Beoplay Eleven

I had the exact same issues with EX (loved the sound though)so it seems that they learned nothing. Connectivity was a disaster. Hoped they fixed things with eleven but nah.

I’ve been checking out in-ear headphones recently. I love the Elevens and their sound (not too much bass and incredibly well balanced), plus features like the wind guard are really useful for me, as I spend a lot of time outdoors. As others have said, though, the noise cancelling is garbage. It was clearly at the bottom of their priority list. And if noise cancelling is your main requirement, the Bose QuietComfort Ultras are insanely good. Just not quite top-tier on audio quality (despite being close).

Had these when their first came out and was truly left speechless. They are junk compared to the PI8s. I bought them thinking they would be on par with the H100 in quality as I use those daily and was just not impressed. Sent back and kept the PI8s for the gym and H100 for everything else. Edit: they are literally just the Ex Gen 2 IMO. Even says EX on the case and ear bud stickers.

My top picks & ratings for best sounding TWS: 1. [9.7] ($450) Noble FoKus Rex5 2. [9.6] ($500) Devialet Gemini II 3. [9.3] ($250) Status Audio Pro X 4. [9.3] ($400) Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 5. [9.2] ($400) Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Eleven 6. [9.0] ($300) Technics EAH-AZ100

The B&O Beoplay EX is last-generation. It has epic sound quality, but it suffers from a poor ANC system compared to rivals at the same price point. The B&O Eleven is the newest generation - they took the EX earbuds and improved the ANC system, that's the biggest difference you'd notice between the two. However, one big elephant in the room is your iPhone. As you know apple likes to create a "walled garden" for their customers. And earbuds are no different. Apple *wants* you to stick with their brands (Airpods and Beats). So the software only enables max AAC bitrates when using Apple products within their ecosystem. Any other earbud you buy will have a limited streaming bitrate. So, in essence - what's the point of $500 earbuds if you can only stream at greatly reduced bitrates? You would either need to switch to an android phone (like a Sony, because Samsung is a b*tch about bluetooth protocols these days as well - AptX-adaptive is literally open source software, Samsung could easily integrate it into their flagship phones but they choose not to in favor of their own proprietary bluetooth protocol) With a healthy budget, you can get some better sounding earbuds and more comfortable earbuds with nice features like the ANC of the Quietcomfort Ultra, or the full transparency of the Quietcomfort Ultra-Open earbuds. But, just know that Apple once again sucks and they choose what you're allowed to play with. They'll let you use other bluetooth products, but not at the highest fidelity possible. For me with my Bose QC-Ultra earbuds and a Samsung Galaxy phone, I am buying a Creative Labs BT-W6 USB-C streaming audio chip so I can stream from phone in high definition

I love my Bose QC-Ultra, but they are not the "top" of the line for sound quality (but they do have amazing ANC and are very comfortable). From your list, the B&W Pi8 gets my vote. I'm a big Bowers & Wilkins fan (love their headphones). However, I suggest you also add the Bang & Olufsen Eleven to your list - those are also really nice higher end earbuds.

Lol yeah I've been using Bose earbuds for about twenty years in the gym (first wired soundsport earbuds using a Jabra BT3010 streamer pendant, then wired bluetooth soundsport earbuds, then original Quietcomfort, then QC2, and now QC-Ultra earbuds). They have been my de-facto choice for gym and cardio (outdoor cycling daily) needs. However like I said, they're still not the "best". Bowers & Wilkins scores very high on sound quality with the pi8 earbuds (which fixed one of the biggest issues with the Pi7 earbuds which sounded great but were VERY uncomfortable to wear lol) However, keep in mind that Bang & Olufsen often scores higher in terms of sound quality. The B&O Beoplay EX was the previous generation earbud that also scored VERY high on sound quality but had a terrible (almost useless) ANC system. The new B&O Eleven earbuds have fixed the ANC system (otherwise I believe they're very close to the Beoplay EX model)

Ahhh yeah if you wear glasses then headphones are terrible - I have never found anything comfortable for my glasses (but I wear contacts most of the time so it's not an issue) In that situation, I'd be going for high fidelity earbuds for sure. I'd be looking at Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 or the Bang & Olufsen Eleven - go for the most premium sound quality you can get. It'll be a huge upgrade from your laptop speakers that's for sure hahaha.

B&O Eleven are an excellent choice where sound quality is awesome. B&W PI8 is solid choice. Noble Amadeus, Rex5, and Encore are great. Devialet Gemini II are real audiophile level. Your husband would do well with any of these, I own all of them though I do prefer wired IEM’s above Bluetooth.

My original comment was based on your first list. I've owned most of the earbuds in your edited list, and I'd consider them *all* among the best sounding earbuds out there. I'd probably say the Gemini, Denon, B&W, and B&O are roughly tied for "best sounding," and the winner comes down to personal preference. But if I had to choose only one set, I'd still probably go with the Sennheiser MTW4 or Technics (AZ100, which I like better than the AZ80). The Gemini and others may have slightly better sound but the Sennheiser and Technics still sound fantastic: they're not far behind, and you wouldn't be missing out on some mindblowing sonic experience. But I consider these two to be better overall, in terms of functionality, app, features, etc.

>If you don't mind, could you share your ranking list for best overall and one for sound quality? Thank you in advance! Of the ones listed in your post, my personal rankings would be: BEST OVERALL: 1. Sennheiser, Technics 2. Denon, Devialet 3. Bose, Sony 4. Pi8, BeoPlay BEST SOUND: 1. Devialet, Pi8, Denon, BeoPlay (in roughly that order if I *had* to rank them, but I consider them more or less tied, and my preferences might change from day to day or song to song) 2. Sennheiser, Technics AZ100 3. AZ80 4. Sony, Bose I've never used the EQ or the Eleven.

AirPods Pro 3 and I honestly don’t think it’s close. In addition to the hearing aid feature, they seamlessly migrate across Apple devices (phone, laptop, appleTV). This may not matter if he’s not in the Apple ecosystem. I won some free B&O Beoplay airbuds and had high hopes for them. Sound quality was on par with my AirPods, but they are less comfortable, less compatible and poorly designed in comparison (bulky case, awkward shape).