Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H6

I have purchased H6 because I liked my H7 a lot, and multiple reviews claimed that H7 doesn't sound as good as H6, e.g. https://marco.org/headphones-closed-portable#h7
Before I purchased H7, I have compared it in the store with H6, H8 and Momentum 2. H7 was a clear winner, and I had no doubts that I have made the right choice.
However, the reviews of H6 were so great, that a few months later I have decided to give it a chance.
I've decided to go with the first revision, as I wanted to experience the more "audiophile", less bassy tuning.

This turned out to be a huge disappointment, comparable perhaps only with my disappointment from HD600.
At first, I thought that it just needed some burn-in (H7 sure did), but the sound didn't change.




Comfort:


H6's headband is wider than Takstar Pro 82, but it has less padding.


Same is true when comparing with XPT100


H6 pads are rounder and smaller than Pro 82


Same is true for XPT100

If the NVX XPT100 with the ComfortMax pads is 10 out of 10 comfort-wise, and Pro 82 is an 8-8.5, then H6 is a 7.
Surprisingly, it is more comfortable than H7, despite thinner pads - possibly due to lower pressure on the ears.
H6 and H7 pads are not interchangeable, and of course you can't use 3rd party pads either.

Isolation/Leakage:
There is very little isolation, not a great choice for noisy environments.
Leakage is an issue as well.

Bass:
Quantity is neutral, and I wish I could say that about the quality.
Bass is vert muddy, badly controlled. I don't think I've heard bass that bad since Beats Solo HD.
H7 has a MUCH better bass, closer to Pro 82' quality than H6's.

Mids:
Mids are very veiled and recessed, timbre is off. It reminds me of HD600.
Just look at this horrible FR (from Innerfidelity):


It makes the old Pro 80 sound like a mid-forward phone, not to mention Pro 82.

Treble:
As you can guess from the FR above, this is a dark headphone - nothing to write home about.

Soundstage/imaging:
Sounstage is closed in, very headphone-y
The whole presentation is very headphone-y, music is being played "at me", not around me.
Music is coming from a distance, if only I could push it closer to me...

Accessories:
H6 comes with a horrible cable, and you can't easily replace it - since the cable is showed inside the cup, the plug must be very thin.
Here is a comparison with Pro 82 and B8 cables:


However, cable isn't the reason for the bad sound - H7 sounds great with it.

Overall:
Complete and utter disappointment

It is decent design. Not too much to complain if minimalism is familiar to you. Cable is short what in my case is an advantage.
Comfort is as expected. H6 sit rather hard but the headband tension is acceptable.
Definitively I do not like the plug in system - replacement is nice feature for headphones cable but beo solution is annoying - to get them working you will need some equilibristics. Exchange plugs brings different left-right channel amplification . It is very narrow slot if pushing the plug into the socket you get stereo sound with both channels.
 
So far not too good. If finally get the canes to work the sound is enjoyable. Especially middle range deliver nice touch of impressions.Sound is spacious and echos sound long and gives all what guys in studio designed.
Bass is very well defined since not too heavy. After few days you will like it and even get correct sound balance without losing the mid and high spectrum.
 
Comparing with outstanding T-51p Beo H6 are better in many important areas. Price is a bit too high looking for some engineering problems you will be facing. No travel case.
 
I do not know I will stick to H6 for a long time. If no problems with cable and balance they could be a long term winner.

***** After a month of use, the sound seems to settle upon to something so, I came back to edit them ***** 
 
Background of getting these: Coming from a AKG K551, which were extremely big, I had seen weird looks from people, when I tried to wear them in public. Being 'embarassed' by that, I decided, to move on to something more public friendly, still sounds decent. I just wanted something which fits with most of my dressing style. My kind of liking of sound was 551, always: forward mids, large soundstage. I don't care much about the subbass, just need to be there subtle. Loved the ability of it to render complexity without getting mixed up. To me, that was enough. So overall idea was to get something similar, with small foot print. If K551 was shrinked, and still they had the same sound, I wouldn't have got anything else for some years, would have just enjoyed my music, not craving for fidelity more! 
 
Aesthetics: Enter BandOIts extremely public friendly, more 'executive' styled with lot of elements to match with most of your dressing, if that's important to you. I have the black version, and I find the leather with dark metal compliments most dressing not making them an 'extra thing' that standout. Its a style statement, like an expensive belt or watch! I think they are just sublte, and expressive at the same time. Kudo's to the damn sexy design. These looks just 'stunning'. 6 stars if I can give it!
 
Presentation : Exotic, would make you happy at the first look, but lack of a second cable is disappointing. The bundled cable is okay for me, but it feels a bit cheap compared to the rest of the package! I am not a fan of aftermarket cable, as I always feel, the manufacturer had added the same bundled cable running from your left to the right driver, through the headband. My theory: if you can identify the difference of the cable from your DAP/phone to your headphone, then you must be hearing a difference between left and right, as a different cable is used there! Its okay to upgrade the cable, if left and right have seperate connections! 
 
Build: Great, with quality materials. No squeaking nosies. feels solid. 
 
Comfort, isolation: Extremely comfortable, being not heavy, and not much clamping force. Headband adjustment
 
Now, come to the sound. I do not know how to go poetic about it. So let it be some points I noticed. 
 
1. Sub-bass is boosted, (Its not because my other headphones miss them a bit, have a K701, which I think is more close to something neutral) . I think its done on a purpose, for wearing in public places.  In a noisy environment, it totally makes sense, if it doesnt have a noise cancellation. In a train or bus,they tend to sound more 'flat'    After a month of use, this has gone away, it just has the right amount of bass. 
 
2. Soundstage- wide, but unlike other reviews here, Its not the widest, my K551 easily beats them! K551, feels more 3 dimensional. 
 
3. Because of the the above point, instruments are closer. 
 
4. They are closer, but they dont mix up or enter each others territory, as they are thin.
 
5. Treble is airy, accurate to my ears, though this leads to a 'metallic' texture to some vocals, which is annoying at times, but I think I already got used to it. Cymbals sound accurate, and sharp, and to me 'neutral' , or realistic. 
6. Detailed as good, or better than my K701. They revealed a new layer, of details from my Daft Punk - Random Access Memories. (Damn, I never heard that before! I had listened to that track before numerous times)
7. Dynamic, fast. Bass though they lack a bit of body, they are quite fast, making me tap my feet with it. 
8. Imaging is excellent, I felt they are razor sharp, pinpointed to the places where they are supposed to be.
 
This works decent with an iPhone which would help masses. But benefit from amping. Unfortunately, I don't prefer carrying a stack around. 
 
I believe, if a basshead wants to get to the neutral territory, this would be a perfect fit for him. Except the sub-bass boost I didnt find something much not out of 'flatness' in this.
 
Why I took of 1 star:
 
Need for amping, and being extremely portable and public friendly is a weird combination in my opinion. Not being efficient is not a bad thing, but its kills the convenience. Instruments sounds closely packed, though they are still imaged accurate. For me the best aspect of a system is always the soundstage, as I enjoy the 'wideness' more than other things. In this case, I still prefer my K551 for that. But when accuracy is needed, I look for these!
 
This review was made after a 5 days of burn in followed by a day of listening. I didn't find any change in sound, from what I listened 3 days back, but its different from out of the box. I will edit this review after a month.