Bang & Olufsen is gunning for the crown of best noise-cancelling headphones with its latest premium efforts, the Beoplay HX.
These luxurious-looking over-ear headphones (which have a suitably luxurious price tag of £499, $499 to match) claim an impressive 35 hours of battery life with noise cancellation on (or 40 hours without it) from a single charge. That's more than the 30 hours of our current faves, the Sony WH-1000XM4, and 15 more than the Apple AirPods Max.
The BeoPlay HX boast the company's next generation of Digital Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation tech, too, promising to cancel unwanted noise without compromising on sound quality. Through the app, you can switch between sound profiles and noise-cancelling presets for different scenarios, such as travelling by plane (remember that?) or walking down a busy street. You don't need to fish your phone out of your pocket to do so, either; some controls are accessible on the earcups themselves.
Sonically, the BeoPlay HX offer two custom designed 40mm speaker drivers with neodymium magnets and bass ports. There are also four dedicated microphones that use advanced beamforming technology to maximise call quality.
In a bid to provide long-lasting comfort, the revamped headband has a centre-relief zone for wearing for long durations, while the ear cushions are made from soft lambskin with a memory foam inner that moulds to the shape of your ear. The upper headband is made from cow hide with a smooth grain, and the lower is covered in a knitted fabric.
The HX certainly look the part, too, largely resembling previous pairs in B&O's aesthetically pleasing line-up. Highlights include arm sliders made from pearl-blasted aluminium with a light brushed detail in the upper part, and a disc crafted from aluminium with a diamond spin finish nestled within a polymer-painted recycled plastic structure.
Bluetooth 5.1 is onboard, complete with Microsoft Swift Pair, Google Fast Pair and Made for iPhone (MFi) for speedy connectivity to a range of devices.
The black model is available now for £499 ($499, about AU$999), with the sand and timber colourways rolling out at a later date.
MORE:
These are the best headphones of all types, for all budgets
Zooming all day? You want the best headphones with a mic
Bag a bargain: best headphone deals 2021
