Beoplay H9 combines design with noise cancellation

Beoplay H9

Bang & Olufsen announced the Beoplay H9 under their B&O PLAY brand. The new headphone features a wireless connection through Bluetooth, active noise cancellation (ANC) and the usual attention B&O reserves to design and materials.

The Beoplay H9‘s frame is made from aluminium and it is covered in stitched leather, while the ear cushions are made from memory foam covered in lambskin. While they appear as a vegetarian’s nightmare, B&O claims they should be “comfortable for hours on end”; the memory foam allows it to “adapt to the shape and curve of the ear for supreme comfort and breathability”. In addition to that, the earpads should help isolating from ambient noises. They surely appear to be more comfortable than the Bowers & Wilkins P3 Series 2.

The noise cancellation technology embedded in the Beoplay H9 is “hybrid”: there are microphones both outside and inside the headphone, so that they can capture the noise and cancel it by producing a similar sound, but in counterphase.

The company claims the battery should last for up to 14 hours of music playback with noise cancellation. The battery is also removable and it can be charged in three hours. It also has a standard 3.5 mm jack, should your device have it.

The Beoplay H9 is available in Black and Argilla Grey colours with a 499$/€ price tag.

You can find the complete press release below.

Spoiler
B&O PLAY continues to drive the market for lifestyle audio products with the launch of Beoplay H9 -a beautifully designed wireless, over-ear headphone that combines craftsmanship and supreme comfort with flagship noise cancelling performance (ANC) that cocoons travellers from the roars of the city and immerses them completely in the music experience.

Beoplay H9 comes with a wireless, over-ear wearing style for a more expressive look, and is crafted in luxurious, lightweight and true materials. The headband is built up around a solid and lightweight aluminium frame covered with stitched cowhide leather, and underneath the soft lambskin coated ear cushion is adaptive memory foam that adapts to the shape and curve of the ear for supreme comfort and breathability.

Other than making the headphones comfortable for hours on end, the ear cushions act as an isolating element, which naturally leaves out many of the high frequency sounds. In combination with the ANC it gives travellers worldwide a beautiful listening experience, where you can hear every detail in noisy environments without compromising the sound.

Explore the sound. Feel the Silence.

On the side of the right ear cup is an intuitive touch interface in anodized aluminium that captures the latest acoustic innovations from B&O PLAY. With this interface, you can – with just a single touch or swipe – activate the noise cancelling function, change songs, answer calls and control the volume. Made for travellers in all weather conditions, the interface works under humid conditions and with gloves on.

Beoplay H9 features hybrid Active Noise Cancellation technology. Multiple microphones placed on the outside of the ear cushion as well as inside capture the noise before it reaches the ear and produce a reverse signal effectively cancelling out unwanted elements. This leaves the unique Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound intact – a well-rounded, authentic and clean sound performance, designed to bring you music the way the artist intended it.

Up to 14 hours of noise cancelling music

Beoplay H9 comes with up to 14 hours of noise cancelling music performance with just a three-hour charge. You can swap the battery in a snap, and if you run out on it just attach an audio cord to keep listening to your music. If you forgot to turn your headphones off the intelligent battery-saving function will automatically kick in.

Adjust the sound profile with Beoplay App

Beoplay H9 is compatible with Beoplay App for Android, iPhone and Apple Watch, which gives you a variety of options for personalizing your listening experience:

  • Bang & Olufsen sound engineers have created a variety of sound profiles specifically for Beoplay H9: Commute, Clear, Workout and Podcast.
  • Users can adjust the tonality and sound staging themselves with the playful and intuitive B&O PLAY ToneTouch. The interface lets users feel their way through different sound settings and find the one that best suits the situation. Once adjusted, Beoplay H9 saves the setting on the product itself until you adjust it again.
  • Connected to Beoplay H9, the Beoplay App makes it easy to monitor the battery status of the headphone.
  • Users can control the music (play, pause, forward, back), turn on or off the ANC and they can personalize the headphones in the app by giving it a specific color and name.
  • By connecting Beoplay H9 to Beoplay App, users also receive software updates over the air – a new functionality made available for Beoplay H9.

Pricing and availability

Beoplay H9 launches in two colours, Black and Argilla Grey, and is available for a suggested retail price of DKK 3.799 / SEK 4.899 / NOK 4.799 / USD 499 / EUR 499 / GBP 449 / AUD 799. Included with Beoplay H9 is a carrying bag, a charging cable and an audio cable. Both colours will be available in Bang & Olufsen stores, on www.beoplay.com/h9 and in selected third party retailers from the beginning of December 2016.

About Riccardo Robecchi

Living in Glasgow, Scotland but born and raised near Milan, Italy, I got the passion for music listening as a legacy from my father and my grandfather. I have reported on technology for major Italian publications since 2011.

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