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TECH NEWS
Rapha unveils B&O BeoPlay H6 headphones
Rapha has a history of collaboration and its latest is with high-end Danish electronics company Bang & Olufsen (B&O), with the release of these customised £329 BeoPlay H6 headphones.
The headphones are “designed for use during warm-up and recovery, travel, and the turbo trainer sessions necessitated by competitive cycling,” says Rapha. It’s a common sight these days for professional racing cyclists to warm up on a turbo trainer before a race wearing a pair of headphones, both to block out distractions and providing some motivational tunes.
“People use it [music] to either motivate themselves or distract themselves from the pain,” says Dr Jon Baker, an exercise physiologist and coach at the MTN-Qhubeka cycling team. “The motivational use is called association. You put on a song you like and might get inspired, or the drumbeat might give you a rhythm to follow. Dissociation, the other use, is where you try and take the pain away from your legs. You daydream yourself away from the suffering, basically.”
B&O is a company well known for its high-end sound and television equipment, typically accompanied by high price tags too. These BeoPlay H6 headphones have been customised with some “signature” Rapha materials: the ear pads are made from the same African hair sheep leather used in Rapha’s GT Gloves, and the headband inner is made from the same material used for Rapha’s Pro Team Softshell Jacket.
The headphones have a durable and detachable audio jack on both earpieces and the inline remote and microphone, enabling voice control, is finished with a splash of pink cord. There’s a Rapha logo embossed on the side of each headphone and a clip to keep the cable in place when riding on the turbo or rollers. They're supplied in a protective case with a soft bag to look after then when travelling.
“B&O PLAY is a keen supporter of cycling and they understand the demands of a road cyclist,” says Rapha’s Head of Brand, James Fairbank. “Music is a catalyst for focused performance and we are delighted to pair our mission to develop the best performing products for road cycling with a company that so truly believes in the love of form and expression.”
The BeoPlay H6 with Rapha headphones are available now from rapha.cc, in all Rapha Cycle Club stores , at beoplay.com, and at select Bang & Olufsen stores worldwide.
They cost £329, the same as the regular Bang & Olufsen H6 headphones, so you're not paying more for the Rapha customisation.
More info at www.rapha.cc
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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50 comments
2 brands that don't impress me.
Obviously marketed at someone else!
However, if you can get one of the Rapha discount codes - 10%, 20% or 30%, these are an absolute bargain...
How much do these weigh....?
Another 'Je suis une extrémité de la cloche' product from the team.
Chapeau.
I work in professional audio and cycle a lot. This product makes me sick in my mouth a little bit.
Excellent!
Would love to know why (from a rational, unemotional perspective), and which sources we can trust when it comes to determining audio quality and value for money on headphones.
We all know that the audio equipment arena is more stuffed than most markets with fabricated drivel. So where can we find 'truth'
Choosing headphones is tricky, look for brands who have a professional division. Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic etc. The consumer headphones normally have the sound tweaked to satisfy their intended audience, so they might have a bump at 2khz to bring out the vocals or a bit of bass enhancement. This is not really what discerning music listeners want. Some consumer headphones have buzz words attached to them or useless features. "Nosie Cancelling" is a good one, electronic circuitry adding value but diminishing the quality of the audio, some can't tell the difference but in professional headphones they "isolate" rather than atytenuate the background noise. Thats why at a football match or on a DJ's neck you will see "isolating" headphones like the Sennheiser HD25. Flat frequency response, detailed, good sound reproduction, without all of the fashionable design (this adds to the costs and can tempt manufacturers to "over value" their product.) Endorsements, marketing hype, exclusivity (in the case of bang and olufsen) these are good reasons to shun the consumer cans......unless you want them for the cool factor and don't care about accurate reproduction.
Hmmm probably generation gap. Do you mean sick as it is so good or do you mean sick as it is crap?
'Whilst I haven't worn Rapha (because I wont pay it) I have of course compared 'on the rail' and it just doesn't look like you get much more for all that extra money.'
Brilliant. So you haven't used the kit, but you have decided it's overpriced?
I have held it in my hands and compared it, good enough. Or do we have to buy things we don't think are worth it to then later decide, "yeah, that wasn't worth it".
"Brilliant" reasoning there mate.
But without using it, it's not good enough. To turn the example the other way, I've got a pair of shorts with chamois that feels fine to the touch and looks decent, but in use it feels like corrugated cardboard.
I've got several base layers, but the it's the Rapha ones I prefer.
i'm waiting for the Rapha Aston Martin "designed for when your chauffeur is getting you to the start line on time..."
Raphston Martin
and the Rapha Champagne for when "your on the podium celebrating the sweet taste of victory..."
Rampagne
dibs i get all the copyrights!
This is for those who love design and quality.
339 for a pair of headphones is not expensive.
I wouldn't buy one but I would probably go for something wireless and more value for money.
For turbo training, Wireless headphones work better. One less cable to get tangled up, you can walk away from the bike + monitor (to go to the fridge for an ice cream, loo, etc), and get back on. full-ear phones do need wiping down after but sound-proof against the turbo quite well.
Otherwise, if you have a roku3 box hooked up to the tv/monitor, there's a headphone socket on its remote. This lets you hook up some in-ear heaphones with a remote you can then stick in the back of the jersey.
Of course, what really matters is comfort. I've handed off some £250+ noise cancelling ones to my son as they were slightly too tight and unbearable by the end of a translatantic flight.
Well it works for beats by dre so why not?
I'd be more likely to use them to concentrate while typing a document, but I'd give them a try.
Not as good as the Carlsberg ones obviously.
b&o, for the people with more money and less sense than the people buying bose.
Bugger. Just bought these and can't get the damn things over my cycling helmet.
B&O make music hardware for people who dont like music.
Also as a hi-fi enthuthiast these are cheap, try some of these in comparision:
http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/abyss-ab-1266-headphones-deluxe-package
Premium pricing is part of the appeal of both Rapha and B&O and in that respect, this is spot on what people want... their respective target audiences at least.
Google 'Veblen goods'... high price makes some things more desireable
I bought the little Rapha Citroen Broom van model, and I really loved the packaging. Sometimes wasting money is fun.
Good choice of partner.
B & O equal Rapha for pretentious retro. They were still making HiFi equipment with cassette decks in up to the 2000's.
And apparently the cassette mechanisms they made themselves were really unreliable. They only became useful when they used mechanisms made by other companies.
Over the ear headphones aren't ideal for hard trainer workouts. Your ears get hot and they slide around when you stand to sprint. Good in ears make much more sense.
I'd have thought wireless bone conduction would be the best ones? Granted their sound quality isn't up there but ...
Really nice looking headphones. B&O make some amazing equipment. Brands are only overpriced if they make terrible products. You can't say that about either Rapha or B&O. Remember, you might not be able to afford them, but that doesn't make them over priced.
No that's not right is it. Things are overpriced if you can get something of comparable quality for less. Whilst I haven't worn Rapha (because I wont pay it) I have of course compared 'on the rail' and it just doesn't look like you get much more for all that extra money. YMMV of course.
I don't think you can get something comparable for considerably less. Price check on Bose. Same ball park. A product may just be its function for you, but it is not for a lot of people, the design, presentation, look and feel is part of the buying experience, in that regard these products are top draw. With regards Rapha product, if you have not worn it, then you can't really comment on its value or worth, all you can say is that for YOU it over price. Just for you.
Stop! Stop it, you're kiling me!
That's not quite right - £330 for any pair of headphones is definitely overpriced. There are some exceptional second hand bikes on Ebay for that price.
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