The Danish brand presents its new Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100 headphones. In addition to a durable, luxurious design, this model guarantees rich, immersive listening with Spatial Audio and head-movement tracking for full enjoyment of music and movies in Dolby Atmos. The B&O H100 also features enhanced active noise cancelling and Transparency modes, thanks to its 10 microphones. B&O is returning to excellence with these top-of-the-range headphones, designed for optimal everyday listening.
Included accessories
The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100 Bluetooth headphones come with a leather carrying case. We would have preferred a rigid model, but this one seems to provide good protection thanks to its integrated reinforcements where the earpieces are wedged. What’s more, two 1.25m cables are supplied: one USB-C to USB-C and a second USB-C to 3.5mm mini-jack. As a result, you can connect these B&O headphones to a wide range of sources.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100: presentation
Luxurious, high-end design
The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100 noise-canceling headphones embody Danish expertise in design and acoustic engineering. From the moment you open the box, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100 impress with their modern, elegant design in the pure tradition of the manufacturer.
In the hand, the quality of the materials is immediately apparent: the aluminum-titanium alloy gives an impression of robustness while remaining surprisingly light. When placed on the head, the lambskin ear pads fit snugly around the ears. While this is a good thing for passive insulation, as they help to effectively block out external noise, pressure on the jaw can become slightly noticeable after a few hours. The inner headband is lined with cowhide.
A real asset, the Beoplay H100 is one of the few models (like the Meze 99 Classics, for example) with replaceable ear pads and headband. These can be removed and fitted quickly and easily thanks to the integrated magnetic system. Note that the battery is also replaceable, which suggests that these headphones will be easy to repair and, therefore, will have great durability.
The scratch-resistant tempered-glass outer surface of the shells adds a modern touch to the design. The dials placed around the shells are well integrated, allowing easy control of the headphones’ various functions. However, there’s no way of knowing whether you’ve reached the ANC or volume limit. Fortunately, audible indications make up for this, indicating the settings you’ve made.
Compared to previous B&O Beoplay models
The B&O Beoplay H100 wireless headphones feature a number of notable improvements over their predecessors. Firstly, the ear cups are now oval, offering greater comfort, especially for people with larger ears, compared with previous models which featured larger, round ear cups. The integrated dials on each ear cup enable highly intuitive adjustment of volume and ANC, making day-to-day use much easier. What’s more, the ear pads, headband and even the battery are now replaceable, increasing the headphones’ durability.
Finally, B&O has opted for even higher-grade materials for this latest model, incorporating titanium, lambskin and cowhide leather, as well as tempered glass, thus enhancing the quality and aesthetics of the Beoplay H100. They are, however, slightly heavier, weighing in at 375g.
Intuitive controls and app
Controls are intuitive, thanks to the integrated thumbwheels on the earpieces, allowing precise adjustment of volume and active noise cancelling / Transparency mode intensity. Pressing the ear cup once pauses playback, swiping switches between tracks, while covering the ear cup allows you to quickly hear your surroundings (Quick Listen). Advanced functions such as automatic play/pause and intelligent call management make use even more enjoyable.
The dedicated Bang & Olufsen app provides access to numerous settings such as: adjustment of the ANC level, several sound presets and a customizable equalizer, activation of spatial audio (Off, Virtualize for stereo content, Immersive for Dolby Atmos content) and head tracking, control settings, updates, and more.
The supplied cables, USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to 3.5mm audio, offer flexibility in connecting with different devices, whether you prefer wired or wireless listening.
An immersive, high-quality listening experience
The B&O Beoplay H100 wireless headphones feature 40mm electrodynamic titanium transducers combined with neodymium magnets. Together, they deliver a frequency response of 10Hz to 20kHz, and up to 40kHz in USB-C wired mode. This frequency range, certified Hi-Res for wired use, delivers rich, detailed sound.
The B&O H100 headphones are also optimized for spatial audio with head tracking, enabling total immersion with compatible media such as movies and music in Dolby Atmos format. Also, the “Virtualize” mode transforms stereo content into spatial audio. If required, these functions can be deactivated from the Android and iOS apps.
ANC and transparent technology
The B&O Beoplay H100 wireless headphones feature 10 studio-quality microphones. Four of these ensure clear, precise voice pick-up. During calls made outdoors in windy conditions, the headphones were able to reproduce our voice correctly. The four additional microphones provide high-performance active noise cancelling (ANC) and manage the Transparency function.
In addition, EarSense compensation technology automatically adjusts audio parameters according to the listening environment and headphones’ position, offering a personalized experience. The perforated steel plate in front of the microphones minimizes wind noise and other interference, ensuring crystal-clear listening in all environments.
Both the noise reduction and Transparency mode work very well. In the street, car and wind noise were completely erased, leaving all the room for the music. The dial makes it easy to adjust the level of active noise control (also available on the app). In a café, in Transparency or Quick Listen mode, we were able to have a short conversation. This came in really handy at the train station, where we could hear the announcements.
Wireless connectivity
Equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, the B&O Beoplay H100 guarantee audio transmission with a wide range of equipment, with support for the SBC, AAC and LE Audio Ready codecs. Although we’d have liked to have it right out of the box, B&O plans to add the LDAC codec after a future update, without specifying a date. Bluetooth Multipoint functionality is also included, enabling connection of up to two devices simultaneously (pairing should be extended to three devices via a future update).
For quick and easy pairing, Google Fast Pair, Made for iPhone (MFi) and Microsoft Swift Pair are supported. Note that the headphones are automatically switched on and off to make them even easier to use, but also to preserve battery life. Simply remove the headphones and a few seconds later, they’ll automatically shut down.
Autonomy and fast charging
The B&O Beoplay H100 Bluetooth headphones offer up to 34 hours of continuous listening without ANC, 32 hours with ANC activated, and 30 hours with spatial audio. The quick-charge function is particularly handy when you’re on the move: a five-minute charge provides up to five hours of additional listening time. The battery can be fully recharged in around an hour via the USB-C port. These magnificent headphones are the ideal companion for long days, whether you’re at work, on the road or just enjoying your music.
Key specifications
- Closed-back over-ear headphones
- 40mm electrodynamic transducers in titanium and neodymium
- Connections: Bluetooth or USB-C port (Hi-Res up to 24-bit/96kHz)
- Spatial audio with head-motion tracking optimized for Dolby Atmos
- EarSense compensation
- ANC, transparency and Quick listen functions
- Frequency response: 10Hz – 20kHz / High-resolution mode: 10Hz – 40kHz
- Sensitivity: 103 dB SPL (1 kHz/-3 dB FS)
- Bluetooth 5.3 LE Audio Ready, SBC and AAC codecs, Multipoint
- 10 studio-quality microphones (4 digital MEMS vocal microphones, 4 MEMS feedback microphones, 2 analog feedback microphones for ANC/Transparency functions)
- Battery life: up to 34 h of playback, fast charge: 5 min charge for 5 h of playback
- Weight: 375g
Listening conditions
Pairing the Beoplay H100 is simple and intuitive. When you switch on the headphones, they automatically enter pairing mode. For our review, we used an Android smartphone (Fast Pair) and an HP computer (Microsoft Swift Pair), both of which quickly connected to the headphones. The headphones are also compatible with the Bang & Olufsen app, which lets you customize sound settings and access various features.
Our impressions
Visual
When we took the Beoplay H100 out of their box, Bang & Olufsen’s expertise was immediately apparent. The choice of materials, from aluminum to tempered glass and genuine leather, gives the headphones a luxurious, robust look, offering a feeling of premium quality. Every detail is meticulously crafted, reinforcing the idea that these headphones are built to last.
The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100 headphones feature intuitive operation. The dials, touch-sensitive controls and buttons all felt natural to use.
Musicality
From the very first notes, these headphones revealed all their finesse. On Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather”, the bass was present and enveloping, without ever overpowering the other frequencies. Billie’s airy voice was rendered with a precision that places it at the heart of the soundstage. Every detail was perfectly audible: breaths, subtle reverb, everything was crystalline.
On Queen’s punchy “Don’t Stop Me Now”, Freddie Mercury’s boundless energy was perfectly captured by the B&O Beoplay H100 headphones, while remaining balanced and faithful to the original recording. The guitar strings slammed with precision, the drums were powerful without ever being aggressive. Each instrument was correctly positioned, without excess, while differences in dynamics were perfectly controlled. With USB-C, clarity was enhanced, especially in the highs, which were more well-defined.
Beyond music, we also wanted to test the capabilities of the B&O Beoplay H100 on Dolby Atmos content. With the spatial audio feature, immersion took on a whole new dimension. On the film 1917, the headphones rendered each scene with beautiful depth, each element moving around us with precision. Whether it was the sound of footsteps, falling shell casings or crackling fire, every sound, however minute, found its place in a three-dimensional scene.
Exploring numerous tracks in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music, the spatial imaging proved just as impressive, and the head-movement tracking worked perfectly, reinforcing immersion. Voices floated above us, instruments seemed to emerge from all directions, and the sound provided a much more enveloping listening experience than with conventional headphones. Combining head tracking and spatial audio functions was particularly enjoyable with films, live concerts and even video games.
B&O Beoplay H100 vs Dali IO-12
The B&O Beoplay H100 and Dali IO-12 headphones both offer outstanding musical qualities, but differ in a number of ways. Firstly, in terms of audio codecs, the Dali IO-12 support the aptX, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive protocols. For their part, the B&O currently offer only AAC and SBC codecs, with the promise of integrating the LDAC codec in the coming months, making them LE Audio Ready. What’s more, the latter offer additional features such as head tracking and spatial audio, optimized for Dolby Atmos, adding an immersive dimension to the listening experience.
In terms of comfort, the Dali headphones’ ear pads are more square and pleasant, but their imposing size makes them less practical to carry around all day. On the other hand, the B&O model’s design is more eco-friendly. It incorporates replaceable components to extend the lifespan of the headphones. The Dali IO-12’s hard case, however, offers added protection on the move. In terms of controls, the Beoplay H100 stand out for their intuitive dials, as well as the B&O app for precise adjustments.
Compared to the Apple AirPods Max
The B&O Beoplay H100 and Apple AirPods Max differ in several respects. The Beoplay H100 feature larger, intuitive dials for volume and ANC control, while the AirPods Max rely on a small click wheel dedicated to volume and playback management. What’s more, the Beoplay H100 feature a minimalist, elegant design with replaceable components and more luxurious materials for greater durability. The Apple headphones, on the other hand, come in a wider range of colors and feature larger earpieces. In terms of sound, both headphones feature Audio Spatial with headtracking, for a highly immersive experience. However, the Danish model reveals more finesse, with greater detail throughout the frequency range. Active noise cancelling is also slightly superior on the B&O model. Finally, the B&O headphones boast a longer battery life.
Who are these headphones designed for?
The B&O Beoplay H100 headphones are a pleasure to use every day, with excellent ergonomics. They stand out for their intuitive controls, in particular the wheels that made the Plantronics model such a success, improving them considerably. They are aimed at discerning audiophiles, music lovers and anyone looking for a high-end listening experience. With their sound quality, ANC and elegant Scandinavian design, they will appeal to music lovers and lovers of beautiful objects alike. Designed for everyday use, they are equally suited to listening sessions at home or on the move. Technophiles will also appreciate the dedicated app for customizing sound settings.
Conclusion
The B&O Beoplay H100 are high-end headphones that perfectly combine aesthetics, comfort and sound performance. Their magnificent design, typical of Bang & Olufsen, is accompanied by impeccable build quality, using premium materials such as aluminum and leather. These headphones also incorporate some excellent ergonomic ideas that guarantee comfortable everyday use. What’s more, they deliver rich, balanced, immersive sound, with particularly effective active noise cancelling (ANC) to ensure full enjoyment of the music, whatever the environment. Built to last, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100 stand out in a market where durability is often overlooked. Although priced at €1,499, they represent a long-term investment, justified by the build quality, sound performance and durability they offer.
We liked
- The precise sound
- The support for spatial audio and head tracking
- The effective ANC
- The volume/ANC dials
- The durable yet luxurious design
We would have liked
- A hard case
- LDAC codec support as standard
They sound good but only LDAC and newest aptX Adaptive could justify the price.