audiosplitz

B&O BeoPlay H7 - First Glimpse

November 09, 2015

In mid Oct 2015, Bang & Olufsen launched the BeoPlay H7, a pair of wireless over-ears. They combine the over-ears comfort of the BeoPlay H6 and run on Bluetooth wireless technology of the BeoPlay H8.

What's the Big Deal?

1. Sound
Bang & Olufsen claims that the BeoPlay H7 allows you to 'enjoy the acclaimed B&O Signature Sound' regardless whether in wireless or corded mode. Leveraging on the recent Bluetooth 4.1 standard, they support high-fidelity sound via the aptX codec. However unlike the H8, there is no active noise canceling functionality.

2. Touch Controls
Similar to its on-ears sibling, the BeoPlay H8, the playback and volume controls lie on the aluminum surface of the right ear cup. Just swivel your finger clockwise to increase the volume and tap to change tracks. If it works like what we tried on the H8, you should be able to navigate songs without much issue. It is claimed to work 'even when wearing gloves'.

3. Battery Life
The BeoPlay H7 can last a good 20 hours of music playback after a 2.5 hour charge on the replaceable 770mAh Lithium Ion battery. Apparently, there's a also a useful battery-saving function that kicks in after 15 minutes of non-usage.

4. Design
At 280g, these over-ears are just a tad heavier than the 255g on-ears H8. As per many of B&O's headphones, the industrial design is Jakob Wagner's and materials such as cowhide leather (for the headband) and soft lambskin (for ear cups) are used.

Pricing

According to the Bang & Olufsen site, the H7 retails for EUR 449 / USD 449. We are currently checking on the Singapore pricing.

Availability
The two color variations available (for now) are Black and Natural.
According to their website, they are available from 15 October 2015 at B&O stores and selected design and department outlets worldwide. We shall check on the status in Singapore.

Where To Buy
If you like the product, do support me by purchasing through Amazon via these affiliate links - BeoPlay H7 Black / Natural / Cenere Gray / Cocoa Brown. They start from USD 396.

Update (9 Nov 2015)
Bang & Olufsen (SEA) confirmed that the price is set at SGD 649 and is available at the B&O Showroom at Grand Hyatt.

Update (30 Dec 2015)
The BeoPlay H7 is also available in Apple Premium Resellers, Challenger, Digital Style, Newstead, Sprint-Cass, Stereo, AV One, ConnectIT and Tangs.

Bluetooth

Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth - Top Notch Performer

November 05, 2015

You will either love or hate the design of the white-based Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth headphones. If the color-hue turns you off, no worries as the more classic black model is readily available. While this SGD 379 unit has been on retail shelves for a year, let's see how well it fares to recent on-ears.

Design
Usually, we'll check out the unboxing process with a visual breakdown. In this case, the box and its contents weren't in the best shape for us to give the product due credit.

What we can say is that the packaging contents should include:
- Bose headphones
- Carrying case
- USB charging cable
- Audio cable

Let's dive in to look at the Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth (affectionately known as Bose OE SoundLink). As you may have guessed from the photos, we received the black model.

On taking out the headphones, we can say the Bose is comfortably light at 153g. Looking at other Bluetooth on-ears, this is comparable to the equally lightweight Jabra Move Wireless (150g) and way lower than the Beats Solo 2 Wireless (215g).

The industrial design of the new generation of Bose headphones comes with a signature thick headband and minimalist exterior ear cup design. They look like a cross between the QuietComfort 25 (QC25) and the new AE2 SoundLink.

There are massive 'L' and 'R' markings to make sure you damn well know the correct way to put on the OE SoundLink. The unit includes a two-way hinge design where the first allows you fold the ear cups inward for very compact storage and the second rotates horizontally to meet a suitable angle for your ears.

When zipped up, the solidly built carrying pouch does its job in protecting its contents. When opened up, you get a pouch to store the USB and audio cables. When placing the headphones within, there is a practical flap to prevent abrasion between the two ear cups.

Features
While there no touch controls, the tactile buttons that allow playback and volume adjustment are found under the right earcup and are easily accessible with your right hand. Pressing the center button twice skips to the next track and thrice will jump to the previous song.

Bluetooth pairing is a breeze. Simply flip, hold the switch on the right ear cup upward to start and the Bluetooth logo will flash blue. On your device, scan and select 'Bose OE SoundLink' to complete the process and the logo changes to a constant white. The headphones can connect to two devices via Bluetooth at the same time, a convenient feature when I was toggling between my Galaxy S4 and iPad Air.

Do note that aptX, that delivers a higher fidelity sound over Bluetooth with compatible devices, is not supported. If you are an audiophile, this may cause some consternation but to the majority, it's not a showstopper as you will find out as you read further.

The voice prompts were very useful and customizable. In one example, the female voice tells you when it's 'Ready To Pair'. When you power the unit, she will tell you what is the battery level left. The prompts can be switched off by holding the volume buttons and other languages can be selected by holding the volume up and center buttons.

For a wired connection, there's a blue audio cable (without in-line remote) that plugs to the headphones (via a 2.5mm port) and to your source device (3.5mm jack).

The ear cups are replaceable, a big plus should you want to use these headphones for the long run.

Performance
If there's one thing that makes the Bose stand out, that would be the sound quality. A audio quality comparison with other on-ears like the Beats Solo2 Wireless (SGD 499) and B&O BeoPlay H8 (SGD 699) gave favorable results that reinforced our notion that the Bose ranks right up there despite its lower pricing.

The instrumentation on Joe Hisaishi's classical The Girl Who Fell From The Sky is distinct and the bass buildup is able to complement well. Avicii's house vs folk-themed The Nights shows off the headphones ability to pull off a good balance between the punchy bass and Nicholas Furlong's accompanying vocals. That said, bass heads may not get their kick if they commute on a regular basis as the bass can be overwhelmed by ambient sound (such as chatter and bus engine roars).

In terms of comfort, this is probably one of the best in the on-ears category that I've tried. The clamping force does enough to keep the headphones in place without placing excessive force on the ears. The ear cups press flat on the ears but they are pillowy thanks to the underlying memory foam and even with glasses, I could keep the OE SoundLink in excess of an hour without much discomfort.

Noise isolation is not fantastic but it does remove a minimal layer of sound. When used in a silent room, you will get a faint humming at the right side due to the Bluetooth module but this becomes completely insignificant when traveling.

For a 3 hour full charge, you get a respectable 15 hours of music playback, a very decent number when compared to the Jabra Move Wireless (8 hours) and Beats Solo2 Wireless (12 hours). The power indicator will blink amber to show it is charging. During usage, green shows a healthy battery life while amber and red should tell you that charging at the soonest is a wise decision.

Overall
If there's a pair of wireless on-ears to buy, this is probably it. The comfort afforded along with the well balanced audio output and complex feature set made simple propel the Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth headphones to be an excellent choice for an on-ear.

Audio Sources
The Nights - Avicii (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on Samsung Galaxy S4
The Girl Who Fell From The Sky (Laputa: Castle In The Sky OST) - Joe Hisaishi (320kbps) on Samsung Galaxy S4

Credit to Atlas and Affluence PR for a review unit.

Apple

Beats Pill+ Bluetooth speaker - First Look

November 01, 2015

Headphones

Master & Dynamic MH30 On Ear - Designed with Class

October 27, 2015

Master & Dynamic are the new kids on the block in the high end headphone segment. The NYC-based company, headed by Jonathan Levine, brand themselves as a 'premium audio company obsessed with sound and creativity'. With this declaration of intent in mind, we take a detailed look at the MH30 (SGD 549 / USD 329), Master & Dynamic's first offering in the on-ears category.

Design

As usual, before looking at the product, we look at the unboxing process.

The MH30 is packaged in one massive (and I mean massive) 227 x 250 x 95 mm box, the kind normally associated with huge-ass over-ears headphones. We likely received the US / Canadian SKU given the ample English and French text on the back of the box.

A flap on the right allows the pulling out of a black box casing. Smack in the center is Master & Dynamic's (M&D) embossed logo.

Opening the lid reveals a card that explains M&D's philosophy behind its products - a nice precursor that builds some expectation to unveiling the on-ears.

And lo, under the card lie the headphones. They are laid out with a circular box, containing the relevant audio cables, right in the middle.

Removing the foam layer reveals a slip of paper displaying some usage tips, a carrying pouch tucked on the left side and a cardboard box on the right.

Opening the box produces a neatly designed user manual.

On spilling out the packaging contents, the full breakdown is revealed:
- MH30 On Ear headphones
- Audio cable with in-line remote and mic of 1.25m length (3.5mm to 3.5mm)
- Audio cable of 2.00m length (3.5mm to 3.5mm)
- 3.5mm / 6.3mm adapter
- Canvas carrying pouch
- Leather cable box

And now to the MH30 proper. There are 3 color variants to choose from - Silver Metal / Brown Leather, Black Metal / Black Leather and Gunmetal / Black Leather. I was provided the 3rd option.

These headphones weigh a hefty 260g, heavier than two of its peers in the on-ears category (and they are wireless too) - the Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H8 (255g) and the Beats Solo 2 Wireless (215g).

However, let's consider the build and the materials used to make this unit. The earcup frame is built from solid aluminum and for compact storage, the headphones have really solid stainless steel hinges that fold inwards. The headband is made from premium cowhide. Ear cups? We'll get to that in a bit. All in all, these give an air of luxury to the Master & Dynamic headphones.

Great attention to detail has been taken in many aspects. One is 'M&D' being deliberately inscribed onto different steel components that serve to reinforce its branding. 'Designed & Developed New York, New York' lies emblazoned as a badge of identity under the left ear cup.

On trying them on, one issue that I had was the extent to which the headphones can be fitted over the head. I stretched the aluminum rivets to the max and even then, the headband only just fitted around my head snug but bordering on tight.

When adjusted on your ears, the ear cups sometimes make a creaking sound, but nothing to be overly concerned about once they are fitted nicely in place.

Features
There is a 3.5mm socket under both the left and right ear cups. This allows for both a normal audio connection to your source device and an additional connection via a 2m audio cable (daisy-chain style) to another pair of headphones. This is convenient if two persons are listening to the same source.

The second audio cable comes with an in-line remote lining the cable. Interestingly, the microphone unit is aligned close to your mouth while the remote with the playback buttons is lower down the cord so you can visually see what you are pressing. For practical purposes, the separation of the two units is a welcome implementation.

The ear cups are replaceable and are magnetically held in place, a very nice touch. The 40mm Neodymium drivers are fully revealed once the lambskin cups are taken out.

The carrying pouch is well designed for practical purposes - it comes with a magnetic clasp lining the outer rim that firmly seals its contents. There's a handy additional pouch within to hold any cables you may want to store.

Performance
Placing the MH 30 on your ears, you initially appreciate the comfort afforded by the cups, made of lambskin that envelops the underlying memory foam. However due to its on-ears nature, after an hour's usage, they can get a little warm so you may need to adjust the headphones.

When relaxing with Coralie Clement's bossa nova-inspired L'Ombre et la Lumière, the bass and instrumentation overlap with one another to produce a generally warm sound for listening. Daft Punk's instrumental Solar Sailer gives a hint of MH30's capability - generally a natural sound with what I felt was a (very minor) tinge of inclination to bass.

The MH30 produces a rather wide soundstage, a pleasant surprise taking into consideration that these are a pair of on-ear headphones. I'd usually associate this trait with the over-ears category.

Noise isolation is decent enough. Placing them over your ears will shut off minor ambient sounds such as air con white noise. On a bus, the engine noise will still reach your ears with ease.

Overall
Master & Dynamic's MH30 is a visual beauty to behold and is crafted with much attention to detail. The price and weight of the on-ears is undoubtedly on the high side but its classy design forged by luxury materials combined with a warm sound will most definitely make this a coveted item on quite a few Christmas lists.

The MH30 is available in Singapore at Tangs, Orchard and Apple Store SG.

Audio Sources
Solar Sailer (TRON: Legacy OST) - Daft Punk (Spotify 160kbps MP3) on iPad Air
L'Ombre et la Lumière - Coralie Clément (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on Samsung Galaxy S4

Credit to Master & Dynamic and StarWorks Group for a review unit.

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