B&O Play BeoPlay H7 by Bang & Olufsen review: B&O Play's first around-ear Bluetooth headphone is well-built, stylish and sounds quite good, too
Although it carries a lofty list price of $450, B&O's first around-ear Bluetooth headphone is quite fetching -- and sounds quite good, too.
No doubt about it, the B&O Play BeoPlay H7 by Bang & Olufsen is a swanky wireless Bluetooth headphone. Its headband is crafted out of anodized aluminum, and the plush, memory foam earcups are covered with lambskin leather. It looks expensive and it is: B&O's first full-size, over-ear wireless model lists for $450, although it can be had for $400, £330 or AU$750 online in two color options.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
I found it a pleasure to wear. It weighs in at 9.9 ounces or 280 grams, which puts it somewhere between lightweight and heavy. By comparison Bose's SoundLink Around-ear Wireless Headphones II weighs 5.27 ounces, or 149 grams. However, that headphone doesn't have a metal headband. Master & Dynamic's $550 MW60 wireless headphone, which does feature metal parts, comes in at 12.2 ounces or 345 grams. That tank of a headphone feels heavy, while the BeoPlay H7 doesn't.
The earcups sealed out a good amount of ambient noise without clamping down on my head too much. Your ears will still get steamy wearing this headphone on hot days, but that's par for the course for full-size, around-ear headphones. Overall, the H7 is very comfortable.
B&O makes an on-ear wireless model, the BeoPlay H8, which adds active noise canceling, a feature this model leaves off. However, this H7 -- based on the wired BeoPlay H6's chassis -- does have similar touch controls to the H8. They're on the right earcup, and they allow you to switch tracks forward and back with a swipe, as well as adjust volume and answer calls. Occasionally, I found myself accidentally touching the earcup and pausing my music, which is why some people don't like touch controls on headphones. But I'm mostly a fan of them.
Like other Bluetooth headphones, this one has a built-in microphone for making calls. It works well, but there are better microphone systems out there. At this price point (or less), some wireless headphones, such as the Beats Studio Wireless, Bose SoundLink Around-Ear Wireless Headphones II, and Plantronics BackBeat Pro, include dual microphones and a sidetone feature that allows you to hear your voice inside the headphones when you talk.
One of the nice pluses of the headphone is that the rechargeable 770mAh battery is removable and replaceable. That also means you can buy an extra battery and carry it along with you as a backup (battery life is rated at 20 hours, which is very good). Alas, there's no slot for stowing that extra battery in the included carrying case, because it's made out of fabric. It's nice fabric, but at this price point I'd like to see a hard case.
Performance
I encountered some flaws with the on-ear H8, including the occasional Bluetooth dropout and a weird echo while walking with the headphones on. But this H7 didn't have those issues. The headphone didn't always automatically re-pair with my phone when I fired it up after turning it off. But that was the only connectivity problem I encountered.
I liked the sound of the H7. Overall it's well balanced, with tight bass and good clarity, and it's pretty open for a close-back headphone. The only issue I detected was a little peak in the high end that created some sibilance at certain frequencies. There's just a little too much sizzle from the high-hat cymbals in some music tracks.
Editor Ty Pendlebury talked about it and he listened to his own music. He also liked the headphone and thought it would work really well with jazz and orchestral music, but also noticed the peak.
The headphone is tuned to deliver that extra presence and sparkle, and the headphone does sound really good (for a Bluetooth headphone) with the majority of tracks; however, it's not totally consistent. For instance, listening to Spoon's "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb," the tambourine that's heard throughout the track is nicely defined and doesn't overwhelm the other instruments. But in Stevie Nicks "Stand Back," the high-hat just has a bit too much bite to it. Ty heard it too, in Metallica's "Enter Sandman." And George Michael's "John and Elvis Are Dead" really showcases the peak. (You probably never thought you'd see George Michael mentioned in a $450 headphone review, but hey, I'm not a music snob.)
Worth checking out if it's in your price range
Apart from high-end peak issue, which may not bother some people, the BeoPlay is an excellent wireless headphone that's very comfortable, well built, looks good on your head, and matches up well with competing premium Bluetooth headphones. It can also be used as a wired headphone with the included cord.
In other words: Definitely worth checking out if you can afford it.