B&O Play Beoplay H4 - Review 2022

There'southward no shortage of luxury wireless headphones to choose from if you take the budget, and that list of fantabulous options just got ane entry longer. B&O Play'due south Beoplay H4 headphones keep things unproblematic—the wait is refined, not flashy, and in that location aren't any added features similar dissonance cancellation. Instead, what you lot become is crisp, rich audio functioning of a very high caliber, and condolement that has few rivals in the over-ear headphone department.

For $299, sometimes the simplicity goes a flake too far—in that location's not a good reason why a cable with an inline remote command or a protective pouch for travel couldn't be included. These minor quibbles bated, the headphones evangelize what'southward most important: an excellent sound experience. For this reason, they easily earn our Editors' Choice honor.

Design

Bachelor in gray with aureate accents, the design of the Beoplay H4, like most B&O products, is stunning, with a focus on simplicity, comfort, and materials. The outer panels of the circumaural (around-the-ear) earcups feature a gilded metallic circumvolve with the B&O logo on information technology; nigh of the rest of the earcup and pads are lined with lambskin leather in a night gray hue. The top of the headband is also lined with leather, and the underside has a firmly padded grayness fabric surface. Cables leading from the earcups to the interior of the headband are lined with patterned, braided textile fabric. These headphones are bonny, lightweight, and exceptionally comfortable, even over long listening sessions.

B&O Play Beoplay H4 inline The interior of each earcup is marked with a large L and R to demarcate the left and right channels. At the bottom of the right earcup's outer panel, there are 2 connections—the micro USB port for the included charging cable, and a 3.5mm connexion for wired, passive listening (a cablevision is also included).

Next to these connections are a pinhole microphone and iii buttons. The central button controls playback, phone call management, and rails navigation, while the outer two buttons are dedicated volume up/down controls that work together with your mobile device's master volume levels. The cardinal button, when held down for a longer period, is also the power/pairing push button.

The mic offers fairly solid intelligibility. Using the Voice Memo app on an iPhone 6s, nosotros were able to empathize every word nosotros recorded clearly, though there are some audio artifacts, as there almost always will exist, with mics that are so far from the mouth—even in optimum weather condition, it's not going to sound as clear as your phone'southward mic.

B&O estimates bombardment life to be roughly 19 hours, merely your results will vary with your book levels. The headphones tin be used in passive mode, using the included cable for listening that requires no battery power. In that location's a slight drop off in ability and bass response in doing so, but it'southward subtle. Unfortunately, the cable lacks inline controls. If the headphones were less expensive, this wouldn't be somethin to call out, merely some competing models even send with two cables—one with an inline remote, ane without.

Other than the audio cable and a charging cable, the headphones are notably light on accessories. A protective carrying tote would have been a dainty inclusion, particularly because the leather and cloth covering seems easy to scratch or mark upwards.

Performance

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife'south "Silent Shout," the Beoplay H4 delivers a powerful thump, and fifty-fifty at top, unwise listening levels. At more moderate levels, the lows still pack some serious punch, but merely as impressive is how well the highs balance things out. The vocals are well-baked, and despite this being a bass-heavy mix, things sound balanced and even bright at times.

Bill Callahan'southward "Drover," a track with far less deep bass in its mix, gives united states a amend thought of the Beoplay H4's overall sound signature. On bass-heavy headphones, we often hear too much boosting on the drums, lending them a fake, overly thunderous sound. Through the Beoplay H4, the drums still go plenty of bass attention, but despite the boosting in the deep lows, they however sound natural—they're but given a total, powerful presence. Callahan's rich baritone vocals get only the correct amount of low-mid presence—ofttimes, this is overdone on bass-forward headphones also, but hither, the vocals don't sound overly rich. Instead, the loftier-mids and highs take control of the mix to a certain extent, lending his voice some treble edge and contour, and highlighting the attacks of the guitar strumming and percussive hits. This is a bright, clear sound augmented with some lovely bass depth.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop receives an platonic high-mid presence so that it slices through the mix's several layers. The sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the beat out are delivered with their full fury—you get subwoofer-like depth hither, still it's dialed dorsum only enough to not overwhelm the residual. The vocals on this track are wonderfully clear, and despite their brilliant presence, never sound overly sibilant or harsh. This is ane of the brighter sound signatures we've heard in a while, simply that deep bass presence ensures that things never sound brittle.

On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the lower register instrumentation is given some added push in the deepest lows, just nothing that seems over the top. Its boosted presence is far more subtle than the drums' added bass depth on the Callahan track. The higher register contumely, strings, and vocals, meanwhile, are delivered with ideal high-mid and loftier frequency definition and brightness. You hear every detail; information technology'south a brilliant sound.

Conclusions

Purists seeking apartment response will mostly love the college frequency signature of the Beoplay H4, only perhaps wish that the deepest bass frequencies were dialed dorsum slightly. Those who value crisp detail in the highs merely likewise appreciate the subtle thunder a well-tuned subwoofer tin can add to it, nevertheless, will love these headphones. This is easily one of my favorite sound signatures of the last year or then.

Sure, the headphones are light on accessories, merely they sound so skillful information technology hardly matters. That said, at that place are several excellent wireless options in this high price range. We likewise love the Bowers & Wilkins P7 Wireless, the Bowers & Wilkins P5 Wireless, the pricier Principal & Dynamic MW50, and the less expensive Marshall Mid Bluetooth. My money would become to the Beoplay H4, then they get our Editors' Choice. But if $300 or then is your budget, you have some fun homework to do.