Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H5 Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds - Moss Green

Simple and elegant design - easy to use - sound is perfect for those looking for clear / clean sound stage for HD quality music (24 bit flac - plus Tidal streaming). However, fans of artificial sournd and bass bunp/enhancements - hip/hop sounds likely will not be pleased. At first I was just a bit put off by the proprietary charging dock (we humans always seem to lose these) but it is necessary to keep them somewhat moisture resistant. And they charge fairly fast. Read some of the other 4-5 start reviews for more details which I would agree with as well. The BeoPlay app makes adjusting the tone simple and effective. Just remember that if your sound source is low res. Mp3, these will reveal many of the failings and drawbacks of compressed audio. Works best with a quality audio source. And for many cost is too much which I do understand - this was my first B&O product (have two Bowers-Wilkins over-ear headphones which are also excellent) - purchased these for walking / outdoor activity as well as in office. I liked them so much I pre-ordered the M5 360 speaker as well.

I was hoping the negative reviews were wrong, they were right. Earbuds will not stay in unless you sit still. The cord is also noisy as mention in other reviews. Amazing sound, by far the best I've heard . I really wanted to go a different route than Apple airbuds but I must say the design of Apples corded have never fallen out, only yanked out by the cord hanging something. I wish B&O would follow the design of apple and make these without tips.

I purchased the B&O H5 earbuds because I wanted a high-quality set of Bluetooth earbuds that doubled as a headset for my Android phone. I’ve used the H5’s for a few weeks now under various conditions so I feel I can give a decent perspective on their performance. I’ll compare the H5’s to my very old Sony MDR-EX51 wired earbuds (that I have been exceedingly happy with), a set of Monster iSport Bluetooth earbuds, and a Jawbone Icon HD Bluetooth headset.Price: The B&O H5’s are spendy. At this price point, I expect superior quality in all aspects of the earbuds. In this regard, the H5’s do not disappoint. They are very well built and designed; they certainly look and feel like a top-shelf product. However, I don’t know if they are worth the lofty price tag that they command.Fit: I have a difficult time finding an earbud that fits comfortably and stays put. The silicon cones that the Sony, Monster, and H5 all come standard with fit ok, but they constantly fall out. The Monster has a shark fin design that keeps the earbud from completely falling out, but the earbud will back out some reducing the sound quality thus prompting me to reseat them. I found that the H5’s included Comply foams used in conjunction with the shark fin option to be the ideal fit for my ear, but the shark fin option has a problem fitting on the charger. As a result, I end up using the Comply buds sans shark fin. Not ideal, but workable. At first, I couldn’t get the left earbud to say in at all. The braided cord would pull to the left as I moved my head. Quickly the control pod on the cable would get hung up on my shoulder eventually (quickly) tugging the right earbud out of my head. The solution for this is to use the small, circular cord fastener to create a loop shortening the overall length of the cord. For me, reducing the cord length by about 2” allows enough slack that I can move my head but there’s not so much slack that the control pod gets hung up on my shoulder.Sound quality: I had high expectations for the H5’s in this category. A $230 set of earbuds should knock my socks off with amazing sound quality. Sadly, I find the sound quality to be about the same as the $40 Monster iSport and less than the Sony earbuds. I based my comparison using Black Player on my phone and high quality .mp3 files I ripped using Exact Audio Copy from CDs as the source files. I was able to tailor the sound a bit using the Beoplay app. Regardless, the Sony earbuds still sound superior to H5’s. There is no doubt that there is a lot of cord noise from the braided cable when it rubs against clothing or to a lesser degree, skin. A collar is more pronounced than a t-shirt which is more pronounced than bare skin, but the cord noise is always present. It should be noted that there is no cord noise from the Monster iSport or the Sony earbuds. Considering the Sony are CORDED earbuds, the H5’s cord noise is concerning, especially considering their cost.Battery life: The charger is interesting and neat, and much easier to use than the mUSB connector that the Monster iSport’s employ. I have used the earbuds for various activities: chores around the house, working out, and longer conference calls. The battery has lasted for the full time of each activity.Connection strength: I find that the H5 has the shortest range of any Bluetooth device I use with my phone. I can be at any spot in my two story home with the Jabra Icon HD, the Monster iSport, the Monster Hotshot or SuperStar speakers. With the H5s I pretty much have to keep my phone on my person to have a reliable connection. Any farther than 5-10 feet and I will lose connection which defeats some of the reason for using wireless earbuds. Not awesome for doing household chores or working out in the gym.Conclusion: The H5’s are a very well built and interestingly designed set of Bluetooth earbuds. The Beoplay app extends the functionality and adds a level of fine tuning I’ve not experienced with other competing products. While I wouldn’t say that the audio quality disappoints, it certainly doesn’t live up to my expectations either. With patience and trial-and-error anyone should be able to make these earbuds fit and stay in, but everyone will hear cord noise to some degree. Note that depending on how much fabric the cord rubs against as you move your head, and what type of audio you are listening to, the cord noise may completely drown out your audio. Given the only average sound quality and the horrific cord noise issue, I would not recommend these earbuds to anyone, even at half the listed price.

Week 0 - I am glad that I did not listen to the bad reviews. I seriously feel that people have nothing better to do but write bad reviews when isn't warranted. If you don't know how to operate the headphones properly look at one of the YouTube videos on the B&O H5 setup before you write a bad review. I am an audiophile and know headphones. I've worked out with the B&O H5 headphones and did not have any issues with them falling out with the tips inserted. The sound quality is excellent and the bass is deep. I was like wow this is really good for Bluetooth headphones. I feel they are a tad bit deeper than the Jaybirds. B&O could do a better job as setup was not very clear. Overall, I love these headphones much better than my X3 Jaybirds and the B&O E8.Week 1 - The cons are: The biggest issue that I do have is that I have not found a way to charge the headphones with the silicone ear fins on the headphones. That means that I have to take the silicone ear fins and Comply foam tips off to charge every day or two.The Pros are that the I still stand by the quality of sound, which is top notch. The headphones with the Comply foam tips give you a great seal. I purchased the sports and isolation tips. I love to workout with these headphones, they rock with the silicone ear fins and Comply foam tips on. They will not come out of your ears with high impact physical fitness to include running. With every version of the Jaybird headphones, I had to constantly reposition them several times during my workout, but not with my B&O H5. Occasionally with the H5, I check to make sure they are secure, which they are, but that is a matter of habit because of my former Jaybirds headphone (X3s).I hope B&O will correct the cons in the near future.