Review: B&O BeoPlay H8 Headphones Are Good But Come At A Premium
These quality pair of wireless headphones are equipped with noise cancellation.
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When considering buying a wireless headphone, brands like Sennheiser and Bose come to mind, with their respective price tags. But if you thought it couldn’t go higher than that, think again – now there’s Bang & Olufsen (B&O).
This Denmark-based premium brand sells televisions that cost as much as Rs 50 lakhs, and some of the most expensive audio equipment as well.
So, when we talk about the Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H8 on-the-ear headphones priced at Rs 39,900, trust us when we say it’s not their most expensive headphone selling right now.
Pros:
- Premium leather finish
- Soft cushion earcups
- Wireless and Wired options available
- Balanced levels of bass & treble on offer
Cons:
- Expensive
- Bluetooth connectivity stutters
- Not easy to use gesture controls
What’s Good?
The B&O BeoPlay H8 has the hallmark of a typical B&O product; high on the design quotient and premium leather finishing. The well-thought-out product construction results in the BeoPlay H8 that can be worn for long hours without much discomfort.
These headphones can be used in two ways; wired, or wireless via Bluetooth. It works with Android, iOS, Windows Phone or any phone that offers Bluetooth connectivity. But is that all you get for around 40K? Not really.
The B&O BeoPlay H8 headphones come equipped with a noise-cancelling feature that works as marketed. Travelling in a metro or a bus will never be noisy chaos so long as the BeoPlay H8 is with you.
Now to the most crucial part about the BeoPlay H8, the audio performance. We only have good things to say about the audio output of these headphones, mostly balanced in nature.
The BeoPlay H8 will never go bonkers with heavy bass or too loud with its level of treble on offer. This results in an audio experience that is enriching and perfectly complements the product on the whole.
Finally, B&O claims a 14-hour battery life with the BeoPlay H8, going up to 35 hours on the wired mode. During our time with the headphones, we managed to keep the BeoPlay H8 juiced up for more than 10 hours on average in the Bluetooth mode.
That period extends up to 20 hours on the wired mode. It does help that the BeoPlay H8 gets quickly charged up via microUSB 2.0 port, the standard in smartphones right now.
What’s Bad?
Let’s start with its price. When you consider that a brand like Bose is seen as a high-end brand in the country, how on earth would you categorise B&O as an extra premium brand? Let’s put it this way: for Rs 39,990 you can get the Apple iPhone SE, or a mid-range laptop.
You need to be a serious audiophile with deep pockets to buy the BeoPlay H8 and there’s no better way to put it out there. However, beyond the price factor, the BeoPlay H8 has some drawbacks that are worth highlighting.
The leather-finished cushioning on the ear cups is prone to heating up to uncomfortable levels. We also noticed that the Bluetooth reception of the BeoPlay H8 stutters frequently when you’re on the move.
This could possibly be because the phone is inside your pocket or handbag. But we definitely expect better from a premium pair of headphones.
Why Buy It?
The B&O BeoPlay H8 is a premium pair of headphones which embodies the brand philosophy and value of Bang & Olufsen. They offer high-quality sound output with balanced levels of bass and treble that complements the comfort of wearing them for long hours.
But frankly speaking, you need to be a Richie Rich with supreme taste in music to buy these for Rs 39,990.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)