JUNE 2019 MACWORLD 125see where some users would want to shift
it to gain a bit more warmth. I didn’t like
shifting the headphone’s DSP setting
towards bright or the other options. My
comments below pertain to the
headphone set in neutral.
Drums on Robert Plant’s and Alison
Krauss’s “Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us”
and “Please Read the Letter,” from Raising
Sand, were taut and controlled. There
wasn’t a sense of bass bloat anywhere. I
noted that the Beoplay H9i delivered
pistonic mid-bass performance on Dido’s
“Let us move on,” featuring Kendrick
Lamar. Percussive bass notes on Imagine
Dragons “Bad Liar” started and stopped
with excellent control, maintaining detail at
all times. If you’re looking for accurate,
controlled bass, you’ll love these
headphones. If you’re a bass
head and like headphones with
“Xtra Bass,” then you’ll want to
pass on these.
The Beoplay H9i did a fine
job creating a layered, detailed
sound stage no matter which
songs I played. Vocals and
accompanying instruments on
“Bad Liar,” for example, came
across with a good sense of
space around them and didn’t
exhibit smearing.
Vocals sparkled too. The
Beoplay H9i reveled in
reproducing female vocalists such as
Adele, Ariana Grande, Natalie Merchant,
Dido, Rihanna, and P!nk. These cans did a
fine job rendering Adele’s signature vocals
on “When We Were Young” and “Send My
Love (To Your New Lover).”
What’s especially unusual is that the
Beoplay H9i sounded great in both wired
and wireless modes. Oftentimes, a
wireless headphone can sound
significantly different with and without a
cable attached, with the wireless mode
typically suffering in comparison.BOTTOM LINE
B&O’s Beoplay H9i headphones hit a high
note, with superb sound, premium build
quality, and excellent ANC performance
that falls just short of the reigning
champs from Sony and Bose.
What sets these headphones
apart from other high-end
wireless cans is how good they
sound both wired and wireless;
with and without ANC engaged.
B&O’s transparency mode is
also outstanding. If you’re
looking for stellar headphones
with strong—even if not best-in-
class ANC performance—and
you don’t mind paying a bit
extra for style and premium
materials, You should
audition B&O’s Beoplay H9i. ■mmmm
Bang & Olufsen
Beoplay H9i
PROS- Beautiful design and
premium build quality. - Excellent active noise
cancellation and
outstanding transparency
mode performance.
CONS - Gesture pad can be finicky
on rare occasions. - Can become
uncomfortable after long
listening sessions.
PRICE
$365
COMPANY
Bang & Olufsen