B&O Beoplay H9
HANDSOME HEADPHONES WITH A FATAL FLAW.
THE MOST EXPENSIVE headphones here offer superlative sound. Everything rolls on smoothlyclear and crisp at the top end and warm without being muddled in the lower end — you’ll be happy to leave your equaliser alone. If you do feel the need to tune itthe Beoplay app offers four presets and a floating ‘spot’ that can be moved between each of them to give more options. While the noise cancellation isn’t quite as pronounced as the Bose and Sony, it’s enough to mask low hums. So while they sound great and are very comfortable, they’re unfortunately crippled by the touch panel. This is built into the right cup and provides volume and playback controls as well as dialling the last number from your phone (if you’re connecting the H9s to that). In short, it’s a nightmare to use — unintuitive and inconsistent. The app’s a little temperamental too, sometimes spinning out and not picking up the connection. A premium soft case is included but, like the Parrots, these don’t bend, which means you’ll want to be very cautious with them. While they produce the best audio on this test, they’re hard to recommend at this price.