The Bang & Olufsen brand celebrates its 95th anniversary with a unique headband model. The formula creates a luxury device that is not surprising: it mixes minimalist design with premium materials and all its audio know-how. The Beoplay H95 has the quality you expect from this manufacturer and is a top-of-the-range product. Some items in this same range dazzle with their opulent aesthetics but lag behind in technology. This does not happen with the best headphones from the Danish company. However, they are not as complete as the most advanced on the market.
user experience
The Beoplay H95s feel very sturdy, but at 323 grams, we found them to be a bit heavy, especially when you’ve been wearing them for several hours. They weigh about 69 grams more than the Sony WH-1000XM4 (254 grams). At times, we have also felt discomfort in the head in the area of the headband pad.
As a peculiarity, the Beoplay H95 has a touch area to control playback except for volume and noise cancellation and Transparency mode (used to listen to the environment without removing the headphones). These adjustments are made using rotating aluminum rings with a scratched texture (the focus rings inspire the design on camera lenses). This dial system is perfect because it provides certainty and precision, although don’t be surprised if sometimes some hair gets caught if you have long hair.
Finger gestures to make touch area adjustments are effortless but may not always respond as you expect. When we often want to skip to another song, the music has been turned off instead. It’s not that the touch area doesn’t work as it should, but because you’re going blind, your fingers don’t always slide where they should execute the action. You have to try and try until you get the hang of it (better swiping your thumb than another finger, at least for us), and still, occasionally, they don’t respond well.
The only thing missing from the Beoplay H95s is a voice reporting the battery level every time they connect to the phone or tablet. We have become accustomed to knowing this information in other headphones, and we find it such a practical function that it now seems essential.
Sound and noise cancellation at the height of design
Inside, the Beoplay is equipped with Bang & Olufsen’s renowned audio technology, and the sound is incredible; it sounds great. The four microphones dedicated to picking up the voice do their job on calls. Once linked with the Bang & Olufsen app, it offers you to customize the sound (relaxed, firm, workout, podcast, commute, clear). The application allows you to regulate the noise cancellation level and Transparency mode. And also, check the battery percentage and adjust the volume.
The adaptive active noise cancellation adjusts the frequency depending on the environment. In addition, it is possible to change the ambient sound to our preferences without removing the headphones; it can be done from the app and the dial on the left earphone. Noise cancellation is excellent. We have tested it with a robot vacuum cleaner running at high power, and the difference is very noticeable when you put it on the maximum level or take it off.
Autonomy for very long trips
The autonomy of the Beoplay H5 is one of the best, if not the best that you can find right now in headband headphones. Get up to 38 hours with adaptive active noise cancellation and up to 50 hours without it. That’s long, so you’ll have uninterrupted music even on the longest flights (airplane adapter included). Recharging the battery takes two hours.
The design of the Beoplay H95 headphones and their accessories is meticulous, and with super-premium materials, it does not disappoint as a luxury product. At the same time, they offer sound quality, noise cancellation, and autonomy worthy of an 800-euro item (about 933 dollars in exchange). In our analysis, they have weighed us a little on the head, and the controls have resisted us more than desirable, but this does not have to be a problem for you. It is not as complete a product as other models of conventional brands that cost half. It lacks some details (such as voice reporting, pause or turn off when you take them off, fast charging…), but you can probably do without them if you’re willing to spend that money. It is an expected price in this manufacturer, although it seems somewhat high for its benefits.
Design
The Beoplay H95 overflow with sophistication. The combination of a minimalist design and all the premium elements (in its maximum expression) results in earphones that are exquisite to look at. The pads that cover the auditory pavilion are lined with lambskin; they are delightful to the touch. And a detail that seems very practical to us: these pads are removable (they adhere using a magnet) to clean them and replace them when they are damaged (and they expose the controllers).
The pad that cushions the arch of the headband is fabric on the inside and genuine cowhide leather on the outside. It is complemented by a sleek, brushed aluminum metal frame that also covers the touch area of each earpiece. On the right earpiece is the Bluetooth on/off and activation button, the 3.5mm jack input and the USB-C port. On the left, the switch to activate the voice assistant.
The case in which they are stored, made of aluminum, is also exquisite and resistant. With a rectangular shape, it is not one of the least bulky cases. The earcups fold inward to take up less space. The design is careful even in the cables (one to charge the device and another to connect the headphones to a phone with a jack input), thanks to a textile coating.
