ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
What do you guys think about the hook earphones? Like I said in my previous posts, they are past their prime. And the headphone? Don;t even get me started. It's been in the range since forever! the whole Earphones and headphones industry is booming and is so profitable. Why isn't B&O putting more R&D into it. I understand you will need new nano-level high tech equipments to create the higher end models but if you produce enough in large quantities..... Earphones and headphones are getting more and more expensive as we speak. Sennheisser just introduced a $1000 in ears, I think as a competitor to the AKG 3003s. The AKG 3003 is more style over substance though but definitely luxurious in built but the cords on mine got fixed like 4 times within the course of 8 months.
I think the profit margins are ridiculously high for earphones. Take the Klipsch X10 for example. I think it takes around $10 to produce but they charge $160. Great performance, style, comfort and reliability too!
Since B&O sales are now in a slump why don't they introduce more upmarket earphones and get rid of the old earphone already! Technology progresses, time changes and B&O should adapt. It was great when introduced but now it is now not remotely practical. Kinda reminds me of one of those mobile phones from the early 90s that are as big as shoes.
I actaully agree that B&O need to introduce some really decent headphones, they are long overdue. B&W recent introductions have done really well and were very well received. I wont presume to tell B&O what they should look like or how much they should charge I will only say that they should be up with or better than Sennheiser 600/650 performance if they are to branded B&O.
I would assume anything introduced in the Beoplay range will be bass and sizzle affairs to appeal to the phone brigade - these I would be less interested in personally but I believe they could sell shed loads of a well designed and competitively priced range.
Ban boring signatures!
You really think the Beoplay range is all bass and sizzle? I find the sound quite well balanced more balanced tonally than the older Beolabs except for the freaking cabinet resonances that is effecting the sound big time! The ALT lens range are very well known to be bright sounding thus the sizzle. Again no fault can be blamed on the lens itself but more on how most recording are not mastered on speakers with ridiculously wide dispersion. That is why I suggested to David Mouton to narrow the dispersion to a more acceptable 100 degrees or even 90 degrees instead. Still very wide by every standard BTW. And okay you guys might already hate me for saying this.... but there is already BMR taking care of that in a far superior fashion...
The headphones don't have to be marketed under Beoplay. B&O can definitely produce reference grade in-ears if they want to.Actually is B&O solvent enough to set up a R&D division dedicated to headphones and earphones? But if Musical Fidelity can do it..... I don't see why B&O can't
And BTW no more heavy metal in earphones please. The AKGs weigh a ton despite being crafted out of titanium and being in ear. I think B&O can't produce excellent performing earphones for decent prices though because they have a dealership network to feed amongst other things.... So upmarket might be the only way to go. Oh and I will like to add that I am liking the ceramic housing and thin durable cables of the Sennheiser latest 1000 dollar offering a lot. PS from my experience thick cables on earphones = guarantee repair. You need the flexibility of thin cables withstand the rough and frequent handling of earphones.
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
High end bluetooth not based on the current ear set please. Bluetooth is not so high grade sound wise. I tried some wireless bluetooth headphone amplifiers from Audio Technica and the results were dismal and worse than plugging the connected earphones straight into the Iphone.
Chris Townsend:I was told a Bluetooth headset was due out in the spring!
I hope not. Wired headphones are better!! (no battery issue, no sound quality issue)
diisign.com
I don't understand what the problem is?B&O A8 headphones seem to be revised, as my new ones sound better than the old ones from a few years ago. The new ones have more bass and sound really great for their size. You HAVE to use the included foam cushes to get the full sound quality to your ear.B&O could be more profitable when they would do something called MARKETING for their headphones! If you see comparison tests in hifi magazines for small headphones and in-ear-headphones there's every major brand... except Bang & Olufsen.I guess most of the people simply don't know about the existence of the headphones.And the A8 are good headphones regarding their size! I compared them with a pair of in-ears from Shure that cost about 300 Euro and guess what? The B&O A8 sounded as good as the Shure.What B&O NEEDS to improve regarding the A8 is the quality of the cable! During the winter the cable gets stiffer and I fear them to break... this needs to be revised.
If Bluetooth, then version 4 - please
Greetings MM
There is a tv - and there is a BV
I would really like B&O to launch new headphones (with a wire please) in the high-end sound category. I'm not that fond of in-ear headphones but many are so that would probably be a wise decision to introduce those as well.
And as previously mentioned - marketing is required for them to sell
TWG: What B&O NEEDS to improve regarding the A8 is the quality of the cable! During the winter the cable gets stiffer and I fear them to break... this needs to be revised.
What B&O NEEDS to improve regarding the A8 is the quality of the cable! During the winter the cable gets stiffer and I fear them to break... this needs to be revised.
kind of an odd fault for a company located in Denmark, no?
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.
In principle, I agree - a decent pair of beautiful headphones would certainly attract me. But they would have to be better than my HD600s,or Grado RS1s and have an interesting design. To do this, they are going to be expensive. Add on the usual B&O mark up for being a boutique brand, and you are talking £1000+ Suddenly less interested!
Peter
Peter: In principle, I agree - a decent pair of beautiful headphones would certainly attract me. But they would have to be better than my HD600s,or Grado RS1s and have an interesting design. To do this, they are going to be expensive. Add on the usual B&O mark up for being a boutique brand, and you are talking £1000+ Suddenly less interested!
They could or they could use them to lure people to the brand be not being overly silly with the asking price! Producing serious HD600 competition with a touch of B&O flair for HD600ish money could create a real stir and generate a potential new customer base.
Or the HD 800! lol.
BTW.... Guys try the Klipsch X10. It astonishes people with the level of comfort and quality of sound for the size. I think the whole earphone just disappears into your ear like literally. The whole unit is actually smaller than your ear canal opening. I can't believe no updates have been made to it yet since its release 3 yrs ago though. I think that is something B&O can aspire to make. Again I must stress how super comfortable the earphones are.
I don't mind over 1000 pounds for a pair of headphones as long as it is worth it. I mean the fabulous HD800 is around that price but be forewarned that the build quality is dreadful.
I had the HD 600 way back when I was a teen but isn't it heavy?
I think it is high time for B&O to get serious about HIFI because in a decade or so all other manufacturers will be making stylish if not state of the art all in ones. You are already seeing that trend now so.....
When the time comes B&O better be on par with its competitors.
And I will really like to see a B&O projector or just a well built open platform smart TV panel. Not everybody wants the build in speakers in the Beovision range or the extra decoding functions. I think B&O can edge out the competition with its superior video processing engine and higher build alone.
And again for future compatibility sake. Fully modular plugin modules for hifi. The audio products do tend to stay in the range for long so.... it makes sense.
Jeff: TWG: What B&O NEEDS to improve regarding the A8 is the quality of the cable! During the winter the cable gets stiffer and I fear them to break... this needs to be revised. kind of an odd fault for a company located in Denmark, no?
Oh no actually earphone cables break all the time so B&O has to introduce detachable cables instead if they are going to introduce a high end range that is. Shure, AKG, Klipsch, Sennheiser, Grado, Ultimate Ears they all break after a while. My worse decision is to get the AKG 3003 that was introduced without the detachable cables.... It was a pain to get it fixed almost every month after buying it. Trust me it's not the cable quality.... It's more on the issue of ergonomics.... Thinner cables are best. The cables on the AKGs are covered in fancy silk fabric and so were the cables that came with the Sennheiser HD800s. BTW Grado has an excellent range of super light and comfortable in-ears too. Some regard it as the best but I say that the GR 10 is super well balanced in the vocal range.
The cables of my HD25-1s are just fine in severy frost. Mind you, it's made of steel, not copper.
I have had two pairs of the A8s, and both lasted for about a month before the cable was shot. having a thin cable makes it more prone to be overstretched, so I actually prefer thicker cables.
As for getting stiff because of the cold, I can't remember the A8s doing that. With that said, in my experience, it's all about what plastic/rubber is used. Some types are more prone to cracking, going too stiff in the cold.
It's the sme deal with microphone cables, or indeed, any type of wire. There are varying compounds, and thickness of the finished cable isn't what matters. It's how all the parameters play together. Super stiff but thin, and you run a real risk of severing the copper inside.