With the Hesh ANC, Skullcandy has compact, wireless over-ears for everyday use in its program, which are bass-heavy and are intended to suppress or amplify ambient noise as required.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal is here and has what it takes to ascend the throne in the hotly contested gaming headset market.
Pros and Cons
| Skullcandy Hesh ANC | Bang & Olufsen Beoplay |
| Compact, foldable design | Comfortable and well-built |
| Fast charging function | Robust app features |
| ANC and ambient mode | Impressive battery life |
| 3.5mm audio input | Touch Bars for volume |
| Support the AAC format | No case included |
| No aptX | Lacks low-bass |
General
| Skullcandy Hesh ANC | Bang & Olufsen Beoplay | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | Skullcandy | Bang & Olufsen |
| Type | Over-Ear | Over-Ear |
| Colors | Black | Black |
| Battery life | 24.2 hrs | 11.5 hrs |
| Weight | 240 g | 292 g |
| Connectivity | Wireless, Bluetooth | Wireless, Bluetooth |
Skullcandy Hesh ANC
The tuning of the Hesh ANC is clearly trimmed for listening enjoyment with a powerful, rich bass reproduction and has a massive deep bass, which sounds well defined except for a certain dullness and works across genres. However, at high volume, the lush substructure can lose its contours, which is mainly evident in bass-related productions. The advantage is that the bass foundation does not cover the middle frequency range and the warm, soft mids are pleasantly clear, which enhances the overall sound and offers an appealing voice reproduction.
The highs appear more reserved but by no means drop off. While sibilants appear softly rounded and no harshness can be perceived, a bit more lively vigor and freshness can be missed in the high-frequency range. A connection to the Skullcandy app would also have been desirable, which would have increased the sonic flexibility of the listener by using the EQ settings.
The Bluetooth standard SBC and the higher quality AAC format are available as audio codecs. On the other hand, aptX was not supported. In this respect, Android devices that have to make do with the SBC codec, especially in action-packed films and series, can have a slight offset between picture and sound.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay
Anyone who appreciates the sound signature of other Bang and Olufsen headphones will also enjoy the portal. The mids are neatly built on their warm foundation, which can reproduce the bass crisply and tightly, appearing overall harmonious and balanced without pushing themselves into the foreground.
The portal is just as secure in the top registers. Even high-altitude material is reproduced without real sharpness, making the headphones ideal for hours of fatigue-free listening. Even though a portal with its integrated DSP does not achieve the airiness and openness of an open headphone system, movements in the sound field can always be tracked and enable clean localization. Due to the closed system, “listening in-depth” is accordingly limited, unlike the case with open headphones.
Nevertheless, with the portal, Bang & Olufsen shows how well the in-house sound coordination works across genres. The headphones can reproduce deep electronica tracks just as convincingly as playful jazz or brutal metal pieces. And what my colleague in oursTest of the Beoplay HX cited as a metaphor also applies to the portal: “Fine thread” – that hits it right.
Design
| Skullcandy Hesh ANC | Bang & Olufsen Beoplay | |
| Type | Over-Ear | Over-Ear |
| Construction | Closed | Closed |
| Audio transmission range | 20-20,000 Hz | 20-22,000 Hz |
| Sound pressure level | 99.63 dB | 1 mW @ 1kHz: 95 d |
Skullcandy Hesh ANC
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay
Features
| Skullcandy Hesh ANC | Bang & Olufsen Beoplay | |
| Microphone | Integrated | Integrated |
| Music Controls | Yes | Yes |
| Quick Charge | Yes | Yes |
| Speakers | No | Yes |
| Impedance | +/- 15%: 32 ohms | +/- 15%: 24 ohms |
| Foldable | Yes | No |
Battery
| Skullcandy Hesh ANC | Bang & Olufsen Beoplay | |
| Battery Type | Rechargeable | Rechargeable |
| Battery Life | 24.2 hrs | 11.5 hrs |
| Charging Port | USB-C | USB-C |
| Charge Time | 1.6 hrs | 2.4 hrs |
Connectivity
| Skullcandy Hesh ANC | Bang & Olufsen Beoplay | |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0 | Wireless (Proprietary) |
| ANC | No ANC | Maximum |
| Platform | PlayStation 4 and PC | PlayStation 4 and PC |
| Connection | Wireless | Wireless |
Skullcandy Hesh ANC
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay
Conclusion!
The Hesh ANC from Skullcandy score successfully reduces and amplifies ambient noise, even if the noise canceling and the ambient mode has perceptible background noise. It seems unusual that the handy Bluetooth over-ears are not supported by the in-house Skullcandy app, which means that, among other things, there is no way to adjust the sound. A strong bass sound is the order of the day!
With the Beoplay Portal, Bang & Olufsen has launched remarkable headphones. Because he knows better than anyone else how to combine aspects such as “HiFi,” “traveling,” and “gaming” so skillfully in such a stylish concept. In addition, there is a choice of materials and manufacturing quality that leaves nothing to be desired. Bang & Olufsen has succeeded in this multi-platform approach – no question about it, and it deserves a big compliment. Nevertheless, he also has to face criticism: The link “headphones – app” was often not very good. The noise-canceling could have been more effective for our taste. There is simply no adequate transport protection for anyone who likes to travel.
