B&o play H3 & H6

I think the H6 are being delivered to dealers at this very moment. I listened to the H6 a few days ago. I think they sounded very nice. 

Off topic, but to Chris' earlier point -

Today I read the Bose have announced  QC20 noise cancelling earbuds (£259). Initial sneak previews sound quite good.

Hi Guys,

I have my own pair of the H6 on my head right now (in black). After spying them from the corner of my eyes on an unscheduled walk past the shop last week I popped in and had a quick listen on the stores iPad (tea tray).
I was initially quite impressed, but didn't trust the tea tray or 192kbps spotify tracks to be a good source, so went back with my trusty iPod I know the sound of very very well, and spent a good hour sat there on a quiet morning listening. Needless to say I walked out of the shop with a pair.

They are the most comfortable headphones I've worn. No vice-like grip, no angular Form 1 bits pressing into your ears, and the lambskin is soft and supple. I have glasses, so most headphones (well B&O ones mostly) cause fatigue on my temples. None with these...

So the sound:
I own multiple variants of the U70 and the Form 1's (never took to the Form 2's sound), and my dad's 1985 pair of Form 1's are my most favorite sounding headphones. They embody the sound of the uniphase S80's and MS150's I have come to know and love, which is why I like them so much.
However, the foams have gone once again (fourth set) and nobody in the world it seems can source me a set of replacement bits.

I spent the whole first half of this year looking for a new pair I could just plug into my iPod (no amp or other gubbins required) and be in audio bliss, or better than the Form 1's. I tried Sony, Grado's, HD600/800's, P5's, AKG offerings. But nothing was loud enough out of the box direct into my iPod, and nothing left me satisfied as I was from the Form 1's.

The H6's are on par with the F1's with detail and imaging (which I had thought impossible), and the spaciousness and soundstage are very very good. Reproduction of all frequencies is very faithful until that 20-50Hz headphone grey area - but they do make a noise albeit very faint at these lowest of low frequencies, which is more than the F1's ever did. And there's no massive extension on those highest of notes >15kHz The H6 is much more controlled and relaxing (not shrill or harsh).

Having said this, it is a different listening experience between over-ear and on-ear. One which I now know the benefits and drawbacks of having been swapping these two pairs of headphones constantly these last few days. One which does effect the sound and more importantly, the experience. I am hearing new things from my usual musical collection, but missing things the Form 1's did so well in others.

It would be very fair to say the presentation is excellent, however, once a complicated passage comes a long with an incredible amount going on, some of the detail is sacrificed (which never happened on F1), but the sound is more impact-full and lively to balance this.

Now they are worn-in and consistent when I am listening I am very happy with the H6. And seems as the F1 kill me when they're on my head, they will now be my default headphone of reference (although I'm sure the F1's will be coming out from time to time still, as I love them so much).

I hope this helps anyone teetering on the edge of a purchase, either way. But I would recommend you take your own portable source down to a dealer, and have a listen for yourself. Just bear in mind that they are still new out, and most dealers won't have got their pair worn-in just quite yet...

Thanks!
Sam

Great review - thanks for it and the advice

Sunday we picked up a pair of H6's for my wife. A couple of weeks ago shed listened to a pair and fell in love with them, so we put down a deposit. They were due in Aug 1st but arrived early. She opted for the tan ones.

My impressions follow. First, a very attractive and obviously high quality product. Visually you can see the quality of the materials, I love the tan and aluminum together. The cord is very well made, solid connectors, and very adaptable, you can select which ear to plug it into, and daisy chain to another pair of phones. The quality and comfort of the sheepskin ear pads are amazing, the memory foam coupled with the buttery soft leather makes then really outstandingly comfortable even with glasses on, and the phones are very light. These are the most comfortable headphones I've ever used by a large margin. 

Sonically they are very, very good. Open, smooth but still detailed, unfatiguing. The last set of cans I had were a pair of JVC HA-D990's, closed back around the ear types. They sounded great, after I bought them I found out they were on Stereophiles recommended components list, and I actually agree that they were that good. Compared with the H6 I think they had a bit better bass, being a completely sealed back approach with large drivers, but we're also nowhere near as comfortable and heavier. For anything but deep bass I think the H6 are the equal of the JVCs. And the JVCs definitely couldn't be driven by a portable music device to any decent level. Given the choice I'd pick the H6 over the JVC with no hesitation. 

An excellent product. And for comparison the JVCs were almost $250 a pair in the mid 1990's, so the price is about the same and not out of line for the quality of the H6's. This is the first audio product my wife has ever shown enough interest in to ever lust after and buy. She loves the look and sound of my BS9000/BL8000 system but nothing like her appreciation for the headphones. 

Hi all, I've just bought H6 from Hong Kong dealer. When I connect it to iPhone 4, the performance is poor......But when I connect to iPod Classic, the sound is really superb, rich bass & full of details :)

Is there anyone who has used their H6 together with their Beosystem or Beosound stereo? Is the sound better than if you use it together with an iPod or iPad.

Hubbe:

Is there anyone who has used their H6 together with their Beosystem or Beosound stereo? Is the sound better than if you use it together with an iPod or iPad.

Haven't tried it yet with my wife's new pair of H6's as I haven't been able to get them away from her yet! I will have to do that soon, with my BS9000. I imagine they will sound better, the headphone amps in the little portable things like the iPod and such are pretty marginal. Having to work off current limited low voltage devices presents limitations.

I've got a H6 for press test currently (will be replaced by a test H3 soon), and yes, I've tried.

a) On an iPhone 4, the sound is good, but not as good as one could hope from such an expensive headphone. I must try with a 4S (doesn't have a 5 here). Lacks a bit of definition and bass (listening to DS Audio or Qobuz with uncompressed files, no itunes there). I have no big hopes that the sound is better on a 4S because on my iPad 4 it's just marginally better than on an iPhone 4, if it's not just a placebo effect (not the rock band, the effect!).

b) It is INCOMPATIBLE with my beosound 5 Encore!!!! And I think with any Beosound! B&O doesn't provide a standard jack plug or adapter (only one with 4 conductors instead of 3), so the sound coming from the beosound is just unbearable!

c) If you've got an adapter for the jack (fortunately I had an adapter from a Philips headphone there), the sound is better on a Beosound than on an iPhone, specially on the bass side.

Conclusion : the iPhone 4 integrated "amp" seems to be a bit short in power to drive the big H6 drivers.

I don´t think an iPhone 4S will sound any better. I tried both the H3 and H6 on my iPhone 4S streaming music from Spotify. I found the H6 a bit lacking in bas. With that said the sound was very nice and balanced. If I was to buy the H6 I would use it together with my Beosystem 7000 or V1. If I was after a set for an iPhone I would buy the H3. In theory the H6 should sound better with a better amplifier as built in in the Beosystems and Beosounds.

About the adapter. It seems stupid that one should need to use one to be able to use the headphones together with a Beosound. Guess I will need to borrow a set of H6 and try it myself on the Beosystem.