nmurat's Full Review: Bang & Olufsen A8 Consumer Headphones
The long long search
I've searched high and low for as long as I can remember for quality, comfortable earphones for when I'm on the go. It started with the Walkman, then the Discman, and now with my trusted Mini Disc player (I have a Sony MZ-R900 Mini Disc player which I highly recommend).
I've always preferred the earbud style to the headset style because it's easier if you're wearing a cap of some sorts or if you're trying to sleep on a plane and want to rest your head without having your eardrum crushed.
Unfortunately, I haven't found a single pair of ear bud headphones that actually stay properly in my ears. It's not that I have Spock or cauliflower ears, but somehow I can't find a pair that stays put - even when I jam them in as far as I can.
I even tried more expensive headphones such as the Sony Fontopia MDR-E888LP and Sony MDR-EX70LP. While the E888s are wonderful and provided excellent sound, they kept falling out unless I stayed completely immobile (like that's ever going to happen). The EX70 is an in-ear plug system with different sized plugs - you literally stick them into your ear like the earplugs you use to block sound out. This was better (and provided excellent bass) but they still kept popping-out after a while because all ears, however much you like Q-Tips, still have a bit of wax in them. So both of them are in a drawer somewhere effectively new and unused (want em?).
Serendipity strikes
So I had effectively given up when while I was walking around London (see my review a cool hotel in London) last week this huge subwoofer in a storefront caught my eye. And then next to it was this little pair of Bang Olufsen earphones... And that's how the love story began.
After a 3 minute trial, I was out of the store and on my way with my very own Bang Olufsen A8 Earphones.
As most people have stated, B&O products are fairly expensive and while the A8s are not immune to that, they are probably the least expensive B&O product you'll ever buy. I bought them for about $120 in London. I believe they are more expensive state-side in the store, but have found them in that $120 range on the web. As you will read, however, I think the price is well worth for the quality of the product.
Great fit and comfort
Each earphone weighs 8 grams (0.28 ounces) and consists of a stainless aluminum shaft that moves up and down on a hydraulic slide, the actual earphone that swivels around the shaft and an-around the ear "hook" that opens and closes. (sounds kinda odd, i know). As you can see from the picture at the top, they are quite small. The size specs are 35 x 59 x 14 mm or 1 3/8" x 2 5/16" x 9/16".
You simply put them on like a pair of glass and then position the earphone over your ear. The speaker itself is slightly larger than traditional ear bud speakers You can move the main shaft up down. They come with earpads which you should use (you also get an extra pair of earpads).
The key is to play around with the fit at first since this is a fairly different system compared to other earphones. I found that lengthening rather than shortening the main shaft kept the speaker more slug.
The airplane test
The A8s got to be tested pretty quickly on my flight back from London to New York. Airplane noise usually makes for terrible quality. The seven hour flight also puts the comfort factor to the test.
I had an optical-to-optical recording of a couple dance tracks with a strong crisp bass as well as some high synths.
The sound quality on both the ground and in the air was excellent. The lows came out strong and tight and handled the bass-boost from the MD player very. The highs were also clear and sharp. I also compared with other headphones I had with me and these produced clearly sharper, deeper and tighter sound. I was very happy!
On the comfort side, the A8s are extremely cozy while staying solidly in place. On the plane I was able to rest my head on the seat and pillow without any problem or the earphones either falling off or causing any pain. I also fell asleep and a couple hours later the earphones were still very comfy despite the long usage.
While I didn't jump around the airplane to see how well they stayed put (not a good idea these days), I have since gone running with them and they stay snug the whole way - impossible with traditional earbuds.
I would definitely recommend these earphones for the gym, jogging or riding a bike.
Other goodies
The earphones come with a nice leather carrying case designed with two inner pockets, one for each of the earphones. It's fairly compact and won't really fit anything else.
The plug for the A8s is a 3.5mm mini-jack (your standard portable audio size). The jack itself is straight along the cord (rather than on a 90 degree angle) and fairly narrow in order to properly fit remote control devices such as on the one found on the Sony MZ R900 Mini Disc player which shows that the folks at B&O really spent some time thinking about the details.
Along the same lines, the cord is about 3ft which is a good size when used with a remote control. If you don't have a remote or are using them from a stationary position, a cord extension is provided. Again, a nice touch.
So is my search over?
I sure think so!
The goal in building my portable music system was to maximize music and minimize size without forgetting comfort and convenience. So here it is now:
1) Mini discs are small and easy to carry - Check!
2) Sony Mini Disc players are tiny - Check!
3) MDLP system puts five hours of music on one MD - Check!
4) B&O A8 earphones are comfortable and compact - Check!
Looks like I'm set!
A few technical specs on the A8s...
Dimensions W x H x D:
35 x 59 x 14 mm
1 3/8" x 2 5/16" x 9/16"
Weight: (one earphone) 8 g or 0.28 oz; (complete set) 22 g or 0.78 oz
Principle: Electro-dynamic speaker In-ear type (intra concha earphone)
Frequency range: 50 - 20,000 Hz
Impedance: 19 Ohm
Finish: Aluminium
Cord: 1.2 meters (extension about 2 meters)
Plug: Mini-Jack, 3.5 mm
Superbly crafted from aluminum and hard rubber, it takes its design cues from the little pieces of industrial art that are Bang & Olufsen's beautiful ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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