For audiophiles, a well-known company that always produces reliable sound is Focal. Their flagship headphones are wildly sought after, and their Bluetooth Bathys continue to impress anyone who gives them a try. They’ve recently released two new models of wired headphones, pricing lower than their average pair of cans to accommodate the audiophile budget. The open-back Hadenys and the closed-back Azurys are both priced under $700, bringing high quality sound at an unbeatable cost.
What Comes In The Box
| Focal Hadneys – $699 | Focal Azurys – $549 |
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You’ll see that these two have essentially the same contents in the box: cable, carrying case, warranty, and the headphones themselves. A few things set them apart. The Hadenys come with a 6.35mm adapter, making it easier to integrate into an audio setup. The Azurys, on the other hand, come with a different cable. The cable in the Azurys has a microphone attachment to make office work and phone calls a breeze. The Hadenys, being an open-back design, don’t provide this microphone because of the feedback that you’ll likely hear using those things together.
Aesthetics and Functionality
Before listening, these headphones already impressed me by their looks alone. Focal keeps to the signature physical design, but has some slight variations on the theme to make them unique. For the Hadenys, a brown color scheme was used with inspiration from the Hadean era. The hexagonal holes on the ear cup give them a geometric flare, and the cable that comes from one side isn’t cumbersome or in the way.
The Azurys are similar in their shape. They draw inspiration from the stone azurite, which explains the blue color. The soft blue drew my attention immediately, and I liked how this design differs from all the greys and blacks of other headphone brands. They keep to this softness by making the pattern on the earcups circles instead of a hard-lined shape. Still, in true Focal fashion, they trigger the trypophobia by making them clustered all together.
These two headphones are different in color but the material to use them stays the same. As someone who wears glasses, I appreciate the light clamping force and soft ear pads. It ensures the stems of my glasses don’t dig into the side of my head. I think the headband is a bit tight and feels a bit stiff during use, so it starts to ache on the top of the head after too long.
Tech Specs
| Focal Hadneys – $699 | Focal Azurys – $549 |
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You’ll see that technologically speaking, these two headphones are incredibly similar, so we put them in a joint review. The drivers are the same size and are made of the same material. The frequency response hits the same high point, and the distortion only differs by 0.1% at the same harmonic rate. The Hadenys and Azurys are marketed as the open-back / closed-back version of each other, making the two easy to look at side by side.
Listening Review
Soundstage
On paper, you’d think these sound virtually the same. Because of their design, however, the sound does vary slightly. The Hadenys have a very wide soundstage, with music that wraps around your head and immerses you in your listening. The open-back design allows the tracks to take over and sound like they are a part of the room. The Azurys have a narrower, more congealed soundstage since the closed-back design keeps all the frequencies in. The sound isolation is much better on the Azurys, while the Hadenys let in more of your ambient surroundings.
The main differences in the sound profile come from their basic design, but in terms of color, I was seeing a lot of similarities. I can see why these got released together. Both sound profiles hold a V-shape, with the vocals taking the center stage and everything else filtering behind it. They both lean towards the treble side in their frequency response, but still give good height and depth throughout listening.
Low Frequencies
The low end was definitely powerful in both headphones. There was never a moment where I wondered what happened to my favorite 808 kicks, or lost the melody to a bass line in a rock song. The bass is more prominent in the closed back Azurys than the open-back Hadenys. I liked how there was a lot of vibrancy and warmth with the low frequencies in both, and there was excellent clarity due to the treble-leaning signature. Listening to “Hold You (Responsible)” by CAKE, I noticed that the continuous bassline was punchy and deep on both headphones, giving a lot of character to the track without becoming muddled into the mix.
Mid-Range Frequencies
The mid-range was truly the highlight in both the Hadneys and Azurys. With a V-shaped signature, the mid-range tends to be the star of the show. Vocals were certainly a main feature during my listening, and I enjoyed a lot of tracks from Mother Mother as well as They Might Be Giants due to the layers of harmonies and widespread instrumentals seen in their tracks. I really appreciated the clarity that Focal provides in their headphones, and you can definitely hear it in the Azurys and Hadenys.
High Frequencies
The high end is filled with airiness and clarity. In the Azurys, the high end gets a little more suppressed, so the frequencies don’t ring out as naturally. The open-back design of the Hadenys allows for that natural sound to kick in, and the high end becomes a lot less subdued and more delicate instead. In either pair, you’ll hear exceptionally detailed instrumentation and brightness, which is a great balance to the rich low end. Classical music was a favorite of mine to listen to, as the strings and reverberations of the concert halls were pleasant and smooth throughout listening.
Summary
Focal has struck again with two headphones for audiophiles. The Hadenys deliver detailed sound in a wide soundstage, focusing on the immersive listening experience for people at home. The Azurys have the same great color and detail, this time featuring isolation and privacy while listening in any environment. Both of these headphones deliver on height and detail in their sound signature, and they don’t compromise on comfort. People looking for an upgrade in their headphones will definitely want to consider Focal, especially since they give you a few options to choose from.
The Hadenys and Azurys from Focal are both available at Audio46.
You can view other headphones from Focal here.
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