“Let’s get this out of the way: The B&O Beoplay E8 true wireless earphones cost $299,” Séamus Bellamy writes for Macworld. “Being both a cheapskate and a music aficionado, I tried, hard, to convince myself that other less expensive true wireless headphones that I’ve tested sound just as good, or better, than the E8s do.”
“But they don’t,” Bellamy writes. “If you demand the best possible sound in a compact, wire-free package, these are the headphones to get.”
“No matter whether you listen to them using their factory preset profile or tweak your tunes, you’ll find that the E8s sound very, very good, especially for Bluetooth earphones. Each earbud contains a 5.7mm electro-dynamic driver, and offer a frequency range of 20 to20,000 Hz,” Bellamy writes. “Using their default audio profile, they offer a stunning wide soundstage, with slightly forward bass, that was warm and punchy, but never overwhelming. The warm mids and clear highs that the headphones produced made everything I listen to, from Acquiraga Drom to to Żywiolak, sound amazing.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’re willing to trade some sound quality in wireless earbuds (which we usually only wear while running or in other noisy environments anyway) for the seamless ease-of-use that only Apple’s AirPods can deliver. Properly-fitted AirPods can deliver surprisingly good sound quality. Unlike other earbuds, AirPods never hurt our ears with prolonged wear, either. We can happily wear them for hours and not even notice they’re there.
SEE ALSO:
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Nearly a year later, AirPods remain unrivaled as world’s best truly-wireless earbuds – November 16, 2017
Gizmodo: Google’s Pixel Buds suck – November 14, 2017
Apple AirPods totally dominate sales of wireless Bluetooth earbuds – September 1, 2017
The killer feature for Apple’s iPhone 8: AirPods – May 30, 2017
Early adopters adore their Apple AirPods – May 22, 2017
Apple AirPods are proliferating rapidly – April 6, 2017
I love my Apple AirPods – February 6, 2017
AirPods are Apple’s most Apple-like product in years – they just work – January 13, 2017
Apple’s AirPods grab 26% of wireless headphone market share – January 11, 2017
The success of Airpods could add $10 billion to Apple’s market cap – January 10, 2017
Apple AirPods are imperfect, but surprisingly awesome – January 4, 2017
Canadian Reviewer reviews Apple AirPods: ‘Very cool’ – December 28, 2016
I really hate how much I love Apple’s AirPods – December 28, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook tours New York Stock Exchange, calls AirPods ‘a runaway success’ – December 28, 2016
How to find out when Apple Stores have AirPods in stock – December 28, 2016
AirPods kick off Apple’s battle for our ears – December 23, 2016
Yahoo’s Pogue reviews Apple AirPods: Far more elegant and slick than others – December 23, 2016
Wall Street Journal’s Best Wireless Earbuds: AirPods, ‘Apple’s best new product in years’ – December 22, 2016
Apple AirPods are very cool, but I am returning them – here’s why – December 22, 2016
Marathoner tests Apple AirPods on 10K run – December 19, 2016
Rolling Stone reviews Apple AirPods: ‘Surprisingly awesome’ – December 14, 2016
Apple AirPods could arrive in stores as early as November 17th – November 10, 2016
Apple’s AirPods remain on track to launch this year, sources say – November 2, 2016
Apple AirPods may be delayed into 2017 – November 1, 2016
Apple delays AirPod rollout – October 26, 2016
Survey: 12% of U.S. consumers say they’ll buy Apple AirPods; extra $3 billion in revenue – September 29, 2016
Bill Atkinson: Why Apple’s AirPods are the best place for Siri – September 28, 2016
Apple’s response to Amazon Echo: AirPods – September 20, 2016
Apple’s AirPods make Google Glass look even more ridiculous (if that’s even possible) – September 19, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook: AirPods won’t fall out of your ears (with video) – September 14, 2016
Why Silicon Valley is all wrong about Apple’s AirPods – September 17, 2016
What AirPods can tell us about Apple’s future – September 12, 2016
Hands-on with Apple’s new AirPods: Stayed in my ears, sounded awesome – September 10, 2016
Apple and a truly wireless future: AirPods are just the start – September 10, 2016
The problem with AirPods is the “properly fitted” part. I do love the functionality of my AirPods, but I hate the hard plastic in my ear. I would MUCH prefer a soft rubber earbud that also blocks outside noise. When I bike with my AirPods downhill, I can barely hear the music over the rushing air. Bummer.
Still, for size, weight, functionality and and battery life, they’re the best.
Cannot get past the excessive price and the general ugliness of the design.
White plastic screams Bush Era.
Your politicizing a pair of your buds? OMG. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes you post interesting content, contrasted with drivel like this.
Did not politicize it. Made a reference to a time (Bush era) when Apple made lots of things in White Plastic- iPods, MacBooks, AirPort Base Stations, Keyboards, Mice, iMacs.
Apple then discovered Aluminum.
Not a fan of stark white stuff. I think AirPods in a variety of colors would be a good thing.
Can you say even say good morning without dragging politics into it?
I used Bush era as a time reference- not a political one.
FYI- I did not vote for Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama or Trump. I guess that makes me really political.
You should have said “stale millennial fashion era” or something without a person attached to it. If you use a presidential name in America, they don’t take it as a general period of time (Elizabethan, Victorian, or Edwardian eras are used in the most apolitical sense on the other side of the Atlantic). In ‘merrikah, stating one politicians name will cause everyone in the room to rush to opposite extremes and yell vile things at each other.
Odd, because the last competent and effective president the USA had was Eisenhower, who died before these Apple fanboys were born. Who knows why they fight so much. Both parties are thoroughly corrupt, spineless, incompetent corporate puppets unworthy of any support.
Exactly why I went with the Beats X. Very pleased so far…
I love my AirPods and have had them for about a year. Incredibly convenient, really, really good sound (IMHO), excellent battery life (which is significantly better than the B&Os). Two other friends finally got some themselves, and they each feel likewise.
The fit and comfort is really the luck of the draw.
If the EarPods that came with your iPhone fit well for you, then the AidPods will probably fit a little better. If those earpods don’t work for you, then you’re probably not going to be too happy with AirPods. You can try these in an apple store btw.
Sound wise, the AirPods sound better than EarPods, not by a huge amount, but definitely better. I have NEVER had a single pop, or loss of connection
One great thing about the AirPods is how seamlessly everything works.
You can hear beautifully using just one of the Airpods on a phone call, while charging the other in its case. When it gets low in battery life, you can pull it out of your ear (while continuing with your call), and replace it with the other. Start charging the other in the case, and keep going similarly all day.
The person on the other end of the call doesn’t even know anything has changed.
I have read some articles on silicone skins for the AirPods. Perhaps that will get you a bit closer to your ideal design?
When using my Bluetooth headphones I am usually listening to podcasts and once in a while streaming radio, not too much music. Focal makes a nice set of Bluetooth phones that can easily be had for $60-100 and the battery life is about 8 hours on a full charge.
The bonus is that they do not have the cheesy Beats logo or the ugly white plastic of Apple’s products.
Pretty funny.
Regarding your “cheesy white plastic” comment:
You remind me of the father of one of my boyhood friends.
He always said “What are you stupid? Everybody knows vanilla is the best flavor”
You can’t have your cake and hear it too. We all want great sound, amazing functionality, forever battery life, compact size, etc. But, these things are governed by physics. It is all about balance and creating a product that profitably fills a market niche. Don’t we live in great times? We have so many great gadgets to choose from!
MDN has a well trained kennel of Pavlovian bitches. Post an article about a 3rd party product that has almost nothing to do with Apple, then without seeing touching or hearing the expensive BO buds, post a selfish Take declaring how Apple’s branded product must be better because, you know, Apple is always perfect to you. Hen the peanut gallery–also ignorant of the newest other wireless buds – proceeds to sing in unison with MDN’s uninformed position.
This ain’t news, folks. It’s an opinion circle jerk.
Agreed
“MDN has a well trained kennel of Pavlovian bitches.”
Nice elevation of tone.
“Then the peanut gallery … proceeds to sing in unison with MDN’s uninformed position. [how Apple’s branded product must be better because, you know, Apple is always perfect ]”
Reread these MDN user comments please. You’ll have a hard time finding a single one of them doing what you claim.
These MDN user comments are almost entirely comprised of users’ personal experiences with AirPods -with both pluses and minuses, and, contrary to your claims, no subjective comparisons to B&O.
Overreact Much?