Fabulous headphones for €800!
So many thoughts on the H95! This is an anniversary product of Bang & Olufsen, the brand is 95 years old, and I don’t even want to express my gratitude with some official words. In 2007, I first came across a B&O product for the first time. It was a Samsung SGH-F310 Symphony phone created in cooperation with Samsung. It’s a crazy thing. It was impossible to use it. I gladly used the gadget as a player, carried it in my bag, and sometimes it was just lovely to take it in my hand and spin the disc. If you’re wondering where the Fold came from – that’s only from those times. Samsung has always experimented and chose partners to match.
Later there were reviews of headphones, music systems, and a person who collided with B&O at work. I turned into a fan of the brand: Beolit
Which side is the H95? I think this product is a kind of slogan. The era of portable audio has arrived, and the H95 is packed full of modern technologies: active noise cancellation, transparency mode, and fantastic sound. On the other hand, there are all the usual features of B&O: high-quality materials, minimalist design, casual luxury that is not striking. The price is 800 euros – and before us is the New Year’s hit of sales. I’m quite serious now. The model is cool, and if the soul does not lie with the new iPhone, here is a contender for a gift to your beloved.
Design
The headphones are available in two versions, light gray and black. I conjure you to buy the light gray version: here you can see the texture of aluminum, the texture of the leather, the materials play, and the thing is just pleasant to look at.
Unlike all other headphones, Beoplay has given a lot of attention to the controls and added elements never seen before. The cups have touch controls, but they also have spinning discs – I’ve loved them since Sony phones. There they were called Jog Dial. Here they are not named in any way. The disc on the right allows you to adjust the volume deftly, the disc on the left – turn on noise reduction and transparency mode.
This headphones are incredibly comfortable over-ear headphones that are complemented by an elegant, folding design. They are made with high-end materials such as titanium, lambskin leather, and memory foam.
The small button on the left quickly calls Siri, the pleasantly clicking toggle switch on the right turns on the headphones or activates pairing mode. For charging here USB Type-C, left the audio cable input – and here it is reasonable. Very cool drivers, it’s not a sin to try different perversions: connect to an amplifier or a stationary system.
In everyday office life, I most often wear a Bose NCH 700, it’s like house slippers in the world of headphones – I can sit in them for hours and enjoy. It’s all about the combination of moderately soft, moderately elastic ear cushions, and I also don’t feel the headband. The H95 has about the same story: the leather of the ear cushions completely covers the ear, the headband does not seem to exist, and the weight distribution is excellent. Discs help to navigate with functions quickly: you turn forward – and everything becomes audible, as if there were no headphones; twist back – and the evil noise cancellation is cut in, at once the sounds seem to go somewhere far, far away. No other headphones have such a convenient control system.
The touchpad on the right is generally comfortable. Pressing the center helps start playback, and if you slide your finger forward or backward, you will rewind. They did not want to overload the structure, and therefore, instead of moving up and down to adjust the volume, a mechanical disc was added.
Meanwhile, the buyer of the light version must understand the risks. Light fabric on the inside of the headband will quickly lose its luxurious look with active use. Well, it also happens that on the plane, you spill cola or wine on the headphones, the child pokes with a felt-tip pen – but you never know. It’s like a white interior in a car, it requires maintenance, and you will think a hundred times what jeans to wear. Of course, it’s much easier to live with black H95s, but they don’t look so impressive either.
A couple more points. I have a big head. Finding hats is a problem; Gucci XL baseball caps and Panama hats and max size Acne Studios winter hats fit (just as an example). And with headphones, it’s not so simple: the guides have to be pushed to the maximum. In some cases, the location of the ear pads is right on the verge of comfort. Bang & Olufsen thought about it – for some eyelids, there is even a margin, you can push the guides even more. The headphones do not move out, even if you shake your head. In general, for quiet activities such as Nordic walking, they can and should be used. It won’t be cold in winter either – however, in the cold, there may be problems with the battery. It is better to use earphones and hide them under a hat.
I can’t help but repeat this; it is a REALLY cool implementation of switching between noise reduction and transparency. Very good straight.
Battery Life
If you listen to music at a moderate volume, the battery in your Beoplay H95 can last up to 38 hours.
In general, the battery life is affected by the volume, intensity of the music, and equalizer settings. This means that when listening to louder music, such as rock or heavy metal, the battery drains faster.
Contents of delivery
For expensive headphones – an ultra-expensive package. Instead of a case made of fabric or leather, a box made of aluminum, cables with a fabric braid, everything is very nicely laid, leather straps for fixing. But now I’m going to drive to a hotel out of town for the weekend and think: do I have a place in my backpack for such a large case?
On the other hand, there is a thrill here: neatly fold the cups, remove everything as expected, close the lid and shove the box between other things. Okay, I’ll try to do it!
The straps are attached to the cable, so they won’t be lost immediately after removing them.
Application
The headphones work with the Bang & Olufsen program, it’s worth installing for the sake of updating the firmware. Well, you can also play with the equalizers once, look at the entire list of your Beoplay toys, turn on adaptive noise reduction – the headphones can determine the noise level themselves and turn on ANC. Honestly, I prefer to do it myself.
Working hours
Everything is perfect here: 38 hours with noise canceling on and 50 hours if noise canceling is off. Among other things, it is precisely the operating time that distinguishes these headphones in the B&O line. I have not yet managed to understand how much they work – it feels like endlessly. Every day at work, I listen to music for three hours, I wear it without music with the noise reduction turned on, and in a week, I connected it once to the power supply for the MacBook for several hours. Thanks again for USB Type-C.
Music
They write about 40-mm titanium drivers with neodymium magnets. They are slightly inclined towards the ear canal. I’ll tell you one thing: these headphones open after prolonged listening. After the first day, the character of the sound changed, and now I like everything.
Let’s try to listen to music. I did it on the iPhone 11 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. The headphones support AAC and aptX Adaptive. That is, they will work fine with both iOS and various Android devices. I like the Fold sound. It is a pleasure to use the H95 together with the device. And there is an explanation for this: with the iPhone, basically only music and maximum YouTube, and with the Fold 2, I play, watch Twin Peaks and look for everything on Netflix. That is, I consume a lot more content. I want to repeat thanks to the Bang & Olufsen engineers to set up the headphones for the titanic efforts. In general, I did not find tracks where the headphones would fold.
One more remark. I’ve used the H95 with many music services – and you know what you’ve noticed? The most comfortable setup and sound for Spotify. Yes, IDAGIO is top for classical music, but I choose this service for all other music.
Competitors
Bowers & Wilkins PX7. Now comes the Carbon Edition, it costs $400. Good sound quality, active noise cancellation works a little worse, the operating time is shorter; everything is in order with the controls. Outwardly, it is much simpler – however, this applies to all competitors. The H95 is like an iPhone on the shelf next to plastic Android smartphones.
Montblanc MB01. It seems like premium headphones for $595, but this strange material on the cups immediately alarms. Better buy Bowers & Wilkins or splurge on bangs.
Master & Dynamic MW65. Cool headphones costs $400. The sound is not so universally tuned in M&D. But there is also metal, leather. But there are questions for the sound paired with the iPhone and for the noise control.
Bose NCH 700. For the money, just a gold product in the noise-canceling headphone category. Question one: do you like the bright sound setting or want something calm? For all other parameters, the “seven hundredth” is the standard. The best noise reduction, the best fit, the best price ($400).
Sony WH-1000XM4. Another reference headphone for quietness and work, but, of course, there is not that touch of bourgeoisie here as in the H95. Price $280, it is quite possible to buy XM3 for now.
Beoplay also has H9 with Active Noise Cancellation! But, to be honest, I’d instead buy Bowers & Wilkins or Bose: H9 came out for quite some time, and with audio equipment, everything is like with iPhones – the more modern, the better.
Verdict
In retail, the headphones cost 800 euros, and it is not yet known what price we will offer. It is clear that the product is not for everyone. Everything is tailored to modern realities: active noise cancellation works perfectly, the sound is excellent, the materials and controls are beyond praise. There are no sensors or anything else, but I think the user will be fascinated by aluminum, leather, and jog wheels to forgive everything.
Of course, such headphones would be bought by wealthy travelers. And it seems like the pandemic made its plans, but since it is eight hundred euros, private aviation, individual terminals, particular stores come to mind – and that’s where the H95 will be in demand, and the product turned out to be successful.
It is hardly necessary to remind that before buying something worth trying on and listening to, I always talk about this. Nevertheless, I will repeat it for the thousandth time. Although I am sure about the H95: they are just fine.
It’s a pity that not everyone will be able to try them.
