The Bang & Olufsen (B&O) Beoplay H100 was only recently announced but thanks to the brand’s outlet at the Garden recently getting a makeover, and the fact that we were invited to see the new floor and the product in the flesh, I said yes.
B&O has always prided itself as the Patek Philippe of the audio world. It charges what are effectively exorbitant prices for its audio products. Its headphones, particularly, range from an average of RM3,000 to the jaw-dropping RM10,000 average price tag. The H100 is no exception to the rules of its creator.
In my brief time with it, the H100 exudes that premium, that extravagance the brand is known for. The earcups, which are detachable by the way, are made from lambskin, while the outer layer of the headband is made from cowskin. As B&O puts it, it is, again, part of its philosophy that it will last for years to come.
The underneath of the headband, though, is still made of lambskin, meaning that it can and will gunk up from wear-and-tear but the good news is, it is also detachable, making it easy to replace, although how much the component will cost after the luxurious five year warranty expires is unknown to me.
By the way, replaceability is a recurring theme here. Everything about the H100 is removable, detachable by design, right down to the battery. That being said, it wasn’t clear if this means consumers could easily repair and replace parts or if this was for the convenience of B&O’s engineers, whenever the headphones are sent in for repairs.
Moving on to the aesthetics of the H100, the glass back on the earcups are smooth to the touch, and also serve as touch sensors for play and pause functions but can be customised via the dedicated B&O app. Further, the rings around them are rotatable and can also be customised to perform certain actions but by default, it adjusts the volume.
Wearing, the H100 is taut: the headband is tight and doesn’t extend very far, which makes the earcups just barely reach over my earlobes. Not only that, the onboard ANC function feels weird. Perhaps it’s just me, but the right earcup suffers from external sound leakage.
I won’t go in-depth about the H100’s performance but my early impressions is that it leans towards the highs and mids and at the same time, sounding pretty flat out of the box. I was told that these were consumer-ready units but ultimately, I’d have to wait until I get a unit in my lab to do a proper review.
The B&O Beoplay H100 are expected to come into the country from October onwards. If you want to own it, however, you’d best be prepared to pay the eye-watering RM8,600 asking price.
Photography by John Law.
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