New design for better comfort
Bang & Olufsen supplies the Beoplay EX with four sizes of sealing rubbers plus foam rubbers.
Rubber attachments seal the ear canals. B&O supplies silicone attachments in four sizes, as well as a pair of special foam rubber (“Comply Floam”). They nestle perfectly in the auditory canals, but take some getting used to: Before inserting them, you have to knead them between your thumb and forefinger so that they slip easily into your ears. Then it takes a few seconds for them to expand there and sit snugly. Until then, hardly any bass can be heard. Also, the foam rubber plugs require care to keep them from looking dingy. But this is no different with other manufacturers who also supply Comply Foam as optional rubber seals.
Simple operation at the touch of a button
The Beoplay EX don’t have very small but ergonomically designed bodies. With a total of 13 grams, they are a bit heavier than most of the competitors with their around 10 grams. Some high-end knockers are significantly heavier at up to 18 grams. The only visual feature of the Beoplay EX can only be seen on closer inspection: the circular outer surfaces are made of glass, surrounded by a metal ring. The in-ears can be operated with a tap of your finger: a short tap on the right side pauses the music or accepts a call, the playback volume increases with a longer finger. The volume can be reduced with the finger on the left side.
Noise cancellation, sound and hands-free functions can be set on the Beoplay EX via the app (from left to right).
Very good noise cancellation
A tap of the finger on the left in-ear controls the electronic noise suppression: If desired, the Beoplay EX dampens the ambient noise with counter-noise, while an alternative transparency mode directs external noise into the sealed ears. The strength of the damping can be adjusted in the Bang & Olufsen app, and there is also an adaptive mode with automatic adjustment of the noise canceling. The sound setting in the app is implemented very nicely. With your finger on the touchscreen, you can vary the sound between cooler and warmer, between quieter and livelier. This works much more intuitively than with the otherwise widespread decibel controls for different frequencies. There are also a handful of presets, and individual settings can be saved.
That’s how good the Beoplay EX sound
Beoplay EX compared to the AirPods Pro: Bang & Olufsen is the clear winner in the test.
Well equipped for mobile operations
The built-in rechargeable batteries do not stand in the way of long-lasting music enjoyment. In the test, those with activated noise canceling lasted 7:33 hours – a good value. The supplied transport and charging box made of matt black aluminum fits just about unobtrusively in your trouser pocket and can be charged via USB cable or wirelessly on a Qi charging pad. If things have to be done quickly, the Beoplay EX are quickly ready for use again. After ten minutes in the charging socket, they have energy for one and a half hours.
B&O Beoplay EX: test conclusion, price and launch
The B&O Beoplay EX did not show any real weaknesses in the test: the sound is among the best that currently exists in the field of Bluetooth in-ears, the electronic noise reduction works very well. In addition, there are smooth touch controls including volume adjustment and high wearing comfort, a good app and a good battery life. Only the price spoils the fun: Bang & Olufsen recommends a retail price of 400 euros. The Beoplay EX will be available in three color variants: first in black and turquoise at the end of April (as in the photos above), from May 19 in gold and from June 6 in black. Test grade: very good, 1.4.