What’s up guys, Sagi here and welcome to another Tech Gear Talk. Today we’re going to check out a new entry-level set of headphones from Bang & Olufsen, the Beoplay H4. Now entry-level from Bang & Olufsen is a relative term since these Wireless over-the-ear headphones sell for around $300, so let’s see if they’re worth it
My goal with every product review is to give you a detailed overview of the product features in a way that relate to real life use. If you find it helpful please let me know by giving it a like and hitting the subscribe and notification buttons for more headphones and tech reviews. I’ll also include some links in the description to where you can pick these up and at the same time help support my channel for free, and I thank you in advance. Let’s get going.
Buy the Bang and Olufsen Beoplay H4
What you won’t find is a carrying case which is a bit of an oversight for wireless headphones. I like to take headphones with me and I would have liked to at least see a cloth tote bag if you’re not giving me a case.
Another interesting design choice is the exposed braided shoelace-style wires, which contribute to the retro look of the H4s. On the interior of each earcup you’ll see a large L or R to help easily identify the left and right channels. At the bottom of the right earcup, you’ll see the micro-USB port used for charging and 3.5mm connection for wired, passive listening.
The right ear cup features a 3 button control center with a microphone that can be used for making phone calls. The two outer buttons are volume up and down controls which interact with your mobile device’s master volume levels.The center button is used for call management, track control, pairing and turning the headphones on and off. The sound quality on the mic was pretty standard for these types of pinhole mics.
Connecting the ear cups to the top band are pieces of metal, with a brushed finish. They gives the H4’s structure and at the same time allow for flex. Moving on to the top of the headband, you’ll see that it is also lined with leather, and the underside has a nicely padded gray cloth surface.
The headphones do not fold up in any way, and as I mentioned do not come with a carrying case which is disappointing for the price. So just make sure you’re careful when transporting these.
Moving on to less bass-heavy tracks, I found that the H4s performed really well. The sound was natural; And even with the bassy character of this set, the vocals were accurate with a bright and clear presence in the lows and mids.
I also tested the H4s with a few orchestral tracks where again, I could notice the presence of added bass but without it being overpowering. Highs and mid-highs had great definition and the overall sound was well-balanced. If you prefer a different sound profile, the Beoplay app for Android and iOS will let you customize your listening experience.
The ToneTouch section lets you manually control the audio profile by tapping or dragging anywhere on the 4 quadrant array consisting of Warm, Excited, Relaxed and Bright. You can also combine these profiles by enlarging the dot and relocating it. I really like this level of flexibility since each person may have a slightly different sound profile preference. You may also choose different settings based on your choice in material.
If you’re not sure what to choose, Bang & Olufsen included four presets: Commute, Clear, Workout and Podcast. These will automatically place the dot in a specific spot on the sound array and adjust the highs, mids and lows accordingly.
The H4s can also be used in passive mode using the included cable, at which point no battery power is needed. I did notice a very subtle dropoff in power and bass response when I use them in passive mode. The 3 button control center takes a little bit of time to get used to but does offer pretty complete functionality.
You hold the top and bottom buttons at the same time for 5 seconds to initiate bluetooth pairing and you should see Beoplay H4 show up on your device. Pretty standard functionality with the top and bottom buttons also control the volume and the center button turning the device on and off. If you’re playing music, you can tap the center button to pause or play. Double tap the center button to play the next song and triple tap it to play the previous song.
A long press of the center button can be used to activate voice recognition. Siri, what is zero divided by zero? A short press of the center button can be used to answer incoming calls and a long press will reject and incoming call. If you’re on a call, a long press will end it for you.
Going back to the headphone cable, there are no inline controls on the cable which would have been nice at this price. For wireless connectivity, the H4s use Bluetooth 4.2 which should give you about 33ft of operating range; pretty standard.
And finally, the H4s do not have any type of active noise cancellation but because of their design they do tend to isolate quite well.
There is no active noise cancellation and the set does not come with a carrying case or tote bag, so I end up just wearing them on my neck when they are not in use. The sound is very good for this price point and I love the flexibility of being able to modify the sound profile. The design is simple and elegant and they are extremely comfortable even for full day use.
The H4s sell for around $300 and I’ll put some links in the description to where you can buy these and at the same time help support my channel for free and allow me to create more content fo ryou..
I really hope I was able to give you a good overview of the Bang & Olefsen H4. If I did, please let me know by giving this video thumbs up, tweet it, share it, and if you haven’t yet, hit that subscribe and notification buttons.
You can also find me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @techgeartalk, and you know what I always say, buy it nice or buy it twice, good luck and see you soon.
