I have to say i am pleased with my A8's, but not so much that i don't consider other makes. I recently found a review of "over the ear" headphones and found these..

http://www.atomicfloyd.com/airjax

Like quite a few things in the past B&O bring out a revolutionary product to only let in slowly date, as the competition simply picks up the batton and tears off with the race. Has anyone tried the above. I so wish these were the Mk3 A8's for example

Hi Chris,

Working in radio and being a fashion victim, I highly rate BEATS by Dr Dre.  I've never heard headphones with such good bass and crystal clear treble. I have Solo HD's which a lot of our specialist DJs/Presenters use plus iBeats which are of the inner ear type. They cost £79 and beat the A8's which I previously owned hands down in every way from sound quality to better cable and 3.5m plug.  I do feel that B&O have to work a lot harder of their headphones if they are to attract the young affluent types.

I quite like Koss Porta-Pro's.... They are very stylish in their own, rather '80s, way!

Not sure how these compare with A8s to be honest, but I have just ordered a pair so I will let you know....

My wife would mention that they match my 80's wardrobe (i loved the 80's!)

Thanks for the replies, and its time to get better earphones.

The Atomic Floyds have attention from many BeoWorlders.

I recently found these Audio-Technica ATH-EC700 that look similar to the A8s. I have never heard them though.

I've tested the AirJax for a long time. They are really good, but are useless if you already own B&O A8, just because they are really close, too close :

- Sound reproduction is close : good highs and mediums, lack of bass. You get approximately the same sound as A8, but with a little bit less realism...
-Same lack of insulation to outdoor noise as A8 : not useful in airplanes or Paris Metro...
- Design is close, but it's a step back from A8, less comfortable
- For the price of A8, you have the mic... But there is only one button, 3 would have been better.

So, in short : I would advise anyone wanting a good set of earphones (and no in-ear) to buy a set of AirJax, but if you already have A8, you already have something a little bit better and really close.

If you want to try Atomic Floyd, I would suggest the HiDef Drums which are really, really good in-ear earphones (really good sound reproduction from highs to lows, you loose a little bit of realism compared to A8 but get bass reproduction and sound insulation, plus a mic). If you find them too heavy on your ear, the new MiniDarts are a really good choice too (but IMHO insulates too much from outdoor sounds).