Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 review

One-minute review

When you think of Danish audio brand Bang & Olufsen words like ‘luxury’, ‘craftsmanship’, and ‘audio quality’ might come to mind - and the brand’s latest premium headphones embody all of these traits and then some. 

Launched to celebrate the brand’s 95th birthday, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 over-ear headphones exude opulence from every pore, built with the attention to detail you’d expect from a pair of cans that cost $899 / £779 / AU$1,490. 

Their sleek look is heightened by well-made accessories and an accompanying app that makes adjusting the sound and active noise cancellation a breeze. 

The audio performance is nothing short of brilliant, with a wide soundstage, lots of detail, and a warm, bassy sound that lends itself to pretty much any music genre you can think of. And, if that sound isn’t quite to your liking, the app’s EQ is designed to make customization super easy. 

Noise cancellation is also very good, blocking out nearly all ambient sound - and like the audio, that’s fully adjustable to your liking, too. 

You might (quite understandably) think that splashing out so much money on a pair of noise-cancelling headphones is frivolous at best, and downright irresponsible at worst. You may be right, but if you want the unrivaled sound and craftsmanship, and you’ve got the money to spare, the Beoplay H95 won’t disappoint.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 price and release date

• Available now
• $899 / £779 / AU$1,490

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 headphones were released in September 2020, and retail for $899 / £779 / AU$1,490. 

That makes the Beoplay H95 much more expensive than our favorite headphones you can buy today, the Sony WH-1000XM4, which cost $349 / £349 / AU$549. However, that high price isn’t unusual in the realm of luxury over-ear headphones

Design

• Luxurious build
• Hard carrying case
• Touch sensitive housings and a control dial

If luxury is what you crave from a pair of headphones, the Beoplay H95 will tick all the boxes. Coming in a smart hard case that’ll keep them safe from bumps and scrapes, the H95 scream opulence from the moment you take them out of the box. 

A lot of attention has gone into the accessories you get with the Beoplay H95; the flight adapter, charging cable, and audio cable feature woven fabric cords and leather straps to keep them neat and tidy while not in use.

The headphones themselves come in a range of sophisticated colors, including white and gold, chestnut brown, black, gray, navy, and white. Oval earcups kitted out in soft lambskin and memory foam ensure the Beoplay cushions remain comfortable during long listening sessions. A cowhide headband adds to the opulent look. We would have preferred Bang & Olufsen to make use of synthetic rather than animal-derived fabrics, but we can see how these luxurious materials will appeal - and they’re undeniably comfortable.

The brushed aluminum framework feels light, and while there is a little clamping force behind the ear cups, we didn’t have any issues wearing the H95 for long periods.The headphones are foldable making them easy to transport. 

Dials built into the earcups allow you to adjust the volume and level of active noise cancellation; it’s a feature we saw with the Microsoft Surface Headphones and we like the tactile sensation it brings to the H95. The right earcup also features a 3.5mm audio port, a USB-C charging port, and a switch to turn the headphones on and off and enable Bluetooth. 

You can control your music playback by interacting with the touch-sensitive housing on the right earcup; tap the center to play/pause your music, swipe forward to skip the track, and swipe backward to go back. These controls were very responsive in our tests and easy to remember. It’s a shame there’s no auto-pause function when you remove the headphones, but that’s hardly a dealbreaker - and the headphones can be set up to turn off after 15 minutes of inactivity.

Audio performance

• 40mm titanium drivers
• Expansive sound
• Lots of detail

If you’re looking for premium, class-leading audio quality, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 tick all the boxes. 

Inside the headphones are 40mm titanium drivers with neodymium magnets mounted in ported enclosures, which provide a powerful and expansive sound performance.

Listening to Bonnie Raitt’s Nick Of Time, the soundstage sounds incredibly wide, with lots of space for Raitt’s airy vocal to glide amongst the undulating synths and lazy guitar riffs. Chugging bass and drums chunter along with a driving rhythm that doesn’t overpower the other instruments. 

In The Beatles’ In My Life, breathtakingly clear and rich vocal harmonies are panned to the right earcup, with the tight rhythm section panned to the left. A Baroque-style piano solo - recorded at half speed and then sped up to give the effect of a harpsichord - tinkles away with lots of detail and attack. 

Moving on to BADBADNOTGOOD’s Speaking Gently, the dissonant video game-esque synths sound suitably haunting and resonant. As the track kicks in and the drums move from a simple meter to complex polyrhythms, flanked by echoing sax runs, the BeoPlay H95 never miss a beat, showcasing their dexterity. The bass notes rumble with lots of weight, but they don’t muddy the other frequencies.

The noise cancellation is very good, blocking out most environmental sounds so you can enjoy your music in peace. You can adjust the level of noise cancellation in the app, toggling between the maximum levels for ANC and Transparency. Even if you turn the ANC off, there’s plenty of passive noise reduction thanks to the H95’s generously padded earcups.

Battery life and connectivity

• 38-hour battery life
• Bluetooth 5.1
• Adjustable EQ via the app

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H95 headphones come with 38 hours of playback - and that’s with ANC switched on. That’s a longer battery life than most noise-canceling headphones on the market, and certainly, enough to get you through a long-haul flight.

Connectivity comes courtesy of Bluetooth 5.1, ensuring quick pairing and long connection distances with your device. There’s also support for AAC and aptX Adaptive, so you can enjoy hi-res audio streams. 

The Beoplay H95 can be configured via the Bang & Olufsen app, which lets you adjust the headphones’ settings and sound. There are several listening modes to choose from, including Optimal, Commute, Clear, Workout, and Podcast. Alternatively, you can adjust the EQ to your liking with the Beosonic feature. 

Unlike more traditional equalizers, Beosonic is presented as a circle that you swipe your finger on to find a sweet spot between Bright, Relaxed, Energetic, and Warm sounds, increasing or decreasing the treble and bass levels accordingly. It’s a neat way to present frequency ranges and different sound profiles, and changing these levels has a very noticeable effect on the sound; some in-app equalizers don’t let you tinker with the sound so much. 

You can also adjust the level of active noise cancellation and transparency in the app, and reduce wind noise so you can take clear calls in windy conditions. 

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