<p><em>Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay H8 headphones are expensive but have superb sound with lots of features<br><br><strong>by Mala Bhargava</strong></em><br><br>Many people invest in loud music setups for their cars and homes, quite forgetting the utter delight of a top-notch set of headphones and the solitary pleasure these can give. I’ve been coming across several of them lately and coveting each for a different reason.<br><br><strong>Bang & Olufsen’s</strong><br>Beoplay H8 On-Ear<br>headphones are something I’d give an arm and a leg for. Turns out what I really need to do is give Rs 39,990 — not a sum I have for headphones, sadly.<br><br>All the same, I enjoyed my time with it and find there are a lot of reasons to recommend it.<br><br><strong>Sound in Style</strong><br>First, the inescapable fact that the Beoplay H8 is an extremely stylish pair of headphones. There are two colours, the lighter of which was sent to me, and it looks really good. The headband is metal with leather and the earcups are liquid-soft with smooth pale champagne disks on the outside. This set is stylish without trying too hard, without having to flash it in your face. In the box, you get the headphones, a micro-USB cable but no charger, a direct cable and a velour soft pouch. And the usual literature that no one reads, of course.<br> </p><table style="width: 200px;" align="right" border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5"><tbody><tr><td><img alt="" src="http://bw-image.s3.amazonaws.com/headphones-by-Bang-%26-Olufsen-3_RS-mdm.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 200px;"></td></tr><tr><td><em>Price Rs 39,990</em></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>Mostly Comfortable</strong><br>I’m particularly sensitive to anything that disturbs the comfort in headphones, but I’ll have to say this pair is very comfortable. Absolutely all headphones fall off my head if I look down, but this one shows a willingness to stay on a bit. It’s got a good grip without feeling heavy at all. I was able to go quite a few hours with it on, as long as I was careful not to let them fall off. I head-tested them on others and can report that they fit others well. But afterwards, you do feel like rubbing your ears and they take a while to recover from being pressed up under gripping earcups that may be soft but are a problem in a hot country.<br><br><strong>Shut Out the Noise</strong><br>For an on-ear pair of headphones, the H8 does a good job of active noise cancellation. Steady sounds like air conditioners, etc. just disappear. I once had my phone in my hand and it rang and I couldn’t hear it. The quiet on the outside leaves you to close yourself in with some truly fabulous sound, balanced but wide-ranging and rich. You get a bit of everything here: reasonable bass, good detail and high notes. Some reviewers do feel it could have had a more “open” sound but I’m not wholly convinced on that count. I like that the sound is balanced without being flat. The sound can also get pretty loud in there and the vocals sound particularly good. I’m not sure what an audiophile would miss but for the average listener, this is a treat. It’s when you take the headphones off that the ambient sound around you hits you with a shock.<br><br><strong>While You’re Away</strong><br>The sound is all the more impressive considering it comes from headphones on Bluetooth 4.0. It’s a particular joy to be untethered and on the go with good music. The range is the usual Bluetooth, so don’t stray too far away from the playback source.<br><br>The controls on the Beoplay H8 are nice and innovative, mostly housed in the disk over the right earcup and active when you’re on Bluetooth. You can turn the set on or off, answer calls, change songs, and adjust volume with a swipe over the touch-sensitive cap. That’s clever and convenient but be warned that there can be accidental touches.<br><br>You could reach up to brush your hair away and end up touching the highly sensitive surface of the earcup and find your music has come to an abrupt halt. If you listen using the cable, the controls go inactive and you have to use the device.<br><br>The earcup also houses the battery which you can swap, if you get hold of a duplicate. But I’d say the 15 or so hours of play you get should be enough at a go since more than that isn’t particularly good for you anyway. The battery obviously lasts more if you don’t use the Bluetooth and the quality of sound also changes a little, increasing the treble and overall seeming more forceful. Noise cancellation, which you can turn off, also affects battery somewhat.<br><br>The Beoplay H8 is a wonderful pair of headphones but pretty expensive, though if you can spare the money, you get a lot of features with that sound. There are other headphoens that are also good in their own way, some of which have been recently reviewed right here. Bang & Olufsen have several of these themselves, some at lower prices, so consider carefully when buying. <br><br>(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 07-09-2015)</p>