Regular readers might know that I am more than a little bit in love with Danish audio company Bang & Olufsen for its impeccable design ethos and high quality of products that the brand has been producing for close to 100 years.
The latest B&O product to hit the market is the new Beoplay EX true wireless, noise-canceling earbuds. With an astoundingly clear sound, adaptive ANC and a fully waterproof design, the Beoplay EX are billed as “the most versatile true wireless earphone model from Bang & Olufsen to date.”
Built with great looks and sound in mind, the Beoplay EX are ideal for everyday use as well as being a joy to hold in the hand thanks to their gorgeous design that oozes luxury. The Beoplay EX are a departure for B&O because they are the company’s first pair of true wireless earbuds to use a stem design that many people might associate with Apple’s AirPods.
Designed by Thomas Bentzen, the earbuds have a stem-based profile with silicone ear tips for a more secure fit in the wearer’s ear canal. The earpiece is small enough to fit in the bowl of the ear and feels incredibly comfortable and can be worn for extended listening sessions without irritating the wearer’s ears.
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As you’d expect from any B&O product, the aesthetic of the Beoplay EX is center stage with a beautiful touchpad control with a glass surface surrounded by a slim brushed aluminum ring. The control pad catches the light in a mesmerizing way and makes the Beoplay EX as much a piece of jewelry as an innovative pair of noise-canceling earbuds.
Available in Black Anthracite, opulent Gold Tone or striking Anthracite Oxygen finishes, the Beoplay EX are housed in a matching brushed aluminum charging case with Bang & Olufsen in glass lettering on its hinged lid. The case feels beautiful to hold in the hand and is small enough to comfortably slip into the pocket of a pair of jeans.
The Beoplay EX earbuds have been tuned by B&O’s audio engineers to provide the best possible sound from a device that’s small enough to fit discreetly in the wearer’s ears. Thanks to Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation technology, the earbuds are very effective at cutting out any unwanted low-frequency sounds like an aircraft engine or the noise of tires on a road. As well as the Adaptive ANC mode, there are three levels of manual noise cancelation that the user can select using the B&O app. These earbuds really do cut out unwanted sound like a pair of over-the-ear ANC headphones.
Inside each earbud, there is a 9.2mm diameter electro-dynamic speaker driver with powerful neodymium magnets. These are the largest drivers B&O has even used in a pair of its true wireless earbuds. The result is a sound with a forward and sweet midrange that projects music with exceptional clarity and without coloration.
Meanwhile, the bass and treble frequencies are well articulated with a clean and precise sound that is never harsh or fatiguing. If you like your bass thick and thumping, then these may not be the earbuds for you. However, if you want to hear what was recorded in the studio, then the Beoplay EX will give a true and accurate rendering of the master mix. There’s not a trace of background hiss or digital compression which makes these earbuds particularly well suited for classical music or recordings with plenty of silence.
Pairing the Beoplay EX with a smartphone, tablet or computer is straightforwardd affair and the connection is made almost as soon as the earbuds are taken out of their charging case and placed in the user’s ears. B&O has included a choice of silicone ear tips available in a range of sizes. There is also included a pair of Comply memory foam tips for those who prefer a fuller, expanding fit. A brief tone sounds in each earbud to confirm when the earbuds have connected to the host device.
A full charge of the earbuds will provide up to six hours of listening time (with ANC turned on) before the earbuds need to be popped back into the charging case for a power top-up. With the charge stored in the Beoplay EX’s case, there’s up to 20 hours of total listening time available before the case needs to be recharged using a USB-C cable or a compatible Qi wireless charging mat.
Now let’s move on to the all-important sound quality from these brand-new earbuds. As I’ve already hinted, the Beoplay EX are well up to B&O’s usual high-quality audio with a clean and accurate sound that is both neutral and uncolored. The Beoplay EX sound even better and slightly fuller with the ANC function turned on, even in a quiet room.
With ANC turned on, the bass frequencies become a little fuller and more rounded, while the soundstage appears to open up slightly wider. That’s not to say these earbuds don’t sound good with the ANC turned off, but I did find that I needed to tweak the clever circular EQ setting in the B&O app to add just a smidge more bass to flesh out the sound on some thinner recordings. With the ANC turned on, I had to switch off the EQ because that bit of extra bass was unnecessary.
To test the Beoplay EX, I fired up Tidal and chose Art Blakey’s Orgy In Rhythm album from the Blue Note label. I know sound-recording techniques are supposed to have evolved in the 65 years since Art recorded this album, but the Beoplay EX showed me just how clear and dynamic the 1957 recording by Rudie van Gelder is. Every squeak – and even the sound of Art’s shoes shuffling – can be heard clearly, thanks to the Beoplay EX’s electro-dynamic drivers and their neodymium magnets. These earbuds revealed every tiny detail in this mesmeric recording.
The first track of the album – “Buhaina Chant” – is a mixture of slightly over-recorded cymbal crashes as well as silences in between Art hitting the timpani. The Beoplay EX turned in a spine-tingling performance that was every bit as good as an expensive pair of wired earphones. These earbuds made me realize how far ahead of its time Orgy In Rhythm was for an album recorded barely a decade after the end of the Second World War.
Thanks to the latest Bluetooth 5.2 technology and built-in microphones with noise reduction to cut out unwanted background sounds, the Beoplay EX are great for making and taking phone calls when on the go. The microphones do a great job of cutting out background sound, such as the road noise from a moving car.
The Beoplay EX support Multipoint connectivity, meaning they can be connected to two devices at once. This enables the wearer to stream music from a personal smartphone while also being able to take calls from a work phone, The whole process is handled seamlessly when a call comes in. When the call ends, the Beoplay EX hands back to the music or audiobook just at the point when the call was answered.
For those with a sporty inclination, the Beoplay EX are sweatproof as well as certified to IP57 standard for dust and waterproof resistance, making them durable and able to withstand the punishment involved in vigorous sporting activity.
Verdict: I’ve loved B&O products and the company’s unique design ethos for the best part of 50 years. That said, if these earbuds weren’t up to scratch then I wouldn’t recommend them, no matter how much I admire the brand. The truth is that these advanced noise-canceling earbuds, with their beautiful design, performed beyond my expectations. The clarity of the sound and the cut-through in the midrange is nothing short of astonishing. The ANC function effectively cuts out most unwanted low-frequency noise and offers both manual and adaptive ANC settings. Sometimes you could suspect that such a beautiful design might not perform quite as well as it looks, but with the Beoplay EX you get excellent active noise canceling, exquisite sound and support for all the main audio codecs. If you want a premium pair of true wireless earbuds that can tame the noise of a Boeing 777 and be the perfect gym partner, then these could well be the ones for you. Highly recommended.
Pricing & Availability: The Beoplay EX in Anthracite Oxygen colorway will be available globally from Bang & Olufsen and select retailers on May 5, 2022. The Gold Tone version will drop on May 27, while the Black Anthracite model begins shipping in June with a precise date to be confirmed. The Beoplay EX will retail for $399 / €399 / £349.
More info: bang-olufsen.com
Tech Specs:
- Materials: Aluminum, tempered glass, rubber and polymer.
- Colorways: Black Anthracite, Anthracite Oxygen, Gold Tone.
- Frequency range: 20 – 20,000 Hz.
- Impedance: 32Ω.
- Sensitivity: 108 +/- 2dB, 1mW @1kHz.
- Bluetooth: 5.2.
- Audio codecs: AAC, SBC, aptX Adaptive.
- Drivers: 9.2 mm Electro-dynamic drivers with neodymium magnets.
- Microphones: 6 Digital MEMS Mics in total (3 in each earpiece).
- Touch controls: Play/Pause/Skip track/Answer calls ANC/Transparency mode/Volume up/Volume down.
- Earbud battery: 70mAh (up to 6 hours with ANC).
- Charging case battery: 600mAh (up to 20 hours with ANC).
- Charging time: 1.5 hours for earbuds and 2 hours for case.
- Weight: 65g total (2 x 6g earbuds and 53g case).
- Earbud dimensions: 22.5 x 34.8 x 22.66mm.
- Case dimensions: 66.15 x 28.1 x 48.15mm.
