Beoplay Portal

Updated review: Originally I wrote a very negative review because my initial experience was very frustrating. But I've been alternating between these B&O and my Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 (2nd gen px7). I have also had theSony WH-1000XM5, and previously the Bose 700. And I have to say I enjoy the B&O the most. So I'm comparing against those three. The B&O sound the "best". That is, I enjoy music the most on them. I don't know if it's because the of how much you can find tune the sound in the app. It has a nice intuitive circular slider adjust sound and save presets. It's the first time I've ever actually enabled and used an equalizer and found it did anything positive. The app is fantastic imo. Compared to the others. When I bought the beoplay portal 6 months ago, the app was a little buggy. And I thought it was ridiculous headphone manufacturers are doing apps at all. But I get it now. And the B&O is the only one that has a decent app. Effective layout without ads or upsells, and useful features. They fit great. The perfectly round ear cups are all odd at first, but it works. Not sure if big eared people would have issues since headphones are usually more elongated. My ears pretty average size. It was kind of annoying they did not come with a case though. But since I alternate between my desk and Xbox, I haven't had a need. Kind of regret spending money on a third-party case. XBOX. One of the big draws for me was to the idea I could easily go back and forth between my desk and Xbox at a touch of a button. It was kind of a pain to get both my phone and Xbox paired. Pro-top, don't use the app. Just enable pairing on Xbox, power on your headphones, and press the Xbox button (very happy they have a dedicated button). So when I'm going to play Xbox, I just turn on headphones, and press the Xbox button on them. It turns on the Xbox which then turns everything else on. Fantastic. The quality has some issues.... They were bad at first. So bad I really didnt use them for Xbox for a long time. Bad defined as audio glitches and dropouts. Nowadays however, its much more stabe- not perfect - but I frequently play glitch/artifact free. The actual sound quality is definitely flatter/compressed compared to my phone. Idk why but for some reason I assumed Xboxs proprietary wireless would be awesome. The convenience and functionality is fantastic for me though and outweighs those things. I still often think about just getting a Bluetooth transmitter for my reciever to enjoy better quality, but really would hate to bounce around like that. So. All that said. Very happy with them, even with Xbox issues. They beat out my B&W px7 s2, and Sony XM5(returned the Sony's terribly underwhelming and cheap feeling).

Let’s start with how light weight these puppies are. I’ve had so many over the ear headphones over the years and every single one of them always has this extra weight that is noticeable when you put them on. Of course the reasons for this are understandable but when you put THESE on? It’s almost like wearing a pair of air pods or skull candies. I had some concerns with the shape of the ear cups being circular vs more oblong like the shape of your ears but for me? They are super comfy. The seal the create is also perfect which matters when it comes to the ANC (active noise cancellation). The material quality is also pristine. No cheap plastics in important or high use places like some other headphones and headsets which means these were built with longevity in mind; big plus for me because I’m cheap and I HATE spending money on things that break or wear out too quickly. The sound quality is great! I did have to go on the app to get the loudness and depth I was personally looking for and, being a musician, my ear drums probably need a little more banging than the average person but I was able to adjust them perfectly and am super pleased with the end result. I like the app too because it has a very intuitive feel and makes it easy to adjust anything I want super conveniently and quickly. My favorite part about these? NO DONGLE! Too many times I’ve had a dongle break or just stop working and it completely ruins all the features you can enjoy with your headset because now you out can only plug them in to your controller or other device and at that point what’s the point of having wireless headphones with Touch Bar adjusters, ANC, etc.? No dongle means one less headache for me. I would say overall these are the best headphones/headset I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning and HIGHLY recommend them for any next gen owner. One side note: I originally didn’t get these because on the Xbox store they are still selling them for $400+! But I got these here for $200 and for that price!? Best in class and market, hands down.

I purchased these initially close to launch , it was the black pair. While they sounded amazing ,the volume was quite low , even when all the way loud they still sounded a bit low . I also had consistent audio pop/sizzle cut out every now and then it was like they were struggling to stay connected to the console. Also the app was finicky and would not always connect to the unit. But the sound was very immersive crisp and clear. I ended up returning them as I initially paid the hefty $500 price tag. They sounded amazing when they worked but would lose connection to the console and you would get these loud pops. So nearly a year later I tried them again by purchasing another pair , this time I got the blue ones from amazon. WOW , what an improvement. The app works much better now and they are much much louder now. Still I have a few hiccups connecting them to app but it seems that they do not like to be paired with your phone , your pc and Xbox. So I deleted them from my PC's blue tooth and use them exclusively with my phone and my Xbox now. I have a corded BOSE set that I use with my laptop. I control the headphones exclusively through the app. The volume the noise reduction ,mic control ,software updates, all through the app. Overall I am keeping this pair as they are very good as Xbox gaming phones. The battery life is pretty good too. The volume is much better as well I can't even turn them up all the way they will hurt my ears. Overall a vast improvement over launch. If you can snag these at about $350 , I think that is the sweet spot. I got mine on sale for $389. I will be keeping this pair they have improved enough to keep them . Although I did have do a factory reset one time as they seemed to not want to connect. For some reason using them on PC , phone and XBOX , (3 different things) glitched them out and they would not connect to the app anymore. I think the real problem lies withing MS XBOX platform that have that proprietary connection from the console , the same button you use to pair the controllers is used the pair the headset. That connection is the real problem. MS needs to improve the connection. I do wish in the future updates you could disable all the buttons and dials on the headphones except for the power button. Sometimes when I scratch my ear , or fix my hair I inadvertently turn off noise cancelling or the volume on the headphones by touching the controls on the headset. I 100% control everything through the app , I keep it to my side when playing 2042 and other online shooters. At a quick glance to my phone I can control all the features on the headphones. Very very convenient. Overall , probably the best wireless headset for Xbox period. The only one I know of with noise cancellation and using the same pairing feature to the console as your controller. No wires at all , not even from your controller. Well worth $350 if you can snag em at that price. You can also charge them while still playing , which I haven't needed yet , they do last a pretty long time. They have preset EQs all which improve certain sounds like footsteps , explosions, etc. You can make your own custom EQ as well and control them entirely through the app. Essentially the only button I use on the phones themselves in the power button. Everything else I use the app. get em ,you'll love them , but be patient they can still be a little finicky

A month after I bought these for 400$ I had problems with the microphones. I called support and sent them in for repair. It has been over two months now and still no word on when they will even be looked at. I have email chains 30 emails deep with sorry this and sorry that it will be another 7-10 days before we can look at them. I started searching around discord and Reddit to find others are having issues with all their products and getting them repaired. In some cases people were getting broken replacements and having to go through the hellish process all over again. I used mine for work and some gaming. They are good headphones but not worth the hassle and frustration I am going through now. They were great because it’s one button to hook up to the Xbox and can connect to the phone or pc through Bluetooth. They sounded good but not 400$ good. They easy hooked to a controller on PS5 with a 3.5mm jack but the quality was just not there. If you are looking for a higher end set of headphones do some research and buy an open back set, get a DAC and a modmic you will be so much happier than the frustration that comes with talking to customers service for months with no end in sight. TLDR - save your time and money and buy a better product.

For reference in reviewing Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset, I have used the Razer Kraken wired headphones, Xbox Wireless headset and SteelSeries Arctis 9x. When it comes to quality, Microsoft's proprietary Xbox wireless technology is incomparable to wired headsets, which makes the Razer Kraken both better in sound quality and most comfortable for gaming...the only drawback is that it is wired. A wired headset carries more depth and base than any wireless headset available. Wireless technology has a long way to go when trying to compare sound quality. Also, Razer Kraken comes at a fraction of the price of any wireless headset. That said, comparing the proprietary Xbox wireless connection, there is little difference in sound quality for the Xbox Wireless headset, Arctis 9x and the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset. I would add that I favor the Xbox Wireless headset sound quality, which i assume is better because Microsoft provides frequent updates via the Xbox to ensure evolution of quality. It gets better with every update. Bottomline: Go with the Xbox Wireless headset (for price point and sound quality) even though all 3 wireless headsets I have experienced can sound hollow and without depth, but I blame the proprietary Xbox wireless technology for poor sound quality. Microsoft should really consider opening sound connections through bluetooth in the future. Comfort between Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset, Xbox Wireless headset, and Arctis 9x: Hands down, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset is superior in comfort and quality of materials. The Xbox wireless feels clunky and cheap. The Arctis 9x has literally a piece of steel for a headband, which is not comfortable at all. The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset not only looks like its for mature users, but is built with excellent, luxurious materials. Bottomline: Comfort is king with Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset. Controls: I have to say i hate the controls on Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset. The touch technology is obnoxious. I have a hard time trying to cancel out Noise cancellation, which is not a selling point for me. I do not use ANC on my gaming rig and do not need it unless when I'm on a plane, and I rarely fly these days. The best way to cancel out ANC in my experience so far is to use the app, which controls a lot of features on the headphones. I still can't figure out the touch sound levels. One slide of the finger and the volume go up too much. A quick tap down makes the volume go down too low. I haven't figure out the the balance of touch. So far I've relied on the app to control settings. Speaking of the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset app, it's good. It's nice to have easy updates. While it's easier to update the Xbox Wireless headset through the console, I'm not entirely sure how the Arctis 9x gets updates. I should add that the bluetooth connection with Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset is actually fabulous. There is plenty of depth and base when comparing to Sony's bluetooth headset lineups. So if you need a dual threat, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset is the way to go for bluetooth sound quality and because it looks like a normal headset when you're out and about. Never pay the full price of $500. The poor quality of the proprietary Xbox wireless connection should price all headsets on the market under $100 weather it's the Xbox Wireless headset or Arctis 9x. The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal Gaming Headset is reasonably priced below $350 because at least you're getting quality in comfort and sound through bluetooth applications.

Got this to use with Xbox and could only get it to connect to the Xbox twice. It would take 10 times to try and get it to work when it would connect. On top of that would cut out at times and make crackle noises. My cheap $50 pair worked better than these. So disappointed as when connected to phone they sound great but for Xbox just a giant headache. Returning them and going to try a different brand for Xbox gaming.

Let’s talk gaming headphones/ headsets & features. I have tried everything from the official PlayStation 4 & 5 headset, steel series 7, Arctis pro, turtle beach 600, 700, audeze Penrose/ Maxwell, & the VZR model one. I always find myself coming back to the B&O Portal headphones for comfort, reliability, position awareness, weight, ANC, & sound. The Portal has over 24hrs of battery when using for gaming & over 48hrs when listening to music or watching movies on the go. I’ve always been able to rely on it simply working. Any firmware updates that it needs it receives wirelessly through your phone & yes phone calls & media still work while playing. I recommend anyone that buys these headphones to just put them on without playing or listening to anything for hours & feel how comfortable they feel. The comfort gets nicer & softer over time. I’ve purchased two pairs for the days when they ever stop selling, I’ll have another backup pair. The clarity of the mic is great & audio is detailed & not overwhelming in the mids, highs, or lows… simply put, it sounds the way it’s actually meant to sound, none of that over bass BS. B&O are on top of their craft & it shows with this headset/ headphones. The Xbox players should pass on these as the iteration for Xbox users didn’t come with the hardware fixes in most old reviews (better battery, etc.). These are for gamers/ audio enthusiast with taste in great audio, style, comfort, & that try to ditch the whole RGB look. These are for adults for whom like to display their hobby with class.

Great headset, works perfectly with xbox. Recommended.