B&O Play H7 Review

by Russell Huq
Jun 17, 2016 (Updated Jun 24, 2021)
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The Bang and Olufsen Play H7 has seen some intense popularity surrounding it. Incorporating wireless connectivity and that trademark B&O sound, it’s a heavy hitter with a heavy price tag to boot. But at $449, is it worth the money?

The H7 features a stylish headband with cloth padding that matches the stylish pleather padding on the earcups. In the box, there is a carrying pouch and a headphone cable, as well as some literature about how stylish these headphones are.

Comfort wise, they are okay. Even though the headband isn’t the most comfortable on the market, the earcups make up for it. Honestly, I could see myself sitting here with these headphones on my head for a loooooong time.

Specs

SPEAKERS: Electro-dynamic 40 mm driver

MICROPHONE: One electret type, Omni Directional

FREQUENCY RANGE: 20 – 22,000 Hz
BLUETOOTH: Bluetooth 4.2 · AptX LL · AAC codecs

As we can see from the specs, these headphones offer a pretty run-of-the-mill, with what we can only assume to be a normal volume level and nominal impedance. While both the SPL and impedance were absent from the specs page on the manufacturer’s website, the designer is given as Jakob Wagner. So there’s that.

Low End

The low end of the H7 is marked by some detail, but the low end can come off as shallow or dull. Bass has a little oomph to it, but there is also some bleeding, leading to an impression of sub-par sound.

Mids

The midrange is okay. Fairly accurate, the mids might suffer from some compression and distortion, but the sound isn’t terrible.

High End

Bright and thin, the high end lacks some finer detail in some parts of the high end. Female vocals are good, though, so it isn’t a total loss.

Soundstage

The H7’s soundstage exhibits a sense of clear placement and depth. A sound this open came as a complete surprise to me – I still can’t believe the soundstage on the H7 is this good…

Overall Impressions

The B&O H7 is an impressive headphone with immaculate design and beautiful components fused into a wearable work of art. Oh, and they also play music. And while that music might have some depth and placement to it, it also isn’t without its shortcomings. But it also has wireless functionality, so it’s still good.

Recommendations

If you are on a budget and want the best sound you can get for $450 or under, keep some other options open. If that budget could be stretched as high as $499, the Sennheiser M2 might offer better sound at the expense of style. However, if you’re looking for a headphone that oozes European sophistication, the B&O Plat H7 is the perfect pair of headphones to make that new Louis Vuitton bag really pop.

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