Cool new earphones for iPhone the EarSet 3i

 

http://www.bang-olufsen.com/earset3i

...and the introduction of a new nomenclature?

I like them a lot, the old micro is not BEO style. 

Oh yuk based on those horrible hideous sounding A8s that cost me a lot of my hard earned money. Cheap 3.5mm plug, cheap cable and no bass. It would take a lot to convince me to buy B&O headphones again especially after buying BEATS which are so much better sounding.  Shame as I love some B&O products but these should have been made by Amstrad!

Paul Winn:

Oh yuk based on those horrible hideous sounding A8s that cost me a lot of my hard earned money. Cheap 3.5mm plug, cheap cable and no bass. It would take a lot to convince me to buy B&O headphones again especially after buying BEATS which are so much better sounding.  Shame as I love some B&O products but these should have been made by Amstrad!

The bass is all about how well the buds "seal" in the ear canal. If they haven't been fitted correctly or you used them without the foam covers then they will sound bass-light. I have however had issues with them moving and losing the seal. This isn't a criticism of A8's in particular, I think most earbud types are the same regarding bass reproduction and the bud seal.

I really don't think the A8's can be accused of having no bass! Are they "boomy" - no, I think that, overall, they're pretty well balanced for an earbud design.

 

Got me all excited for nothing. 

As much as I like my A8s (and I like them a lot!), I am aching for some B&O cans with substance. I hope the BeoEarVox U90 are on the way - I am ready for them.

Agree, looks like the same very thin, always gets tangled flex that ultimately gets severed where it connects to the jack.

Having got through three Easrsets with a Serenata, these were the worst quality B&O items I have ever come across.

 

 

 

Arr, I've been waiting for B&O to produce a quality iPhone headset, and must say I'm a little dissapointed they simply modified the A8.
If that's all they did, what took so long?

I've demoed the original version, and while they do sound very good from the mids on up, they do lack bass.  Even the specifications state so - 50Hz isn't terribly low, deep bass would be nearly absent.  At this price that is simply unacceptable.  Sennheiser, Beats, Shure, Klipsch, Beyerdynamic, and Etymotic research all make earbuds more competitive than the A8's.  I was hoping I could replace my Sennheiser earbuds with something from B&O, but it looks as though I'll be shopping Sennheiser again. :(

 

It's a shame. I really want to like these.

I am glad they have updated the micro, agreed that it's not B&O style.  The issue I had with the earset3 i purchased in London was that the cable that connected to the microphone kept coming out leaving the wire exposed out of the casing, and thought it was bad quality.  They are sitting in their packaging as I don't want to use it.

I have 2 pairs of A8's which I love.  Agreed Paul that they don't have that much bass, but as a portable headphones for my shuffle at the gym, or on the move they are great.  They aren't so great in a flight as you still hear the background noise.  

Paul, which Beats do you have?  I think Beats are for a different purpose than the A8's, it's not like you would wear them walking around (or maybe you do).  

Regards

Michael

The Beosound 8 was a fresh brilliant product, for a potentially massive customer base. And hey presto, the greatest selling product of all time. Great for B&O and great for it's shops(i hope).

The Earset 3i is a bastardisation of a fairly irrelevant product from a B&O point of view. I and everyone i know, lament the lack of bass(i have two pairs and have tried covering up the vent). Are we all wrong. We are meant to buy these things, not the listening panel. This should have been the Beosound 9 on all fronts, unfortunately it's not. Its reassuring as a Brit to know we are not the only people with great design and engineering, that then let themselves down at the first hurdle due to lack of vision and basic common sense!!!!

new earset 5i

I like the update, was in fact waiting for that.

 

I would be surprised if the cable issue that the old earset had is not fixed. Just because its a thin cable doesn't mean it has to break.

When I first bought my A8 earphones, I was also very disappointed with the bass reproduction. 

Then I learnt to really insert them as far as I could, and also applied scotch tape to the vents, and I must say now I'm more than happy with the whole line.

I have A8 earset, Earset 1 Home and Earset 3 with my Serenata, and apart from the very fragile wires on the Earset 3 kit, I'm more than happy with their performance. Besides, bass is the easiest thing to adjust on portable audio products, if you want more boom. Try adjusting the midrange or treble, it's another story.

I bought a pair of professional stage earphones, costing twice as much as the B&O earphones, and had to bring them back after one hour: they sounded awful to me..all bass and no treble. 

Anyway, these new earphones may also be part of the new range of products that B&O are planning to sell out of B1 stores, don't you think?

Hi Michael yes I have the inner ear iBeats (£79) and I have the white Solo HDs which are incredible. Yep, I do wear them outside however, I admit to being a fashion victim! They do sound absolutely amazing mind you, so do the iBeats LOADS of bass with a crystal clear treble! And quality 3.5mm jack and compatible with the iPhone!

I think the Apple stores used to sell the A8 and maybe even the EarSet 2 but I haven't seen those around in the store in a while.  I wonder if the 3i will make it in to join the BL4 and BS8 (US store)...

Jeff

You're deaf, that's all I got to say...

I will defend my A8's to the grave. I've had a same pair for 6 years now and I never looked back.  I'm sure if you clean your ears and give them a listen, you'd understand what I'm talkin about.

I have a 8 or 10 year old pair of A8s, I defend them to death as well. The bass might not be that strong but the clarity is a beautiful thing.

Note that I have the Solo HDs as well, sound good but uncomfortable  (I have glasses) and talking in a phone conversation with them takes some getting used to since one somehow hears a funny echo .....

I was waiting for the updated phones from B&O and am happy they adopt the control talk thingy ....

Would these work with an HTC Incredible S as well?

I'm glad there are some others who like the A8s - I have three pairs and would never want to be without them!

I truly detest any earphones that have to be shoved into the ear as not only do I find them hideously uncomfortable, I find that they usually fall out unless I keep my head perfectly still. The A8s are comfortable and sound great - I admit it takes a few minutes to get them sat perfectly for optimum bass reproduction, but it's not exactly a hardship is it?

 

Yes, very good to see this praise for the A8.

Although I do like the A8s, I prefer the rubber-tipped 'noise isolating' style earbud. I have some Denon AH-C360s and they are very comfortable. They also do an amazing job of keeping all of the noise around you out. This style also gives great bass, but the mids and tops do lack. Still very enjoyable.

 

The A8s are good but for the price you'd hardly expect them to be rubbish.  It's a fairly crowded market and frankly, I think some other companies do better for the £100-150 level, notably Atomic Floyd.  B&Os problem is that they need to produce a headphone, but it's not a market where their style means a lot.  It's like if Apple went into producing mouse mats.

You have to love this line though "although you’ll enjoy the privacy of being surrounded by sound, you will not be entirely cut off from the outside world when wearing it." Which makes an excuse sound like a design feature.

I live for the day that someone produces decent wireless quality headphones with a decent battery life.  It's a few years away, along with my jetpack and a brand new BeoGram

 

Calvin:

B&Os problem is that they need to produce a headphone, but it's not a market where their style means a lot. 

Oh I don't know! I remember using my A8s on an Air France trip and at the end of the flight, I was stopped by a particularly attractive air stewardess who said she had noticed the earphones and wanted to know what they were. I said B&O and she smiled and said that she should have known. If I had had slightly more style, I should have given them to her - but my English reserve cut in I am afraid! I actually don't find A8s very good in an aeroplane anyway - I wonder if in ear devices might be better.

Peter :

Calvin:

B&Os problem is that they need to produce a headphone, but it's not a market where their style means a lot. 

Oh I don't know! I remember using my A8s on an Air France trip and at the end of the flight, I was stopped by a particularly attractive air stewardess who said she had noticed the earphones and wanted to know what they were. I said B&O and she smiled and said that she should have known. If I had had slightly more style, I should have given them to her - but my English reserve cut in I am afraid! I actually don't find A8s very good in an aeroplane anyway - I wonder if in ear devices might be better.

Agree that A8's are rubbish on aircraft. I use some inexpensive Sennheiser CX300's when travelling. The in-ear design together with the selection of rubber plugs mean you get a really decent seal which does a good job of isolating outside noise. I'm under no illusion that they are the best at this task but I am quite happy with their performance mid-air, where they are several streets ahead of A8's in keeping out the constant drone of air travel.

All in all they're really not bad at all considering their low price. If I used them more often I'd invest further up the range but stick with the in-ear design.

Peter,

The difference is significant. Even with a mediocre pair of in-ear buds, you will forget your on a plane!

I've written to B&O on at least two occasions to request an updated version of the Earset 3 with a less bulky inline remote and a volume control. This is exactly what I wanted so I'm a happy man. The bass in the A8s/Earset 3 is excellent. It's nice and neutral and not overly boomy.