Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Portal review: The first $500 Xbox headset
There are many Xbox headsets on the market, and we review each and everyone we can get our hands on for our best Xbox One headset and best Xbox Series X, Series S headsets round-ups. I tend to review with the mindset of “is this value for money?” at the forefront of my mind, reminding myself consistently that, ultimately, I’m trying to inform you lovely people what is actually worth the dollars. I have to say, when discovering that Bang and Olufsen were making a special “Limited Series” Xbox headset, I was intrigued… until I saw the price.
This is the B&O Beoplay Portal, which costs a whopping $500 — the same price as an Xbox Series X. My first thought was, quite honestly, how can that possibly be justified?
The Beoplay Portal represents the philosophical intersection between a “gamer” headset and a “lifestyle” headset. Lifestyle means something you can wear outside without feeling silly, complete with features and sound quality that make your favorite Spotify tracks soar. In addition, you also have Xbox Wireless compatibility, giving you a direct link to the audio on your Xbox console.
The Portal is not the only headset on the market that boasts some of these features. The LucidSound LS50X also has Bluetooth and Xbox Wireless, as does Microsoft’s own official Xbox Wireless Headset. Both of these are immensely cheaper than the Beoplay Portal too, clocking in at $250 and $100 respectively.
Can build quality, additional features, audio reproduction, and the B&O name really justify the mammoth price tag? Well, we went out and bought one, so we could find out and let you know.
B&O Beoplay Portal Xbox headset
The Good
- Best-in-class app experience with good features
- Gorgeous visual design with great ergonomics and actions
- Incredibly lightweight and comfortable with premium materials
- The only Xbox headset with active noise cancellation
- All-day battery life
- Impressive audio with Dolby Atmos
The Bad
- Internal microphones aren’t great
- Can’t dual-channel Bluetooth and Xbox wireless
- The price is hard to justify
B&O Beoplay Portal Xbox headset: Price and availability
B&O Beoplay Portal headset: What I loved
Source: Windows Central
Category | B&O Beoplay Portal |
---|---|
Frequency Response | 20-22,000 Hz |
Speakers | Neodymium, 40 mm |
Features | Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Dolby Atmos |
Materials | Premium lightweight aluminum, genuine lambskin |
Connectivity | 3.5mm, Bluetooth 5.1, Xbox Wireless |
Battery | 3 hours to charge, ~12 hours w/ Xbox wireless, Bluetooth, ANC. ~24 hours w/ Bluetooth, ANC. |
Weight | 282 g |
The headset comes in three color pallets. I opted for the industrial black on aluminum style, with brushed metal earcups, a high-grade lightweight metal headband, complete with calfskin genuine leather. I think this is actually the first gaming headset I’ve reviewed that features genuine leather, and it really does make a difference. It feels great to wear even across long sessions, with a gentle contact profile on your skin.
Given the beefy 12-hour battery life (24 hours in Bluetooth mode) I honestly expected them to be far heavier, but that’s not the case. This headset is incredibly lightweight. I also initially worried that the slim headband design would break, but it still feels reliably dense in its construction. They have a continuous metal shaft running the entire length of the product, which I can’t imagine will break easily, even under duress.
Source: Windows Central
Packing Dolby Atmos as standard, the Beoplay Portal is definitely among the best-sounding Xbox headsets I’ve used, if not the best. Active noise-canceling (ANC) is something I haven’t yet experienced on an Xbox headset, and it really can make a big difference, cutting out ambient scrawl from an open window or desk fan.
The Beoplay Portal is definitely among the best-sounding Xbox headsets I’ve used, if not the best.
Using the Beoplay Portal, games like Resident Evil Village gained an additional dimension. The lonely ambiance of the creaking village swirled all around me thanks to a cavernous soundscape and very detailed, high-definition audio. From the most minute windswept brush to thunderous Lycan roars, Resident Evil truly sang on this headset. I also jumped into Overwatch and Battlefield V, my go-to shooters, and found a similarly impressive experience. The distinctive separation and crisp detailed highs help with tactical play, without sacrificing any of the more immersive ambiance. It just sounds great.
When it comes to the Bluetooth signal, I had a few issues. At first, I couldn’t get them to pair with my PC or my phone, but after repeated attempts, it did finally go through. My Razer Blade 17 Pro didn’t like them, for some reason, creating immense distortion. I’m inclined to blame the Razer Blade for that, though, since its never been particularly great with Bluetooth. On my Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, I had no issues whatsoever with connectivity, after wrangling with the app for a while.
Source: Windows Central
I generally prefer earbuds, though, and didn’t find them to sound that much better than my Samsung Galaxy Buds Live or Marshall Monitor II ANC, both of which are a fair bit cheaper. The Beoplay Portal maximum volume also isn’t the best, which is offset by the ANC to some degree, but if you like it loud these might not be the cans for you. Still, they remain excellent for music and media overall, and of course, they also do Xbox gaming, which neither of my other primary headsets for music is capable of.
The Beoplay Portal also impresses in other areas. The touch-bar volume controls are surprisingly responsive and accurate, allowing you to very easily mix party chat communication with game sound, and control master volume. Pairing buttons are easy to locate, and do their job incredibly quickly. I was surprised to find that, despite having internal microphones for Xbox party chat, they produce no echo whatsoever, nor do they pick up game sound from the speakers. This is something that gaming headsets even on the higher end often screw up, so it’s good to see them succeed in this area.
B&O Beoplay Portal headset: What I disliked
Source: Windows Central
Either way, the mics are passable, and unless you’re in a particularly busy party with many participants, I don’t think you’ll have too many issues with how they sound. Just don’t expect to be making any content or performing live streams with this headset. Not that you could, that is.
One of the more recent trends with Xbox headsets is the ability to mix audio from two different sources. The Astro A50 is the king for this, mixing audio from a USB signal and a SPDIF signal simultaneously into one mix. This is great for content creators or people who want to use PC programs for chatting, like Discord. Other headset manufacturers, including Microsoft, opted for Bluetooth instead of USB and SPDIF in their wireless products. And sure, Bluetooth is not great in any situation, being particularly susceptible to sound corruption. However, it feels odd that the Beoplay Portal doesn’t allow you to mix Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth sound simultaneously, under any circumstances.
Source: Windows Central
If you want a headset that is unapologetically premium, the B&O Beoplay Portal is it.
Honestly, I don’t use the Bluetooth mixing feature a huge amount, so this may not bother most people. It does feel like an odd omission though, given how many other competing headsets are offering this. Presumably, this was done to preserve signal quality, but I think at least giving people the option to do both in a pinch wouldn’t be a miss.
It’s also just hard to talk about this headset without mentioning the price. Yes, it’s packed with premium materials and high-end engineering. Getting all of this tech into a densely packaged, lightweight product is no easy feat, and it’s certainly not cheap to do either. That being said, you won’t necessarily think about that while they’re on your head. I feel like you can get a comparable sound experience for your Xbox for far, far less, unless you’re particularly interested in the fashion play here.
Honestly, that’s ultimately what the Bang & Olufsen brand is. It’s all about the lifestyle. High-end, minimalistic design, across a broad product family that all complement each other in different ways. If you want a headset that is unapologetically premium, the B&O Beoplay Portal is it.
B&O Beoplay Portal headset: Competition
Source: Windows Central
Honestly, the Beoplay Portal headset is probably the best-sounding Xbox headset I’ve ever used, but there are much cheaper headsets out there that come quite close. The planar-based Audeze Penrose X sounds quite comparable, but it’s are also quite pricey at $300.
Source: Windows CentralThe Corsair HS75 XB is a great bang-for-your-buck wireless sound option for Xbox fans.
The closest competitor in the Xbox scene to the Beoplay is the LucidSound LS50X. LucidSound’s design profile is a lot bulkier than the B&O Beoplay, and the construction is nowhere near as good, with clunky action on the volume dials and no app experience on mobile. However, it sounds solid, though, and look pretty decent. It also does that Bluetooth and Xbox Wireless simultaneous sound mixing, and have a far, far better microphone than the Beoplay Portal, which is also detachable if you go roaming. Crucially, it also costs half as much, retailing for $250, but you can often get them for much less.
B&O Beoplay Portal headset: Should you buy it?
Source: Windows Central
You should buy this if …
- You want a best-in-class premium experience regardless of price.
- You want a headset for frequent office/outdoor use that can also work on your Xbox.
- You don’t care about having the best microphone.
You shouldn’t buy this if…
- You’re on a budget.
- You want to mix audio from two different sound sources.
- You don’t plan to use them beyond your Xbox.
You shouldn’t consider buying the Beoplay Portal unless you’re someone who frequently uses headphones in general. If you’re someone who commutes, uses headphones at work, or at home, whether gaming or not, these might be a great lifetime buy for you. The app experience is top-notch (probably the best I’ve used), and sits alongside some truly remarkable engineering work with impressive design sensibilities. This headset does a lot very well, but there are so many, many cheaper options out there that are probably better for most Xbox gamers.
This is an unashamedly premium product with some of the best audio reproduction I’ve ever experienced on my Xbox, but that alone doesn’t give them a big enough edge to justify the price. I’m not someone who would necessarily use these out and about either, because I prefer lower-profile earbuds, even if it comes at the loss of some audio quality.
You really have to fit into the lifestyle B&O is selling here. A fashion-forward, minimalistic design profile, with a great on-the-go sound experience, that has a side order of gaming. I am certainly not its target market, but I can’t help but admire what Xbox and Bang & Olufsen have achieved here.
B&O Beoplay Portal Xbox headset
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