right.

Don’t buy it — get the Sony XM4 instead

+ Repeatedly mentioned as the reference point other headphones get measured against.

− A vocal minority flags the price as hard to justify given the reliability record.

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Focal Bathys
Focal · Audio

Bathys

Risky Buy$593
56% of 416 owners recommend
~1 in 8 failure rate — ~1 in 8 long-term reports mention a failure, spread across multiple components with no single dominant weak point. Onset is early, mostly within the first year, and most warranty cases were resolved — usually made right under warranty. At a serious-failure rate of about 8%, this is the lowest failure rate of the 10 wireless headphones we track, well below the category baseline of 27%.

Buy only if you want wireless headphones that sound like a proper audiophile reference and look the part.

+ Repeatedly mentioned as the reason people buy and keep the Bathys — the reference point other wireless headphones get compared against.

− A vocal minority disputes the tuning, finding it colored or inconsistent — not rare enough to dismiss.

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Questions people keep asking

Which is better, the AirPods Max or the Bathys?

Reddit's answer is the Focal Bathys. Buy only if you want wireless headphones that sound like a proper audiophile reference and look the part. The AirPods Max is a Stay Away — don’t buy it — get the Sony XM4 instead.

Is the Apple AirPods Max worth it?

Reddit's verdict is Stay Away. Don’t buy it — get the Sony XM4 instead. Exceptional sound and ANC — but ~1 in 2 long-term reports describe a failure, and only 40% of owners would buy again.

Is the Focal Bathys worth it?

Reddit's verdict is Risky Buy. Buy only if you want wireless headphones that sound like a proper audiophile reference and look the part. Reference-level sound in a wireless package, with a failure rate well below the category average.