[baronkatz]

Anyone have any idea where these are made? I know the new A8s are made in China (Previously made in Denmark) and the Form 2's are Made in Japan. So would be interesting to see B&Os most expensive Headphones to date being made in China... I mean for $150 I can get Custom One Pro Beyerdynamics that will be Made in Germany, $100-$250 for Audio Technica (ESW9 and A900X) which are made in Japan, for $500 there are A LOT of choices out there for headphones in the audiophile range.
 
I have the A8s and have to say they sound good but obviously not enough bass and they never fit my ear correctly. The Form 2's I haven't heard but have heard good things about... Hoping these will be good enough and not Made in China for the price as overall I like the B&O sound, I have a Beosound Century/2000 and it sounds great for its size... Overall not as good as ADS or anything that high end but pretty good and the design and build is usualy amazing in their products!

 

[usrockband]

Anyone have any idea where these are made? I know the new A8s are made in China (Previously made in Denmark) and the Form 2's are Made in Japan. So would be interesting to see B&Os most expensive Headphones to date being made in China... I mean for $150 I can get Custom One Pro Beyerdynamics that will be Made in Germany, $100-$250 for Audio Technica (ESW9 and A900X) which are made in Japan, for $500 there are A LOT of choices out there for headphones in the audiophile range.

I have the A8s and have to say they sound good but obviously not enough bass and they never fit my ear correctly. The Form 2's I haven't heard but have heard good things about... Hoping these will be good enough and not Made in China for the price as overall I like the B&O sound, I have a Beosound Century/2000 and it sounds great for its size... Overall not as good as ADS or anything that high end but pretty good and the design and build is usualy amazing in their products!

Made in China, however that is no reason to not consider them... Apple (which I think we all can agree has some solid products) makes all their stuff in China too...

Quality control is done in Denmark, and from what I've read is really intense. Build quality is nice, they certainly don't feel like they will break. The H6 is a very very solid headphone, in terms of build quality. The H3 is good too, but not quite on par with the H6 I don't think.

 

[baronkatz]

Quote:

Made in China, however that is no reason to not consider them... Apple (which I think we all can agree has some solid products) makes all their stuff in China too...

Quality control is done in Denmark, and from what I've read is really intense. Build quality is nice, they certainly don't feel like they will break. The H6 is a very very solid headphone, in terms of build quality. The H3 is good too, but not quite on par with the H6 I don't think.

My point is that most of the cost is in the "Name" and "Design" and not the labour (it's the same case with the Ferrari T350 Headphones). If they assembled them in Denmark and sold them for $500, they would still have better "value" in the sense that the cost would be less the name but more the labour cost that went into it. The A8s used to be made in Denmark and were only $150 or so... They used to hone the aluminium and plastics for it in their own factory in Denmark and assemble it there and still made a profit. I am just saying that they got greedy and I won't buy them for that reason, they are making a killing on these and their other "PLAY" products line. I'd rather support a company like Beyer that produces nearly all of their gear in Germany or AudioTechnica for most of the mid-high range in Japan (ESW9, A900x, etc...), just to name couple... They could outsource too, but it's against their principles and they would rather stick with those principles (and arguibly better build quality) and support their local workforce and make slightly less profit in doing that!

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

How much is the H6 again? I think I just found my next headphone...but will it comepare to the COPs?

 
The H6 was in the Apple Store today. $439 Canadian, so likely retails at $399 in US.

 

[FenderP]

I went into the B&O store in Boston last week and auditioned the H6 vs. my MDR-1RNC with the Sony NW-F807 Walkman as the source.
 
Comfort wise, the H6 is great. On that basis alone, it would be a contender for some. It's lightweight but very solid build quality - very comfortable on the head and ears. Can't always say that about the 1RNC; it can get a bit heavy.
 
Sonically, however, the H6 couldn't compete with the 1RNC with or without the NC circuit turned on (but was more similar with the NC circuit on). The H6 reminded me more of the AKG K490 (see my NC comparison review here which also includes the QC15, 1RNC, etc.  http://www.head-fi.org/t/639292/noise-cancelling-shootout-sony-mdr-1rnc-vs-sony-mdr-nwnc200-vs-akg-k490nc), but with a bit wider soundstage. It was lacking in bass. For example, the kick drum had no kick - and I'm not talking goosed Beats kind of bass drum. Just listening to rock tunes the drum kit didn't really sound like a drum kit. I didn't like the highs of the H6. I would have had to tame it with EQ.
 
I was also disappointed that unlike the Sony, the H6 didn't have a normal 1/8" cable; just the one with the remote (which didn't control my F807 which is Android based). The Sony cable didn't work.
 
Needless to say, I didn't wind up buying them but they are quite lovely to look at, well made, and comfortable. They just were not my cup of tea sonically.

 

[KennethRoberts]

FenderP, I agree with you completely. The H6 doesn't even produce enough bass to be considered neutral. I don't understand why they are tuned the way they are. Their 40mm drivers should be more than adequate for producing a pleasing low-end. I predict they won't sell very well.

 

[FenderP]

Quote:

FenderP, I agree with you completely. The H6 doesn't even produce enough bass to be considered neutral. I don't understand why they are tuned the way they are. Their 40mm drivers should be more than adequate for producing a pleasing low-end. I predict they won't sell very well.

Yeah, neutral is not what I would call the H6. I would say the AKGs are in many ways more neutral because  they do represent the whole spectrum of sound better. If B&O would tune them a bit different, put a non-remote cable in there, and charge less, I think they'd sell better. At $399 US, they're too much. Yes, the quality in terms of build is there but that alone doesn't make it a $400 headphone.. Like I said in my 1RNC review, at list price, the Sony is overpriced but really does sound decent (and doesn't need things like AAA batteries, but you do neeed to charge it via USB). If you could marry the sound of the 1RNC (or something close to it) in the package of the H6, now that's a travel headphone I'd gladly purchase.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

FenderP, I agree with you completely. The H6 doesn't even produce enough bass to be considered neutral. I don't understand why they are tuned the way they are. Their 40mm drivers should be more than adequate for producing a pleasing low-end. I predict they won't sell very well.

 
I got these on Friday. There is plenty of bass, just not a lot of mud, bloat, overhang and drone, which apparently a lot of you seem to prefer (i.e. Momentum).

 

[FenderP]

Quote:

 
I got these on Friday. There is plenty of bass, just not a lot of mud, bloat, overhang and drone, which apparently a lot of you seem to prefer (i.e. Momentum).

The kick drum sounds like you're hitting paper. That's not natural. The 490 is very similar BUT has *slightly* more bass but less soundstage. The 1RNC is not bloated in bass. It's pretty accurate. Kick drum sounds like a kick drum. In fact, the 1RNC has no mud, bloat, or any of the other things you mention. Neither the H6 or 1RNC (or 490) are Dre headphones by any stretch of the imagination. The fact is that the H6 has very little low bass and not much mid-upper bass to give it any warmth. That's not bloat. Bloat would be blowing your ears out with bass. I prefer an overall evenly weighted sound across the spectrum, period. The H6 didn't deliver that.

 

[FenderP]

One more thing about the H6 - it's harder to drive. To get equivalent sound levels, I had to crank the F807 vs. what I needed to on the 1RNC. So caveat emptor.

 

[KennethRoberts]

Beagle, I'm glad you're happy with the H6, but compared to other great headphones known for their supreme neutrality (like the SR-009 and the HD800), the BeoPlay H6 is severely bass-deficient. Now, I realize the SR-009 is a much more expensive headphone, but it's a good example of what clean, textured, neutral bass should sound like. Believe me—I'm not looking for flabby "Beats-style" bass. I just want a well-mannered, clean, textured thump in my ear when the source material calls for it.

For what it's worth, my local B&O dealer admitted that the bass on the H6 is recessed when compared to other headphones in its category and price range. I've exchanged emails with B&O's Tonemeister in Denmark (the guy who decides what their speakers sound like) several times. I'll email him with my impressions and let you guys know how he responds...
 

 

[KennethRoberts]

FenderP, I found the same thing to be true. The bass is deficient, and yet it takes more power to drive than one would expect. Very strange!

 

[Beagle]

I'm using them with an amp......maybe I shouldn't be.

 

 
I was listening to the HD598 and SRH1840 last night. When I switched over to the H6, the bass on them was more present and precise...and I did hear low bass as well. It is very fast and tight. I have the MDR-1R and the Momentum, and I found those a bit bloated in the upper and mid bass, respectively. Some folks find the SRH940 and K701 bass-less as well.....it's all a matter of taste and how we like to hear it, I guess.

 

[FenderP]

Quote:

I'm using them with an amp......maybe I shouldn't be.

 

 
I was listening to the HD598 and SRH1840 last night. When I switched over to the H6, the bass on them was more present and precise...and I did hear low bass as well. It is very fast and tight. I have the MDR-1R and the Momentum, and I found those a bit bloated in the upper and mid bass, respectively. Some folks find the SRH940 and K701 bass-less as well.....it's all a matter of taste and how we like to hear it, I guess.

Clearly if we found it hard to drive and lacking in bass but you're using an amp which drives it fine, that's a pretty big delta. I just saw another thread where someone else said the same thing we are. All of us can't be hearing this wrong.

 

[KennethRoberts]

Actually, this might be good news. The H6 would be fantastic for home use if better amplification significantly enhances the low-end. As I mentioned earlier, I really like the sound signature from the mids up. Only the bass (as amplified by an iOS device) gives me pause.

Hmm... I wonder how the H6 pairs with the Schiit Asgard 2. I wish Tyll would do a full review with measurements.