BeoPlay H4 Second Generation Review & Features

Bang & Olufsen H4 2nd Gen wireless headphones.
Available in Black or Limestone at launch for £250.

[@minnami778]

I have been using the H4 first gen almost everyday for 2 years now. I do enjoy n really love it. It's my first pair from B&O. Now im getting the H9i as an upgrade. Cant wait for my h9i to arrive!

[@sebastianiriarte3120]

Finally this video!!!! Amazing as usual John, I was expecting this to see if it was convenient for me to upgrade my old pair of H4 and u just gave me a great review

[@soundsheavenly]

Great review as always, thanks John! I tested the previous H4 headphones against some vintage B&O headphones recently but the new H4 wasn’t ready in time for my video. Keep up the good work!

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

I liked it, those old 70's beasts look awesome, I need to hear those.

[@soundsheavenly]

@@BangOlufsenManchester Thanks John! The original B&O U70 headphones were the best of the vintage models that I tested, they look and sound great (very '70s space-age). I am now keen to try the new H4 after watching your video ;-)

[@ezrapardede1921]

B & O is so underrated right now, i couldn't get any recent review from this brand except here, salute tho for keeping it neutral reviewing the headset

[@vodanh7514]

I dont think b&o is underated at all. Most of their products are just overpriced.

[@Ipuffyy]

@@vodanh7514 how so? name a brand thats sounds better and cheaper

[@vodanh7514]

@@Ipuffyy well, take H9 3rd gen as an example. For a $450ish headphone, b&o should've provided bluetooth 5.0 and a hard case.

[@dimitrisg1374]

not to hate or anything, but wouldn't expect much critisism from a channel named Bang & Olufsen Manchester

[@user-hj3xk4wo1r]

Thanks for review this guy

[@BangOlufsenRus]

Good earphones! Design has become much better!

[@AdamEronenPiper]

So I picked up the Gen 1 versions to give them a listen and they sounded awesome, but after 1 day of use I noticed the headband already had some wear on the outside leather, its sort of pealed and scuffed on the pointy corners. Are the headbands the same on the Gen 2? is there any difference in the strength or durability of the leather on the top part of the headband? I'm worried how fast they will wear out.

[@ahmer9800]

love this video. thanks for the laughs cheers!

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@unknownunknow2506]

Thank you!! = )

[@evildead2002]

That's cool that they still have a cable socket if you want to go wired. On that note is there an option to have a thunderbolt cable from the headphones to your phone?

[@albertweedsteinthethuggeni7797]

Hi John, can you compare the sound quality between these and the h8 and h9?

[@aaronnn5384]

I’ve had the h4 then I upgraded to the h8i and i love themm

[@albertweedsteinthethuggeni7797]

Hi. If you are reading this, how does the sound compare?

[@Cesar-vx3so]

Dude can you help me? I ALWAYS and ONLY listen to rap, EDM, a d pop music and love bass over everything. I have a pair of beats solo 3 but I feel they lack bass. With that been said, would you recommend me the beoplay h4?

[@oscarjung5405]

my only trouble with H4 1st gen is that the right side would get stuck in a twisted position and at some point, some plastic thing inside broke, they still work but it is sometimes rattling inside. Also,. the leather on the top is very thin and the metal behind is easily cutting it from inside if you leave them in a bag or similar. My GFs H7 is much sturdier but also harder to wear on the head.

[@phanuphattakawong4471]

I want to know about the new generation of H4. When the new generation is coming?

[@Mikipedia]

I Love mine, they're so goooood! more or less an H9 without the ANC and yet you still get chamfered edges. Mine will easily give me a range of 15 meters or so, even with some light walls in between, so BT5 isn't much of an upgrade other than lower power.

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

I agree Micky but I can feel the Bluetooth 5 comments coming over the horizon....

[@albertweedsteinthethuggeni7797]

@@BangOlufsenManchester can they match the h9 3rd gen in terms of sound? If they can I might buy it

[@gonebymidnight2881]

I bought these and I was initially disappointed with the sound quality. After a few days I realised my mac was defaulting to the horrible SBC codec. I used a command line to force Aptx codec and the jump in quality was huge , also lip syncing is now spot on with Aptx .

[@saboss]

@Spongebob SchwanzkopfJoke right?

[@albertweedsteinthethuggeni7797]

It was burning in, not the change of codecs that made a difference

[@albertweedsteinthethuggeni7797]

@Spongebob Schwanzkopf sbc is not CD quality. Ldac is CD quality

[@oscarjung5405]

Dual device connectivity is huge!!!! The H4 1st gen do not have that and I need to turn off and on the bluetooth on phone and laptop very often.

[@proflem]

what nobody ever seems to talk about is whether the ear cushions are replaceable on the h4s. I bought the 1st edition headphones, and in less than a year, my ear cushions are in shreds on an otherwise perfectly functioning device. So please can anyone comment on whether these have a replaceable set of cushions like in the h7s and h9s?

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

They do not I'm afraid. Only the H8 and H9 family have replaceable cups. John

[@ridhwaans]

do these second generation headphones have active noise cancellation or some level of passive noise reduction/isolation?

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

There is no ANC on H4, you have to go up to H8i or H9 for that. The passive noise cancellation is pretty decent thanks to the big squashy over ear cups though. John

[@Zvarkov]

Hi, do you know if these headphones are compatible with V-MODA Boom Pro Microphone? I’m considering to use them with that mic so they can be my music AND online gaming headphones. Thanks

[@albertweedsteinthethuggeni7797]

Very likely

[@DanielEilbeck]

Did you find out on the end. Considering these now for music and PC gaming

[@gimble8638]

i hope they improve the natural colour ear cups, they have the appearance of looking "grubby" over time or extended long term regular use, but what it really is is the top colour wearing off and starting to become translucent showing thru the actual dark brown colour of the leather underneath, the headbands and rear of the cups however are done by a different process, as well as not coming into as much contact etc obv so are ok

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

The light colours always change over time, my natural H6 have done the same. Some people like it as it 'ages' I don't, I like the fresh clean look. Black and other dark colours tend to stay looking fresh.

[@gimble8638]

yeah obv darker colours arnt so bad, id prefere them just to fix the problem, i dont mind the aged look if they are actually old lol ie 15yrs old not 2yrs old lol but hey ho :)

[@TwiddleJones]

I have these, and they make a beeping noise at 30 percent to signify low battery, this would be fine if it beeped once or twice but it beeps constantly making these unusable below 30 percent. I hope this can be patched in the software update. An option to deselect the beeping entirely would be great.

[@alexanderdecebal-cuza3577]

Did they fix this?

[@TwiddleJones]

@@alexanderdecebal-cuza3577 No, but I would still recommend these for the comfort and sound quality.

[@danny8238]

hey guys is it possible to connect the headphone with bluethooth without the b&o App, or is this App neseccary ?

[@matteventu]

The app is not necessary, but it's recommend to update the firmware to the last version.

[@eduardoalfonso6567]

Hi can you replace the ear cushions of h4 2nd gen?

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

No you can't sorry.

[@ivonikolov6386]

Hello, can you tell me how I can understand the difference between h7 1st and 2nd generation

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

frankly not a lot in it ??

[@srymof]

I am the Apple ecosystem fan. Does it work well with iOS music control? What about Siri?

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

I've not personally tried it on Apple but many many customers have it and tell me it works great. John

[@srymof]

@@BangOlufsenManchester Thank you!

[@AdamEronenPiper]

Im about to pull the trigger on a set of H4, I just can't pick between the gen 1 or 2. I don't like the updates in the design. I prefer the look of the gen 1. I'm replacing H7 because the slider switch is broken and they won't stay on anymore, so another reason I don't like the change to the slider switch on the gen 2. If I go for gen 1 am I making a mistake? I think i've watched this video 10 times now. I have to admit, I don't love the chamfered edge.

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

Adam....Adam....Adam..... how can you not love a chamfered edge? It's all personal preference but personally I prefer the design of the gen 2, it feels a bit more premium and grown up than the gen 1. There is nothing wrong with the gen 1, they are still very decent headphones but I have to say I prefer the more balanced sound on the gen 2 as well. They have a more similar sound signature to the H9i / H9 gen 3 where as I found the gen 1 H4 quite bass heavy and overly bright at the top end for my tastes (though this can be tweaked in the app) Only you can make the decision and I'm sure you'll like either but if it was me I'd choose the gen 2 H4 every time. I hope this helps (and thanks for the 10 views :-)) John

[@AdamEronenPiper]

@@BangOlufsenManchester Really appreciate the feedback, thats exactly the sort of stuff I wanted to hear. I can put my differences aside on the chamfer if there is audio at stake. I'll travel down to a shop to try both. Only way to find out for sure. Does B&O offer a repair service for out of warranty headphones?

[@JennyFarley]

Can you wear these working out at the gym?

[@albertweedsteinthethuggeni7797]

I wouldnt recommend it.

[@prady1012]

Do they leak sound? I have been reading reviews that someone sat next to you can hear what you are listening to - what is your review?

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

They are closed back headphones, from experience they leak very little. If your volume is very high most headphones will leak to a degree. It depends on how high your volume is, how noisy or quiet your environment is and how close you are to the other person. All of these factors affect how much leak is noticed. Hope that helps. -John

[@prady1012]

@@BangOlufsenManchester thank you

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

@@prady1012 No problem. If you are after the least noise bleed then Beoplay Portal are a good shout. They have super plush ear cups and leak very little.

[@sebasescobar834]

Daria lo que sea por tener uno!!!

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

Tendrás que preguntarle a Papá Noel. Gracias por ver. John

[@soulman7378]

Great video! Can you still recommend them in 2022?

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

They're still good headphones and you'll probably find them for a good price now. They can't really compete with Bluetooth 5 and ANC on the HX, Portal and H95 now though. If you can get them cheap enough you'll probably love them. -John

[@soulman7378]

@@BangOlufsenManchester thanks for you reply. I think i will get them, because i don’t need ANC and the price is good right now

[@parizer1463]

"Take 'em off!" "What? Oh, them" Smooth as silk

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

Boss Man Ian is certainly in line for an Oscar with his acting ability. John

[@parizer1463]

The entire channel is; superb content

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

@@parizer1463 Thank you :-)

[@BenderBest]

Can’t decide between the 1. Gen and the 2. Gen 🙃

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

2nd gen are much nicer in my opinion and sound better too. John

[@Arman-nl6mg]

The earpads are massive as hell lol

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

I prefer 'squidgy' 😁

[@Arman-nl6mg]

@@BangOlufsenManchester 😂 Would you rate their comfort higher than the H6's? Because I'm looking to upgrade those and there are just way too many options... No B&O stores in Swindon to try out new H4s either :(

[@BangOlufsenManchester]

@@Arman-nl6mg I have H6 at home and I would have to say yes. Those ear cushions are so much thicker than H6 and you can feel it as soon as you put them on.

[@Arman-nl6mg]

@@BangOlufsenManchester Oh right, thanks!

[@GMT2019]

Bang & Olufsen of Manchester as for sound quality, what do you think about h4 2nd in wire mode vs H6 ?

[@richjohn9356]

Ridiculous that there no pouch !!! 🤨🤨🤨

[@MichaelM28]

FFS! Use Bluetooth 5 already!

[@MichaelM28]

Bluetooth 4.2 = No buy