Bang & Olufsen's new wireless gaming headset is the same price as an Xbox Series X

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In brief: How much cash would you shell out for a pair of high-quality gaming headphones? A couple hundred dollars -- maybe even $300? What about $500? That's how much luxury consumer electronics maker Bang & Olufsen expects you to pay for its first-ever wireless gaming headset, the Beoplay Portal.

The Portal was, according to B&O, designed to work seamlessly with all modern devices in the Xbox ecosystem -- that includes the Xbox Series S and X, and all Xbox One variants. And you'd certainly hope so, given that just one of these high-end headsets will cost you as much as an entire Series X kit.

The Beoplay Portal has a fairly minimalist design, while still looking decidedly classy. It comes in three distinct flavors, or "colorways": Black Anthracite, Grey Mist, and Navy. Each variant has two beautiful, touch-sensitive aluminum discs installed on the earcups, and the headband has "offset padding," which B&O claims will relieve pressure caused by long-term wear.

The Portal's materials are a mixture of lambskin, "bamboo fiber," and other high-quality materials, which all help contribute to its hefty price tag. However, it's impressive in more functional ways, too -- take its "virtual boom arm," for example. Instead of featuring a standard extendable or retractable mic, the Portal headset has a "virtual boom arm," which uses "Directional Beamforming" to isolate the user's voice and eliminate background noise.

It's one of those features that I'd need to try before fully buying into it, but if it works as well as B&O claims, it's a pretty cool concept (albeit not a new one).

Speaking of isolating sounds, the Portal also boasts Active Noise Cancellation tech (ANC), allowing you to filter out "extraneous" sounds and focus on your game (or other media). If you live in a noisy household or apartment (or just have a long commute), this feature could be handy.

Audio quality is one of those things that's difficult to judge without a hands-on session with a given headset, but B&O promises a "rich audio experience," courtesy of the Portal's two custom 40mm audio drivers (as well as Dolby Atmos support).

So, how long will the Portal last on a single charge? According to B&O, that depends on how you use it. If you have "Xbox wireless," Bluetooth, and ANC activated all at once, battery life will be around 12 hours. If you only use Bluetooth and ANC, that number rises to around 24 hours. No matter what, you can juice it back up in right around two hours via a 5V USB-C charging cable.

The Portal will be available in the US and Canada starting March 30, and it will be exclusively available from B&O, Best Buy, and the Microsoft Store (for a while, anyway). Broader (and global) availability begins on April 29.

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$500 is quite normal price for high-quality headphones.

I had 2 such sets in the past, both for around $500. They both were Pioneer DIR1000 - a wireless DD 5.1 set (probably not even made anymore). Sound in those seemed phenomenal. And I did not regret paying $500 for those. Hell, I ordered them twice.

However, having said so, if this Bang & Olufsen's for $500 cannot do DD 5.1, then it is overpriced. Any headset in this price range is expected to perfectly support Dolby Headphone Surround.
 
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Nothing to be surprised of. Headphones especially some brands are always overpriced. I can buy a used car for some asking price.
 
$500 is quite normal price for high-quality headphones.

I had 2 such sets in the past, both for around $500. They both were Pioneer DIR1000 - a wireless DD 5.1 set (probably not even made anymore). Sound in those seemed phenomenal. And I did not regret paying $500 for those. Hell, I ordered them twice.

However, having said so, if this Bang & Olufsen's for $500 cannot do DD 5.1, then it is overpriced. Any headset in this price range is expected to perfectly support Dolby Headphone Surround.
5.1 or 7.1 are just stupid gimmicks that ruin the sound. all you need for surround sound is a good pair of STEREO headphones. I don't get how people still get fooled by "gaming" features like this.

As for these headphones, your probably better off using something cheaper but still good like the Sony WH-1000XM4.
 
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5.1 or 7.1 are just stupid gimmicks that ruin the sound. all you need for surround sound is a good pair of STEREO headphones. I don't get how people still get fooled by "gaming" features like this.

As for these headphones, your probably better off using something cheaper but still good like the Sony WH-1000XM4.
Gimmicks to which you refer is what manufacturers falsely advertise with their crappy products. I take it you never actually experienced real DD 5.1 Headphones. But you assume a lot. I've had real DD 5.1 Headphones (Pioneer DIR1000 first, and then DRS3000C), and I can tell the difference.
 
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Gimmicks to which you refer is what manufacturers falsely advertise with their crappy products. I take it you never actually experienced real DD 5.1 Headphones. But you assume a lot. I've had real DD 5.1 Headphones (Pioneer DIR1000 first, and then DRS3000C), and I can tell the difference.
I did and the sound always ends up distorted and weird. I prefer to use something like the Beyerdynamic DT770 (I have the 80ohm version) or something better (sennheiser maybe) for gaming and music. These gimmicky headsets can never match the clarity of a true audiophile pair of headphones.
 
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