Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Review

Bang & Olufsen's first take on wire-free earbuds - the Beoplay E8s - are almost the anti-AirPods.

While the long, extruded design makes it impossible to not notice a pair of AirPods, E8s are sleek and understated. They're a bit larger than you'd expect a single headphone bud to be, but they don’t call attention to themselves.

Some will prefer the more attention grabbing AirPods, some will prefer the more subtle look of the E8s. The problem is, you can almost buy two pairs of AirPods for the E8s' $449 asking price.

So are the Beoplay E8s worth the money?

Whether or not you should part ways with $449 for pair of earbuds really comes down to who you are and exactly what it is you want from your headphones. If you can justify the money, the good news is the E8s sound better than they should for their size.

The E8s produce a full, warm sound, along with some of the best bass we've heard in a pair of earbuds. On a low-end driven track like Run the Jewels' "Call Ticketron", the kick drum drives right into your skull. Sub-bass frequencies - such as in Childish Gambino's "3005" are present, but a touch more subdued. Rock and metal benefit from a little extra bite, but if you prefer your music on the calmer side, the warm low-end can provide more body. Acoustic heavy Opeth number "Windowpane" comes across incredibly full; you could almost believe you're wearing over-ear headphones, rather than in-ear buds.

The E8s stand out for their low-end punch, but not at the cost of clarity in the mid-range or high-end frequencies. While you can definitely ~feel~ the bass on some tracks, it's not overwhelming. It feels natural; a lively balance between more sterile studio headphones and big bass alternatives.

While we thought the E8s sounded great of the box, there's a companion app that gives you a bit of wiggle room if you want to tweak the sound profile to your own personal preferences.

Comfort and quirks

Of course, audio quality means nothing if headphones aren’t comfortable. Thankfully, the E8s are easy to wear for hours at a time. Despite the top loaded design, they don't feel heavy in the ear - well, at least in my ears. There's four different sizes of silicon tips in the box (and one pair of Complyfoam tips), so you'll want to spend some time finding the right pair to ensure they sit snug and sound as good as possible. While the E8s aren't billed as active headphones, I never had any issues with them coming loose when working out.

The E8 aren't noise-cancelling headphones, but they do a good job of blocking out ambient sounds when you've got music playing. They managed to drown out the fellow loudly snoring next to me on recent flight back from Barcelona, and to be honest, that's all I want. Being able to completely ignore my gym's crappy playlist is just a bonus.

This is probably the E8s' biggest practical advantage over a pair of AirPods; Apple's wire-free buds don't sit as deep in your ear, so external noise bleeds in easily.

While the E8s sound great, there are some minor connectivity issues. Every now and again, the left earbud would flicker out for a fraction of a second before kicking back in. If this happened on a more regular basis, this would have been a deal breaker. As it stands, it's a slight annoyance. The connectivity isn't flawless, but the E8s have been one of the more reliable wire-free earbuds we've tested.

After you first pair the E8s with your phone, they're meant to spring to life instantly whenever you take them out of their carry case. We found this to be a little inconsistent; half the time they'd turn on, the other half I'd need to give the right bud a tap. In the same vein, the buds are meant to stop your tunes when you take them out of your ears, and again, this didn't always work. We found that removing the right earbud first would mute the left, but it would keep playing. Removing the left bud first paused both.

Taps are also used for controlling your music without touching your paired device. You can do almost anything with gestures, but learning them is a bit overwhelming, and the actual execution can be finnicky. For example, three taps on the right ear buds brings up Siri or Google Assistant, two taps on either bud is used to go back and forth through your playlist, or holding a bud for five seconds will reject a call. And that's just the start. If you're not careful, tapping the buds can drive them deeper into your ear, which needless to say, isn't exactly a pleasant experience.

Who are the Beoplay E8s for?

The Beoplay E8s are a great pair of headphones, but they're also expensive. $449 is a lot to pay for a pair of earbuds. They sound good, they're sleek, they work well, and fit the is comfortable, but the same kind of money gets you a fantastic pair of over-ear headphones.

As with all B&O products, you're paying a premium for brand and design. Aesthetically, the E8s are easily the cleanest wire-free earbuds on the market; at $349, they'd be very easy to recommend, at $449, it comes down to how much you value design.

If you're after a pair of wire-free buds, want excellent sound, and can stomach the premium, the Beoplay E8s are worth your while. They're not quite as seamless as AirPods thanks to a few connectivity quirks, but they're an excellent first attempt at true wireless with sound quality that surpasses their size. And you know, they work well outside of Apple's walled garden.

Just don't lose them, because replacements are equally pricey. A left or right bud will set you back $199, and a new charging case another $149.

I don't want Beoplay E8s, what else can I buy?

Apple AirPods

Provided you're an iPhone owner, AirPods are the gold standard in terms of wire-free connectivity; they're almost flawless. The sound quality isn't on par with the E8s, and they do a poor job of cutting out background noise, but they win on convenience. AirPods just work. 

Unless you're trying to pair them with an Android smartphone: they lose of all of their connectivity magic, which makes them very prone to drop outs.

Jabra Elite 65t

The Jabra Elite 65ts don't look quite as nice as the E8s, but they come in at $299, which might be a bit easier to stomach. They still sound good, and are reliable when it comes to wire-free connectivity.

Bose QC35 II

If you're not convinced about wire-free buds, you can always drop an extra $50 and get a pair of Bose QC35s. The QC35s are some of the best noise-cancelling headphones around. The sound quality is top notch, they're comfortable enough to wear for days on end, and they're relatively compact when you fold them up. While the QC35s clearly fulfil a different need to wire-free earbuds, if you only want one pair of headphones, these should be on your short list.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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