Bang & Olufsen has announced its new Beoplay H100 headphones are now available for sale. The flagship headphone is priced at $1,549 U.S./1499 EUR , and replaces the company’s H95 headphones. The Danish company says the H100 is improved in every way from its predecessor, from “unrivalled high-quality sound, outstanding digital noise cancellation, and a new modular construction.” The headphones feature 40mm custom-made titanium drivers housed behind aluminium grills. The H100 delivers Hi-Res sound, tuned by renowned Bang & Olufsen “tonmeisters.”
“Beoplay H100 elevates what we have accomplished over the past ten decades and defines our future: an era where beautiful sound is built to last. It represents the true potential of what a Bang & Olufsen audio wearable can be, and we cannot wait to bring the headphones to our customers,” says Bang & Olufsen CEO Kristian Teär.
Extra detail for material choices
He adds that the new headphone design is inspired by its Beolab speakers that focus on material excellence and circularity and features a smooth, scratch-resistant and hardened glass touch interface on the side of the headphones. Together with precision haptic dials and tactile buttons, all essential controls are easily accessible. The new detachable inner headband, wrapped in knitted textile, has been ergonomically designed to provide all day breathability and comfort. Teär says even the earpad cushions covered in soft lambskin leather have been adapted to provide an experience that feels as good as it sounds. The headphones come in three colours: Infinite Black, Hourglass Sand and Sunset Apricot.
“Designing an immersive sound experience with ultimate comfort has been key in the development process when creating Beoplay H100,” says Bang & Olufsen Head of Design, Tiina Kierysch. “We wanted to utilise high quality materials and colours inspired by fine jewellery to create a timeless and sophisticated design. With the solid sheen of aluminium, softness of leather and cold-to-the-touch glass, Beoplay H100 doesn’t just champion sound excellence, it feels like design excellence,” she continues.
When Beoplay H100 is outside the pouch and not being worn, it enters a low-power mode, extending standby time up to 90 dayswhile remaining ready to activate when worn. If stored in the pouch, the headphones power fully off, enabling more than a year of standby time.
Improved noise cancelling performance
The headphones also allow you to control the impact of environmental noise when commuting or traveling. This is achieved by utilizing a microphone system that delivers clear audio even in very demanding situations. Bang & Olufsen claims the performance of its active noise cancellation (ANC) is more than double that of the Beoplay H95. The B100 includes EarSense technology that “tailors the sound to the wearer’s unique fit in real time while you are listening to music on the go.” Bang & Olufsen says it’s committed to product circularity, repairability and longevity with the Beoplay H100 and backs it up with an extended five-year warranty.
“We are excited to bring our modular design thinking to Bang & Olufsen’s wearables category for the first time, and it is the right step towards our on-going journey to improve product circularity across our entire portfolio. For Beoplay H100, we’ve prioritised longevity, maintenance and repairability through modular design. We have also developed our software with the future in mind so that the headphones can adapt and evolve with new technologies for a truly timeless design,” says Bang & Olufsen’s Head of Product Circularity and Portfolio Planning, Mads Kogsgaard Hansen.