[Marsson]

I'm curious about the distortion you're seeing. Sorry if you posted before (I went back but couldn't find it), but what device and music source are you using? Are you seeing distortion at all volume levels or after a certain point?

I posted that on this very page But I'm using an iPhone X, and I'm running the H9i in bluetooth mode, and I'm mostly using around 50-60% of the max volume on the iPhone, since anything higher is just too loud. I can't understand how people complain about having to max out the volume either, since that would make me go deaf. I'm not noticing the distortion tied to any specific volume, it's just "there".

 

[mattbanks]

I posted that on this very page But I'm using an iPhone X, and I'm running the H9i in bluetooth mode, and I'm mostly using around 50-60% of the max volume on the iPhone, since anything higher is just too loud. I can't understand how people complain about having to max out the volume either, since that would make me go deaf. I'm not noticing the distortion tied to any specific volume, it's just "there".

LOL DOH! I was looking at previous pages but never looked at this one. Are you using Apple Music, Spotify, something else? Do you have any experience with the H6 gen 2? Curious if the treble is boosted a bit in a similar was as the H6 and if they sound similar there.

 

[Marsson]

LOL DOH! I was looking at previous pages but never looked at this one. Are you using Apple Music, Spotify, something else? Do you have any experience with the H6 gen 2? Curious if the treble is boosted a bit in a similar was as the H6 and if they sound similar there.

I'm using Spotify, with the bitrate and downloads set to max quality. I've tried the music I've bought through iTunes, but I haven't noticed any distortion so far, and it's only specific songs that clip/distort in Spotify as well, which is weird. I'm about 50/50 if I should return them or not, I love certain aspects of the headphones but it's hard to justify 500 dollars when you're not satisfied. I haven't tried any other B&O headphones except for H9 and H9i.

 

[8lliott]

I'm using Spotify, with the bitrate and downloads set to max quality. I've tried the music I've bought through iTunes, but I haven't noticed any distortion so far, and it's only specific songs that clip/distort in Spotify as well, which is weird. I'm about 50/50 if I should return them or not, I love certain aspects of the headphones but it's hard to justify 500 dollars when you're not satisfied. I haven't tried any other B&O headphones except for H9 and H9i.

Would you consider changing to an Apple Music account? I’m not in the slightest tech-savvy but is it possible the distortion is resulting from using SBC for Spotify instead of the superior AAC from Apple Music and ITunes? It sounds realistic but it is just a guess

 

[Marsson]

Would you consider changing to an Apple Music account? I’m not in the slightest tech-savvy but is it possible the distortion is resulting from using SBC for Spotify instead of the superior AAC from Apple Music and ITunes? It sounds realistic but it is just a guess

Not really no I've been using spotify since its conception, and I have a pretty big playlist with lots of songs that I've added from my computer. It's something wrong with the headphones, and not the service since the H9 didn't distort.

 

[keniutek]

If this distortion is real, B&O has a big problem on their hands. Any of the reviewers noticed it? Maybe your unit is faulty, have you checked any others?

 

[Marsson]

If this distortion is real, B&O has a big problem on their hands. Any of the reviewers noticed it? Maybe your unit is faulty, have you checked any others?

Nah, I haven't had the chance to do that. Others have reported the issue though in this thread :/

 

[Demis013]

There is a pretty in-depth review of the H9i by TheGamingAudiophile released recently if there are any potential buyers like myself trying to make a choice... It is however quite critical of the sound quality and distortion in the treble while on ANC:/ do owners of the H9i have any thoughts on this or the review as a whole?

I've seen this review. I asked the reviewer whether he could give more examples in which he hears the distortion. He gave the cymbals at the start of ''Sexual healing'' as an example, also Still Remains by Riya and Feeling The Groove by Jonathan Fritzen. As said before here, I have the H9i and I have not had any case of distortion yet. I've tried all of the songs the reviewer mentions, as well as the songs ppl here gave as examples of distortion. I tried those songs with cable, on bluetooth, with ANC, without ANC, full volume, half volume... I have simply not heard any distortion anywhere. I am using the headphones with my Samsung Galaxy S8, Spotify max quality.

Since quite some ppl seem to have the distortion, I kinda became obsessed with finding it myself . So the last few days whenever I'd think I'd hear something that might be a distortion I go back to the point, replay it with and without cable and ANC, and on different volume levels - until now with no ''success''. I am really clueless as to what causes this problem with some and not at all with others. Could it be that the issue has something to do with the iPhone X? I might be wrong but I believe everyone who reports the distortion is an iPhone (X) user?

 

[Marsson]

I've seen this review. I asked the reviewer whether he could give more examples in which he hears the distortion. He gave the cymbals at the start of ''Sexual healing'' as an example, also Still Remains by Riya and Feeling The Groove by Jonathan Fritzen. As said before here, I have the H9i and I have not had any case of distortion yet. I've tried all of the songs the reviewer mentions, as well as the songs ppl here gave as examples of distortion. I tried those songs with cable, on bluetooth, with ANC, without ANC, full volume, half volume... I have simply not heard any distortion anywhere. I am using the headphones with my Samsung Galaxy S8, Spotify max quality.

Since quite some ppl seem to have the distortion, I kinda became obsessed with finding it myself . So the last few days whenever I'd think I'd hear something that might be a distortion I go back to the point, replay it with and without cable and ANC, and on different volume levels - until now with no ''success''. I am really clueless as to what causes this problem with some and not at all with others. Could it be that the issue has something to do with the iPhone X? I might be wrong but I believe everyone who reports the distortion is an iPhone (X) user?

It might be something with the drivers and iOS, it's hard to do anything more than speculate at the moment. The distortion is there in some songs, but it's not extremely obvious. Try listening to Kiss the Sky by Shawn Lee in spotify, there's some slight distortion in the percussion in the intro segment for me.

 

[8lliott]

I’m just really hoping there’s an easy solution and it isnt the same “luck of the draw” deal as it seems to be with the E8 earphones

 

[keniutek]

Well damn... im an iPhone X user LOL. Not looking/sounding good.

 

[Yreme]

There is a pretty in-depth review of the H9i by TheGamingAudiophile released recently if there are any potential buyers like myself trying to make a choice... It is however quite critical of the sound quality and distortion in the treble while on ANC:/ do owners of the H9i have any thoughts on this or the review as a whole?

After much A/B testing, casual listening, and sadness I decided to box up my H9i’s. I had already submitted a return request before seeing this review by TheGamingAudiophile, and interestingly it was for the very same issue the reviewer mentions: excessive treble. I completely agree with everything he says regarding this characteristic. On the one hand, there are a number of songs that feel very open and I get goosebumps because of how good they sound. But then there are other songs that emphasize the highs to the point of there being an imbalance, to my ears anyway. Sibilance shows up in songs where I never noticed it before. There’s just so much treble. I think someone else posted on here that the quality of the track has a big impact on this - maybe these tracks weren’t mastered as well or are poorer quality or for whatever reason already emphasize more highs, which causes the highs to get emphasized even further with the H9i’s. I just don’t enjoy this. ANC exacerbates this even more. I deliberated for a long time on whether to keep these cans because some music sounds sooo good and some music sounds awful. Maybe this is just the nature of every headphone but I can’t handle the inconsistent nature of the H9i’s based on the variety of music I like. Clearly there are a lot of people on this forum who like them so if that’s you, don’t let my opinion sway you - they are amazing headphones for certain music - sound is so subjective

Also, after thinking about this further, when listening at low volume levels the points I mentioned above aren’t really a problem - I enjoy listening through my playlists without much issue. It’s when a song comes on that I want to crank up the volume on, or an album pops into my head that I want to then sit down and actively listen to, where things start to fall apart.

Regarding the Beoplay app, I can’t seem to find a setting that only reduces the high end and leaves the rest the same - either the bass or mids get adjusted as well, for my ears anyway.

@mattbanks I can’t figure out how to quote your post from my phone, but regarding the volume levels there are a lot of older songs in my collection that are lower in volume compared to today’s mainstream music. If I want to “rock out” for a short period of time and crank it with these songs, the H9i’s are maxing out at 100%.

 

[larzy]

On my iPhone X the song Consequences by Camila Cabello distorts a few places using my H9i. Haven’t tested on my hi-res setup at home but pretty sure it’s not suppose to be there.

 

[Demis013]

On my iPhone X the song Consequences by Camila Cabello distorts a few places using my H9i. Haven’t tested on my hi-res setup at home but pretty sure it’s not suppose to be there.

Tried it on my Galaxy S8, passed it flawlessly. There were some places in the song where I heard some slight cracking (1:37, 1:53, 1,56, 2:01) but it's the piano on the recording itself, doesn't have anything to do with the headphones. I listened to the song at around 70%-80%, pushed it to 100% on the high and hard notes to try and force the distortion. Nothing.

 

[Puschinsky]

Does this point than to an Iphone only issue? I do not have an opportunity to test it on an android phone in parallel, but maybe somebody else could test it. I am curios if B&O got rid of the aptx codec