The Beoplay HX manages to be both a conventional Bang & Olufsen item and a distinct Bang & Olufsen product. Yes, they’re pricey, but they make up for it by incorporating rich, tactile, even (in some cases) rather scented materials into their design. However, they don’t prioritize design above performance, and they’re pricey, they’re not as out of reach as many B&O items.
So, if you don’t mind paying a premium for a set of active noise-canceling wireless headphones that are correctly, competitively specified, and function admirably. You might be the proud owner of a very desirable set of active noise-canceling wireless headphones. It’s a lot simpler to justify spending money on a set of Beoplay HX containers than on so many other Bang & Olufsen goods if you give ‘pride of ownership’ a lot of weight.
A Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX under headphones now is available for $499 (£449 & AU$839) direct from the company’s website, while they are also available at a discount via some online merchants in various areas, including Amazon.
It nearly suffices to say that this puts the HX well ahead of a slew of well-respected alternatives from a slew of highly renowned manufacturers. You could point to competitors like Bowers & Wilkins, Bose, Sennheiser, and Sony (particularly Sony) that equal the HX headphones’ on-paper specifications yet cost a lot less. That has always been the case for Bang & Olufsen. As well as the corporation appears to be unwilling to compete on price.
Bang & Olufsen has backed itself into a corner. The company’s reputation is built on a distinctive and extravagant design vocabulary, and that’s the last thing anyone needs in a pair of wireless over-ear headphones. With devices like this, function always takes precedence over form. Because who among us wants a pair of headphones that are overdone or otherwise odd-looking? Exactly.
So, in an unusual move for Bang & Olufsen, the brand has done the right thing and created a familiar set of headphones. Yes, they create from a variety of high-end materials, however, use these materials to complement rather than dominate a design. And, regardless of which of the four available finishes (‘dark maroon, sand, black anthracite, or timber’) you choose, the Beoplay HX appears like a rather expensive set of wireless over-ear headphones.
Of course, all of these pricey materials aren’t just for show (though they’re excellent for that as well). Bang & Olufsen blended lambskin, aluminum, memory foam, and high-quality polymers to create a pair of headphones that are easy to position and stay in place for hours (It’s not a bad idea to go with a 10-ounce weight here.). The clamping power is well-balanced, and unlike many other models, the HX won’t overwhelm those of us with smaller heads. The earcups take a long time to collect your body heat and much longer to return it, which isn’t always the case with over-ear headphones.
The bottom line is that if you can’t have the Beoplay HX to be doing exactly what you want it to do, quickly and predictably. The problem is very probably with you, not with the headphones.
The headphones themselves have some physical controls. A touch surface outside the right earcup controls ‘volume up/down, play/pause, and skip forwards/backward,’ while a push/push button on the same side controls ‘power on/off/Bluetooth pairing.’ There’s a button on the left that lets you cycle between your active noise-cancellation modes (‘on’/’off’/’transparency’), as well as another one that lets you contact your favorite voice assistant.
Voice-assistant interaction, active noise-cancellation, and telephony are all handled by mics in each earcup. And when it comes to making yourself understood by Siri or Google Assistant, they’re perfectly adequate.
A Bang & Olufsen control application is a touch too mildly described as “fit for purpose” (for iOs and Android). It’s stable, clean, good-looking, and responsive, and it’s here that you can adjust the level of noise-cancellation, choose from EQ presets (or create your own using the stylish ‘Beosonic’ graphic interface), adjust the sensitivity of accelerometers which pause music when users take the HX off your head, and more.
This holds for audio performance as well. That’s not to suggest the Beoplay HX aren’t worth your money – they’re the best wireless headphones Bang & Olufsen ever has manufactured.
Of course, tinkering about with EQ settings can have a significant impact on the sound of the Beoplay HX. Leave them in the default position. But put up a massive high file of Forest of Your Issues by Snapped Ankles. As well as the HX quickly establish its reputation as a vibrant, highly detailed, and fully fascinating listen.
Heat and punch are now at the bottom of a frequency spectrum, yet nothing is overcooked or disorderly. Low-frequency material slams into you forcefully. But with excellently hard lines at the beginning and conclusion of each note or strike. As a result, the HX is indeed a brisk, forward-thinking listener. Its Bang & Olufsen will cheerfully get the listener’s toes tapping thanks to strong rhythm management and confident tempo descriptions.
There’s substance and bite at the other end of a frequency spectrum, but it’s well-judged. The HX doesn’t get harsh or shouty when it comes to treble information, even at high volumes; the Bang & Olufsen have quite enough reserve to make dynamic peaks and troughs clear.
An HX is spacious & informative listen in between. Detail levels in the mid-range are just as high as they are everywhere, allowing a vocalist’s personality and technique to shine through. Overall tonality is a little richer than neutral, but future HX owners will be as well. While it is possible to reduce the heat a little, it still has a certain level of substance. As a result, we’d suggest leaving it alone.
The soundstage created by the HX isn’t the biggest, but it’s also not tight or constrained in any manner. All of a record’s threads firmly attach. The overall presentation has a wonderful feeling of oneness. While there’s plenty of breathing room for individual sections to expand out and do their thing, they rarely sound isolated. The HX is also quite good at low-level harmonic dynamics. Detail levels remain elevated enough to pick up even the tiniest note-by-note fluctuations, even when the overall recording becomes noisy or convoluted.
The success of noise cancellation is more qualified. There’s little doubt that the Beoplay HX could efficiently handle the bulk of external sounds, leaving almost no sign of a counter-signal behind. There are, however, more effective units available. If you’re looking for a blanket of silence, there are much more inexpensive (and less luxury) headphones out there whose overall tone isn’t as noticeably altered by the amount of noise cancellation.
The Beoplay HX should last roughly 35 hours (with noise-cancellation turned on) or 40 hours if you’re not caning the volume (with it switched off). The right earcup has a USB-C port, and if the worst happens. One can power the headphones from ‘flat’ to ‘full’ in about three hours.
For wireless connectivity, the Beoplay HX uses Bluetooth 5.1, which is compatible with SBC, AAC, and aptX Adaptive codecs. This means that the headphones are constantly balancing connection reliability with stream quality. To ensure that you get the best possible experience.
The call quality is equally acceptable. Voices are clear & intelligible in both directions. As well as the Bang & Olufsen does a superb job of limiting wind noise to a minimum.
It’s easy to imagine Bang & Olufsen patting itself on the back for being so realistic and sensible with Beoplay HX. That’s understandable: the business has created a pair of headphones that are immensely pleasurable by reining in its design-led impulses just a touch. Yes, they’re pricey, but they’re also very rewarding.
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