ASCII.jp Bang & Olufsen's first ANC complete wireless, a noteworthy model that naturally immerses you in the world of sound

On July 29, Bang & Olufsen announced "Beoplay EQ", the company's first fully wireless earphone equipped with an active noise canceling (ANC) function. The price is 39,900 yen. There are two colors, Black Anthracite and Sand Gold Tone, but Black Anthracite will be released from today, and Sand Gold Tone will be released in late August.

　In addition to the hybrid type noise canceling function that combines feedback and feedforward, consideration has also been given to the wearability and housing structure with high sound insulation. I actually tried it, and there was little change in the playback sound whether noise canceling ON, hear-through, or both OFF, and I could feel the clear sound quality that delicately reproduces up to the high frequencies typical of Bang & Olufsen.

　The main unit is slightly larger than the existing Beoplay E8. On the other hand, the charging case has been made thinner, emphasizing ease of holding and portability. The case is not made of genuine leather, but is made of aluminum, which gives it a light feel.

　The driver is a newly developed driver with a diameter of 6.8 mm, and the playback frequency band is 20 Hz to 22 kHz. The codec supports SBC / AAC / aptX Adaptive with Bluetooth 5.2 compliance. High-performance beamforming technology also improves call quality. The earphones are equipped with a proximity sensor that automatically stops playback and disables touch operations just by removing them from the ear, preventing malfunctions and unnecessary battery consumption.

　After the release of the product, the smartphone app "Bang & Olfsen" for iOS/Android will also add a function to adjust the ANC level in 11 steps around mid-August.

　Mr. Miklu Silvanto, who was an industrial designer at Apple, was in charge of the design. A distinctive feature is that the antenna part has a slight unevenness, making it easier to pick up with your fingers. When putting it in the case, the magnet is fixed and easy to put in and take out. It is unique in that the face part faces outward when it is stored, but it is quite beautiful.

　The main body is width 24 x depth 27 x height 22mm, and weighs 8g on one side. The external dimensions of the case are 77 mm wide x 40 mm deep x 26 mm high and weighs 50 g. The width is wider than the conventional Beoplay E8 (3rd Gen), but the height is suppressed. The battery capacity is 85mAh for the main body and 340mAh for the case. Playback time is up to 6 hours with AAC connection/ANC on, and up to 7.5 hours with ANC off. Up to 5.5 hours with aptX Adaptive connection/ANC on. The case can charge the earbuds twice and can be used for up to 20 hours (when connected to AAC). It also supports Qi standard wireless charging.

　I am also a user of Beoplay E8 (3rd Gen), so I brought the actual machine and compared it, but I am happy that it is easier to put in a pocket etc. by keeping the height down. There seems to be a difference in taste in changing from leather to aluminum, but there is a high quality that is typical of Bang & Olufsen, and it has a simple and calm atmosphere.

　The main body is large among completely wireless earphones, but it is stable when it fits in the ear. It has a high degree of airtightness and blocks ambient noise well even in its bare state, but when you turn on the noise canceling and play music, the noise disappears so cleanly that you can't feel the ambient noise at all. At the demonstration venue, we were able to test the system by playing environmental sounds that simulated the movement of a subway train, but the low-frequency noise of the moving train was almost inaudible, so much so that we couldn't even tell it was playing. On the other hand, we hear announcements. In this state, if you touch the left side to turn on hear-through, you can hear the surrounding sounds, and the tone is quite natural. There is no signal sound, and it is somewhat difficult to tell which mode it is currently in, but the difference in effects is clear. It may be possible to continue to use it naturally while moving.

　The tone is typical of Bang & Olufsen, and I think it's a quality that many people will be satisfied with. Rich overtones can be felt in acoustic music. On the other hand, even songs that require deep low frequencies such as EDM can be played tight but not too thin, so I think it can handle a wide range of genres.

　The touch operation is a little different from general wireless earphones, so you need to get used to it. For example, to play/stop music, double-tap on the right side, and to increase/decrease the volume, tap on the left side + long press/tap on the right side + long press. Volume control is particularly difficult, but you can pause it by removing the earphone and adjusting the volume from the smartphone side, so even if you can't get used to it, you can substitute it with another method.

　The price is a little high for modern wireless earphones, but it's an overseas brand product, and I think it's a product that has a lot of appeal in terms of sound quality and attractive design. As a competing model, it is around Sennheiser's "Momentum TrueWireless 2", but the price is not so different.

Made for iPhone products. It also has IP54 dustproof and splashproof specifications, and it also supports wireless charging, so it will be sufficient in terms of additional functions.

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