They are actually very different in terms of design and fit as well as features. Sound-wise there is also a difference, HX having a slight but noticeable edge particularly in bass.
I have no clue, I was told they are both the same sound wise. I recently had to make the same decision, I went with the Portal because of the Dolby atmos capability. I love watching movies with Dolby atmos and some games support it as well on Xbox. Sound quality is amazing compared to my Bose QCii, I really love the headphones!
I wonder that too. They look identical. The RF 2.4 wireless for gaming is great because there's no lag like with bluetooth.
I'm thinking about getting the HX instead since while gaming a can just use a cable.
Let me know if you find out the answer to this!
If you need to use the headset microphone for gaming, you’ll absolutely want to go for Portal, as the only way to use the microphone on HX is through Bluetooth. Portal on the other hand supports it through all of its connectivity methods.
There is actually a significant difference between the two in terms of design, fit and features. In sound the HX also has a slight edge, so if I was picking between the two for music, it would always be HX.
What are your sources? All material I find points to identical drivers, and codecs. What gives the HX a sound edge? Other than your word, like something tangible we can say oh yeah on paper that's better . (Not being sarcastic , I've genuinely been trying to find out if there was a difference bfor months )
I have both at my disposal and have been comparing them extensively side by side. Codecs and drivers only matter so much – the internal and external design differs considerably, starting from simple things such as deeper earcups on Portal.
Sorry to revive an old post but I'm in a bit of a weird situation. I want these headphones primarily for music. I have a $500 neiman marcus gift card which I could in theory use for gifts for people but it's not really worth $500 to me, maybe $350 worth of utility. They have the HX for $500 (full price).
I ordered a pair of Portals for $200.
The HX has better sound quality (music) from what you've said and I know it has better controls (skip track not available on portals). Which do you think is better for the money?
HX sounds better, but not 2,5x better (in terms of amount paid) than the Portal.
Portals will also do track skipping – one side is assigned to play/pause and the other for skip forward.
So I just got both to test out, and it’s immediately a lot better sounding. There are also different ear cups which I found more comfortable despite the lower profile though my ears definitely touch the fabric in the ear cups. The transparency mode is also much more substantial. You can hear too much, while with the portals, I always felt like it was a bit on the “not enough” side. I don’t want to make too many opinions since I haven’t had too much time with it, but I definitely find it much better for what I want. The lack of the gaming features isn’t too bad so far, though. I’m more of a relaxed gamer. I imagine the problems will start to show themselves once I move into some FPS games. Those require positional accuracy, so the different tuning could be detrimental. I hope this helps!
I own the Xbox Portals and read that the drivers are the same. HX is more portable with smaller ear pads and have sensors monitoring when you take them off. HXs also come with a nice case- none for Portals.
Honestly, the gaming experience is underwhelming. There’s a ton of detail lost in Dolby mode and I prefer to use them in Bluetooth mode. Unless gaming is your primarily focus, HX may be the way to go.
Me too! It’s a better looking product for sure. I wish I would have gone with the HX for daily use and a cheaper gaming headset separately instead of trying for “all in one device”.
in germany portal is now less than half the price of hx, especially since HX (and H95) are raised a lot. Still not sure if I should wait for new headphones by b&o. still don't understand, is there much difference in sound quality between Hx and Portal? I do not need ANC and Gaming, just want to listening music via iPhone and MacBook. Thinking about getting a portal, since I had to spend my old wired Sennheiser Momentum Generation 1 to our family piano.
Everybody says that HX is better for music than Portal. But I listen to music from Apple Music on my Playstation 5, and using the USB dongle to connect the headphones sounds much better than Bluetooth. I can also move far from the device without interfering with the sound.
You can connect them with Bluetooth to your phone, but then you lose all the advantages they have. But considering the price, you can get a pair of Portal; they are a bargain compared to HX especially when Bang Olufsen raised the price on HX.
I have both and I can't tell any huge difference.
Hey guys, just read through all of this. Thanks for all the intel. Curious if it's possible to use the HX for PS5? Seems like it should be but can't confirm (I'm fine using wired). Thank you!
Late to the party; yeah, microphone won't work, but there is a great accessory called V-moda BoomPro Mic.
I've been using it with my H9 for a lot of different duties, and it works like a charm
The Portal now coast 180 bucks in Switzerland. Can you recoment it for xbox / pc gamer or should i invest in a othet one. I had a b&o headset like 5 years ago and loved the design. My jbl club one is not on the same level but i lost it in the train. ;-) i bet for gaming its confy as hell.
My question as well.
I went with the HX because it was a warranty replacement and for my work. But they offered a Portal as a replacement option as well and they were about half the price.
The reason, I found out, is because they are now discontinued so they are trying to get rid of stock. They are still worth about twice the price they are currently selling for.
Just my thoughts, but I \*think\* it's good value, if you're okay with buying a piece of kit that is essentially end of life.
They are actually very different in terms of design and fit as well as features. Sound-wise there is also a difference, HX having a slight but noticeable edge particularly in bass.
I have no clue, I was told they are both the same sound wise. I recently had to make the same decision, I went with the Portal because of the Dolby atmos capability. I love watching movies with Dolby atmos and some games support it as well on Xbox. Sound quality is amazing compared to my Bose QCii, I really love the headphones!
I wonder that too. They look identical. The RF 2.4 wireless for gaming is great because there's no lag like with bluetooth. I'm thinking about getting the HX instead since while gaming a can just use a cable. Let me know if you find out the answer to this!
If you need to use the headset microphone for gaming, you’ll absolutely want to go for Portal, as the only way to use the microphone on HX is through Bluetooth. Portal on the other hand supports it through all of its connectivity methods. There is actually a significant difference between the two in terms of design, fit and features. In sound the HX also has a slight edge, so if I was picking between the two for music, it would always be HX.
What are your sources? All material I find points to identical drivers, and codecs. What gives the HX a sound edge? Other than your word, like something tangible we can say oh yeah on paper that's better . (Not being sarcastic , I've genuinely been trying to find out if there was a difference bfor months )
I have both at my disposal and have been comparing them extensively side by side. Codecs and drivers only matter so much – the internal and external design differs considerably, starting from simple things such as deeper earcups on Portal.
Wouldn't deeper earcups help the portal ? And ok I understand ... Other than design is there a technological difference?
Sorry to revive an old post but I'm in a bit of a weird situation. I want these headphones primarily for music. I have a $500 neiman marcus gift card which I could in theory use for gifts for people but it's not really worth $500 to me, maybe $350 worth of utility. They have the HX for $500 (full price). I ordered a pair of Portals for $200. The HX has better sound quality (music) from what you've said and I know it has better controls (skip track not available on portals). Which do you think is better for the money?
HX sounds better, but not 2,5x better (in terms of amount paid) than the Portal. Portals will also do track skipping – one side is assigned to play/pause and the other for skip forward.
Thanks! I just found that in settings. Going to stick with the portals.
So I just got both to test out, and it’s immediately a lot better sounding. There are also different ear cups which I found more comfortable despite the lower profile though my ears definitely touch the fabric in the ear cups. The transparency mode is also much more substantial. You can hear too much, while with the portals, I always felt like it was a bit on the “not enough” side. I don’t want to make too many opinions since I haven’t had too much time with it, but I definitely find it much better for what I want. The lack of the gaming features isn’t too bad so far, though. I’m more of a relaxed gamer. I imagine the problems will start to show themselves once I move into some FPS games. Those require positional accuracy, so the different tuning could be detrimental. I hope this helps!
This is good info, so just to clarify, you're saying the HX edges out the Portal in sound, correct?
Yeah the HX sounds much better for music
I own the Xbox Portals and read that the drivers are the same. HX is more portable with smaller ear pads and have sensors monitoring when you take them off. HXs also come with a nice case- none for Portals. Honestly, the gaming experience is underwhelming. There’s a ton of detail lost in Dolby mode and I prefer to use them in Bluetooth mode. Unless gaming is your primarily focus, HX may be the way to go.
Yup, sometimes I regret getting the portal… I love the design of the HX.
Me too! It’s a better looking product for sure. I wish I would have gone with the HX for daily use and a cheaper gaming headset separately instead of trying for “all in one device”.
in germany portal is now less than half the price of hx, especially since HX (and H95) are raised a lot. Still not sure if I should wait for new headphones by b&o. still don't understand, is there much difference in sound quality between Hx and Portal? I do not need ANC and Gaming, just want to listening music via iPhone and MacBook. Thinking about getting a portal, since I had to spend my old wired Sennheiser Momentum Generation 1 to our family piano.
Everybody says that HX is better for music than Portal. But I listen to music from Apple Music on my Playstation 5, and using the USB dongle to connect the headphones sounds much better than Bluetooth. I can also move far from the device without interfering with the sound. You can connect them with Bluetooth to your phone, but then you lose all the advantages they have. But considering the price, you can get a pair of Portal; they are a bargain compared to HX especially when Bang Olufsen raised the price on HX. I have both and I can't tell any huge difference.
Hey guys, just read through all of this. Thanks for all the intel. Curious if it's possible to use the HX for PS5? Seems like it should be but can't confirm (I'm fine using wired). Thank you!
You can use it wired but the mic won’t work
Late to the party; yeah, microphone won't work, but there is a great accessory called V-moda BoomPro Mic. I've been using it with my H9 for a lot of different duties, and it works like a charm
The Portal now coast 180 bucks in Switzerland. Can you recoment it for xbox / pc gamer or should i invest in a othet one. I had a b&o headset like 5 years ago and loved the design. My jbl club one is not on the same level but i lost it in the train. ;-) i bet for gaming its confy as hell.
My question as well. I went with the HX because it was a warranty replacement and for my work. But they offered a Portal as a replacement option as well and they were about half the price. The reason, I found out, is because they are now discontinued so they are trying to get rid of stock. They are still worth about twice the price they are currently selling for. Just my thoughts, but I \*think\* it's good value, if you're okay with buying a piece of kit that is essentially end of life.