6.8.2018

Over the years I have owned, used and auditioned many headphones, most of which have been high-end devices. Of them all, these B&O H9i's have been the most striking in terms of the performance on offer at the price being asked. They offer an audiophile level of performance and truly are exceptional, which is a very rare statement indeed from a critical reviewer like me!Sonically, these headphones have an astonishing frequency range, and are crystal clear right across it. They have the best bass response of any headphone I have ever auditioned, yet are not bass-heavy. Nor do they exhibit the common fault of an over-bright and headache inducing top end. The balance really is very good indeed,with depth, punch and crystal-like clarity. My best description would be that they offer huge power and punch, yet delicate control and creamy tones. I often listen to a track or two then become lost in a three or four hour feast of music, not wanting to stop. That's a real sign of a great pair of headphones!It has been quite revelatory listening again to some recordings. Top end classical recordings and opera are truly immersive when listened to through my H9i's. The Dawn Upshaw recording of Gorecki's Symphony No. 3 is especially moving. All musical genres benefit greatly from these attributes, as my eclectic musical tastes have proved. Hard rock needn't be so hard on the ears, just more impressive and nuanced. Try listening and White Stripes 'Ball and Biscuit' through the H9i's! Whatever the genre, the clarity and incisiveness of response opens up new levels of detail in recordings, and brings new joy and discovery to old tracks.Beautifully presented and packaged, the first thing you notice on unboxing is the exceptional standard construction. They're a mix of fine leather and precision machined aluminium that looks and feels twice the ticket price. They're especially sleek and uncluttered-looking due to the incorporation of a clever touch control system, removing the need for the usual scattering of confusing buttons and switches. Initially I had reservations about the utility of such a virtual system, but after three months of use I can confidently say it's the way forward, and I would never wish to go back!It works by sensing your touch on the metal face of the right-hand can. Confusing at first, one soon becomes familiar with the gestures, and after that, operating all the features is a lot easier than fumbling for an array of traditional switches. Most used by me is the fine, precise volume adjustment, operated by circling your finger around the rim of the right hand can. Tapping your finger on the centre of the can pauses the track. Sideways swipes change track, and downward flicks engage and disengage the very effective noise cancelling. Another superb feature here is the 'transparent' mode, available via an upward flick of the finger. It switches on microphones and allows you to hear and converse with people around you as if you aren't wearing headphones. It saves tremendous hassle when out and about, and removes completely the annoyance of forever taking your phones on and off when people talk to you.Another use for these headphones is for making telephone calls. I bluetooth couple them with my smartphone for hands-free, super-high quality private calls. It's especially good for long calls, and lets you multi-task.These are over-ear headphones, and I have also reviewed their on-ear brother, the H8i. I described them as having 'sonic heft' which is also very much true of the larger H9i's. Of the two models I definitely recommend choosing the H9i's. They sit solidly on your head without any slippage worries (unlike the '8's) are more comfortable, and have a replaceable battery. And the touch-control is, as I've said already, superb.If you're looking for a a great pair of headphones I simply can't think of anything that will out perform these at anything near the price level. The acoustic qualities are superb, as is the noise cancellation. They're a premium product with a premium look and build quality and I recommend them very highly.__________________________________________________________________________________________One thing I need to say at this juncture is that this is an updated review. Originally I received a rogue pair with a faulty touch sensor. B&O proved to have exceptionally good customer service and were very helpful indeed, supplying a brand new pair, shipped to me directly from Germany. I'm fully confident of good technical support in future if it's needed, but my new pair has been used daily for three months now and proved to be flawless. My original rating was necessarily two stars as the unit was sub-standard. Having satisfied myself it was a rogue unit, and my new pair is indicative of the usual standard, I have no qualms in raising my rating to a well earned 5 stars._________________________________________________________________________________________Original Temporary Review (now superseded)Unfortunately, the headphones I was supplied with for review were faulty straight out of the box, with complete failure of the touch sensitive controls. I am therefore compelled - at present - to give them a rating that reflects the fact that mine were less than okay. And that dictates two stars I'm afraid.Having contacted B&O customer support and ascertained that I have the latest firmware installed, it has been confirmed that they're a defective set, and I have been asked to ship them to Germany for evaluation / repair. Once I get them back I hope to be in a position to give them a fair review, which will no doubt raise the current rating. It's an annoyance, but technical failures can happen from time to time. That said, I do notice on the forums that I'm not the only person encountering glitches with the controls on this particular model. On the positive side, my experiences will also allow me to review the customer service and support side of B&O.I shall report back to you with a detailed review as soon as I have working product to test.

3.8.2018

The most important aspect of any piece of audio equipment is the sound quality and these B&O headphones certainly live up to their reputable company's name: crystal clear audio with good bass depth mark these headphones out from the crowd. Classical music in particular benefits from the clarity of sound as the orchestra sections are superbly rendered, but equally, the thumping bass of the likes of The Prodigy and screaming guitar of System of a Down are picked out in detail.The quality of construction is excellent, the headband has a padded cotton inner with a thick stitched leather band over the top. The frame is solidly constructed dark metal and the ear cups are squashily padded and covered in a soft leather.The cup backs are B&O logoed metal discs - the left one removable for battery replacement. The padded leather ear cups are also removable, presumably for cleaning or replacement. The headphones are also considerably lighter than my other over-ear phones, which, coupled with the nice soft padding, means they are wearable for prolonged stretches.There is a fair amount of interesting technology built-in too. The right ear cup doubles as the touch controls for the headphones allowing you to play/pause tracks (single tap toggle), skip forward/back (swipe accordingly), volume up/down (swirl your finger clockwise/anti-clockwise), ANC on/off (swipe down to toggle) and voice pass-through on/off (swipe up to toggle). For the most part these work really well, but I'm still finding the volume control a little difficult to master - it seems inaccurate and half the time ends up pausing or skipping the track, this is a shame as the play/pause and skip controls are a great feature. There is an automatic play/pause feature that stops the playing track when you remove the headphones - this feature is a little unreliable, working roughly fifty percent of the time, the same feature on my Bowers and Wilkins PX headphones, by contrast is flawless. UPDATE: Actually, this auto-Play/Pause feature has a side-effect which means I don't use it at all now - with this feature enabled playback often, and repeatedly, stops after a few seconds, eventually it sorts itself out, but this can take quite some time and is very irritating.Noise cancellation/voice pass-through (ANC): I have to say this is very good, it's not very configurable, even via the app, but it works well generally cutting out traffic and train rumble whilst travelling and, in the office, plunging me into a gloriously isolated world of crystal clear audio. To temporarily hear what people are saying a simple swipe upwards stops the track and passes any audio straight through - swiping up again toggles everything back on.Phone call quality is OK - I've never owned any over ear phones that work very well for calls and these are no exception - call answer/hangup is a single tap, the same as for play/pause, and you can swipe forward to move your call to your phone, which is nice; however, there is no facility with these headphones for Voice-dial/Cortana/Google/Siri operation, this is a shame because I use that feature quite often.The headphones are nicely presented in a box containing cables for charging (USB-C), audio (which also does not require the phones to be powered), getting started guide and a felt storage bag.Battery life is very good, a full charge will give you well over twenty hours play time and a recharge, via USB-C takes about 30 minutes. The app allows playback and volume control from your device and it's required for firmware updates, but it's not easily useful beyond that.In conclusion, a very comfortably wearable paid of headphones with great build quality and tech features but, above all, really extraordinary audio quality.

26.7.2018

The Beoplay H9is are magnificently well constructed and ooze premium build quality - they are also the comfiest closed-back headphone, or any kind of headphones for that matter, that I have ever worn. The leather used for the earcups is supremely soft to the touch and also in contact with your ears. The H9i's are charged via USB-C (cable included, as is an in-flight adapter). My biggest gripe is that they only come with a soft cloth case - no hard case; seriously at this price point (£400+), surely someone at B&O would have thought no one in their right mind is going to throw these "cans" into a gym bag, handbag or briefcase with abandon?The sound from the H9i's is smooth,

20.6.2018

I am a bit of a b & o fan but I have tried other headphones such as the QC 35II and Sony WH1000 and for me these are the best sounding headphone of the 3. I will start with the pros, I'm not an audio expert so I won't go in to too much detail about sound quality but I'm very impressed with the highs, mids, lows and very wide sound stage. The soundstage does tighten up slightly with anc on. The build qaulity is the best in class with real.leather and memory foam earpads I never feel uncomfortable after hours of use.The anc is very effective but not quite as clever or effective as Sony or bose but good enough to be used in noisy environments such as the London underground.

2.9.2018

On first appearance the headphones have a fabulously classic and simple design. They are very easy to use and I had them working within seconds of opening the box, paired with my iPhone X. I've never owned headphones claiming to be 'noise cancelling' before so the first thing I noticed when placing them on my ears was how much sound they block out. It's not a case that you can literally hear nothing while wearing them but they are suitably designed so that when you are listening to music you are very immersed and will not pick up on other noises around you.With that in mind, this feature does not make these the headphones you'll want to use walking to the shops or at the gym.

21.12.2018

I own a few of the Bose headphones - QC20, QC25, QC30 and QC35's. I regularly use the QC25's on my PC and, as they were going faulty, I wanted a replacement. I decided upon these as they seemed to be better constructed than the Bose and that is definitely going to be your first impression - they are obviously heavier, but that is due to better construction and better materials. The Bose are very plastic heavy, whereas these use aluminium. Thick leather adorns the headband with leather earpads which are soft comfortable. They also should fit most people unless you have ears that put Dumbo to shame.Connecting these to a phone and you will probably be informed of a firmware update - definitely ensure this is done!Connecting to my PC,

27.7.2018

The build quality is superb. The materials feel top notch and they enclose the ears beutifully. Just putting them on without ANR shut out about 90% of the sound of someone hoovering nearby. They are quite heavy and at first I found the weight pressed down on the top of my head. As I listened I barely noticed it but it was still pressing.I noticed some people complained that the sound was too bright. I listen to classical music and I found the sound exactly right. Most headphones emphasise the bass and lose some of the sound quality that you get from live orchestral instruments and voice designed to be heard without amplification. The sound on these is pure and faithful,

26.7.2018

These earphones are very comfortable to wear and I find the sound excellent, both for music and the spoken word. My eyes are not so good these days and so I listen to audiobooks when I find reading difficult and often I need to wear headphones so as not to disturb my husband. These headphones make this much easier as they can be worn for at least 2-3 hours without discomfort if necessary. The wire-free bluetooth connection also means I can listen to books (or music) when I am moving around the house and doing jobs in the kitchen without disturbing anyone else. For taking on holiday/travelling, the ear pieces turn to lie flat, which saves space.

17.4.2019

I've been listening to music on many many systems for over 40 years, I've owned my own recording studio and engineered, produced and mastered countless tracks.My goto headphones for the last ten years or more have been Sennheiser DT-770 Pro, they're good workmanlike devices, bass can be 'robust', but a good all round closed monitoring set.The H9i however show them a clean set of heels when it comes to detailed sound and lively dynamics.I had expected the noise cancelling to create a negative aspect for the sound but has turned out to be both aurally neutral and more than effective.If you need heavy bass these are not the phones for you, but if you need comfortable (for long periods)

9.11.2019

Beautifully made with durable materials: aluminium frame and leather in a natural colour: they look and feel both stylish and durable. I’ve had Bose sound cancellation headphones before and only replace now, some 15 years later , because the rubber (not leather) part of the headphone padding has disintegrated into little pieces. By contrast, Bang & Oulufsen’s have replacement parts (batteries and pads to my knowledge). These are the positive aspects over Bose. The sound also is crystal clear and for my ears has the edge over Bose: better dynamic range and the bass feels stronger.The negatives for me compared to Bose are the sound cancellation and the controls.

14.2.2019

Was able to compare these with the Sony WH1000XM3 for a few weeks side -by-side. Felt I was forcing myself to wear the Sony so I could get a good comparison, and always looked forward to wearing the H9i more. Yes, the Sony are better at ANC, but how often are you going to wear headphones just to block out outside noise? With music playing, they are both just as good at ANC. For me, the Sony also had too much bass. Yes, the Sony app is better, but I also don't want to always fiddle with the settings all the time.The H9i are much better looking heaphones. They're also, in my opinion, far superior in build quality and design, and for my ears, they sound better out of the box than the Sony.

29.8.2018

I'm not a demanding user but this B&O headphone is the best, by far, that I've owned. Being a long distance rail commuter I've worked my way through most of the available NR options over the years (Bose, sennheiser etc) Never the B&W ones though which was my alternative to this purchase.Well I'm delighted. The NR works as well if not better on the train than any of the alternatives I tried and the build quality if just outstanding. The Bose QCs being particularly badly made, only lasting a couple of years. Anyway the B&O are wonderfully engineered with leather earcups that look like they'll last the distance. It works unpowered with a 3.5mm jack if the battery does exhaust. Which it hasn't yet in my experience.

14.4.2019

I bought these after my H7 headphones broke. The build quality is great, and the noise cancelling is good (not as good as BOSE, but still perfectly good for aeroplanes etc). The auto stop function (supposedly when you remove the headphones, but in reality whenever it feels like it) is dreadful - it repeatedly stops the music over & over again for no reason. After a little googling, I worked out how to turn this function off, but I’m certain B&O must get lots of returns with people thinking their headphones are faulty. My other gripe is that the sound of the headphones is always good but never “wow”. It never blows you away.Don’t let that put you off though, it’s a good-looking,

20.5.2018

Very well made with premium materials and feel like a very quality item. The sound quality is excellent. However......the music controls on the right headset are very fiddly and work only sometimes. The music stops frequently and the controls seem to have a life of their own. Very disappointed as these headphones are very expensive and this is a major flaw in the product. I own many different headphones, including wired Beoplay ones and these are perfect in comparison. Maybe I have been unlucky with a dodgy build on these ones, but I would go for the Sony or the B&W PX's if I had the choice again.*UPDATE* - Following a firmware update and then deleting and re-adding the bluetooth profile in my phone,

30.6.2020

I have been using these for a couple of days now and I can't say how much impressed I am with them. The build quality is awesome and the sound is just great.I work from home and I use them for a long couple of hours to abstract me from the noise around me. The Noise cancellation is just amazing.Adding to it, hear pads and battery being replaceable, it makes this headphones something to last for years!Sound output could be a bit louder, but provided that noise cancellation works so well, this can be overlooked. I haven't tested them on public transport yet, but I'm sure they will pass the test.Bluetooth setup is really easy and I could connect to my phone and laptop (using Linux)

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