Premium fully wireless headphones from the famous Danish manufacturer Bang & Olufsen for little money, by the standards of the manufacturer. Today we have to find out whether these headphones can be called worthy representatives of such a famous brand, and whether they can actually compete with TWS headphones from other brands in this price segment.
Delivery set and workmanship
The Bang&Olufsen Beoplay E8 comes in a small white box with a picture of the headphones and the brand’s signature. The kit includes, in fact, the headphones themselves, a charging case with a micro-usb charging connector, 4 sets of interchangeable ear pads and a gray charging cable in the color of the case and headphones (after all, love for style affects).
Headphones are made of very high quality and solid plastic. On the bowls you can see matte, ring, gold inserts. These are not the golden elements you see on cheap Chinese headphones, but really part of the Bang&Olufsen design philosophy. Also at the bottom of the headphones you can see two almost imperceptible openings for microphones that perform two functions at once – calls and transparency mode.
The case is made of plastic, but covered with leather, to the touch, natural and very pleasant. On top of the case, on the skin, there is a small indentation with an emblem. At the back, there is a micro-usb charging port and an indication of the remaining battery charge of the case. Also on the side of the case there is a non-removable fabric elastic band, which is also felt to match the case and the headphones in general.
Sound
The sound in these plugs is, in principle, quite good, given the design features of this class of headphones. It is very difficult to speak from an audiophile point of view about these headphones as they are not intended for serious high-level listening. Headphones do not strive to hit you with their bass, or play music with an attack, I would rather say that they play in a more calm and unobtrusive manner.
In order to better understand the sound of this model, it would be logical to compare them with their competitors for clarity. Comparing them with all the beloved Apple airpods, and Apple airpods pro too (despite the presence of the second active noise reduction system), I will say that the sound of the “bangs” is cleaner and more detailed. Listening to Apple headphones, one gets the impression of an inconsistency in the frequency range and the sound picture as a whole. Still, Apple, whether you like it or not, is playing very muddy, given their price tag. In E8, in turn, the sound is much more detailed and balanced, which is audible even when listening to music in mp3 quality.
Also, a good indicator for me was that, unlike many TWS headphones , you will hear the difference between Flac files and mp3 files, and it will be quite noticeable.
We figured out the competitor, in the face of Airpods, but what will happen if we take as rivals a rival that is much more formidable in terms of ambition and sound, for example, Sennheiser Momentum TWS. “Zenhi”, unlike Airpods, sound much more solid, so the comparison turned out to be even more interesting. By the nature of the sound, E8 and Momentum TWS are similar plus or minus.
Good sound, lack of porridge, all this can be said about both models. Then the nuances begin. In the E8s, the detailing is noticeably inferior, the bass is just a little more, but it is not as developed as in the Momentum TWS. The Zennheisers still have a more correct sound, in the mid-frequency range, the zenkhs generally tear the E8 to smithereens. Does this mean that E8 is much worse than Momentum TWS? Not really. After all, in Sennheisers, you get tired of music faster than from bangs, and the product from Sennheiser, in my opinion, clearly cannot be classified as a premium class in terms of design or materials.
Connection quality, wireless technology and battery life
The connection quality of the headphones is good. Sometimes there were Bluetooth in operation, but not critical. He, by the way, is version 4.2 here. At a distance of 7-8 meters without interference between the source and the headphones, there were no problems, but if, for example, there was a wall between the smartphone and the headphones, then the distance of normal listening to music decreased to 4-5 meters. In addition to bluetooth, in terms of wireless technologies, the headphones, in principle, did not please us with anything.
No codecs from Qualcomm (Aptx, and even more so Aptx Hd), which simply must be for this money, I will not say anything about the Sony LDAC codec and wireless charging (which appeared in the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 2.0). As for the battery, it is not bad here. Without recharging from the case, the headphones, according to the manufacturer, should be enough for 4 hours of listening to music, and the case can recharge the headphones two more times, for a total of 12 hours. In practice, it turns out three and a half hours from one charge and 11 hours with two recharges at 50% volume.
Conclusion
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 certainly cannot be attributed to the category of “sound for the money”. I would rather say that if you love all sorts of luxury brands, like Louis Vouitton, as well as premium materials and workmanship, and the aesthetic component is very important to you, and the sound plays a secondary role for you, then buying these headphones will be more than reasonable. . If you want maximum quality sound for your money, then in this case it is better to take a look at headphones from Sennheiser, or other brands.