Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H8 (Wireless Noise Cancelling On-Ear Headphones)
Dec 6, 2016 at 3:14 PM Post #346 of 374
And here is the thread


http://www.head-fi.org/t/827704/b-o-h9-discussion-and-impressions-thread
 
Dec 6, 2016 at 7:11 PM Post #347 of 374
Another thing I've noticed as a difference between the H8 and the H9. With the H8, if you're walking about with the ANC on, you'll hear a very strange clinking sound with every footstep. No such issue with the H9 (finally!).
 
Dec 6, 2016 at 9:14 PM Post #348 of 374
Do you already have the H9? Any feedback?
 
Dec 7, 2016 at 4:07 AM Post #349 of 374
Yes, I got it last week. I wrote some quick impressions which I'll quote below. One other thing to mention is that when using an iPhone as the source and walking around, i find that the volume is usually at the max level. In a quieter environment (at night at home) then I don't find it necessary to have it past 75%.
 
======================
 
 
I just bought the H9 from the B&O store (Canary Wharf in London). They weren't aware of the free Form 2i deal mentioned above. Boo. They had three in stock when I called this morning (two black and one tan), but they only had one black one left when I got there at lunch time. They're selling quickly!
 
For those that are interested, here's a quick review based on a very quick listen. Please bear in mind that I will be making a comparison to the H8 which I was listening to on the way to the shop. 
 
H9 vs H8 lightning review:
The H9 is over the ear (compared to the H8's on the ear) which makes the sound much more expansive and immersive. As you'd expect I suppose. It also has better passive noise isolation in addition to the ANC (which also seems to be more powerful) which makes it much more adept at cutting out the noise on the tube (i.e. train). Another benefit is that it keeps your ears warm when out and about in the freezing cold! From a visual perspective, the tan version is slightly darker than the H7 (tan is darker, and it's a mid grey compared to a light silver). They didn't have a tan H8 in the shop to compare against. I couldn't tell any difference in colour between the black H7, H8 and H9. There isn't a brown H9 (I have a brown H8 and was hoping for a brown H9). Size-wise, it's obviously bigger than the H8 so when you rest them around your neck, it will feel bigger. I was wearing a scarf, jacket and coat, so the H9s ended up resting a little over my cheeks. Didn't really mind it, but something you may want to consider. 
 
Out of the box, it was boomy as anything but seemed to have much more clarity than the H8s in that you could pick out certain details better (e.g. tambourines, which could get lost in the mix came out pretty clearly). To be honest, the sound was a little bit all over the place, which I will attribute to the fact that it hasn't been burnt in yet. So let's see how it will sound after I set it to play music non-stop over night. Otherwise, sonically, I've been told by the shop assistant that the H9s are meant to sound very similar to the H7. I did find that the H9 was a little harder to drive (just using my iPhone 6) than the H8, so occasionally found myself with the volume at max. I do have a Questyle QP1R which has a built in amp (and will drive most anything) but I've yet to connect the H9 to it via an audio cable. I also have a Fiio X7 so maybe I'll post my findings about how that sounds through bluetooth.
 
So that's it. Pretty quick first impressions.
 
Dec 10, 2016 at 3:10 AM Post #350 of 374
Awesome! I'll be eagerly waiting to read up of your second review once the H9 is burn-in.

I'm between the Sony MDR 1000x (demo this unit in store) due to creaking issues, I put my decision on hold and H9 (have yet to arrive in my country, end December - mid January).

I can't help it, the replaceable battery is a notch on top of the rest in wireless headphones. I'll definitely demo the unit once it lands here!
 
Dec 10, 2016 at 3:11 AM Post #351 of 374
Yes, I got it last week. I wrote some quick impressions which I'll quote below. One other thing to mention is that when using an iPhone as the source and walking around, i find that the volume is usually at the max level. In a quieter environment (at night at home) then I don't find it necessary to have it past 75%.

======================


I just bought the H9 from the B&O store (Canary Wharf in London). They weren't aware of the free Form 2i deal mentioned above. Boo. They had three in stock when I called this morning (two black and one tan), but they only had one black one left when I got there at lunch time. They're selling quickly!

For those that are interested, here's a quick review based on a very quick listen. Please bear in mind that I will be making a comparison to the H8 which I was listening to on the way to the shop. 

H9 vs H8 lightning review:
The H9 is over the ear (compared to the H8's on the ear) which makes the sound much more expansive and immersive. As you'd expect I suppose. It also has better passive noise isolation in addition to the ANC (which also seems to be more powerful) which makes it much more adept at cutting out the noise on the tube (i.e. train). Another benefit is that it keeps your ears warm when out and about in the freezing cold! From a visual perspective, the tan version is slightly darker than the H7 (tan is darker, and it's a mid grey compared to a light silver). They didn't have a tan H8 in the shop to compare against. I couldn't tell any difference in colour between the black H7, H8 and H9. There isn't a brown H9 (I have a brown H8 and was hoping for a brown H9). Size-wise, it's obviously bigger than the H8 so when you rest them around your neck, it will feel bigger. I was wearing a scarf, jacket and coat, so the H9s ended up resting a little over my cheeks. Didn't really mind it, but something you may want to consider. 

Out of the box, it was boomy as anything but seemed to have much more clarity than the H8s in that you could pick out certain details better (e.g. tambourines, which could get lost in the mix came out pretty clearly). To be honest, the sound was a little bit all over the place, which I will attribute to the fact that it hasn't been burnt in yet. So let's see how it will sound after I set it to play music non-stop over night. Otherwise, sonically, I've been told by the shop assistant that the H9s are meant to sound very similar to the H7. I did find that the H9 was a little harder to drive (just using my iPhone 6) than the H8, so occasionally found myself with the volume at max. I do have a Questyle QP1R which has a built in amp (and will drive most anything) but I've yet to connect the H9 to it via an audio cable. I also have a Fiio X7 so maybe I'll post my findings about how that sounds through bluetooth.

So that's it. Pretty quick first impressions.


Awesome! I'll be eagerly waiting to read up of your second review once the H9 is burn-in.

I'm between the Sony MDR 1000x (demo this unit in store) due to creaking issues, I put my decision on hold and H9 (have yet to arrive in my country, end December - mid January).

I can't help it, the replaceable battery is a notch on top of the rest in wireless headphones. I'll definitely demo the unit once it lands here!
 
Apr 9, 2017 at 3:43 AM Post #355 of 374
Hi all, 
 
I just got my black H8. I know I'm way way late in the game but I tried both H8 and H9 and found that I prefer on ear rather than over ear. Sound quality is awesome! I finally started hearing instruments and sound effects that I never noticed before in my song collection. It's like listening to them for the first time. 
 
I paired to both my iPhone 6s Plus and Windows 10 laptop using a cinolink USB BT adapter capable of APTX. To switch between the devices, I'll need to turn off bluetooth on the device that is currently connected and wait a few seconds. It'll then automatically connect to the other one with bluetooth turned on. 
 
I have one major concern though; when the ANC is switch on, I get this weird pressure feeling in my ears. There's also a slight muscle pain just below my ears. Prolonged hearing causes even more pain going down to my neck and eventually nausea and headache. Once I take it off, it's feels as though I just took off a pair of suction cups. It's the same feeling when no music is playing. I listen to roughly 3-4 hours of music a day. 
 
A posting on reddit showed many people have the same experience with the QC35 and some said that you'll get used to it eventually. It's been a a week now and I'm still not used to it. 
 
Have anyone else experience this with the H8 and H9? If yes and if you got used to it, how long did it took you? If I can never get used to it then I'll have no choice but to keep the ANC off permanently except for on flights. I'm also concerned about potential health effect. 
 
I wish the companion app can also allow you to adjust the strength of the ANC. I bet toning it down can lessen or eliminate the pain effect. 
 
Looking forward to hearing your experience and thoughts on this. 
 
Jun 25, 2017 at 3:45 AM Post #356 of 374
Hi guys, can anyone confirm are those issues with Bluetooth solved (ones that
Giogio raised) with the latest update for H8? Or with `newer` models with newer serial numbers?

i mean for a such a pricey headphone i dont want to think in which pocket i hold my phone in, in order not to block BT. On top of it i noticed that on h7 people are not experiencing those issues with right pocket/right earcup neccesity for BT to work.
And is the thumping sound when walking still noticeable or firmware adressed that too?

i am trying to select something between h7 and h8 and i am mostly put down by these issues above (and the hiss/tick on h7). If anyone can comment i would really appreciate
 
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Dec 11, 2017 at 11:22 PM Post #358 of 374
just got a pair of these bad boys...for 200$! I think they are 100% worth it at this price point but no higher, honestly.

Bass is loose, warm and emphasized (great for R&B, Hip-hop)
The app is great
ANC is turned off most of the time and its good enough to not need noise canceling at all.

The only think I dont like and I thought I would never say this would have to be the bass. Its too much. Im working on Eq'ing it out but I dont have much experience. Anyone else willing to post their eq settings for these headphones?
 
Jan 21, 2018 at 4:57 AM Post #360 of 374
I like their cleaner look and battery time as well as the new controls - no longer touch control like the H7, H8, H9 and H9i's.

Looks like a mash-up of the H4 and H8.

H8-vs-H8i.jpg
 

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