We get the appeal. The B&O Beoplay HX is a beautiful object. It's like a Danish design chair: looks great in the living room, and your guests instantly know you have money. Or at least a credit card.
But headphones are for listening to. And that's where things get interesting.
Sound quality: the only thing that actually matters
B&O knows how to make good sound. We'll give them that. The Beoplay HX sounds warm and pleasant, and its 40 mm drivers do their job honorably.
The VMK25.2 has 45 mm composite drivers and DSP tuning courtesy of Jasse. Jasse is our sound engineer, whose ears are insured, though the insurance company has no idea how much beer the owner of those ears drinks. The frequency response is remarkably flat, which in practice means the music sounds the way the artist intended. No extra bass boost, no artificial sparkle.
In practice, the sound quality is very close between the two. The difference is hard to hear without a direct A/B comparison, and even then opinions split.
ANC and tech
Both have hybrid ANC. Neither removes the sound of screaming kids or a nagging coworker: that's physics, not our fault or B&O's.
The VMK25.2 offers Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX support, multipoint connection for two devices, and 55 hours of battery life with ANC on. The Beoplay HX promises around 35 hours. Twenty hours is a big difference if you forget your charger at home. And you will forget it.
Design and materials
Here B&O wins. Let's just admit it. The Beoplay HX is aluminum and memory-foam leather, and it looks like someone thought about every single corner separately. Because they did. The Danes are good at this. They're also good at charging for it.
The VMK25.2 looks like a pair of headphones. A good-looking pair, but we're not claiming to win design awards. What we do have are magnetic Skini side panels you can swap out or even 3D-print yourself. Henri, our great leader, originally wanted to offer an Alfa Romeo themed panel, but we dropped the idea once we realized it might break down as often as his car.
Repairability: this is where the game changes
B&O's ear pads for the Beoplay HX cost around 45 euros a pair. When the battery dies in three years, the thing is basically disposable. There's barely a repair service, or it costs so much you'd rather just buy new ones.
The VMK25.2's pads pop off with a twist. Bayonet mount, same idea as a camera lens, just cheaper. The battery and other parts get replaced by our own service center in Kajaani for a flat 69 euros. Hannes and the rest of the team actually repair the units. This is the point where that 300 euro price gap starts looking even bigger.
Who should buy the B&O?
If design genuinely matters more to you than anything else. If headphones are an accessory to you and you want them to look a certain way. If money isn't an issue, or you want to look like it isn't. Then the Beoplay HX is a good choice. It's genuinely a quality product.
If you're buying headphones as a gift for someone who cares about brands, B&O's box makes an impression. Our box mostly just impresses with what's inside it.
Who should buy the Valco?
If you want to listen to music instead of showing off headphones. If 300 euros is real money to you, and to whom isn't it. If you want headphones that last five years because you can actually repair them. If a 55 hour battery sounds better than a 35 hour battery. If Finnish engineering speaks to you more than Danish styling.
Or if you want to help fund our Death Star. It doesn't build itself, and Henri's Alfa Romeo repair bills eat enough of the budget as it is.
Summary
| | VMK25.2 | Beoplay HX |
|---|---|---|
| Sound quality | Excellent, tuned by Jasse | Excellent |
| ANC | Hybrid, works well | Hybrid, works well |
| Battery (ANC on) | 55 h | ~35 h |
| Bluetooth | 5.4, aptX | 5.1, aptX Adaptive |
| Repairability | Everything replaceable | Basically none |
| Design | Good, no awards | Beautiful |
| Price | ~199 € | ~499 € |
Three hundred euros is three hundred euros. That kind of money buys a lot of beer. Or one child support payment for Henri. Or 0.0000003% of a Death Star.
The two headphones sound basically the same. One lasts longer, costs less, and can be repaired. The other looks better on a shelf.
You decide. We won't judge. But you know how it goes: nobody has ever said "I wish I'd paid more."
