Quick Summary
There are two new headphones models from Focal that are primarily designed for listening to music indoors.
The open-back Focal Hadenys and closed-back Azurys are made from premium materials and feature the same drivers as the company's five-star rated wireless pair, the Bathys.
French luxury audio brand Focal has introduced two wired headphones models that look as good as they potentially sound.
The Focal Azurys are closed-back and are inspired by the blueish hue of the semi-precious stone, Azurite, while the open-backed Hadenys headphones are inspired by The Hadeon era, when the Earth was first formed, with brown accents.
Both headphones use genuine leather and woven fabric in their construction, along with aluminium and magnesium. The Hadenys feature the brand's signature honeycomb grilles on each earpiece, while the Azurys has similar circular grilles to the excellent wireless Focal Bathys pair that we've award five-stars to before.
You can find proprietary Focal speaker drivers inside each of the new headphones, with the same units also found inside Bathys.
Each 40mm driver uses an M-shaped aluminium/magnesium dome that has been adjusted especially for these passive headphones. Focal claims they deliver "warm and dynamic high-fidelity sound".
As open-back 'phones, the Focal Hadenys are best suited for indoors listening. The Azurys can be used just as well outdoors too.
The Azurys are slightly heavier, at 306g over 294g but you'd be hard pressed to notice the difference. The Hadenys come with a 6ft mini-jack cable plus a 1/4-inch jack adapter, while the other pair have a 4ft equivalent.
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Both include a matching carry/storage case.
Perhaps surprisingly for Focal, both headsets are reasonably priced in comparison with rivals. The Azurys will set you back £499 / $549 / €549, while the Hadenys £599 . $699 / €699.
They are each available to order on the Focal website now. You can also see their exact specifications there.
The launch has been timed with High End Munich, the annual premium audio show being held in Germany this week. We'll be reporting on other luxury products that are announced during the event, so come back often to see news on other new headphone models and speakers throughout.
Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.
Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.
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