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The Beoplay H100s will take a big chunk out of your wallet, but you get supreme build quality, comfort and excellently balanced audio quality in return. A proper hard carry case would be nice though!
The Good
- Exceptional sound quality in mid-ranges
- Uber luxurious look and feel
- Very comfortable
- Great control system
The Not So Good
- Very expensive
- Needs a proper hard case
Need To Knows
- Very expensive for consumer headphones
- They look and feel extremely premium
- Brilliant audio quality with lovely mid-range balancing
- Scroll wheel controls are great to use
If there’s one pair of headphones I’ve had more requests to review than any other, it’s something – anything – from Bang & Olufsen.
Well, good news: it has taken us about four years, but we finally managed to get a pair of B&O headphones to review. The delay is, of course, no one’s fault – least of all B&O’s; we have no right to receive review units from any brand.
Although, they were the notable absentees among my many headphone reviews – let’s be honest.
Onwards and upwards. I’ve had access to a pair of Beoplay H100s for several weeks now, and can finally offer my thoughts on what are the most expensive noise-cancelling consumer cans I’ve ever placed on my head.
I had one question: are they worth the money?
Shop the Beoplay H100 below!
At A Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | Headphones: ~198 × 196 × 56 mm (compact) Case: 225 × 265 × 52 mm |
| Weight | Headphones: 375 g Case: 350 g |
| Drivers | 40 mm titanium drivers with neodymium magnets |
| Frequency Response | 10–40,000 Hz (Hi-Res mode) |
| Microphones | 10 total (for calls, ANC, Transparency) |
| Battery Life | Up to 32 hrs (ANC on) / 30 hrs (spatial audio + head-tracking) / 26 hrs talk time |
| Charging | ~1 hr full charge5 mins = 5 hrs playback |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint (2 devices) USB-C audio support |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, Hi-Res USB |
| Special Features | Spatial audio with head-tracking / Advanced ANC & TrueTransparency™ / Auto play/pause / Haptic dials & touch controls / Replaceable cushions & headband |
| Materials | Aluminium, titanium, leather, toughened glass |
| In the Box | Headphones, leather case, USB-C to USB-C cable, USB-C to 3.5 mm cable |
| Price | $2,200/£1,450 |
How I reviewed the Beoplay H100
The H100 arrived at the right time. We had a stacked-out content calendar, which meant I had to delay the publishing of any review content for B&O’s flagship noise-cancelling headphones. That would normally be irritating, but it actually gave me far more time with them, and that can only ever be a good thing.
When I review headphones, I go all-in. They become my main headphones for the duration of the review – and sometimes, several weeks afterwards, if I’m particularly fond of the way they slot into my life.
That’s what I’ve been doing with the Beoplay H100 – they’ve been the headphones I put on my head first thing in the morning, periodically throughout the day, and on the occasional flight or train journey.
My use case for headphones is pretty regular. I use them to focus (via the assistance of the brilliant Brain.fm), listen to music, and watch TV shows and movies by myself. I rarely use them for calls, but, as always, I conducted a call test in the YouTube version of this review.
Specs and pricing
The H100 contained 40mm electro-dynamic titanium drivers that have a frequency range of 10 – 20,000Hz (the latter increases to 40,000Hz in hi-res mode) and support AAC, SBS, and LDAC codecs. Dolby Atmos with head tracking comes along for the ride, too.
For calls and active noise cancelling (ANC), there are 10 mics and a wind guard. Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint is in charge of connectivity.
Related: Check out my complete list of the best headphones!
The H100 are, as you might expect for this price, made from premium materials – aluminium, titanium, leather, and fabric. The battery promises up to 32 hours with ANC turned on and 30 hours with spatial audio and headtracking, while a five-minute quick charge will deliver five hours of playback.
Price-wise, you’ll currently pay £1,450 in the UK, and a whopping £2,200 in the US. I think the latter has something to do with recent tariff changes, because they launched at a fair bit less than that. Hey-ho. They’re expensive.
Design
The H100 are a big pair of headphones. I often talk about the impact of large headphones on bald people like myself; if you don’t have hair to fill in the gaps, they can stick out and look a bit silly. The H100 don’t fall into that category, but they do stick out on my head far more than, say, the AirPods Max, which have a closer fit.
Despite this, the H100 look and feel expensive, thanks to the use of the aforementioned materials. There are a few colours to choose from – my review pair came in Hourglass Sand, which looks lovely but does, after a couple of months (in my experience), get a little bit grubby. I’d opt for a darker pair, personally.
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It’s important to note that the headband and earpads are user-replaceable. A gentle tug removes them from the headphones (possibly a little too gentle, as far as the headband is concerned). This, combined with the ability to send the H100 back to base for driver and battery replacements, means they are, in theory, very long-lasting headphones.
Controls are offered in touch, button, and dial form. The touch controls are fine and not too intrusive, but I’d still rather B&O went the whole hog and stuck with physical buttons for everything. The dial controls are brilliant, though. They circle both earcups with one used for volume control and the other for dialling in – and out – noise cancellation. The latter proves a bit pointless in general use – if you’re like me, you just want to switch cleanly between ANC and transparency mode – but the ability to adjust the volume with a twist of the earcup is satisfying and intuitive.
Read my AirPods Max review here!
Onto the case. Or should I say ‘bag’? It’s huge. So huge, in fact, that it’ll struggle to fit in a lot of backpacks without taking up too much space. It’s also used to automatically turn off the headphones and preserve battery life when you place them inside. The good news for the non-headphone case people out there is that you can still turn the headphones off via one of the buttons. Don’t get me wrong – the case is a beautiful thing (of course it is) – I just wish B&O had opted for something a bit smaller and more traditional.
Comfort
For a large pair of headphones, the H100 are lovely and light. That means you can wear them for long periods of time without discomfort – just as I have done over the last two months. And, remember, I don’t have any hair.
Cushioning on the headband and earpads is fantastic, and there are no awkward things poking out of the driver housing. Which is nice.
The H100 are the kind of headphones you can wear all-day without hassle. As they should be, at this price.
Sound quality
A quick note on my audio testing. I use an iPhone and Apple Music when judging the sound quality of headphones. This inevitably sends Headphone People incandescent with rage as they fly into the comments sections of my YouTube videos and call me an idiot for not bothering to use non-AAC codecs.
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There’s a simple reason I do this: a lot of people who buy the headphones I test will do the same thing. And, if they sound good in that configuration (and, let’s be honest, Apple Music isn’t exactly a bag of spanners when it comes to audio quality), imagine what they’re going to sound like with even higher quality audio.
On that note, the H100 sound superb out of the box. Truly superb. They’re full, rich, wide, and immediately engaging. But what stands out – and what separates headphones in this price range from the ‘cheaper’ competition – is the midrange.
Midrange on consumer headphones is so often misjudged. If boosted too much, it’s horrible, boxy, and tiring. If it’s not present enough, vocals and other important sonic content fall out of reach and become far less interesting. Getting it right requires a combination of the right drivers and smart EQ choices. That’s what you’re paying for here.
The H100 mid-range is the best I’ve heard on a pair of consumer noise-cancelling cans. Vocals jump out, and everything else that sits within that part of the EQ range is wonderfully detailed. They’re a pleasure to listen to, as a result, no matter what you’re listening to.
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I guess that few people will ever need to EQ the H100, and you can’t say that about many consumer headphones these days.
Do they sound like expensive headphones? Yes. And it isn’t a trick.
Noise-cancelling and calling quality
The ANC on the H100s is among the best I’ve heard. The world dampens perfectly, and they deal well with merging environments and sudden changes to ambient noise (for instance, on trains and planes).
There’s also next to no audible hiss, and I never encountered the unnerving oppressive feeling some noise-cancelling headphones deliver.
As for the transparency mode, it’s really good and, again, among the best I’ve heard. But it still doesn’t beat or even match the same feature on AirPods Max. I have no idea why Apple has retained the transparency mode crown for so long, but no other pair of headphones I’ve tried offers the same level of detail when turning transparency on. It’s a complete mystery.
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Transparency mode is extremely useful during telephone calls, because it enables you to hear your own voice. The good news is that you can hear yourself very well on the H100s, and as for the call quality, my test in a very noisy conference hall yielded pretty decent results. You can hear it in my full video review of the H100 on YouTube.
Conclusion
The B&O Beoplay H100 look, feel, sound, and act like a very expensive pair of headphones. They won’t be for everyone, but if you’re a B&O person with the right budget (I think those things go hand-in-hand, to be honest), you’re not going to be disappointed. You probably already have a pair, to be fair.
The H100 aren’t going to be the default choice for most people who are looking for noise-cancelling headphones in 2025, but as I’ve long said about expensive, relatively niche products, you know if you’re the target market.
I’m fascinated, though – would you buy them? And, if so, why? Get involved below.
1 Comment
I have gotten them while I was trying to check out Focal Bathys, which I found to be inferior to 1/3 cheaper AirPods Max.
The H100 is the best wireless headphones.
They are 3x the price of AirPods Max though, and perhaps only 10-15% better.
Are you an audiophiliac, like me?