B&O Play recently released the E8, a pair of wireless earphones, along with two premium headphones. As expected, the three devices that come from the brand that’s an offshoot of Danish audio brand Bang & Olufsen look and feel sleek and expensive.
If you’re to judge the E8 by appearance, it gets a 100/100. Aside from the E8, B&O Play also released two new flagship headphones, the H8i and the H9i.
The Beoplay H8 has been given a more contemporary design with anodized aluminum discs that have been streamlined to flush with the ear cups. The mono-arm has been redesigned to give the H8i a cleaner and more minimalistic look. The playtime from Beoplay H8 to H8i has also been increased by more than 100 percent. The H8i plays up to 30 hours with Bluetooth and ANC on. With just one click, you can turn off the music and the ANC at the same time to listen to your surroundings. The H8i also has a proximity-sensor feature that automatically pauses your music or video streaming when you remove the headphones. When you put the headphones back on, the music or video starts playing again. There is also dual device connectivity.
The wireless Beoplay H9i, on the other hand, has an over-ear wearing style with a headband made of a solid but lightweight aluminum frame covered with stitched cowhide leather and anodized aluminium ear cups. Underneath the soft lambskin ear cushion is adaptive memory foam that adapts to the shape and curve of the ear for supreme comfort and breathability. But let’s go back to the E8, which is the one that I’m using right now. The E8 is not my first Beoplay device. I have the H8, which I love but can only use at home because it’s quite big.
The E8 is perfect in size and function. I love it because it doesn’t have those dangling little sticks of the Apple AirPods. It’s also a plus that the E8 comes in black or charcoal color schemes. True story: My daughter was wearing faux AirPods on the MRT and there were two men in front of her yakking about how they pitied her because she was fat and deaf. They thought the faux AirPods was a hearing aid.
You won’t get into that situation with the B&O Play E8 wireless earphones. It comes in a leather-bound case that’s shaped like a bean or pebble with a braided fabric strap attached. The case, by the way, can charge the earphones twice. When you take the case out of your purse, there’s an element of humble bragging involved. It’s like you’re saying, “My earphones are better than yours.” You’re not even thinking that, but it’s true.
If you place the earphones into the charging case, it triggers a sensor and they automatically power down. The case is magnetized so the earphones are safe and secure. The case includes different-sized ear tips.
The Beoplay E8 is designed to be waterproof, dust-proof and sweat-resistant so you can actually use it outdoors without any fear.
To use, take the earphones out of the charging case, tap on the aluminum encircled touch interface and you’re all set to listen to music, switch between tracks, take calls and activate Transparency Mode and voice commands. Everything is controlled by the intuitive touch interface on the earphones, so you don’t even have to take your smartphone out of your pocket or bag.
Beoplay E8 delivers up to four hours of music in one charge. For two additional charges on the move, just snap the earpieces into the pocket-friendly charging case.
The earphones were tuned by acclaimed Bang & Olufsen sound engineers for a rich, full-bodied and precise soundstage that will leave your ears wanting more. Each earpiece has a 5.7-mm dynamic speaker, a small electromagnetic transducer, NFMI technology and a Bluetooth 4.2 chip with Digital Sound Processing that allows for dynamic sound tuning and sound without interruption.
The sound is superb, as expected. At a certain volume level, the E8 shuts out other noises except whatever it is you’re listening to. The Bluetooth connection is also solid so there’s none of that hissing sound you normally get with wireless headphones and earphones that aren’t B&O Play.
The only con is that if you have inner ear contraption issues, you’d have a problem with this. The E8 needs to be cleaned regularly for this reason. But the superb design and performance more than make up for this.
Do I love it? Yes! Would I shell out over P15,000 for it? Yes, I would. If you can’t live without listening to music or watching videos on the go, you need the Beoplay E8.
The new devices and other B&O Play audio products are available at select Rustan’s Department Stores and soon at Mobile 1 and select Power Mac Centers; the B&O Play Stores in Solaire Resort & Casino and The Podium; the B&O Kiosk in Greenbelt 5; and Plug n Play at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.