In celebration of its 95th anniversary, Bang & Olufsen has released the Beoplay H95, which the company calls the finest headphones they've ever made. The wireless Beoplay H95 ($800) features Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity and boasts 38-hour battery life even with active noise cancelling turned on, according to the company. Support for the new variable-bitrate aptX Adaptive codec also ensures low-latency, high quality wireless audio according to B&O. The Beoplay H95 comes with a brushed aluminum frame and detachable lambskin ear cushions, and will be available in black or gray beginning September 10.
Additional Resources
• Sennheiser momentum 3 Wireless Headphones Reviewed at HomeTheaterReview.com
• Audio-Technica ATH-ANC700BT Wireless Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones Reviewed at HomeTheaterReview.com
• Visit the Bang & Olufsen website for more product information and specs
Here's more from Bang & Olufsen about the Beoplay H95:
To celebrate 95 years of innovation in sound, design and craftmanship, Bang & Olufsen set out to create the finest wireless headphones the Danish audio specialist has ever built. Today, the company announced the new Beoplay H95: the highest quality in sound, long lasting comfort, truly effective noise cancellation, a beautiful chassis, the highest quality materials and the most satisfying user experience in a Bang & Olufsen wireless headphone to date.
"Beoplay H95 is a distillation of the best elements of Bang & Olufsen sound, design and craftmanship - an enhancement within the headphone category that elevates our 95 years heritage of high standards", says Bang & Olufsen SVP of Product Management Christoffer Poulsen.
Superior fit for long-term wear
Comfort and fit are essential to truly enjoy sound quality. Beoplay H95 comes with an oval, over-ear design with soft lambskin ear cushions that provide a luxurious and superior fit for long-term wear, while an innovative and intuitive user interface is provided through a combination of touch control and mechanical dials.
Through research and experimentation, the Bang & Olufsen engineers created an earpad design that fits nicely around the ears and is no bigger than necessary. This shape, formed in soft memory foam, also creates good contact to the skin, which is important to block the noise from outside. The head-band design has been completely revamped for a cleaner look, with top-grain cowhide, custom-knitted textile, and softly padded with memory foam for comfort.
A brushed aluminum framework contrasts with the texture of the leather headband giving a minimalist and refined appearance. Magnetically detachable lambskin ear cushions feel as good as they look, and the adaptive memory foam inner padding, combined with rotating and tilting earpieces that ensure perfect fit, provide the ultimate in comfortable listening and passive sound cancellation.
"Beoplay H95 is the product of our philosophy that purposeful design is beautiful design-- aesthetics and performance working together", says Bang & Olufsen VP of Design Gavin Ivester and continues: "We express purposeful design with essential forms, driven by function, pristinely executed. That attention to detail and outstanding performance are the core of our design language, Expressive Minimalism, and give the Beoplay H95 its calm, confident personality."
Optimized in Bang & Olufsen's Virtual Acoustic Laboratory
Beoplay H95 is designed around a set of customized 40mm titanium drivers with neodymium magnets mounted in ported enclosures, while the sound design is implemented using filters in a proprietary digital signal processing (DSP) engine developed by Bang & Olufsen. The headphones build on its impressive passive noise reduction with the most advanced Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) of any Bang & Olufsen headphone, which is both adjustable and adaptive. The ANC performance is entirely based on digital processing and uses both a feed-forward and feedback microphone to reduce noise as much as possible. The tuning and testing of the ANC processing was done under real life conditions as well as Bang & Olufsen's Virtual Acoustic Laboratory (VR Lab) in Truer, where the engineers are able to emulate a variety of different noise conditions ranging from airplanes, train stations, office spaces and street noise.
Precision dials for volume, ANC and transparency
Bang & Olufsen has pioneered touch interfaces on aluminum surfaces. Today, the Danish audio company is taking this a step further by adding a precise aluminum dial to each side of Beoplay H95. Inspired by the focus rings on the lenses of high-end cameras, the dials move with precision and just the right amount of smooth resistance. Each dial has a fine, linear texture that confirms contact. It is a high-touch element that feels natural to use, and it makes sound preferences quickly accessible. The dial on the right controls volume, while the dial on the left adjusts ANC and transparency.
In today's world, restorative silence can be vital part of mental space and peace of mind. The new Beoplay H95 headphones build on its impressive passive noise reduction with the most advanced Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) of any Bang & Olufsen headphones, which is both adjustable and adaptive. The ANC performance is entirely based on digital processing and uses both a feed-forward and feedback microphone to reduce noise as much as possible.
"Home, work and transit can all be dynamic environments that demand a response, whether it is to adapt to a new noise level or change your focus for a minute to respond to someone. The dials make it quick and easy to do what you need and keep the moment flowing. They feel like precision equipment, because they are", says Gavin Ivester.
Superb battery time and call quality
Beoplay H95 comes with market leading battery time with up to 38 hours of playtime in one charge - even with ANC turned on. If you need to keep in touch with family or work colleagues, four voice microphones give superb clarity when making calls. Beoplay H95 uses beam forming and advanced noise reduction technology to capture the voice as clearly as possible, while simultaneously reducing the influence of background noise. This also includes extensive side-tone processing that gives a more natural feeling of speech. Moreover, Beoplay H95 comes with a user adjustable transparency mode to allow the user to hear surroundings without removing the headphones.
Folds flat into compact aluminum carrying case
To enable enjoyment in the home, home office, workplace and for travel, Beoplay H95 is easily and elegantly transportable. The aluminum mono arms, a Bang & Olufsen signature element, are sculpted with refined surfaces and upgraded with additional pivoting hinges so the headphones fold flat and inwards to a very small size that fits neatly into a compact aluminum-shelled carrying case. Lined with matching textile inside, the headphones are protected from knocks as you go from one place to another. The case is classic Bang & Olufsen - built to last from beautiful materials and meant to be featured - not hidden to truly complement the Beoplay H95 headphones.
Accessories in aluminum, leather and fabric
The sign of true craftmanship is in the details. Even the accessories - flight adapter, charging cable and audio cable - have been given a touch of refinement with matching aluminum housing and woven fabric cords with a leather strap to make tangled cables a thing of the past.
ACC and aptX Adaptive
To further bring an unrivalled listening experience, Beoplay H95 comes with ACC and aptX Adaptive - the next generation dynamically adjustable audio codec, designed to deliver robust, low-latency, low-bit rate, high quality wireless audio - while Bluetooth 5.1 secures optimal connectivity.
Pricing and availability
Beoplay H95 (800 USD) launches in Black and Grey Mist and is available online, in select retailers and in Bang & Olufsen stores from September 10, 2020. To celebrate the 95th anniversary, 95 headphones will be available in numbered format from 1-95 already from August 27, 2020. To find out more, follow the conversation at @bangolufsen on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube using #BeoplayH95
