• TWEAK
• Hardware
• Headset

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX

Translate from : Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX

Central Features

• 35 hours of playback
• Bluetooth 5.1
• Adaptive ANC
• 3.5 mm connection

There is nothing on the Beoplay HX feature list that stands out in particular compared to the general market for this kind of headset. The only thing, however, should be the 3.5mm connection that is included. It is now a rare thing and can be a bonus for sound geeks.

A tour around Beoplay HX

With the Beoplay HX, B&O lives up to my expectations of beautiful design and quality materials. The set feels complete from inside to outside, with beautifully processed and delicious materials.

The frame is made of aluminum and is light and flexible, and there are great options for adjusting the size.

The ear cushions are suitably large and have memory foam and lambskin leather. So very comfortable, but not exactly pet-friendly if you factor that into your purchase considerations.

The ear cups fit fine over my ear, but personally I would have liked them to be a little deeper as I could feel my ears go on the inside.

We have borrowed the Gold Tone variant for the test here, but Beoplay HX is also available in a Black Anthracite or a Timber Variant.

On the left ear cup there is a button that can switch between the ANC and Transparency settings and a Multi Button that by default acts as a shortcut to the voice assistant on your phone.

On the right earcup there is a power/pairing button, a USB C plug for charging and finally the 3.5mm plug, if you want to connect physically that way.

On the side of the right ear cup there is also a touch field that can be used to stop/start your music, change tracks and turn the volume up and down.

The set also comes with a robust case in a semi-hard fabric material, which comes with plenty of space for your headset and the included cables. It may be a little on the large side, but it is a good match for the Beoplay HX set.

Software

If you want to customize the settings on the set or make sure you have the latest firmware, you need to stop by the Bang & Olufsen App on your smartphone.

Here you can see an overview of your B&O devices, if you have several, and check the battery status.

You can also customize the EQ settings with five different presets or create your own. However, it is set up a bit differently and is not a traditional band EQ. Instead, you can move a cursor around in a circle between the extremes of Bright, Energetic, Warm and Relaxed.

It might not be the case for sound geeks, but for people who don't quite have a handle on a normal EQ with a series of sliders that can be adjusted, it's a more intuitive approach to an EQ.

It is also possible to adjust the strength of the active noise reduction or Transparency Mode. It can be supplemented with a setting to reduce wind noise.

If you are into Netradio, the app also provides access to B&O Radio, which brings together a very wide selection of online radio stations from all over the world.

All in all, the Bang & Olufsen App is super well built and there is the possibility of both controlling music and adapting settings in an easy and accessible way.

Testing

Connecting the Beoplay HX is very easy as they are equipped with Google Fast Pair, so they just had to be switched on near my Google Pixel phone and then a pop-up window appeared on my phone.

From here there were no problems and I was quickly enjoying the set.

The comfort of the set is definitely at the high end, and the soft lambskin ear cushions feel wonderfully comfortable. There is no unpleasant pressure on either the top or the side of the head even as a spectacle wearer.

However, as I mentioned earlier, I would have liked to have slightly deeper ear cups, as I think my ears were squeezed a little. A minor detail that only became relevant after longer use.

Operating the headset while wearing it was reasonably straightforward. It was easy to find the physical buttons and the touch field on the right earcup seemed sensible.

However, I couldn't always get the volume function to work quite as smoothly as I'd like. Sometimes my volume attempts also resulted in me changing the number instead.

The sound in the Beoplay HX hits the spot. Here, the sound wizards at B&O have created a beautifully tuned headset with a fantastic sound. There is good and razor-sharp definition in the sound image, which allows you to pick up the minor nuances in the music without any problems.

B&O state the battery life up to 35 hours, which will of course vary in relation to volume and use of ANC etc. However, I think during my testing that I came pretty close to the stated time.

Both ANC and Transparency Mode work fine but are not the best I have experienced. There is a fine sorting of background noise with ANC, which makes the set more comfortable to use in slightly noisy environments such as a car or train.

Price

At the time of writing, I can find Beoplay HX with an online price of 447$. It is the middle segment for B&O's own products, but at the upper end of the market generally in terms of features and sound.

Conclusion

B&O Beoplay HX is a complete and beautiful headset with a solid sound and reasonable features. I have enjoyed every moment with the Beoplay HX set on my head, and the sound has been delicious for both podcasts, subdued ambient music or hard metal.

If we look at the price, however, I think that a set like the Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e set that I looked at not so long ago did at about the same level. However, that set could handle it at a price that is around 400$.

If you are hooked on materials and B&O design, then you can probably defend the higher price for the Beoplay HX set. All other things being equal, it is a much better price-to-performance ratio with this set than other B&O products on the market.

We end up with a final mark of 8, for a nice and complete headset with top materials and solid sound.

Well:

Good materials

Top build quality

Bottom solid sound

Disadvantages:

The price is a bit on the high side compared to other alternatives

Touch adjustment of the volume was not completely in the cabinet