Thomas reviews the Focal Azurys, a new pair of passive closed-back 40mm dynamic driver headphones designed for home and portable use. They are priced at $549.
Disclaimer: This loan sample was sent to me in return for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or services. Thank you to Focal for their support.
Click here to read up on other Focal products previously reviewed on Headfonics.
Note that this article follows our latest scoring guidelines which you can read in more detail here.
As primarily an in-ear user, isolation and portability are high on my list of wants and needs regarding audio gear.
Therefore, when I use headphones, I tend to gravitate towards closed-back models with the Thinksound ON2 and AKG K553 Pro being some of my go-to products for use outside and around the house over the last few years.
The Focal Azurys is an exciting new release from Focal as it is stylish and well-built, but more importantly, compact and closed-back.
While at first glance, it may seem expensive at $549, Apple’s AirPods Max has shown acceptance by the general populace for premium-priced gear.
Alongside the Hadenys which was released simultaneously, I’ve spent a few weeks with the Azurys and have come away pleased with the results of Focal’s most affordable headphones.
Features
Focal’s Azurys borrows features from its more expensive siblings, specifically the open-back Hadenys and the wireless Bathys. The most important feature to carry over is the drivers.
Inside are the same 40mm ‘M’-shaped dome dynamic drivers. The “M” shaped profile of the driver membrane is ideal for a headphone thanks to enhanced rigidity over a standard design.
Magnesium yokes are another feature found on all three models. This is a common material used for high-end professional gear that sees hard use.
It is light, durable, and highly resistant to scratching and blemishes. It also feels good in the hand and breeds confidence in the device, as evident in the feel of a high-end camera using magnesium for the outer shell.
The Azurys is also equipped with a genuine leather headband, with a breathable cloth underside for comfort.
Real leather looks better than protein leather, but it also lasts infinitely longer, a problem I am running into on older review samples where less than a decade later the protein leather pads and headbands are rapidly deteriorating.
The same comfortable, breathable cloth used for the headband underbelly has been used for the earpads. Closed-back cans do not encourage airflow, and sweat can be a problem, an issue cloth pads can lessen.
Lastly, the pads are filled with a pliant memory foam. Unlike other products boasting memory foam, the type Focal uses is soft, squishy, and properly follows the contours of the head, greatly improving comfort.
Design
If the Azurys look familiar, that makes sense. It shares its design and structure with the Bathys but with a stunning blue colorway inspired by Azurite, an uncommon copper carbonate mineral.
Material quality is quite good, with a mix of plastic, aluminum, and magnesium making up the cups and headband assembly. Genuine leather and woven fabric make up the top and bottom of the headband while the earpads are woven fabric, and plush memory foam provides all your cushioning needs.
The earpads on the Azurys are fully replaceable. On the rear of each pad is a plastic guide with two pins to ensure the pad is lined up properly and 6 clips to hold it securely.
If you find your Azurys lacking bass, ensure you have the pads clipped on fully. Their low-end presence is greatly affected by any loss of seal, and it is easy to miss fully seating a clip since it is not visually obvious.
While I had read of issues with the build quality of past Focal headphones, the Azurys and Hadenys were my introduction to the brand, so I went in with no preconceived notions. What I found was they’re wonderfully built with excellent fit and finish.
All the parts fit together well with tight tolerances and consistency from cup to cup. There were no misalignments, creaking, or binding of the hinges, and everything flowed smoothly.
The only exception was the headband extension which has clear, clicky detents to ensure it stays in place when extended and ensures you can match the length on either side.
After removing the ear pads, I was surprised that even the padded cloth covering protecting the drivers was uniformly cut and form-fitted to the features of the inner skeleton holding the driver. The design and build of these headphones are quite impressive.
Comfort
Like the Hadenys, I found the Azurys to be a comfortable headphone. Since they share their design, they also share the same faults, though the nature of the closed-back design of the Azurys adds potential for one more: heat.
The headband and earcups are smartly designed to allow the Azurys to fit a variety of noggins. Each side of the headband extends around 1.5” with clear detents, ensuring users can evenly extend either side.
The cups pivot in every direction and offer plenty of range, which combined with the plush memory foam ensures a reliable seal against your head. That said, the clamping force is a bit high, and the weight distribution is slightly uneven, leading to minor discomfort around the base of each earpad and on top of the head after around 30 minutes.
I also found that on hot Canadian days (~28-32C and up), the Azurys would get quite warm, unlike the Hadenys whose open-back design allowed excess heat to escape.
The cloth headband and pads help a lot though, as the Azurys remain more comfortable to wear in these conditions than my other closed-back headphones using protein leather for the pads and headband.
Thankfully, when I inevitably get too warm, I can lay the cups flat against my chest while I cool down.
Isolation
The ability to passively isolate the environment around you is an important quality for any pair of closed-back headphones. The Azurys are quite average in this regard.
When in my apartment, the Azurys effectively block the noise of vehicles moving about in the nearby parking lot coming through open windows, and the footsteps of my neighbors on the floor above.
It also dulls the sounds of my wife chilling on the couch next to me while she’s gaming, but the keyboard clacking and her chatter with friends still come through.
Moving outside the home, I found it necessary to raise the volume to effectively dull the sounds of cars nearby on the busy roadway.
While in a busy coffee shop, the sounds of voices, plates clattering, etc. still come through, requiring a notable increase in volume to compensate.
I suspect a swap to less airy third-party pads, such as Dekoni’s premium Sheepskin alternative, would improve isolation considerably, but out of the box, the Azurys are just okay. Not great, not terrible, just okay.
Stock Cable
The Azurys ships with one cable, though you’d be forgiven for thinking you’re getting two given the way the accessories are outlined on the website:
- 1x 4ft (1.25m) Jack 1/8″ (3.5mm) cable
- 1 x remote control and microphone
This translates into a single 4ft cable with 3.5mm jacks at either end. A combined remote/microphone module is located near the upper end of the cable, resting about an inch below my chin when the headphones are in place.
The sheath is moderately thick but quite dense and retains little memory of the bends necessary to store it in the carrying case. Noise mitigation isn’t great, especially around the microphone module where you will hear rubbing and bumps come through quite prominently.
The 3.5mm jack ejects the cable at a 45-degree angle and has good relief, inciting confidence that it will last quite a while.
On the other end, the plug is thick and beefy with a small indent around the lip, helping to lock it into place when inserted into the headphones, though effective relief is lacking at this end.
The performance of the microphone is perfectly acceptable. While my listeners needed to raise the volume to hear me better, they didn’t say I sounded harsh or muffled.
The single button on the remote provides good haptic feedback with a solid click. A single long press would bring up assistant features on my phone, and while using a music app would play/pause with a quick press or be used to skip forward and back through tracks with two and three quick presses respectively.
While not without issues, the cable is fine and does what it needs to do. If these were my headphones, I’d want to upgrade to something with better noise mitigation and a triple-button setup with volume controls.
Packaging & Accessories
Keeping waste down, packaging for the Azurys is quite basic. The Azurys arrive in a simple white, mid-sized cardboard box with a magnetically sealed front flap, just large enough to hold the case the headphones are stored within.
On the front is a stylized profile shot of the Azurys showing off the primary design features, along with the brand and model details, all in the same blue colorway of the headphones. A “Made in France” sticker in the top left corner proudly shows where they’re from.
The sides of the package maintain a minimalist design motif. On the left is a list of Focal’s different product collections, while the right highlights a small selection of product features.
Flipping to the rear of the package we find a high-quality image of the Azurys and their rigid case. I appreciate it when the packaging shows a real picture of what you’re getting, which is rare.
Inside you’re immediately greeted by the stiff carrying case. Underneath you find a quick start guide and a booklet showcasing various products in Focal’s lineup.
Unzipping the case the Azurys are laid flat, wrapped around a cloth-coated partition. Tucked inside the upper loop of the partition is the stock, microphone-equipped cable.
Click on page 2 below for my sound impressions and recommended pairings.
