124 MACWORLD JUNE 2019
PLAYLIST REVIEW: BANG & OLUFSEN BEOPLAY H9ITypically, when you activate
ANC on a headphone, it
tends to inflict a sonic hit on
the music reproduction.
While there was a slight
thinning out of the sound, the
Beoplay H9i did a
remarkably good job of
maintaining their tonal
balance and sonic character.
TRANSPARENCY
MODE
Transparency mode allows
you to hear your outside surroundings
clearly even while you’re wearing
headphones. It’s very useful when you
need to listen for boarding
announcements or when you need to be
keenly aware of your surroundings—such
as when you’re crossing the street.
B&O’s transparency mode is excellent.
Activating it and then lifting one of the ear
cups was an odd experience—there was
very little difference in the volume or tonal
balance with the one ear covered and the
other ear uncovered. Things like air
conditioning took on a slightly different
tonal balance. I loved this feature.
On many other headphones I’ve
tested, ambient-aware mode sounds
artificial. It can even be painful to leave on
for an extended period of time. Not here. I
applaud the B&O team here for its
excellent implementation.HIGH-END SOUND
I played the Beoplay H9i with an iPhone
XS and a Fiio X7MKii hifh-res player. I used
music streamed via Tidal and high-res
audio files on the Fiio as my primary
source material.
The Beoplay H9i are best described as
reproducing B&Os signature sound. You’ll
find tight bass, a clean mid-range, and a
crisp top end. I enjoyed detailed, dynamic
sound no matter what I threw at these cans.
The previously mentioned DSP settings
on the mobile app can significantly change
the sound of the headphones. It’s
therefore a bit difficult to characterize it as
warm, neutral, or bright because you can
tailor each of these settings effectively.
I preferred the neutral setting, but I canA detailed view of the beautiful anodized brushed-aluminum
finish on the arms.