Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal

Looks, performance, and the sound to back it up?

IT’S FAIR TO SAY there are levels to a good pair of headphones—you can have some that deliver a wide and detailed soundstage, yet feel like they were put together in a shed. Essentially, what you need is a good balance between sound, style, comfort, and features.

Bang & Olufsen is a brand that seems to strike the right balance across its whole lineup. The Beoplay Portal headphones are aimed at two markets, tackling gaming as well as traditional headphone usage. At just under $500, is this the all-in-one pair of cans you need?

First impressions matter and it’s often the initial thoughts that can set the tone for the device. Fortunately, this works in the Beoplay Portals’ favor, as they are a nice-looking pair of headphones. Our review sample, which comes in the ‘grey mist’ colorway, certainly offers the premium quality that the brand is known for. Paired with the shiny grooved ear cups, this color choice is our favorite of the bunch, just ahead of the navy and black options in terms of style.

Design-wise, B&O has opted to maintain the traditional premium headphone style that the company has become known for. That it hasn’t chosen to go down a route of appealing to the gamer aesthetic and has opted for a more neutral design helps make the device more attractive to wear on the go.

In terms of comfort, the headset is light enough for all-day use, but it doesn’t feel cheap, which is what you’d hope for at this price. The Portals are finished in soft lambskin leather with a bamboo knit headband. Pair the materials and the Portal’s lightweight frame together and you can wear these for a while without feeling the tension on your ears or head.

Thankfully, features are also a big selling point of these wireless earphones. They come in two variants, our version is the PC/PlayStation option but you also can get an Xbox model. In the box, there’s a USB-C wireless adapter included along with a USB-A converter too. This makes for a seamless wired connection, but it's not the only choice. Bluetooth 5.0 is available, with a dedicated button on the left ear. On the right, there are options for a 3.5mm auxiliary and a USB-C wired connection. That’s plenty of choices and makes this a highly versatile pair of cans.

TOUCH-SENSITIVE SLIDERS

On the left ear cup, there’s a touchsensitive slider that alters the active noise-cancellation level. It’s easy to get used to, although we prefer physical sliders. On the other side, there’s a slider to control the volume. For the controls on the faces of the ear cup, you double-press to play/pause on the left, and doublep ress to skip tracks on the right side. When gaming, these presets change, and double-tapping the left side changes the gaming equalizer, while double-tapping the right side mutes your microphone.

Talking of which, the Portals do a decent job at picking up your voice while trying to soften the background noise. Considering it’s an internal microphone and not a physical boom arm, it works well, but for the price, we might have expected a little more. When using these headphones, it’s best to pair them with a smartphone, so you can download and use the Bang & Olufsen app. This is where the majority of your customization and preset controls are, and you can update the headphones and set them up through the app before diving into a listening session. It may take time initially, but it’s worth it to get the best sound possible.

The Beoplay Portals don't disappoint on the sound quality, with a warm and detailed sound package. On first listen, we tweaked the equalizer to add a little bass and that gave us a great and wellrounded sound. The lows are rich and the mids to highs offer the full sound you expect for this sort of price tag. You can listen to these cans for long periods without the sound being too overpowering. As for gaming, again with the right adjustments, the sound is detailed and crisp enough to pick out key elements in the game. The strong low end helps deliver the atmospheric ambiance you’d want from immersive titles like Resident Evil Village. It performs both of its functions well, and given the lack of competition in the gaming/lifestyle space, that’s exactly what you want. If you have the budget and you’re looking for a premium two-in-one device, this ticks both of the boxes.