For several reasons, there is no passive mode for Beoplay H100:
Seamless transition from TrueTransparency™ to full ANC
By using a patent pending algorithm, Beoplay H100 can progressively blend from TrueTransparency™ to full ANC by using the wheel or slider in the app. A passive mode would not fit into this natural experience because of its far from ideal frequency response with damping of the environmental noise only at the high frequencies.
Earsense™
Beoplay H100 use the microphone on the inside of the earcup to also sense the music. With ANC off, this microphone would be deactivated, and Earsense™ would not work. The low frequencies of the music would not be adapted to the fit of the headphones.
Occlusion effect
The microphone on the inside of the earcup is also used to cancel the occlusion effect while you are talking. The occlusion effect is caused by bone conduction and leads to a very unpleasant and muffled perception of your own voice while wearing headphones in passive mode.
ANC influence on music
Beoplay H100 use a special music compensation algorithm to make sure the ANC does not influence the music playback quality in a negative way.
