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Mr. Giver '94

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jun 2, 2008
1,815
0
London
Hi. I'm looking to get these for my iPhone and iPod and was wondering what everyone here thinks. Should I get these, the A8 earphones, or something different? Thanks in advance! :)
 
Ok. Thanks! :) I think that I will get those, but I want to have the Mic attached. Do you or anyone else know anything about the B&O Earset 3? Are they just the A8 s with a Mic or a completely different type of earphone?
 
Ok. Thanks! :) I think that I will get those, but I want to have the Mic attached. Do you or anyone else know anything about the B&O Earset 3? Are they just the A8 s with a Mic or a completely different type of earphone?

They're A8s with a microphone.
 
You might think the mic is bigger than necessary.

But there is no question as to the sound quality of the earphones.
 
I bought them, then returned them a few days later.

The buds are just too big for my little ears. They seem to be about (if not exactly) the same size as the Apple earbuds. Those don't fit in my ears either. Since they don't go in very far, I get no bass.

Other than that, I really liked them. The big microphone/button is very easy to find and use. Since you're not getting a great seal, using them to talk on the phone sounds more natural, not like you're under water.

If the Apple earbuds fit in your ears okay, I highly recommend these.
 
The buds are just too big for my little ears. They seem to be about (if not exactly) the same size as the Apple earbuds. Those don't fit in my ears either. Since they don't go in very far, I get no bass.

They are not support to fit IN your ears, they are supposed to REST on your ears.

I would think the only way to get deep bass from a pair of earphones is to go with the sound isolation/in ear design. The B&O certainly does not have any less bass than other earbuds.
 
They are not support to fit IN your ears, they are supposed to REST on your ears.

If that's the case, the B&O Earset 3 sound absolutely horrible.

But, if you have normal-sized ears, and they do manage to squeak their way in just a little bit, they sound great.

Keep in mind that my ears are so small that Apple standard earbuds don't fit at all. That is, they fall out... Not eventually, but the second I let go of them.

I'm not talking about working them into the ear canals, like Vmoda-sized buds. I'm talking fitting them the way you'd fit the similarly-sized standard Apple earbuds.
 
Thanks for all the responses, guys. I actually decided to go with the Bose in-ear headphones. I've had them since 5 pm today, and I already LOVE THEM!!! :D:D:D:):):)
 
If that's the case, the B&O Earset 3 sound absolutely horrible.

But, if you have normal-sized ears, and they do manage to squeak their way in just a little bit, they sound great.

Keep in mind that my ears are so small that Apple standard earbuds don't fit at all. That is, they fall out... Not eventually, but the second I let go of them.

I'm not talking about working them into the ear canals, like Vmoda-sized buds. I'm talking fitting them the way you'd fit the similarly-sized standard Apple earbuds.

They sound absolutely amazing, their natural, clear and what I'll call vivid sounding. They do have an odd shape within ears, but after a short while you'll get used to it. Many will concur with me in that their sound is just plain awesome, Kyllip, Luis... and others I guess


Thanks for all the responses, guys. I actually decided to go with the Bose in-ear headphones. I've had them since 5 pm today, and I already LOVE THEM!!! :D:D:D:):):)

Owning both I'll say the Bose ones appeal more to the 'average' listener (no offense bro) since they have that o-so-common monster bass and naturally dull "bose" sound. I own high-end audio brands, studio speakers, and --shamely-- bose (sin ofensas luis jaj) [although their QC2's are quite good], and my favorite headphones are the B&O's (still love the QC2's for traveling) and technically speaking they're the ones that are closer to the hi-fi speakers in terms of sound fidelity. If you could somehow compare them then you'll realize the A8's are far better. Also, technically speaking the Bose ones do a better job at noise canceling, but then again, the 'mids' and 'highs' of the A8's far surpass the Bose ones, so in the event of a call they'll reign supreme.

Victor
 
I got the B&O earset 3 a couple of weeks ago and I absolutely love it. I already had a pair of A8s and I found the Earset 3 to have even better bass. The iPhone controls work prefectly and the mic is very sensitive and clear.

Having tried the Ultimate Ears 4vis i found these to be far superior.

They also look great with the iPhone and I'd definitely recommend them.
 
A8's

I've owned the B&O A8's for going on over 7 years now. I purchased them in Italy back in '01, and at the time they were the coolest looking earphones I had ever scene...which made sense as B&O has always been known primarily for their aesthetic engineering. When I first used them (back with an old Sony MD player) the sound was very good, if not phenomenal. I was coming from a current pair of Sony High-End DJ phones, so kind of apples to oranges there.

7 years later, I'd give them about a 6.5-7.5 out of 10. Shortly after purchasing them (but of course just long enough for me to have moved back to the US before B&O store had proliferated) the right channel developed this awful buzz when trying to translate bass freqs. I then found out that B&O doesn't repair faulty products (even a pair of $160 phones) and goes further as to not stand behind their product after that.

Now granted I have very sensitive hearing...I really had to try and concentrate on anything but the bass notes in order to not go crazy. Also, with no gold-plated 3.5mm plug (unless they have changed this) you will get more corrosion/oxidation developing on the TRS.

Interesting fact about the A8's is that they were shown in the movie Minority Report as the "cell phone" of the future.

So, they are definitely better than decent, but I think one can do better for their money. I personally will be looking at some Shures to go along with my new iPhone.

Peace and good times,

-J
 
They sound absolutely amazing, their natural, clear and what I'll call vivid sounding. They do have an odd shape within ears, but after a short while you'll get used to it. Many will concur with me in that their sound is just plain awesome, Kyllip, Luis... and others I guess




Owning both I'll say the Bose ones appeal more to the 'average' listener (no offense bro) since they have that o-so-common monster bass and naturally dull "bose" sound. I own high-end audio brands, studio speakers, and --shamely-- bose (sin ofensas luis jaj) [although their QC2's are quite good], and my favorite headphones are the B&O's (still love the QC2's for traveling) and technically speaking they're the ones that are closer to the hi-fi speakers in terms of sound fidelity. If you could somehow compare them then you'll realize the A8's are far better. Also, technically speaking the Bose ones do a better job at noise canceling, but then again, the 'mids' and 'highs' of the A8's far surpass the Bose ones, so in the event of a call they'll reign supreme.

Victor

No offense taken. :) I wouldn't even consider myself any kind of audio expert. LoL These headphones sound the best to me because of their noise cancelation/blockage feature. I find that the Treble Booster EQ works very well with them because of their "monster bass." I still would be interested in comparing the 2.
 
No offense taken. :) I wouldn't even consider myself any kind of audio expert. LoL These headphones sound the best to me because of their noise cancelation/blockage feature. I find that the Treble Booster EQ works very well with them because of their "monster bass." I still would be interested in comparing the 2.

Fair enough. The bose ones aren't exactly horrible but you can most definitely do better for less dough, or do far far better with a bit more cash. Compare them, your ears are the ultimate judge, we can vaguely guide/recommend you, but the final decision should be made by your ears.

Victor
 
Fair enough. The bose ones aren't exactly horrible but you can most definitely do better for less dough, or do far far better with a bit more cash. Compare them, your ears are the ultimate judge, we can vaguely guide/recommend you, but the final decision should be made by your ears.

Victor

Victor, you are so right. I had the Bose earphones until today. I found the bass extremely overwhelming and the rest of the sound not up to snuff, so I returned them and got the B&O Earset 3. In my opinion, they are well worth the 200$ and have superior sound. Another plus is the mic so I can use them to accept calls. :)
 
Victor, you are so right. I had the Bose earphones until today. I found the bass extremely overwhelming and the rest of the sound not up to snuff, so I returned them and got the B&O Earset 3. In my opinion, they are well worth the 200$ and have superior sound. Another plus is the mic so I can use them to accept calls. :)

Hehe, thanks I guess... Anyhow, yeah, your ears are the ultimate judge and they sure can appreciate the difference in sound quality without some training, just use music you know how its supposed to sound and compare the products, unfortunately for Bose, they lost this one (and wonder how many others...:p)

Also, I noticed in your signature you own the QuietComfort 2. Those are one and only Bose headphones I'll wear without getting mad, the sound isn't precise nor hi-fi but its sure nice to listen to, and --unlike other bose products- they seem to have a somewhat controlled sound. Those are the only Bose I won't get rid off, they help me avoid the annoying school kids at the bus, although I must admit I can also survive with the A8's, kinda like the noise-canceling of the QC2's over the quality of the A8's in this situation haha. They sure are pricey but I still think they were worth the money.

Good luck with your B&O's, hope you enjoy them as much as I do mine hehe

Regards,
Victor
 
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