Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Wireless Earbuds

I have been using the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 wireless earbuds for several months now. It’s fair to say that I have given them a thorough workout. My first impressions of the E8s were that they were an exceptional earbud, but how have they fared over long-term use?

Disclosure – Bang & Olufsen provided Blog of Dad with the Beoplay E8 earphones free of charge, for the purpose of review and for ongoing use in my quest to become a fitter dad. The views expressed in this post are entirely my own views, based on my experiences with the Beoplay E8 earphones. For further information, please visit my disclosure statement.

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Wireless Earbuds – Exceptional Sound

Great sounding earphones and speakers are addictive. Once you start down the path of better sound, you never look back. Sure, you can pick up a set of wireless earbuds far cheaper than the Beoplay E8s, but that price comes with great compromise. They may do the job. That is, they blast vaguely recognisable music into your ears, often with heavily distorted bass. But when compared to a quality set like Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay E8s, they are worlds apart.

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8s sound fantastic. That is hardly a surprising statement for anyone who has any experience with B&O products. They are renowned for their expertise in audio equipment, and all that knowledge is certainly on show with the E8 wireless earbuds.

The Beoplay E8s are all about balance – about providing the listening experience that closely matches the intention of the recording artist. As I said in my First Impressions post “All the beautiful subtleties, of the music, the soft background instruments, the rawness of the vocals – it all comes through…”.

Even months later, those words still ring true. I still look forward to that moment when I place the buds in my ears, turn on Spotify Premium’s highest-quality stream and enjoy really hearing my music. It’s a beautiful thing.

Of course, individual tastes are different and the Bang & Olufsen ToneTouch Equlaizer app on your smartphone allows for customisation to meet individual tastes. For me, Bang & Olufsen got it spot-on out of the box, so I don’t bother with this too much, but it is a handy thing to have for those with highly-refined tastes in listening.

Keep On Running

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Wireless earbuds have been my go-to set for running since they arrived. It doesn’t matter how long the run, from my fast 3Ks to the 14 kilometre City2Surf, the Beoplay E8 Wireless earbuds perform exceptionally well.

They pair seamlessly with my Android smartphone and also with my Amazfit Stratos watch, although I have noticed that I need to wear the watch on my right wrist to maintain the connection while running. I assume that is more to do with the watch, as the stronger signal from my phone is constant even when it is in my short pockets. In fact, when I wear the E8s while washing the car, I often leave the phone inside the cabin as they stay connected as I work my way around the car.

The E8 wireless buds are comfortable in my ears. I was initially concerned about them falling out, but that worry has completely disappeared. Only once over months and 100s of kilometres running with the E8s has one fallen out – I think it’s fairly safe to say that was a case of operator error.

Frankly, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8s are so comfortable that I would forget they were there, if it wasn’t for the sweet, sweet music they were pumping into my ears.

The Beoplay E8s are also great for running because they are splash-proof – something I can personally vouch for due as stated in my First Impressions post

Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Extra features.

Brilliant sound is the most important thing about wireless buds, but The Beoplay E8 Earbuds also have a few tricks up their sleeve that make them even more useful when running (or commuting, or any other activity for that matter).

The first of those is Transparency Mode, which allows you to tap the left bud and let the sounds of the outside world come flooding in. That is particularly useful when running near roads, and also when walking the streets of densely-populated areas like Sydney’s CBD. I love having the ability to be immediately connected to my surroundings, without having to remove my music fully. The music still plays softly in the background (this level can be adjusted in the app).

Transparency Mode was a particular blessing during the City2Surf. That event is packed full of atmosphere, especially at the start line and at certain points along the course where live entertainment is in full swing. A simple tap of my left earbud allowed me to fully enjoy these features of the race, and then easily return back to my motivation music. Brilliant!

The second feature that I love with the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8s is the ability to use it for phone calls. Sometimes I receive important calls while running, and it’s great to be able to answer the call and hold a clear conversation without breaking my stride. I found that I could hear the other person easily and surprisingly, they could hear me clearly. I don’t know what magic Bang & Olufsen engineered to make that happen, seeing as there is no protruding microphone, but they somehow managed it. It’s a very handy feature to have while out on a run. I might be a little less willing to use it on my commute, however, as the lack of a protruding microphone may make it look like I am talking to myself…

Battery Life

Bang & Olufsen state that a full charge of the Beoplay E8 earbuds will give up to 4 hours of playtime. The sturdy and quite impressive (did someone say genuine leather?) case provides up to 8 additional hours of charge, which makes it unlikely that you will run out of charge in a usual day’s listening.

On the occasions that I have forgotten to charge my Beoply E8’s I have found that the case seems to favour the primary earbud when limited charge is left. This is important, because without that earbud there is no music at all. What it does mean is that a couple of times I have run with music in just one ear. That is less-than-ideal, but far better than nothing at all.

Longevity

The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 wireless earbuds feel like a well-constructed piece of gear. After several months of fairly gruelling use I have not noticed any degradation in the quality of the earbuds. The Beoplay E8s are crafted out of quality materials such as leather, aluminium and stainless steel, and they feel like they are built to last. The excellent case helps to keep the buds well protected when they are not in use.

That’s the thing about quality. It may cost a little more at the outset, but I’d rather have these beauties pumping their incredible sound into my ears for another five years than work my way through several sets of inferior buds. Bang & Olufsen take pride in their product and I get a real sense that they build their buds to last.

Final Thoughts

After several months of use I can confidently say that the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 wireless earbuds are my earpiece of choice for running and day-to-day activities. The sound is incredible, the buds are comfortable and the build quality is excellent.