Sleek and remarkably well finished, the Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX headphones feature active noise reduction, chat microphones, touch controls and are waterproof. But do they really benefit from B&O’s acoustic expertise? We have checked.
Iconic brand of hi-fi design, Bang & Olufsen adds the B&O Beoplay EX to its range of wireless headphones, which now includes four pairs of headphones, with the Beoplay EQ – with smaller transducers and not waterproof – the Beoplay E8 and their E8 Sport version. In other words, the Beoplay EX are the top of the range of the Danish manufacturer.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EXTechnical sheet
This test was carried out with headphones lent by Bang & Olufsen.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EXDesign
The B&O Beoplay EX are compact headphones with elegant lines. Their format is rather classic among headphones true-wireless, with shells shaped to attach to the auricles, and extended by insertion cannulas with flexible silicone tips. Each earphone has a stem to facilitate its grip, in which take place Bluetooth antenna and conversation microphones.
Each earpiece also has a circular touch control area, stamped with the Bang & Olufsen logo and covered with a thin sheet of glass. Although the plastic dominates, the impression of quality given off by these headphones is quite good.
Beoplay EX are IP57 certified, i.e. dustproof and waterproof (1m deep for 30 minutes). Four pairs of silicone eartips of different sizes are provided, as well as a set of memory foam eartips.
The charging case is made of brushed aluminum, with a silicone base. Rather compact, it uses the color codes of the headphones, pink gold on the outside and cream on the inside – or black for the black version. An LED on the front provides information on the charging status of the earphones, while the USB-C charging port is housed on the back. Finally, the case is compatible with wireless charging by induction.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EXUse and application
These headphones are very easy to put on and are super stable in all circumstances. After inserting the tip into the ear canal, a half turn back will secure the earpiece perfectly in the ear. Wearing comfort is excellent, with very little pressure exerted in the ear canal: Beoplay EX can be listened to for hours without fatigue.
The control touch zones each have specific functions. That of the left earphone allows lowering the volume (continued pressure), managing playback (pausing, returning to the previous track) and audio calls (start/end). As for the right earphone, it is used to increase the volume, to go to the next track and to activate the noise reduction or the transparency mode. We quickly take the fold of these functions, which cannot be modified in the B&O app.
Each earphone is equipped with a wear sensor and automatically cuts its power when removed, without pausing music playback.
An app with a useful equalizer
The Bang & Olufsen mobile application gives access to some advanced settings, in particular for active noise reduction when listening to music and during audio calls (we’ll come back to this later), as well as updates to firmware. Its strong point is undoubtedly based on the sound equalization profiles offered – there are 5 of them – and on the Beosonic equalizer.
The Bang&Olufsen app is used to manage Beoplay EX headphones.
The ANC offers 3 intensity levels as well as an automatic mode.
The Beosonic equalizer.
The latter offers different sound signatures within a circle, in which the user can move a point. The results are simply excellent and leave a lot of leeway to the listener to find the signature that suits him best.
Multipoint Bluetooth with Google Fast Pair
B&O Beoplay EX headphones support multipoint Bluetooth connection and can be paired with two smartphones simultaneously. Google Fast Pair compatible, they automatically declare themselves to the nearest Android smartphone and are then associated with all phones and tablets connected to the same Google account. Four audio codecs are supported, SBC, AAC, aptX and aptX Adaptive.
Throughout my testing, I encountered no range issues, with the headphones continuing to play from 10 meters away and through a wooden floor. Bluetooth latency is around 195 ms, which is annoying for video games (A/V desynchronization), but perfectly compensated for watching movies or TV series with a smartphone.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EXActive noise reduction
The B&O Beoplay EX are equipped with an active noise reduction system with three intensity levels, which can be chosen in the control app. An adaptive mode is also available, in order to automatically adjust the level of noise reduction and preserve the autonomy of the headphones. The suppression of low frequencies is effective and you no longer hear the muffled rolling noises in public transport or in the car. However, clearer noises remain audible and potentially annoying if you don’t listen loudly, when walking down the street for example. Good point: the sound signature of the headphones is not affected by the activation of the noise reduction system.
As for the transparency mode, it allows you to hear around you, with three levels of intensity. It works well, but a little more volume would have been welcome.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EXAudio
These are 9.2mm dynamic drivers that power the Beoplay EX earphones. B&O tells us that they have a sensitivity of 108 dB for 1 mW of injected power, i.e. they are very sensitive and therefore require little power to express themselves. Their frequency response extends from 20 Hz to 22 kHz, with, as we will see, a few accidents at the top of the spectrum.
B&O Beoplay EX response curve
Our measurements highlight a nice bump in the midrange, from around 1 kHz to 3 kHz, which gives a lot of relief to the voices, as well as a significant attenuation in the treble, which is moreover uneven beyond 5 kHz.
These “accidents” have no audible consequences and show above all a good dynamism of restitution. In addition, the BeoSonic equalizer allows you to completely transform this somewhat dry signature.
Test Setup
I listened to B&O Beoplay EX with an iPhone 13 Pro Max (AAC) and a Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G (aptX Adaptive) from Apple Music (lossless) and Netflix. The differences between smartphones are negligible, but audible, the iPhone being more incisive.
Sound signature, dynamic behavior and soundstage
It is difficult to evoke the sound signature of these headphones, as it can change completely by using the BeoSonic equalizer. The default profile is the one measured on our curve, and corresponds to a present and balanced bass, extended by a (too) prominent midrange, which necessarily masks the highest frequencies, which are also set back. This signature is a little austere, but let’s be reassured: a totally different signature is possible, thanks to the equalizer. By placing the cursor to the right, between “Dynamic” and “High Bass”, for example, the signature evolves favorably: the midrange recedes a little, the treble becomes silky and the bass expresses itself much more. Above all, the sound immediately becomes catchy!
The dynamic behavior of the headphones is good, the transient regime is constant from bass to treble, which gives them an interesting articulation. In other words, the instruments and voices (never tainted by sibilants) are clearly intelligible. The dynamic gaps are suitably marked, without aggressiveness. The more you push the volume, the more you enter into the music.
The stage created by the B&O Beoplay EX headphones is wide and ample, which serves music as well as the audio tracks of films and series.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EXMicrophone
B&O has taken special care of voice calls with the Beoplay EX earphones. Thanks to six built-in microphones, the user’s voice is cleared of surrounding noise and clearly heard by the caller. The reduction of surrounding noise can also be adjusted according to three levels directly in the app, while the Own Voice mode allows you to hear your own voice in the conversation, again with three levels of intensity to choose from.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EXAutonomy
B&O announces 6 hours of active noise reduction and up to 8 hours of ANC inactive at around 30% volume. I measured almost 5:30 ANC active (low noise environment) at 50% volume on my iPhone. The autonomy contract seems fulfilled. The case fully recharges the earphones in approximately 1 hour 30 minutes and 20 minutes of charging gives them 1 hour 45 minutes of autonomy. As for the box itself, it requires around 1 hour 45 minutes to be charged via its USB-C port, and 30 minutes more when charged by induction.
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EXPrice and release date
The B&O Beoplay EX headphones are available in gold, black and Anthracite Oxygen (black and blue) colors for 399 euros. If you are looking for comparable or even better sound performance, you may prefer the excellent Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro 2-way TWS headphones.