Bang & Olufsen is no stranger to noise cancelling, but with the Beoplay EQ, it finally takes the tech to truly wireless.
This week has been a little busy as far as truly wireless noise cancelling earphones go. First, there was Nothing’s introduction of something in the Ear 1, followed by Australia’s own Nura which launched the NuraTrue.
Now, it’s Denmark’s Bang & Olufsen entering with its own take on wireless ANC tech, as the Beoplay EQ rocks up, a third entry in this assortment of similarly themed earphones and the first truly wireless noise cancelling earphone from Bang to boot.
While the first truly wireless noise cancelling earphone from Bang, it’s not its first play on noise cancellation at all. We’ve seen numerous models from B&O over the years, ranging from the H9 to the H95, not to mention the smaller on-ear variation in the H8 range.
However in its Beoplay EQ, Bang & Olufsen is going even smaller, dropping it down to roughly the size of its Beoplay E8 truly wireless earphones and throwing all that lovely noise cancelling tech into a pair sized specifically for your ears.
Inside, the Danish audio experts are noting there’s a form of noise cancelling technology that is able to be changed based on where you go, thanks to Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation, a concept we’ve seen at various times in headphones from Beats in the Studio 3 and from Sony in its XM range — be it the original MDR-1000X through to the current WH-1000XM4 — but this time, it’s thrown into an earphone.
Battery life is set to 6.5 hours of use with around an extra 14 in the case, suggesting two extra charges can be found in its pocketable aluminium case, with that offering wireless Qi charging support, as well.
And in line with just about everything else, there’s support for IP54 water and dust resistance, making them suitable for running up a sweat and possibly walking through light rain, with the focus really on making a premium pair of in-ear noise cancelling earphones.
“When creating Beoplay EQ, we made a commitment to deliver on the expectations of our customers whether they are using their earphones for travel, business or pleasure,” said Christoffer Poulsen, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Bang & Olufsen.
“The ergonomic earphones have been designed for comfort and provide powerful and authentic sound, making them a must have for design and music lovers,” he said. Thanks to the durable aluminium charging case as well as the Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation, Beoplay EQ provides a revolutionary listening experience wherever you go.”
However you shouldn’t expect premium to come cheap. While B&O’s Australian arm has not yet offered a release date or price, the overseas price if 399 Euros, translating roughly to around $650 AUD, suggesting the Beoplay EQ might hit between $649 and $699 in Australia when all is said and done, and firmly placing them in the premium category of the market.
We’re checking with B&O to find out more, but for now, we’re expecting these to launch later in Australia (as most B&O gear does) in two colours in the next few months.
