I was in the market for a bonus payment treat. It was headphones or a Go Pro. I'm not exactly action man, so much as I like the idea of a Go Pro, and because I already use headphones a lot whilst working (and my old Bose AE2's are wearing out), I opted for new cans.
Having decided which way to jump, I spent an enjoyable hour or so in John Lewis in Bluewater trying out various sets. I'd read a lot of really good things about the B&O H7's and H6's and I was keen to try them. I managed to find examples of both models in JLP and with a great sense of anticipation I plugged the H6's into my iPhone. Wow…what a disappointment! Perhaps it was that particular set of cans, but they were rubbish.
I then tried the Sennheiser Momentum's (wired) which were very impressive actually, some B&W's which were pricy and very tight on my head, but I really wanted to go wireless.. So to the H7's. I managed to set up the BT connection quite easily to my iPhone and was blown away by the sound quality!
I listen to a very wide range of music and on Friday I tried them out with Rush (Mission – Live – for the bass pedals), City or Birmingham Symphony Orchestra playing Mahler Symphony No 2 (not all of it!), AC/DC Back in Black, Billy Joel (12 Gardens – Live), Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and Black Dyke Brass Band.
I always look for an open soundstage and neutral sound with my stereo kit; I prefer my music not to be boosted – at least in any obvious way.
At £330 in John Lewis, the H7's were a bit too pricy for me to write of sixty quid just to take them home on the day, so I went home and ordered them from Amazon where I saw them for £273. I ordered on Good Friday afternoon and they arrived 24 hours later!
So what are they like at home? Amazing! That's what they're like. Everything I expected them to be, only now without the (unavoidably) noisy background of the John Lewis electronics department. The sound is superb; open and natural. I can't get over how good they sound wirelessly – I was expecting more of the 'hiss' I'd read about, but it's so quiet as to be barely noticeable. The range of the BT connection is impressive too. I seem to be able to walk around the house without any issues – early days – I'm sure I'll test that further, but still, very good!
They handle the various types of music that I like with aplomb, whether listening via iTunes, Amazon Play or (as I am doing now) to BBC Radio via their radio app. All sound phenomenal. There is enough volume for me, although I've read one or two reviewers who thought they weren't loud enough? Unless you are already hard of hearing (or want to be) I suggest these are plenty loud enough, but each to their own. By the way, they sound just as good (to my ears) with the supplied cord plugged in rather than using the BT connection.
Packaging wise, B&O have clearly learnt from Apple, and it was a pleasure to open them up. Build quality is fabulous – all machined aluminium and leather. They are beautiful to be honest.
So, 5 stars from me – based on a few days use. I have a very decent sound system at home, but like the title of this says "To get an actual stereo that sounds as good, I'd need to sell my house!".
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