Bang & OlufsenBeoplay EX - Wireless Bluetooth Earphones with Microphone and Active Noise Cancelling, Waterproof, 20 Hours of Playtime

Beoplay EX first impression: While washing my face in the shower, I hear a distant bullet stray wide. I’ve listened to this song a hundred times but this is the first time I’ve been able to hear this detail. My face is under a stream of hot water and I’m experiencing music in a way that isn’t possible with other earbuds in a quiet room. Wow. The extra detail that I was able to hear elevated the song for me in a way that I think the artist intended for me to hear. If these can make all my music this enjoyable then I don’t have a problem with the price. It’s a different experience.Update: The sound is on another level but I have become aware that it is not just the EXs that make this happen. You need a good source, a good speaker, and a way to get the source to the speaker. Bang & Olufsen offers all three with this package. With the EX they provided a 30-day trial to Deezer. This allows me to stream high-fidelity music giving me a clean source to start with. The EXs speakers/drivers (whatever, I’m not a speaker guy) are like nothing I’ve ever heard. But most people miss the part about how the music gets from the device to the speaker. Bluetooth can inhibit the flow but with Qualcoms’ aptX enabled the floodgates are opened and your music is allowed to reach the EXs uninterrupted (again, I’m not a speaker guy and these analogies are just my non-technical bs). It works. It works in a way that has brought my music to life. Old music is new. Can you put a price on that?Cons: ANC isn’t great. Why do they want me to hear more wind noise when enabled?Pros: Sound. Build. Controls. Fit. Waterproof. Microphone. Warranty.Final thoughts: I ended up with these earphones after my partner loaned me her pair of first gen AirPods. I fell in love. They were magical the first time I used them and I've needed a pair of earbuds ever since. I was really excited about the Pixel Bud Pros and pre-ordered them. IMO the design doesn't work for two reasons, fit and microphone. The microphone basically didn't work so I sent them back and got myself a pair of AirPod Pros. I was convinced that I was in earphone heaven again, but as I walked out of the store and tried to turn up the volume I realized they lacked swipe controls. I was deflated. Something had to be available that fit my desires. Enter the EXs. Are they perfect? No. Are they incredible? Yes. I use them all the time.About HiFi/Hi-res music…Try it! Enable it in Apple Music, try Tidal, try Deezer, or any other HiFi streaming service. Try it on different speakers and in different places (try your car). You will notice a difference that I wasn't aware of until now. I am keeping Deezer because of their EU approach to privacy. I don't feel like I'm being watched when I use their service.My Teams meetings are more sufferable as I am confident that my coworkers will be able to hear me when I speak and I am always able to clearly hear them.Most importantly, I am excited to listen to my music. I keep thinking of songs and artists who build great soundscapes for me to surf. The EXs have given me a new appreciation for some artists while I have come to judge others as amateurs. Being able to distinguish the subtleties of every song is a gift that I am happy I gave myself and that I should be able to continue to enjoy for years to come.

I don't often write reviews for products, only those which I really think deserve praise and are perhaps under-appreciated in the user market.Quick TLDR:Summary:These are GREAT earbuds, with beautiful sound, outstanding connectivity (no problems for me connecting or staying connected), an app with EQ tuning, excellent battery life, high water-resistance, handsome quality physical details in the buds themselves, as well as the case. I think they're well worth the price.I purchased the Bang & Olufsen EX earphones around 2-3 months ago, and they're everything I hoped they would be, which is: a quality upgrade to the prior B&O earphone lines in terms of features and functionality.I expected that the sound quality would at the very least be on par with the previous models which I own: e8 generation one, e8 generation 2, and e8 generation 3, all of which have beautiful sound (which you really wouldn't expect from such SMALL earphones!). Well, the sound quality is real. I've attached some photos of my older gen e8's, all of which are still very functional and used as backups. They all still sound great. The H9 Gen3 also pictured are over-ear headphones with 25 hour battery life and now cost less than half what they did when I bought them, quite a deal.I'll first focus on the sound: it is rich, with defined highs, mids, and lows, but an overall 'neutral' sound. For those who prefer more bass or more treble...the accompanying B&O app (available for both Android & Apple devices) allows you to set EQ sound profiles (which you can name). I don't think they need much adjustment, though I do slightly alter mine to have a sharper sound in the highs and slightly less bass. That's because I love really clear vocals, guitar strings, horns, violins, etc, and I find much music is overproduced with bass tones overwhelming these higher tones.Sound is the primary reason I rate these Bang & Olufsen EX as a 5 star product.Functionality is the secondary reason I'm rating them as a 5 star product:-Bluetooth 5.2 (the latest and most connective) creates an excellent connection to my phone, computer, ipad, and watch, allowing me to stream music uninterrupted for around 4.75 hours with ANC activated.-Battery Life: around 4.5 - 4.75 with ANC activated. I've never used them with ANC off, so I can't say whether they reach the projected 6 hours with no ANC. I imagine they get close to that.-Recharging: Very fast, I think around 2.5 hours for a full charge. But a 15 minute charge will give you an hour of play, which is great if you're in a rush. The battery/charging case holds around 2 additional full charges.Technical production, physical quality: These are beautifully made, with tempered glass touch pads across the small covers. The units fit well in my ears, and you can use either memory-foam or silicone tips. I always use memory foam, as you get a better fit, better passive noise-isolation from your external environment, and better, fuller sound due to the increased isolation. And, as long as you keep your ears clean, memory foam buds last quite a long time before you need to replace them, in my experience. Even if I did need to replace them more frequently, I would still prefer them. They're also better for working out, as the buds are even more stable.Increased water-resistance! These are rated IP57, so they have up to 1 meter of water resistance. What this really means is they won't be damaged by sweat, rain, or tap water. This is an improvement over their previous e8 models which were only IP54 (less resistant to water, though I've been caught in the rain many times, and done plenty of workouts, likewise without problems).Stability of fit. I can dance, run, lift weights, whatever, and these earbuds don't budge in my ears. Love that!About ANC:These latest models have added something the e8 models didn't have: ANC. These days, ANC is pretty much a required and expected feature in any premium earphones (and even expected in more run of the mill brands).So, I was happy to see that B&O had 'finally' added ANC to their earbuds. I will say that I think the ANC is passable and could use improvement. But I think this is partially due to the form factor and incomplete closure to the external environment due to the small size.My Apple Beats Fit Pro have ANC of about the same quality, and those are supposedly equal to the AirPods Pro, which lead the market in this feature for this form factor.I will also say that my Apple Beats Fit Pro's sound far (far) inferior to my B&O EX's. Battery life is very similar between the two as well (though I think the EXs outlast the Beats Fit Pros).