[winslord]

Will they be $499 in the US?

Correct. I just snagged an order. Will be one of the first to receive them in the US on January 24th.

 

[Sound Man]

This is exactly what I am wondering as well. I've had mine for quite a few months now and I really love them, apart from the (firmware related?) issues that have already been mentioned here and in other reviews. Auto turn-off feature, increase of volume and memorizing the prefered EQ settings from the Beoplay app should be fixed on the H9 model as it is right now. Actually memorizing the EQ presets from the app without opening the app WAS working before the update that they rolled out this summer. After the update, you now have to restart the app each time you reconnect to the headphone and select your preset. I told B&O about this, they said they were aware of it and that they will fix it again, but they couldn't tell me when. And also, no one at B&O could make clear to me what the other improvements of the update were (all the information they could provide was that it had fixed ''minor issues'' which were not specified). So bottom line, that whole update was pointless in my point of view and actually broke something that was working. If they now fix all those issues with a H9i version and will the H9 as it is, it will unfortunately be a sign that they don't take the existing customer seriously and their main focus is the buck. I wonder if some of you have more information about a new firmware update?

I've been completely underwhelmed by their response to customer frustrations with their firmware. I sent a detailed outline of many of the same issues that have been mentioned here and B&O never replied to me. I could get over that, but they've only issued 1 firmware update in the last year. What have they been waiting for?

I prefer the comfort of my H9s, but I like the feature set of the B&W PXs that I've been using for the past 2 months. They sound fantastic and do everything that the H9is are promising for $100 less. Plus, B&W has already released 2 firmware updates within the past 2 months. That shows me that they're listening more closely to the frustrations of their users. They're not nearly as comfy as the H9s, but they're comfortable enough and I know what I'm getting since I've been able to audition them during their 60-day, satisfaction-guaranteed trial.

I feel a little ripped off that I paid $500 for a mediocre set of H9 headphones that is being updated only a year later--to address shortcomings that should've been dealt with prior to release of the H9.

All of that being said, I'll keep an eye out on this site for feedback on the H9s. I'm curious to see if the bass quality improves and they address the firmware shortcomings.

 

[winslord]

I've been completely underwhelmed by their response to customer frustrations with their firmware. I sent a detailed outline of many of the same issues that have been mentioned here and B&O never replied to me. I could get over that, but they've only issued 1 firmware update in the last year. What have they been waiting for?

I prefer the comfort of my H9s, but I like the feature set of the B&W PXs that I've been using for the past 2 months. They sound fantastic and do everything that the H9is are promising for $100 less. Plus, B&W has already released 2 firmware updates within the past 2 months. That shows me that they're listening more closely to the frustrations of their users. They're not nearly as comfy as the H9s, but they're comfortable enough and I know what I'm getting since I've been able to audition them during their 60-day, satisfaction-guaranteed trial.

I feel a little ripped off that I paid $500 for a mediocre set of H9 headphones that is being updated only a year later--to address shortcomings that should've been dealt with prior to release of the H9.

All of that being said, I'll keep an eye out on this site for feedback on the H9s. I'm curious to see if the bass quality improves and they address the firmware shortcomings.

Them Denmarks are slightly ungenerous on their customer service, yes.

 

[OkayKun]

Well it's official: https://www.beoplay.com/en/products/beoplayh9i?#buy

Wonder how the sound improvements over the normal H9 are...
After having a pair of H6 2ndGen I could never buy another B&O over ear pair again... H6 just sounds too much better than the H4s H7s H9s...
Would love a wireless H6 in the H9i but one can dream...

 

[andrenb]

I pre-ordered a pair of H9i and I'm excited to check out the new ANC-capabilities, multipoint-support, better mics for call-handling and hopefully louder volume and the same sound quality I enjoyed when I owned the H9's.

 

[keniutek]

I pre-ordered a pair of H9i and I'm excited to check out the new ANC-capabilities, multipoint-support, better mics for call-handling and hopefully louder volume and the same sound quality I enjoyed when I owned the H9's.

Things you mentioned coupled with better battery and usb-c = my dream cans
Let's hope BO delievers...

 

[anonymess]

my dream cans

... until you redial a client or your mother-in-law at 2am by touching an earpiece twice. This is a critical problem, easily fixed by giving us the option to disable it in the app. If B&O listen to us.

 

[mattbanks]

I really hope B&O is planning to push some of these changes back to the H9 in a firmware update, but I have a feeling the H9 is now deprecated and unsupported unless there's a warranty issue.

 

[keniutek]

I don't think they will "abandon" their customers. They were slow (to say the least) with firmware updates for the H9 but with the new cans out i think they will update the "old ones" as well.

 

[anonymess]

Perhaps you could encourage them on their Twitter and other social media feeds?

Meanwhile I heard today that the new P9i has been slipped back by a few weeks, now due (in the U.K.) in the last week or so of Jan. Amazon has not met its (ill-advised) delivery date of today.

 

[larzy]

In Denmark they are due out January 25. Let’s see if that holds up.

 

[bedlamite]

At the very least, I'd like for B&O to port their ANC algorithms to the H9, if at all possible. If improved ANC is a hardware thing there's not much that can be done about that, but otherwise, it'd be nice if B&O would show the H9 owners some love.

 

[RamGuy]

Hi everyone! Been following the forums from a distance for some time. Since it seems like I'm one of the few folks to pre-order the H9s, I thought I would leave the review I left on Amazon here as well in case it helps anyone. Apologies in advance for the length, or if this is deemed unnecessary. Here is my review:

Let me preface this by mentioning that on my journey to find over-ear, bluetooth, ANC headphones, I tried over a dozen of headphones. This includes the Bose QC30, Bose QC35, Sennheiser PXC 550, Sony MDR-1000X, Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2.0, and the B&W P7. Every one had its flaws:

-Bose QC30: functional and slender, but has this awful neck strap thing and the noise-cancelling seemed flawed at best. Returned the next day

-Bose QC35: exceedingly comfortable, but you can never turn off the noise cancellation. I don't just wear these on the airplane, so not being able to use these wireless without ANC was a fatal flaw. Also, the sound quality was good but not great. If you aren't an audiophile, like physical buttons, and don't mind ANC always on, you probably won't be disappointed. $350 is honestly not a bad price for what you get here. I've been a Bose fan for years, this just wasn't for me.

-Sony MDR-1000x: Sound on par with Bose. Definitely the most features by far of any headphone, some of which were cool and welcome, others which were more of a nuisance than anything. Kind of feels like Sony's engineers agreed to just throw everything into a single pair of headphones. Very plastic, but comfortable. If you bought these without hearing anything else, you'd probably be a happy customer (thus all the positive reviews). For me, build quality and sound quality were ultimately too hard to overcome. Are these things going to last two years? Unlikely. These came in third place.

-Sennheiser Momentum Wireless: I don't have giant ears, but these things were unwearable beyond two hours. They crushed my ears. That was impossible to overcome, not to mention the lack of ANC. Definitely my least favorite. Also $500, which seems wildly overpriced when they aren't half as good as the PXC550.

-B&W P7: Sound was excellent, but has literally ZERO isolation, for you or your neighbors. Everyone is listening to the same thing you are. Build quality was top notch, but these things are like vice-grips. I have a big head, but dear God they are headache-incuding tight. Also no ANC. DO NOT buy these if you are looking for travel headphones. If you want something for home or office only and have an average sized head, I could see these getting the job done.

-Sennheiser PXC 550: definitely my second place headphone. Middling comfort, and the earpads are oddly shaped and made a weird crinkly sound. Also not sexy. But sound was great, build quality was great, and the touch pad worked well. Also could connect to two devices easily, ANC was optional, and had NFC. Definitely a feature-packed headphone. They have this funky "twist to start" concept instead of a power button. This ended up being more annoying than anything else. Comfort is a huge factor for me, which prompted me to keep looking, and led me to the Beoplay H9s.

At the end of the day, the best marriage of feature, function, and comfort was the Beoplay H9's, which were released right near the end of my journey for new headphones. It's not without limitations, but ultimately the price premium was worth a better overall experience. Some pros and cons:

Pros of the H9:
+Supreme comfort. Big, supple lambskin earcups are the real deal. Would honestly forget they were on my head.
+Divine build quality. I can't overstate this. They are amazingly engineered and strike the perfect balance of weight, materials, and design.
+Sexy. These are headturners. People at work and at the airport already are asking me who makes my headphones. They look expensive, which is more important to some than others. I enjoy this, though, because they were, in fact, expensive
+Sound quality was excellent. To me, these were the best sounding headphones of everything I tested. And they sound GREAT over bluetooth, bluetooth with ANC, and wired. There might be some subtle differences, but this was an important factor for me. I use them in all three modes.
+Removable battery. Only headphone offering this. That means in three years if I'm only getting 8 hours of battery life, I can buy a new battery instead of new headphones. And I can have backup for continental flights.
+Touch controls are nice when they work (more on this later)
+Bluetooth range was plenty sufficient
+Battery was lasting me 16+ hours. I know others offer 20+, but 16 is PLENTY for me, and the removable battery really means these can last 30+ if they have to
+ANC is such a nice thing to have for plane and train rides.
+Bluetooth 4.2 and APTX - future proofed since BT 5.0 isn't focused on sound quality

Neutral:
*If Bose and Sony are A+ noise cancellers, the H9s would be a B-. There is a noticeable difference. That being said, they also put WAY less pressure on the ears, and the sound quality is better. I think B&O made some intentional decisions to try to find the happy medium for ANC. I am satisfied, but not thrilled. Three modes (off/medium/high like the PXC 550s) would be a welcome future enhancement
*No NFC. Pain in the butt, but only for like ten seconds and then I'm over it
*App works fine. I'm really not changing anything in here as I find the sound settings OOB sufficient
*Bluetooth doesn't automatically reconnect, but if you press the on button up for a second if does reconnect. Just took me a few to figure this out.
*Regular USB charger. Wish it was Type C, but at least it isn't proprietary.
*WAY less features than Sony and Sennheiser, but I think if we are being honest with ourselves that stuff goes unused after a few listens and ends up being superfluous. I want these things to just WORK, I don't need 5,000 options. The only thing I miss is their ambient noise feature so I can hear my wife yelling at me or the flight attendant.
*Definitely has a bass-heavy sound OOB. I personally greatly enjoyed this, but I could see how it wouldn't be for everyone. If you don't like it you can adjust the EQs in the app.

Cons:
-Can't connect to multiple devices simultaneously. Bose does this seamlessly. I underestimated how nice this was.
-No nice lady telling me on/off/what device is connected.
-No nice lady telling me battery remaining, and no way to tell besides the app
-Oh my goodness. How does a $500 pair of headphones not come with a killer case? This satchel they come with is so outrageous I can't even begin. It is a good thing the headphones are so good. I bought the $50 GoCase on Amazon instead: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JQ2SZ4G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-The headphones don't fold up. Their footprint is much larger than Bose, Sony, or Sennheiser.
-The touch controls are futuristic and cool, but flawed. Touching it accidentally happens, but the volume controls with a half moon shape are very frustrating. Sony and Sennheiser's touch control interface is much more intuitive. Also, and this is important, the sound on the headphones is separate from the sound on the device. So I can turn the sound all the way down on my headphones via half moon swipes, but my phone will still be on full volume. Kind of strange, but has its benefits. I think people complaining about weak sound don't realize these are separate.

Overall, for me these are a major go, a big win for B&O, and will be my every day listening headphone for years to come. After buying the case and the backup battery they were $600 USD, but I would do it again without hesitation. Comfortable, rich, deep sound, sexy, functional, wireless w/ ANC. If you are like me and need headphones for work, play, and travel and can put up with the noted limitations, these are the ones to get.

p.s. Buy the black ones! I've seen both, and they look better off and on the noggin IMO.

Switching between devices is like you'd expect with one-to-one connections. If I go on my Surface Pro and connect, it switches the connection. And vice versa back to my phone. You just have to push up on the "on" switch for one second to put the headphones into the right mode.

My main point is that the Bose, for example, can stay connected to both at the same time so switching is seamless and if I'm listening to music on my computer and my phone rings, I can still answer the call via my headset.

Definitely not an insignificant inconvenience, i just tend to listen on my phone 95% of the time so it wasn't a huge deal for me.

Like I've said, the H9's ANC seems to be about the same as the H8 give or take, and based on the near two years I used the H8 on a plane, it should be more than fine.

First post, but since I didn't get them from Amazon, I wanted somewhere to review.

I received my H9 last week. I won't go into a super in-depth accounting, but in the last month, I have bought and tested the following:

Beoplay H9
Sennsheiser PXC-550
Sennsheiser Momentum 2
Sony MDR100ABN
Sony MDR1000X
Parrot Zik 3.0
Bose QC35

Yes, I bought them all. I've kept the PXC-550 and returned all the rest.

My use-case is this: I ride the bus 1 hour morning and night, and work in a cubicle in a "modern" open concept, LEED workspace which means "don't give anyone any privacy". Small cubicles, low walls, tons of ambient noise from HVAC and babbling coworkers.

My priority is, then, stellar Active Noise Cancellation, followed by sound quality, followed by ease-of-use.

Since this is an H9 thread, I'll just focus there.

ANC: The ANC on the H9 is absolute garbage. Remember, I bought and tested each one of the above. I was the crazy guy wielding and connecting/disconnecting (bluetooth) no less than three sets at a time on the bus and at work. The only one worse for ANC was the Momentum 2. The H9 does a piss-poor job of low, thrumbing bus motor. The best for the bus and my office due to its ability to kill bus AND deal somewhat with annoying coworkers (no ANC headphone really does that well) was the Sony MDR1000X, followed by the PXC-550, and then the QC35.

Sound Quality: H9 nails it. It's the best of the bunch in my opinion. Loud, clear, and has enough bass to satisfy. It just sucks when there's noise.

Ease of Use: H9 is very mediocre, and a few things are just ludicrous. It has a difficult time reconnecting to bluetooth when turned on. Every other pair I tested paired within seconds. H9 sometimes connected within 10 seconds, but more often than not, you have to push the power slider up into bluetooth pairing position. Silly.

Also, the touch control is the poorest design of the bunch (both Sonys, the PXC-550, and the Zik 3.0). Changing the volume on the fly is next to impossible. You have to try to get your finger in EXACTLY the right arc on the earpiece to simulate a wheel. Most of the time, you get no reaction, or you end up skipping tracks. What baffled me was that instead of using a nice swipe up for louder, swipe down for quieter, the H9 reserves that to turn ANC on and off. There's an order of magnitude difference in the frequency that I change volume versus turning ANC on and off. I could understand it if it was some kind of Ambient Sound feature to hear voices, but it's not. Stupid Choice.

Last, it's a shame that there is no touch feature to activate Siri or Google Now. All the others have it except QC35 and Momentum 2.

No case? Whatever.

Sorry if I sound cranky, but it's late, and as I type this, I getting annoyed that for $500USD, all you're getting is a great sounding bluetooth headphone. It doesn't do anything else well.

I stuck with the PXC-550 as it had the second-best ANC, decent/good sound quality, and best ease-of use.

So then the H9 really is no better than the H7, and definitely not $100 better. And since the consensus seems to be that the B&W P7 is superior in SQ to the B&O H7, I guess my choice is clear. Don't spend an extra $100 for the H9 because the ANC is worthless anyway, and for $399 the P7 is probably a better pick than the H7.

Thanks, your review is very helpful.

I don't care about BT or any of those features, and the ANC isn't garbage. The ANC on any headphones except the Bose and Sony really don't take care of chatter completely. The ANC on the H9 is at least as good as the H8, and I've sat right on the wings and next to engines on planes. It all depends on what you're trying to drown out. LIke I've said numerous times, if ANC is #1, Bose and Sony have to be at the top of your list, period. Before you say I don't know what I'm talking about, look at my posting history. I've bought and tried a ton of ANC headphones over the past few years.

for strict phone calls I would look elsewhere, A microphone for calls is a added feature of the 1000Xm2's but NOT a exhilarating part of the headphone, the Plantronics are better at that task.

I've sold most of my headphones, they started to really pile up... But as a previous owner of;

Apple AirPods
B&O BeoPlay H7 rev1
B&O BeoPlay H7 rev2
B&O BeoPlay H8 rev1
B&O BeoPlay H9
Beats Studio2 Wireless
Beats Studio3 Wireless (I still have these)
Bose QC25
Bose QC35
Sennheiser HD650 (I still have these)
Sennheiser HD800 (I still have these)
Shure SE846 (I still have these)
Sony WH-1000MX2
Westone UM3X (I still have these)
Westone 4R


I have to say that I wouldn't recommend the BeoPlay H9 over the BeoPlay H7 to anyone. The only real difference is the ANC and I have to agree TwelveSimon and say that it's bad. I wouldn't go as far as say it's complete garbage, but it doesn't really do much. When using them on a daily commute (bus and train) or using them on a air-plane or even just using them outside with traffic and people about or even when using them while cooking at home they can't really isolate noise at all. The effect is tiny. So whats the point? Its the same on the H8's, the ANC seems to be the same and its more or less ineffective at everything. Compared to the Beats Studio3 Wireless, Bose QC25, QC35 and Sony WH-1000MX2 they can't compete at all.

Compared to the BeoPlay H7 you basically pay more for nothing. And with rev2 of BeoPlay H7 you have the exact same bluetooth specifications and audio on both as well. The only difference is the ANC. With rev1 you had bluetooth v4.0 (H7) vs 4.2 (H9) and a tad bit more natural and flatter audio on the H7 but with rev2 they are pretty much identical. I can't really recommend anyone to pay extra for the H9's.



I did love the H7 and H9. They look sexy, they are really comfortable and they sound really good. But they are just horrible to use between multiple devices. You have do the whole bluetooth re-connection when moving between devices which simply isn't good enough... And the microphone is useless. I can't really comment on the quality, but the gain is way too low so people can barley hear me during calls so I simply gave up on the microphone.

I have moved to the Beats Studio3 Wireless. They don't sound nearly as good, but they don't sound all that bad either. But they have better bluetooth range, the pairing and moving between devices are so much better due to the Apple W1-chip and the fact that I use only Apple devices, battery life is better, the ANC is actually decent and almost on pair with Bose and Sony and the microphone is surprisingly good. They have no major drawbacks whereas the ANC, microphone and moving between devices on the BeoPlay's are just annoying in the long run.

 

[mattbanks]

I emailed B&O customer support about the H9 getting new firmware with H9i features (and told them I'm disappointed that the H9 is basically deprecated after only ~14 months on the market). Here's the response I got...

Dear Matt,

Thank you for contacting B&O Play Support regarding your H9.

We are truly sorry to hear you feel this way. I can completely understand that you would want all the features from the new H9i on the H9. Unfortunately, we do not have any information if those features are going to be put into place for the H9. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

Should you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Kind regards,

Matthew
B&O PLAY Support
​

So it sounds like the H9 probably won't be getting any updates.

 

[Demis013]

I emailed B&O customer support about the H9 getting new firmware with H9i features (and told them I'm disappointed that the H9 is basically deprecated after only ~14 months on the market). Here's the response I got...

Dear Matt,

Thank you for contacting B&O Play Support regarding your H9.

We are truly sorry to hear you feel this way. I can completely understand that you would want all the features from the new H9i on the H9. Unfortunately, we do not have any information if those features are going to be put into place for the H9. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

Should you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Kind regards,

Matthew
B&O PLAY Support
​

So it sounds like the H9 probably won't be getting any updates.

I approached them as well. This was the response I got:

Hi Demis, Thanks for getting in touch. I do not have a date for a new update at this time. I will pass on your feedback regarding the H9's to the relevant people for consideration. Thanks for letting us know. Best, Glyn - Bang & Olufsen

Then I responded:
Hi Glyn, thanks for the answer. Instead of just passing on my questions to the relevant people, could you ask the relevant people when an update is foreseen?

Their response:
Hi Demis, I am also checking into this. I do not believe we currently have a release date however, that was why I didn't provide one. Best, Glyn - Bang & Olufsen

Then follow-up:
Hi Demis, Our team are working on software, however, we cannot advise to what may be included in this or when it would be released. Best, Glyn - Bang & Olufsen


My conclusion from this is that there will be a software update. But we can only guess what it will change. I have no idea to what extend the volume, ANC and other aspects can be improved through a software update. We'll see. Looking forward to people's impressions from the H9i as well, but as of now I am certainly not willing to buy it not even one year after buying the H9 and with the expectation of a software update.