I’m someone who those in the gaming world would label a 'minmaxer'. Or, to put it another way, I’m obsessed with optimisation, minimising weaknesses and maximising strengths.
Whether it’s due to bouts of ADHD-fuelled hyperfixation or an unrelenting strive for perfectionism, I can (and have) spent hours, even days, researching items as mundane as dehumidifiers, poring over every feature and spec imaginable to ensure I’m getting the absolute best one that fits my needs. I’m the same with everything – especially technology – which is why I’m as surprised as anyone that my current favourite headphones are by far and away the worst-sounding pair I own.
I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing all manner of headphones and earbuds over the years, yet something about Bang & Olufsen’s Form 2 wired headphones instantly resonated with me on a profound level. It’s hard to explain, but have you ever encountered an object you knew you’d regret letting slip away? The Form 2 is one such item, for me at least.
Coming across them in an eBay auction by random chance, I immediately fell in love with their punchy yellow confidence and elegant retro style. Naturally, the research began, and I was soon scrolling through 11-year-old reviews in the dusty corners of hi-fi forums to see what folk made of them.
All I could think about when I bought them for £75 (plus free postage!) was a) how beautiful they were, and b) how much of a waste of money they were, given that there was little chance they'd hold a candle to the modern drivers inside my modern headphones. And while I was half right on that last count, they’ve proved far from a waste of money.
Iconic style, all-day comfort... unique sound
Bang & Olufsen’s original ultra-lightweight on-ear headphones have been in continuous production ever since they launched in 1985, and in recent years lauded for their now-iconic design. Further cementing my rare bout of good taste, I was particularly pleased to read that they were installed in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York back in 1992.
Wearing them on my daily walks, I feel Marty McFly-esque as I strut about my rather sensible Cotswold home town. I like to imagine I’m spreading a bit of sunshine amongst the sensible, somewhat muted Barbour-infused high street and oat-coloured stone buildings.
One thing I wasn’t prepared for, however, was just how comfortable they are. They weigh in at just 68g (for reference, the class-leading Sony WH-1000XM5 tip the scales at 250g); it practically feels like there’s nothing on my head at all. As someone who has yet to find a pair of over-ear headphones that don't make me sweat within a few hours, the Form 2 are as much a delight to wear as they are to look at.
“But what of their terrible sound?” I hear you cry. And yes, I suppose I need to address that. The Form 2 are, without a doubt, the worst-sounding pair of headphones I currently own, which is to be expected given their simplistic and dated design.
The laws of physics simply can’t be bargained with. Without beefy, contemporary drivers and, to some extent, the digital processing engines or noise-cancelling conveniences of the modern day, their listening experience is, while not resolutely terrible, certainly muddy – particularly in the low end. Everything sounds a bit muffled compared to the clarity of my decent wireless over-ears, with highs occasionally piercing through in sporadic fits of harshness. And yet, there is something undeniably appealing about the Form 2's sound.
They have warmth – a character that is difficult to quantify but impossible to ignore. It's a harder trait to find in today's superior-sounding headphones, which, understandably, increasingly prioritise clarity and neutrality – and are all the 'better' for that. Perhaps the B&O's unique tonality is why I’m enjoying their unique expression – they are just different.
In fact, when I do use my “proper” headphones for commuting into town to save the other passengers from the Form 2's formidable sound leakage, I’m struck by, yes, how much more detail and balance I’m treated to – but also by how much I miss the Form 2 despite that.
I realise that was a lot of words to essentially say that I bought some cool-looking headphones that, via Stockholm syndrome or some other mental gymnastics, I’ve come to prefer using over better-equipped modern counterparts – but I suppose my point is that it is okay to step back from what is ideal or expected to dabble outside your usual comfort zones. Or perhaps the point is that when it comes to headphones or any audio device, it’s just as much about how they make us feel, despite their imperfections, as it is how technically good they are.
We all know how easy it is to get caught up in a world of technical specifications and cutting-edge technologies in the relentless pursuit of audio perfection; we chase the latest innovations hoping that each will bring us closer to audio nirvana. But there is also an intangible quality to music listening that can't be captured by frequency graphs or distortion measurements. It's about how the experience makes you feel, the memories it evokes, the emotions it stirs. And in that respect, these technically inferior headphones have proven to be something rather magical.
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