[Ahzari]

  How does the soundstage compare to the aroud ear h6? was looking into h8, but I usually don't like on-ear cans so much because they often sound more compressed are not as comfortable.

I can't attest to the sound comparison, but this is the most comfortable on ear headphone I have worn and I generally can't stand on ears because of my large'ish head and ears.. so I wouldn't make that a large concern if the sound is something you're looking for.

 

[myst4ry]

My first pair were suffering from the bluetooth problem, I was told by beocare to bring it back to the store, which I did, the store took my pair, and told me they'd get a new batch/stock in a few or two, so two weeks later I emailed them asking What is going on, and they answered that they will only get it at the end of April because it's backordered. 
 
So I'm now stuck, 500 euros down, with no headphones. A real pain in the butt for what is supposed to be premium headphones. 

 

[Ahzari]

  My first pair were suffering from the bluetooth problem, I was told by beocare to bring it back to the store, which I did, the store took my pair, and told me they'd get a new batch/stock in a few or two, so two weeks later I emailed them asking What is going on, and they answered that they will only get it at the end of April because it's backordered. 
 
So I'm now stuck, 500 euros down, with no headphones. A real pain in the butt for what is supposed to be premium headphones. 

They are readily available at many retailers in the US, I wonder if they are just saying that because they want to get to the bottom of this problem.. if it is widespread I figure they would want to limit units sold until the resolve the issue,

 

[bobpies]

 
They are readily available at many retailers in the US, I wonder if they are just saying that because they want to get to the bottom of this problem.. if it is widespread I figure they would want to limit units sold until the resolve the issue,

I just contacted my local B&O store and asked them the question as to whether it was a known issue with the headphones as i was considering purchasing them - i pointed them to this form and also to the 15 page long one on the Beoplay forums as reference.
 
They told me they've never heard of / been told of any issues or problems with the bluetooth, nor have they ever received a unit back.
 
for me its a toss up between these and the on ear sennheiser momentums - the momentums are out for delivery today ..
 
However Ahzari, you are the first person ive noticed has actually stated that the momentums dropouts are actually WORSE than the H8's?
 
EDIT:
Upon doing some research on Sennheiser section of this forum - it too appears that BT dropouts are a problem on the momentums. So i guess it comes down to whether i can stick the always on ANC of the senni - if not. off to to b&o
 
Update:
For anyones that interested im testing out the Momentum Wireless On Ear right now
dropouts are pretty common - paired with a iphone 6 in my pocket and doing nothing but walking about my house.
high's are a bit smooshed with BT on compared to wired but not a massive difference.
its all quite bass heavy to my ears - a roll off on the lows with an EQ sounds a bit better to me.
 
As reference, im used to using Sennheiser HD600 open back cans.

 

[Ahzari]

  I just contacted my local B&O store and asked them the question as to whether it was a known issue with the headphones as i was considering purchasing them - i pointed them to this form and also to the 15 page long one on the Beoplay forums as reference.
 
They told me they've never heard of / been told of any issues or problems with the bluetooth, nor have they ever received a unit back.
 
for me its a toss up between these and the on ear sennheiser momentums - the momentums are out for delivery today ..
 
However Ahzari, you are the first person ive noticed has actually stated that the momentums dropouts are actually WORSE than the H8's?
 
EDIT:
Upon doing some research on Sennheiser section of this forum - it too appears that BT dropouts are a problem on the momentums. So i guess it comes down to whether i can stick the always on ANC of the senni - if not. off to to b&o
 
Update:
For anyones that interested im testing out the Momentum Wireless On Ear right now
dropouts are pretty common - paired with a iphone 6 in my pocket and doing nothing but walking about my house.
high's are a bit smooshed with BT on compared to wired but a massive difference.
its all quite bass heavy to my ears - a roll off on the lows with an EQ sounds a bit better to me.
 
As reference, im used to using Sennheiser HD600 open back cans.

So yea, the Sennheiser I felt had more dropouts / only slightly.. but on the plus side, the always on ANC is barely noticeable with the M2, its nothing like the H8 ANC which is rather noticeable when on (so i dont think it is something that will bother you).
 
IMO, I feel like the H8 is giving out more tech (controls on earcup ability to turn on and off ANC) and better materials. So comparing the over ear M2 to the H8, I think the H8 is a better value. The on-ear M2 is $100 cheaper, but honestly I feel like its way to expensive for what it offers, because the SQ falls short of the M2 and the H8, ear pads are made of this synthetic suede (alcantara) that isnt all that comfortable and the plastic ear cups have the same depth as the over ear (outward from the head) but they are just smaller in diameter, so it looked really weird on my head - my gf was making fun of me whenever I had them on. I feel like a wireless headphone should be as much about sound as a fashion statement since its meant to be worn outside in front of people (just my take) - Also just looking at the trends in price drops from the M1 to the M2, i have a feeling the Senns are going to drop quite a bit in price, I dont think the H8 will have as fast of a refresh rate so it will hold its value better.

 

[bobpies]

 
So yea, the Sennheiser I felt had more dropouts / only slightly.. but on the plus side, the always on ANC is barely noticeable with the M2, its nothing like the H8 ANC which is rather noticeable when on (so i dont think it is something that will bother you).
 
IMO, I feel like the H8 is giving out more tech (controls on earcup ability to turn on and off ANC) and better materials. So comparing the over ear M2 to the H8, I think the H8 is a better value. The on-ear M2 is $100 cheaper, but honestly I feel like its way to expensive for what it offers, because the SQ falls short of the M2 and the H8, ear pads are made of this synthetic suede (alcantara) that isnt all that comfortable and the plastic ear cups have the same depth as the over ear (outward from the head) but they are just smaller in diameter, so it looked really weird on my head - my gf was making fun of me whenever I had them on. I feel like a wireless headphone should be as much about sound as a fashion statement since its meant to be worn outside in front of people (just my take) - Also just looking at the trends in price drops from the M1 to the M2, i have a feeling the Senns are going to drop quite a bit in price, I dont think the H8 will have as fast of a refresh rate so it will hold its value better.

I'm going to pick up a pair of the H8's in the morning and do a direct comparison.
i'm looking primarily for the best possible mix of style / portability and sound quality.
 
im not that impressed with the ANC of the on ear senni, but i guess thats part and parcel with its design of the ear cups. im quite sensitive to the ANC and i like that the H8 can be disabled on demand, so that might be the swinging vote. will update again tomorrow if anyone is interested.

 

[supach]

Hi!
 
I've been lured here by @Giogio who wrote very discouraging review of BeoPlay H8. It was a very useful for me as I'm (or was) planing to buy those headphones and his review was the first piece that was reasonable and not overly-optymystic like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8Ejb9t74MY or every other review that are made by incompetent people.
 
Having said that @Giogio also encouraged be to write a post here on my preferences that community could help me decide if BeoPlay H8 are actually the best fit for me, so here goes my list of assumptions:
- I don't care about price until it's around (or below) $500, so overpriced argument doesn't bother me much - I'll be buying them for years to come and I want to get best fit for me in that price range
- My most favourite sound signature is produced by open designed Koss KSC 55 (they have broader range of bass and it's naturally coloured) - I got used to them and I love sound they produce. (btw. if sb says that broader bass range is BS please check Metallica - Frantic on those headphones. first 30sec is enough - you should notice difference in drum set)
- My music taste is mostly old-school ~rock (Pearl Jam, Sting, U2, Metallica, Nickleback, 3 Doors Down, SOAD, RHCP, Audioslave) with a little bit of pop (Mattafix, Macklemore, Craig David), if that's not enough details are here: http://www.last.fm/user/sup-
- I would still use Koss KSC 55 for sport but other than that (music indoor and outdoor, gaming with mic (use for long periods of use e.g. 3h straight), telephone calls) would have to be served by new cans
- Because of outdoor use they must be portable (as far as they can be), they can't be bulky. I want to walk with them in the street (I had for a short while Harman Kardon BT and anything that touched steel band made unpleasant sound (other than too flat bass for me - I liked those cans very much)).
- I don't travel very frequently (once a month or two) but It would be nice to use them from time with NC (I don't care if that's passive or active) - I would like to fall asleep faster (preferably without music if that's possible)
- I care about design - I like simplicity (of use, build etc.)
- I live in Europe but I don't have problem with buying cans in the US
 
Please let me know what do you think! (-;

 

[bobpies]

 
- I don't care about price until it's around (or below) $500, so overpriced argument doesn't bother me much - I'll be buying them for years to come and I want to get best fit for me in that price range
- My most favourite sound signature is produced by open designed Koss KSC 55 (they have broader range of bass and it's naturally coloured) - I got used to them and I love sound they produce. (btw. if sb says that broader bass range is BS please check Metallica - Frantic on those headphones. first 30sec is enough - you should notice difference in drum set)
- My music taste is mostly old-school ~rock (Pearl Jam, Sting, U2, Metallica, Nickleback, 3 Doors Down, SOAD, RHCP, Audioslave) with a little bit of pop (Mattafix, Macklemore, Craig David), if that's not enough details are here: http://www.last.fm/user/sup-
- I would still use Koss KSC 55 for sport but other than that (music indoor and outdoor, gaming with mic (use for long periods of use e.g. 3h straight), telephone calls) would have to be served by new cans
- Because of outdoor use they must be portable (as far as they can be), they can't be bulky. I want to walk with them in the street (I had for a short while Harman Kardon BT and anything that touched steel band made unpleasant sound (other than too flat bass for me - I liked those cans very much)).
- I don't travel very frequently (once a month or two) but It would be nice to use them from time with NC (I don't care if that's passive or active) - I would like to fall asleep faster (preferably without music if that's possible)
- I care about design - I like simplicity (of use, build etc.)
- I live in Europe but I don't have problem with buying cans in the US

You have a lot of the same buying criteria as i do. the price does not bother me - other than i am to use mine for "sport" (practising golf )
i listen to electronic music / acoustic / some pop.
 
will let you know what differences i find in the h8 and how they compare to both my senni hd600 and the M2 On ear 

 

[supach]

  You have a lot of the same buying criteria as i do. the price does not bother me - other than i am to use mine for "sport" (practising golf )
i listen to electronic music / acoustic / some pop.
 
will let you know what differences i find in the h8 and how they compare to both my senni hd600 and the M2 On ear 

Seni is no choce to me. When chooseen Koss over Seni it was because bass. I'm just more used to Koss style of bass, Seni bass is to "flat" to me (not emphasized in natural way).

 

[Ahzari]

  Seni is no choce to me. When chooseen Koss over Seni it was because bass. I'm just more used to Koss style of bass, Seni bass is to "flat" to me (not emphasized in natural way).

Based on your criteria (which was similar to mine when looking for a wireless headphone) I think the H8 is a good buy. Your only other options for a quality built headphone thats not all plastic and huge is the on ear sennheiser momentum wireless, but like I've said before, I think the H8 sounds better, looks better, and similarly portable. In the premium wireless headphone market, wanting something that is built well, looks good, and is "really" portable limits options. The H8 isnt flawless but it has no more faults than other high end wireless headphones I have tried recently and it looks the best in the bunch.
 
Oh and specific to bass - the H8 bass is more dynamic and impactful than the Sennheisers (since you noted you've tried the Senns and weren't too fond of them).

 

[Giogio]

 
Your only other options for a quality built headphone thats not all plastic and huge is the on ear sennheiser momentum wireless.

If you did not try ALL other BT Headphones (at least all the High End ones) you can not state things like "only option".
For example, the Philips Fidelio M2BT sound definitely "better" than the H8, with MUCH better bass which is at same time more natural on "bass-light" tracks and more powerful on "bass-heavy" tracks, deeper, wider, more harmonious, more extended, with more body.
It has also got better mids and more presence in the vocals, better soundstage, and just, as a negative note, slightly more sibilant highs on some precise tracks (mostly not high-rate MP3, and singers like Vanessa de Mata who have a very sibilant S). And I write "more" sibilant because the H8 is NOT 100% exempt from sibilance either.
Overall, the M2BT are more balanced and natural, and still very lively. While the H8 tends to exaggerate the "liveliness" by boosting bass and highs and upper-mids.
The M2BT is MORE portable, it costs (in EU) 2/5 of the H8.
It is, indeed, more "made of plastic" than the H8, but still NOT only of plastic (some parts are metal) and the feel is sturdy, the look (imo) very elegant and sober.
It also has got better wireless range and no dropouts.
It shares with the H8 a similar poor call quality anyway, and as my Amazon Review tells, it also is all but completely perfect.
But imo unless one absolutely want to pay 300 Euro more for the leather of the H8 and its poor and hissing ANC, the Fidelio are forever winner. And, just fyi, they have a very good passive NC.
 
Then, if we want to explore the Bassy portable BT Headphones:
-House of Marley Liberate XLBT: very nice looking, made of metal and wood and textiles. Out of the box a bit too warm for my tastes, but with some subtractive EQ on the low mids and some addictive EQ on the Highs, it is easily compensated. The look is gorgeous, the feel is sturdy and nice, the sound is rich and full or personality, the bass is powerful although not as rich and wide as the Fidelio. Once again, no ANC, but for the sound and look, imo, much better than the H8.
-JBL Synchros S400BT: Before the H8 came out, these were my Top 1 in the "ridiculously overpriced BT Headphone". Now the H8 are clear winners
The S400 have not the leather premium look of the H8 but are on no means looking or feeling cheap. Of course, the style is completely different. More for younger people I would say.
The sound is more dynamic than on the H8, highs are better, bass is also very powerful and free of the dark note of the H8. It is a V-Shaped headphone, like the H8 also is, but differently.
I personally prefer the H8 for look, feel and sound. But the JBL are a valid alternative for bass lovers with a more limited budget. And the carrying case, rigid, is one of the best around.
-Sony MDR-10RBT: not premium look, not metal build, but still looks good, feels very good, is much more comfortable too. The sound is nice, the bass is good, the soundstage (apart for the fact that I had the for me confusing feeling that the sound was mostly coming from behind) is much better. On mid and high regions, it wins over H8. On the lows is more natural and can be also very powerful with some EQ. The carrying bag is the BEST ever made by Humanity. Semi rigid nylon, you can have it on a stuffed backpack and still be able to slip the headphones in and out of it without taking the bag out. Something you can NOT do with the ridiculous cheap soft bag of the H8 (or of the M2BT).
-Phiaton Chord MS530: brilliant look, absolutely premium look and build and one of the most comfortable if not THE most comfortable On Ear out there. The pads are so big and soft that the passive NC is very good, and they also have ANC, a quite symbolic one (not very effective) but added to their good passive one, it is probably better than what the H8 can do.
The bass is definitely not their strong point. They have a very soft, natural, harmonious balanced sound. You can EQ the bass, but these are surely not bassy cans.
-Sennheiser Urbanite XL Wireless: they KILL the H8, they eat them alive, destroy them in pieces. The detail, the precision, the soundstage, the mids, the 100% sibilance free slightly rolled off highs. The bass is at same time similar and different. Similarly to the H8 they have a dark note and are a bit boosted out of the box. Differently, they prefer the mid and upper bass, having a bit less rumble but more punch than the H8. The bass is overall more powerful to me than on the H8. Not a matter of loudness, but of impact. The look and build is definitely very premium. The feel is nice.
- my actual Top 1, the (for my tastes) best BT Headphones ever: Audio Technica ATH-WS99BT. They beat ALL other Headphones for power and impact of the bass, which, very impressively, is also very natural out of the box. I mean, compare them side to side with the H8 with no EQ, and you can clearly see the H8 boost the bass already, even when they should NOT.
The ATH do not do that, but when real bass is needed, they kill all other headphones.
Only other Headphones which can compete for bass are M2BT and UE9000, whose bass I very much love for the depth and body of the sub-bass, of that deep vibration, that solid rumble. But the ATH have a better balance beteween rumble and punch, and an overall much more impactfull bass, and with some EQ they can reach even higher levels.
The mids are gorgeous, warm, clear, detailed, present. The highs are pristine and absolute sibilance free. The soundstage is excellent even if not the best I have heard. The detail is the best or among the very best of all BT Headphones I have tried, and the H8 can just hide for shame when compared.
They are indeed, plastic headphones, but, Audio Technica plastic. Solid, sturdy, clean and reliable look and feel.
Only defect of these headphones so far: people with protruding ears will need to change earpads with something deeper, or their ears could touch the drivers inside, which for some people is ok, for people with very sensitive ears can be unpleasant after some hours.
Ah, the wireless range is just, well, much much much better than the H8. And although they have larger drivers, overall their portability is very good because they are quite flat.
 
So... Please avoid using terms like "only", if you do not know all what is out there

 

[Giogio]

Now, guys, here things get serious.
I have received the replacement unit. So, a completely new unit.
And I have the SAME horrible distortion on sub-bass heavy tracks when the ANC is active.
So, it was NOT a defective unit.
 
Now, can you please try exactly the song I use, please? I have asked it before but nobody did it and who did it used other songs, which makes no sense.
Please, use THIS video.
Why? Because it is the ORIGINAL, official, posted directly by James Blake Production, so you are SURE it is NOT "bad mastered".
It is just a song with a really deep, intense, demanding bass.
But it is also the song (of of the songs) I always use to test the bass in my comparisons. And NO OTHER Bt Headphone ever distorted. EVER.
Only the H8 does.
So, here is what you must do:
Connect the H8 with audio cable, NOT with Bluetooth. And turn the ANC on (by positioning the power button in the middle position).
Put PC and Youtube volumes at max.
Listen, and pay attention to the bass moments (like between 0:55 and 1:20, or between 1:50 and 2:30m and after 2:45 again).
 
Then do the same with THIS video. Try after 0:30.
 
Now, why wired? Because wired the H8 are louder and boost the bass a bit more (yeah, even more, a boost of the boost).
But you can definitely try also via Bluetooth. In that case the streaming is not so effective because the H8 are NOT loud headphones. You can hear some distortion on the second video, but the first need more volume. So, to make the test via Bluetooth you must download those tracks, for example with Youtube downloader of similar Firefox addons.
Open them (both tracks) with a music player where you have an EQ, set the H8 with ANC on and their volume (touch controls) at max, set the Windows volume at max, and play. Same songs, same parts of those songs, at first with no EQ, just increasing the volume of the music player till you get distortion.
Then try with boosting the bass with EQ, specially the sub.bass under 80hz.
 
Try all this, if you want, also with ANY other headphone, wired or wireless.
And tell me if you find ANY which distorts as much as the 500Euro, super premium, H8.

 

[timzigs]

Originally Posted by Giogio /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
-Sennheiser Urbanite XL Wireless: they KILL the H8, they eat them alive, destroy them in pieces. The detail, the precision, the soundstage, the mids, the 100% sibilance free slightly rolled off highs. The bass is at same time similar and different. Similarly to the H8 they have a dark note and are a bit boosted out of the box. Differently, they prefer the mid and upper bass, having a bit less rumble but more punch than the H8. The bass is overall more powerful to me than on the H8. Not a matter of loudness, but of impact. The look and build is definitely very premium. The feel is nice.
 

Thanks for the update, Giogio. Do these Senns have ANC? 
 
A couple more things I've noticed about the H8. One, they have the feel of being in a cocktail lounge rather than an auditorium. I suppose what that means is that the soundstage is rather compact compared to some of the other headphones I've tried (probably due to on-ear design).
 
Second, I've begun to notice a sporadic high pitched sound in the left ear, especially noticeable during more silent periods of music. It only occurs with ANC on so seems to be an issue with the circuitry. Anyone else experiencing this?

 

[Giogio]

  Thanks for the update, Giogio. Do these Senns have ANC?

No. They are anyway around the ear (even if not for very big ears). So, they do naturally block noise passively quite well.
They also have better touch controls than the H8 and an audio cable with mic and remote.
Anyway, I consider the ATH-WS99BT way better than those Sennheiser, if you can live with the thin earpads.
But they are semi-closed (AT advertise them as closed, but there is an opening around the AT logo, probably to let out the air produced by the bass). So, the passive NC is not very good here. But the sound blows anything else away (and I only miss to try the Def Tech and the Momentum and the MDR-1ABT and the Parrot Zik 2).
 
Please guys, make the distortion test with those videos.

 

[Ahzari]

  Now, guys, here things get serious.
I have received the replacement unit. So, a completely new unit.
And I have the SAME horrible distortion on sub-bass heavy tracks when the ANC is active.
So, it was NOT a defective unit.
 
Now, can you please try exactly the song I use, please? I have asked it before but nobody did it and who did it used other songs, which makes no sense.
Please, use THIS video.
Why? Because it is the ORIGINAL, official, posted directly by James Blake Production, so you are SURE it is NOT "bad mastered".
It is just a song with a really deep, intense, demanding bass.
But it is also the song (of of the songs) I always use to test the bass in my comparisons. And NO OTHER Bt Headphone ever distorted. EVER.
Only the H8 does.
So, here is what you must do:
Connect the H8 with audio cable, NOT with Bluetooth. And turn the ANC on (by positioning the power button in the middle position).
Put PC and Youtube volumes at max.
Listen, and pay attention to the bass moments (like between 0:55 and 1:20, or between 1:50 and 2:30m and after 2:45 again).
 
Then do the same with THIS video. Try after 0:30.
 
Now, why wired? Because wired the H8 are louder and boost the bass a bit more (yeah, even more, a boost of the boost).
But you can definitely try also via Bluetooth. In that case the streaming is not so effective because the H8 are NOT loud headphones. You can hear some distortion on the second video, but the first need more volume. So, to make the test via Bluetooth you must download those tracks, for example with Youtube downloader of similar Firefox addons.
Open them (both tracks) with a music player where you have an EQ, set the H8 with ANC on and their volume (touch controls) at max, set the Windows volume at max, and play. Same songs, same parts of those songs, at first with no EQ, just increasing the volume of the music player till you get distortion.
Then try with boosting the bass with EQ, specially the sub.bass under 80hz.
 
Try all this, if you want, also with ANY other headphone, wired or wireless.
And tell me if you find ANY which distorts as much as the 500Euro, super premium, H8.

This is what I dont get.. I have tried all my music, lots of bass heavy electronic and hip hop.. I dont get distortion - selecting some random low bitrate track from youtube and stating it causes distortion is not a summation of a general issue with the headphone - its an issue with the track.
 
Its understood, you dont like the H8.. but emphasizing an issue that hasn't been noticed by anyone else (as far as I know of) and basing that singularity on the quality of the headphone isnt much of a review. I dont see the need of maxing out the volume of my headphones, I want to be able to hear in my later years, but at high normal listening volumes I have never noticed a semblance of distortion - I rarely listen to FLAC or ALAC (so even on 320 and 256 things sound great) and I dont EQ my high-end headphones, I know you like to - to me thats like adding a turbo charger to a Ferrari (I think the engineers knew what they were doing when they made the hardware) just my opinion.