We understand the temptation. B&O Beoplay HX is a beautiful object. It's like a Danish designer chair – looks good in the living room and guests immediately know you have money. Or at least a credit card.
But headphones are for listening. And that's where things get interesting.
Sound quality – the only thing that matters
B&O knows how to make good sound. That's a fact. Beoplay HX sounds warm and pleasant, and its 40 mm drivers do their job well.
VMK25.2 has 45 mm composite drivers and DSP tuning by Jasse. Jasse is our sound designer whose ears are insured – although the insurance company doesn't know how much beer the owner of those ears drinks. The frequency response is very flat, which in practice means the music sounds as the artist intended. No extra bass boost, no artificial brightness.
In practice, the sound quality is very close to one another. The difference is hard to hear without a direct A/B comparison, and even then opinions are divided.
ANC and technology
Both have hybrid ANC. Neither will remove kids' screaming or a coworker's nagging – that's physics, not our fault or B&O's.
VMK25.2 offers Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX support, multipoint for two devices, and 55 hours of battery life with ANC on. Beoplay HX promises around 35 hours. Twenty hours is a big difference if you forget your charger at home. And you will.
Design and materials
Here B&O wins. Let's admit that straight away. Beoplay HX is aluminum and memory foam leather, and it looks like someone thought about every angle separately. Because they did. The Danes are good at this. They're also good at charging for it.
VMK25.2 looks like a pair of headphones. A good-looking one, but we won't claim to win design awards. Instead, we have magnetic Skinit side panels you can swap or even 3D-print yourself. Henri, our great leader, originally wanted to offer an Alfa Romeo–themed panel, but we dropped the idea when we realized it might break as often as his car.
Repairability – this is where the game changes
Ear pads for the Beoplay HX cost about €45 a pair from B&O. When the battery dies in three years, the device is practically disposable. There's hardly any repair service, or it costs so much that you'd rather buy a new one.
The VMK25.2 pads come off with a twist. Bayonet mount – the same idea as a camera lens, only cheaper. The battery is replaceable, parts are available, and we have our own service in Kajaani. Hannes and the rest of the team actually repair the devices. This is the point where the €300 price difference starts to look even bigger.
Who should choose B&O?
If design is genuinely more important to you than anything else. If headphones are an accessory to you and you want them to look a certain way. If money doesn't matter – or you want to look like it doesn't. Then the Beoplay HX is a good choice. It really is a quality product.
If you're buying headphones as a gift for someone who values the brand, B&O's box makes an impression. Our box impresses mainly with its contents.
Who should choose Valco?
If you want to listen to music instead of showing off headphones. If €300 is money to you – and to whom isn't it. If you want headphones that will last five years, because they can be repaired. If a 55-hour battery sounds better than a 35-hour one. If Finnish engineering speaks to you more than Danish design.
Or if you want to fund our Death Star. It won't build itself, and Henri's Alfa Romeo repair bills already eat up enough of the budget.
Summary
| | VMK25.2 | Beoplay HX |
|---|---|---|
| Sound quality | Excellent, Jasse's tuning | Excellent |
| ANC | Hybrid, effective | Hybrid, effective |
| Battery (ANC on) | 55 h | ~35 h |
| Bluetooth | 5.4, aptX | 5.1, aptX Adaptive |
| Repairability | Everything replaceable | Practically not |
| Design | Good, no awards | Beautiful |
| Price | ~199 € | ~499 € |
Three hundred euros is three hundred euros. That money buys a lot of beer. Or one installment of Henri's child support. Or 0.0000003% of a Death Star.
The headphones sound practically the same. One lasts longer, costs less, and can be repaired. The other looks better on the shelf.
You decide. We won't judge. But you know – no one has ever said "I wish I'd paid more".
