B&B Pure tested: playful and damn good
9.9.2019
Translation: machine translated
Basel-based start-up Blomm & Berger has launched the B&B Pure headphones on the market. The Pure sounds very good, but still has a teething problem: the Android app.
"We made a pair of headphones that got rid of everything that annoyed us about other headphones," says Yannick Brandenberger, one half of the headphone design duo Blomm & Berger from Basel.
In front of me on the table is a pair of headphones. Not finished yet. Not yet perfect. Not yet ready for a review. Nevertheless, it stays with me, tested. Because Yannick is embarking on an experiment. I want to know what a design studio improves in the last few metres when it launches a product. The B&B Pure is an exciting experiment, because shortly after the first tests in April 2019, it became clear that there was very little missing before it was ready for series production. The differences to the production model will probably only be noticed by the developers and perhaps four experts worldwide.
From hobbyists for enthusiasts
Yannick Brandenberger has "Berger" in his name, Erik Blommers has "Blomm". The two started developing headphones in 2017. They don't just buy technology or even ready-made headphones, on which they then stick the stylised "B&B". They tinker, they try, they fail, they try again. Until everything fits the way they think it should.
One example of this is Active Noise Cancelling, which is still to come. It is currently still in development. Could Blomm & Berger have bought something extra? "Of course," says Yannick, "but no solution on the market suited us 100%. So we just had to develop something ourselves."
The B&B Pure has some really nice features that you won't find on other headphones. And if they do, then not in this combination. The earphone cushions are interchangeable. One set supplied is made of artificial leather, the other of fabric. However, the latter must be purchased separately. The ear cups are supplied in two sizes.
"One pair is for fitness... or something. The other for... something else." Yannick laughs. It was important to Blomm & Berger that Pure users have a choice. They then left it up to those who listen to music with the black headphones with the orange logos on them to decide how to use them.
Let's do that. Music on.
A look inside the app
The sound of the demo version has nothing to hide. Even without noise cancelling, I can escape the hustle and bustle of the office. Rich bass and clear highs, nice mids and a comfortable fit. What more could I want from a pair of headphones? Ah, and then there's this beautiful icon that pops up in your Bluetooth menu.
Broadband sound quality straight from your phone to your ear. Yes, please. In the medium term, I'm opting for the faux leather ear tips. The reason is simply that I find them more comfortable. But Yannick is right: I like having the choice.
I switch on some music on Spotify. The album Scintilla by Stendeck, an electro act from Lugano.
My iPhone also has the B&B app (Apple iOS and Android). On Android, the app struggled with a test with the Huawei P30 Pro running Android 10, but it works wonderfully on Apple's iOS. This is also confirmed with the final version of the headphones, which landed on my desk shortly before the launch. The Android app is labelled "Early Access", which indicates that it is still being worked on. Fortunately, the sound is good out of the box.
The app is quite basic. It doesn't need to be able to do much more. There's a play/pause button, then a bass booster. Yes, please. I like bass. And with the booster, the basses are strong and just on the edge. Just a little more and they would be too dominant, but "Catch the Midnight Girl" sounds fantastic. I close my eyes for a moment and let the music carry me away. All around me, my team members are discussing the day's business, correcting the spelling of articles, negotiating grammar and content. I don't notice any of this.
The big gimmick of the app, however, is the option to set your personal equaliser. Simply click on "Sound" at the bottom and you will see five frequency bands in front of you. If you adjust these and then tap on "Update", the sound will change. Very few people outside the audiophile world know what these frequency bands do. I'll quickly try to remedy this. If you have better comparisons or tips, please help in the comments column.
- 500Hz: Lower mids. Warmth and weight of guitars, pianos and voices. If you set the 500Hz band too high, the sound will sound like it's coming out of a clogged tube. Too little and the sound loses its heaviness.
- 1kHz: Upper range of the lower mids. A partner setting to 500Hz. If you are looking for beautiful sounds in the lower range, never adjust just one of these controls.
- 2kHz: Makes guitars and vocals sound sharp. Creates aggression and clarity. Too much is painful, too little makes the singer sound weak.
- 4kHz: Partner setting to 2kHz. If you are looking for beautiful mids, then these two controls are your friends
- 6kHz: Creates clarity and makes the sound "open". Important for drums, especially snare drums. If you have too little of the 6kHz band, the sound loses its presence and power, but too much sounds scratchy.
But it's not an absolute science. Your ear works differently to mine and perhaps beautiful drums sound better to you on a different band than they do to me. So try it out. You can always reset the sound if you completely mess up the equaliser mix.
Let's just hope that the Android app follows suit soon and works without any teething problems.
A first-class headset
The headset itself leaves little to be desired. On the contrary. It even fulfils wishes that I didn't know I had. Even after several hours, I don't sweat under the ear pads, or only very little. The battery indicator has barely moved. The packaging states that the battery lasts for 20 hours. According to the manufacturer, this is the minimum battery life, not the maximum. That corresponds to the truth. Or is at least within the truth. I often set myself the task of timing the time between switching on, listening and charging. But every time I've had to charge the battery, I've already forgotten the last time I charged it.
The easiest way to charge the Pure is with the built-in USB connector.
The USB port is cleverly concealed in the headband, which is otherwise only there to hang over-ear headphones on your head. The connector thing is damn clever and looks smart. The charging time is refreshingly short and after a lunch break, the B&B Pure is sure to have enough juice to get you through the afternoon at the office. If there are a few more meetings, it might even last until the next lunch break.
So, that's it. I like the Pures. They're giving the big players on the market a run for their money and I'm also pleased that there are people from Basel behind them. <p
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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