T3 - UK (2022-01)

JANUARY 2022 T3 75

B&O Beoplay Portal

when expert acousticians tune a
gaming headset?)and incrediblyhigh
level of comfort, the latter largely
delivered by their super light weight.
Indeed, the construction on the
Portal is just first rate, withlambskin
leather ear cushions and a milled
aluminiumframe combining
fantasticallyto createpremium
aesthetics and ergonomics. Wecould
literally sit and playgames for hours
on end without a single dropof
discomfort wearing these cans.

Profound sound
But it’s the audio where the Beoplay
Portal really shine, delivering sound
that is incredibly immersive. Wewere
particularly blownaway playing
Assassin’s Creed Valhallathrough
the Portal. Market sceneswhere a
myriad of different sounds and voices
converge did so with fantastic
precision not just in terms of clarity
but inpositioning,too. Combat was
audibly visceral and impactful,
while the game’s impressiveepic
soundtrack was a sweeping pleasure
to listen to.
Simply put, thereis great
definition across the soundstage and

when you partnerthat withAtmos’

enveloping spatial audio and active

noise cancellationtech, the Beoplay

Portal deliver a veryspecial gaming

and listening experience.

e virtual boom issomething to

writehome about too. Most gaming

headsets come with a fixed,

extendable or detachable boom mic

for communications ingames. is

often leads tougly designs or the

inability to use the headset for

anything other than gaming.e

Beoplay Portal, though,uses beam-

forming microphones to isolate and

amplify the wearer’s voice without

needing a physical boom mic at all.

is means that the Portal just looks

likea pair of high-end headphones,

not a gaming headset,and this plays

perfectly intoits ability to be used

that way.

Almost as if waking from a

glorious gaming headset dream,

though,the Portal do come with an

obvious downside– the price. e

Portal cost $499/£449 and that

means they not only ring in right at

the top end of the gaming headset

pricing spectrum, but they cost as

much as an Xbox Series X.Indeed,

the Portal out-price even the most

expensive gaming headset

competition by a notable margin.

at, though,is seeminglythe

price you haveto pay to get the best

and, well, if you canafford the Portal

then you’dbe stupid not to consider it.

And, remember, the Portal are both a

high-end noisecancellinggaming

headset and high-end noise-

cancelling headphonesin one product,

and when you look at them like that,

the price becomes easier to stomach.

So whathavewe learned from our

time withthe Portal?Wedefinitely

need more high-end audio firms

making gaming headsets. With the

Bang &Olufsen Beoplay Portal,

gaming headsets just levelled up.

A gaming headset

that lookslike a pair

of high-end

headphones

LUCIDSOUND LS50X
With a comfortable build,
easy setup, excellent sound
and bonus Bluetooth, the
LS50X offer many of the
Portal’s strengths at a
third of the cost. You ain’t
getting Dolby Atmos or a
virtual boom at this price though.
£159.99, amazon.co.uk

ASUS ROG DELTA S

This won Best Gaming

Headset in the T3

Awards for a reason:

it’s compatible with a

wide range of devices,

offers customisation

and EQ on PC and simulated 7.1 surround sound.

However, there’s no wireless connectivity.

£142.50, amazon.co.uk

THE ALTERNATIVES

WE’RE IMPRESSED Incredible

audio; premium build;supremely

comfortable; Xbox/PC, Bluetooth

and wiredconnectivity.

WE’D IMPROVE Very, very

expensive;can’t play Bluetooth

and Xboxaudio at thesame time.

THE LAST WORDIf you’re an

Xbox or PC gamer and want

a headset that offers the best

of everything, then this is it.

Providing youcan affordits very

high price,then it’s a no-brainer.

VERDICT

Find great deals for theBeoplay

Portal at: bit.ly/t3beoprtl