Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H100 – The Flagship Headphone, Built to Be Kept

The Beoplay H100 is Bang & Olufsen’s definitive wireless headphone: 40 mm electro-dynamic titanium drivers, adaptive noise cancellation driven by ten studio-grade microphones, spatial audio with head tracking, and a modular construction that lets worn parts be replaced instead of throwing the headphone away. It was designed as the finest headphone the company has made, and as one you keep for years rather than upgrade past next season.

Materials make that intention plain – aluminium, titanium, lambskin leather, cowhide and toughened glass, assembled into an over-ear headphone that weighs 375 g and feels engineered rather than moulded.

Key features

• 40 mm electro-dynamic titanium drivers with neodymium magnets
• Frequency range 10 Hz – 20,000 Hz, extending to 40,000 Hz in hi-res mode
• Adaptive ANC with EarSense and TrueTransparency, using 10 microphones
• Spatial audio with head tracking, optimised for Dolby Atmos
• Up to 32 hours listening with ANC (30 hours with spatial audio and head tracking)
• Quick charge: 5 minutes gives up to 5 hours playback; full charge in about 1 hour
• Bluetooth 5.3 with 2-device multipoint, Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair
• Modular design – ear cushions, headband and other parts individually replaceable

EarSense: cancellation that adapts to you

No two ears, and no two fits, are identical, so fixed noise cancellation always leaves something on the table. EarSense uses the H100’s microphone array to analyse how sound is actually reaching your ears and continuously adjusts both cancellation and playback to your fit and your surroundings. The result is cancellation that stays effective as you move from a quiet office to a train to a cabin, and a sound signature that stays consistent instead of changing every time the seal shifts.

Controls you can use without looking

B&O replaced the vague swipe pads of earlier generations with precision dials: one wheel for volume, one for the balance between cancellation and transparency, plus a scratch-resistant glass touch surface for playback and calls. Adjustments are tactile, immediate and reliable with gloves or in the dark – a small thing that, over years of daily use, stops being small.

Ownership, not just listening

Hi-res audio is supported over USB-C at up to 24-bit/96 kHz for wired listening, with a USB-C to 3.5 mm cable also included alongside the leather carrying case. The modular build and replaceable wearing parts are the real long-term story: when cushions wear, you replace cushions. For frequent travellers, commuters and listeners who stream high-resolution music and want one flagship that covers all of it, the H100 is the considered choice.

This is not the cheapest way to block out an aircraft cabin. It is one of the finest – and it is built to still be that in five years’ time.