[bedlamite]

The Bose QC35 doesn't just sound boring, they have a really awkward EQ that does something really fishy with vocals and spoken word. They just sound off/wrong to my ears. I have loads of headphones and IEM's and even though every single one has a different sound signature, imaging etc.. None of them manages to make vocals and spoken word sound as awkward as the Bose QC35. Going from any of my other devices to the Bose QC35 when listening to vocal heavy songs, podcasts or audiobooks just sounds wrong and I have really hard time getting used to it unless I stick to using only the QC35 and nothing else and that's never going to happen.

Yep, The 35s have this thing called ActiveEQ which Bose markets pretty heavily, although for the life of me I can't see why. This "feature" EQs the hell out of your music, it's terrible.

 

[starpause]

Yeah, nothing is going to be perfect, especially since headphones are such a subjective arena. Has me eyeing the JBL Everest 700 since their app is supposed to be the best for allowing you to dial the noise canceling and EQ to your preference. But not digging the beats-ish look of them at all

Isn't fluffy pillows a nice way of saying muffled cotton But I do hear you 100% on outdoor/travel phones leaning towards bass boost to compensate for engine rumbles. I'm able to track on airplanes with H9. Even though they have big bass, I also found them to have the most articulate bass out of Momentum 2 / 1000x / qc35. At the time I was comparing I was very bass focused and thought the qc35 and 1000x were too bright, but now realize are closer to flat than H9 or Momentum 2. At this point, I'm not expecting any ANC or wireless cans to be flat, I'm not going to be mixing with them, so taking an enthusiast perspective evaluating the available options, H9 was my favorite and most fun to listen to. About the only thing I use them for is travel though, street and office use I still reach for TMA2 S02E06

 

[mattbanks]

Got my H9 delivered today and wow, these are great! Coming from the H6 gen2 and having heard mixed things about the H9, I had semi-low expectations. I tweaked the tone in the BeoPlay app and absolutely love the sound here! A bit more bass than the H6, but overall a very similar sound signature.

I had tried the Beats Studio 3, B&W PX, and Sennheiser Momentum HD1 wireless. None of them sounded as good to me as the H9.

The touch controls are taking a bit to get used to, but I don't think they'll be a huge issue. I've never really used the inline remote much on my H6, so I'm not too worried about it.

My only concern is the size of the ear cushions. The inner part seems smaller than my H6, which was already fairly small. The cushions definitely sit on top of my ears and both the top and bottom lobes of my right ear fall inside the cushion a bit. I'm a little worried about long term comfort, but I'm going to keep listening and hope they loosen up a bit.

Came in with low expectations and thought there was a chance I was going to return them, but instantly fell in love!

 

[bedlamite]

These never got much love on Headfi, I'm guessing partly because of the sound signature (which doesn't work for desktop listening at all), and partly because they're so darn expensive. The H9s are high-end consumer cans and you could buy some decent audiophile gear with that money. Doesn't help that the volume issue still hasn't been resolved, amongst a few other niggles

None of which are dealbreakers for me though,these are still my daily drivers.

Isn't fluffy pillows a nice way of saying muffled cotton

Perhaps a better way of putting it would be that the H9's got a lush sound signature, haha. Not a fatiguing listen, at all

 

[buzzlulu]

I still do not understand the complaints about the volume level. How loud do people listen? Levels which risk hearing loss?
I just came off of two flights with these - probably kept them at 50-60% volume with ANC on.

 

[mattbanks]

I still do not understand the complaints about the volume level. How loud do people listen? Levels which risk hearing loss?
I just came off of two flights with these - probably kept them at 50-60% volume with ANC on.

Same here. I keep them at 50-60% at most before they’re too loud for me. Roughly the same as my H6 when wired.

 

[bedlamite]

the H9s are also loud enough for me, but on my Sony phone I have to bring the volume up to about 70-80%, with the volume controls on the headphone set to maximum. Don't know if this is an Android issue (I'll have to go test the H9s on my iPad). There've been lots of volume complaints in this thread, you have to wonder if it's an user problem.

 

[Runar Johansen]

Same here. I keep them at 50-60% at most before they’re too loud for me. Roughly the same as my H6 when wired.

Well, if volume at 50-60% is enough on these, I’m really starting to think that it’s something wrong with my pair of H9’s. At full volume its way to low for me and much lower than on my B&W P7 (and yes my hearing is good ). Dont misunderstand me, I really want to like these cans, and I like the sound signature, but it just feels wasted when you cant crank it up. Hm, mine is from the first batch, maybe I should return them for a check

 

[mattbanks]

Well, if volume at 50-60% is enough on these, I’m really starting to think that it’s something wrong with my pair of H9’s. At full volume its way to low for me and much lower than on my B&W P7 (and yes my hearing is good ). Dont misunderstand me, I really want to like these cans, and I like the sound signature, but it just feels wasted when you cant crank it up. Hm, mine is from the first batch, maybe I should return them for a check

The B&W PX I tried got WAY louder than the H9. I could only listen at about 35-40% volume on my iPhone 7 Plus. The H9 I listen at about 50-60% before it gets too loud for me.

 

[mattbanks]

Do the Beoplay app ToneTounch settings get saved to the HP and stay across multiple devices? I only have my H9 connected to my iPhone 7 Plus now, but was curious if the sound would go back to default when I connect to my iPad or Mac.

 

[starpause]

Perhaps a better way of putting it would be that the H9's got a lush sound signature, haha. Not a fatiguing listen, at all

Yes, this I totally get. I got the most use out of them on 12+ hour flights where the sound was never fatiguing... but that hotspot was! Same problem on the PX, commented over in that thread... I'm starting to get the feeling that luxury headphone manufacturers care more about how the object looks and feels in the hand than on the head. PX and H9 both have a quick-to-develop hotspot for me and my other.

H9 clamp isn't nearly as offensive as PX, but I do feel like H9 headband is more prone to slip off the back of my head (not playing sports but like, tipping back to get the bottom of a soylent )

 

[N2Dsin]

Of the many people who's got both H8 and H9 on this thread - anyone ever tried to swap the ear cups on H9 to H8 to see if they are interchangeable? I do love my H8 but it's pressing on my ear after a few hours is really painful... A little bit unwilling to pay premium for H9 if they are interchangeable I guess...

 

[mattbanks]

I've tried searching, but can't find any definitive info and Beoplay support hasn't gotten back to me for 4 days now. How many total devices can you connect to the H9? Not referring to simultaneous multi device pairing (I know it can only be connected to one device at a time), but more of how many total device can be paired and then switched among them? I have my iPhone and iPad both paired and tried to put the H9 into pairing mode to pair them to my MacBook Pro, but they won't show up as available on my MacBook Pro as available. Is there a hard limit of 2 devices, or is something else going on?

 

[Jabba]

I auditioned the bw px and the bo h9.
I have several very good cabled headphones (focal classic, Nightowl, he-560, 2 from Stax), but need a wireless for office, walking, travel and casual listening (no need for ekstra amp or cable).
The Px had a strange mid, kind of hollow sound. Lacking in mid bass and a to forward mid for me.
Some voices had a strange sound to them.
The highs and firm bass was good enough though.
The built quality was also nice.
The h9 was not as revealing, but had much better sound overall.
Not as firm correct bass or as detailed, but much more enjoyable than the px with most music.
More of a music lovers sound.
The h9 has more than enough volume for me (at +/- 60%) and I like the sound adjustments in the app and the touch controls.
Also the possibility to change battery and to run them cabled without power.
Comfort was also way better than px.
So I ended up buying the h9.
Will update with impressions after using them more.

 

[Jabba]

Perhaps a better way of putting it would be that the H9's got a lush sound signature, haha. Not a fatiguing listen, at all

+1
Gives me that vintage sound.
Lush, warm, organic and full sounding.
It's not analytic or 100% accurate.
Just enjoy and get lost in the music.
I prefer them with anc off in most use cases and no eq at all.
Phone Bluetooth volume on max (no loosing bits), the headphone volume on 50-60% (headroom in the headphone amp).
More than loud for me.
So far I'm loving them