Bang & Olufsen H6 (Gen 2)
The H6 (gen 2, with black inner foam, while gen 1 has green foam) is a portable closed-back headphone released by the Danish manufacturer Bang & Olufsen, and targeting the sub-$300 closed market, against headphones like the Sennheiser Momentum 2 or AKG K550/553. It was launched as an update (apparently bassier) to the H6 v1, but quickly got discontinued.
This is a very nice looking set of cans, relatively easy to drive. Comfort is a mixed bag : pads are not very large and headband is a bit stiff and can hurt my head.
○ Release : 2016
○ Current status : Discontinued
○ Type : Over-ear / Closed-back
○ Measured weight : 270g
○ Impedance : 32 Ohms
○ Sensitivity : ~102.5 dB/mW
○ Average used price : $90-150
The H6 v2 is a decently sounding closed headphone, with a special tuning not unpleasant to my ears. Bass is, like too many consumers closed-back, elevated and lacking in control. Extension is quite good, and because of a big dip around 200hz, the big bass does not really bleed into the midrange.
Midrange and treble are very weird, a bit cold sounding – in my opinion, the lower-mids dip takes away a big chunk of warmth, but the H6 keeps good body because of the bass.
The amount of air is not as bad as it looks on the measurements, I do find them having correct sense of clarity and a treble extension that doesnt stop at 10 khz. Sound is not very spacious, but unlike lot of entry-level gear, not too congested. It’s a somewhat pleasant and lively sound, with weirdness in the tonal balance (boosted bass, n-shaped midrange, lower-treble dip) but it works for a lot of genres I listen to.
I ultimately sold my pair because I didn’t need it and found it a bit too uncomfortable for long use (thin headband padding). I used a Bose QC25 for travelling, and a pair of ATH-A900X (both now sold) for home-use when isolation is needed. Still, I can recommend these for less than $150 although a Creative Aurvana Live or an AKG K371 are better sounding headphones.
Measurements & Resources
A bit W-shaped. Big dip around 200 hz, making some male voices sounding very thin. Bass is a bit too elevated. Midrange is too recessed past 3 khz. The treble peak didnt really bother me.
