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Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Great Product!

Written by JR from New York

Nov 13, 2009

The earphones are superior to anything on the market. They sound great and they are very comfortable.

4 of 7 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Stylish, comfortable,unreliable

Written by LS from Chestnut Hill

Oct 12, 2009

I have owned mine since 2007. I had a local electronics center replace the jack with a stronger one from R....S....It provided sound for the past 7 months but I've lost the left channel this week. The best feature is comfort and the sound quality is ok.
I appreciate the ability to here ambient sounds when wearing them but I will replace them with headphones another company. My inexpensive backup Philips, bought at CVS for a lot less, have decent sound quality but I can't wear them for more than 1/2 hour. I own other B & O products and I would have expected better.

2 of 9 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

$160.00 investment quits working within little over several months

Written by PH from Anderson

Sep 26, 2009

I was a proud owner of A8 for about 15 months. The sound is incredible and I like the fit as well. However all of the sudden and for no reason one side quit working. I am trying to find out what B & O can do for me however so far I am unsuccessful. In my opinion the money is lost for good. The next time I won't be considering any such expensive item if it is not covered with extensive warranty.

12 of 22 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Awesome Sound Quality, Poor Build Quality

Written by JK from LONG BRANCH

Sep 24, 2009

It fits your ears just right but within no time, the wire connecting the headset exposed a red copper like thing. I am sure they are going to give up on me soon. I wish they were lil' stronger. Save your $$$ and avoid these.

7 of 10 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Good Sound, Poor Build Quality

Written by DG from Victoria

Aug 12, 2009

While I do agree that these headphones have great sound as well as a comfortable, snug fit on the ear my experience has not been all good.

At the joints where the wires attach to the headphones, to the jack, and to the y intersection where the wires join together the internal wire has become exposed an frayed. This has caused one earphone to fail entirely as the copper is no longer connected. I've used electrical tape to help slow down further damage but I know it's only a matter of time until the other side quits as well.

It is important to note that I use my headphones very heavily and am the not so proud owner of more than 8 different pairs of broken or breaking headphones.

Considering the price I would have expected better build quality but all the same I recommend these headphones to people who don't use their headphones every single day and can appreciate the highly accurate sound and great fit for active listening.

19 of 22 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Amazing for running and biking.

Written by CB from Belmont

Aug 12, 2009

My wife and I have 3 pairs between us. I use one for running and one at work. The sound is great. The fit for running is outstanding. I have had these for 12 months. During that time I have averaged running 25 miles a week and biking 50 miles a week. I cannot remembering having to adjust the fit of these ear phones once. In addition, I have not noticed any change in sound quality over time. I even bought a set of these for my Mother. These are well worth the money if you exercise to music.

11 of 11 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Wow! Really good headphones!

Written by MD from Hesperia

Jul 25, 2009

These are the best headphones I have ever had! They are so comfortable, unlike the Apple earphones that came with my iPod, which hurt my ears after about 15 min. The first time I used them at school, my buddies commented on how awesome they looked. The only thing I dislike about them is that the right earphone hinge is to loose and I find myself adjusting that one pretty often (or at least more often than the left one :-) These headphones replaced the older style headphones that came with my 2nd gen iPod shuffle, and then when I bought my 80 GB iPod classic, I gave the new ones to my mom (who got my old shuffle). The original Apple headphones lasted pretty well, and sounded good enough. But I woudn't pay $29 for a new pair (especially since my iPod is compatible with the mic), so I found these on eBay and bid $45 and have been liking them ever since!
Oh, another thing is that the foam covers don't last very long before they need replacing, but thats only a minor drawback, and the Bass is wonderful.
Listen to "Another Way to Die" (from Quantum of Solace) and you will be sold!

6 of 10 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

WELL WORTH IT!

Written by DP from Warren

Jul 17, 2009

I have had mine since before I got my first IPod (40 2nd Gen) those many years ago. Sound, fit & feel has been stellar all this time. I would have no problem getting another pair- problem is, there is nothing wrong with the pair I have. The cost isn't an issue if I can depend on them for as long as I have with the usage they have sustained. Not my first Bang & Olufsen product & definately not my last.

5 of 5 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Aesthetics over function

Written by MS from Westmont

Jul 15, 2009

I wish I could write a glowing review of these headphones because I love B&O audio equipment. These were purchased in 2007. The sound quality was outstanding at first, but within a year, the sound degraded to the point that they are difficult to listen to. The bass is muddled with the mid range and lows are completely inaudible. If these were 15.00 dollars, then perhaps I would have been OK with them lasting less then a year. In addition, the earbuds work themselves out of position quickly. For 160.00 USD, there are better ways to spend your money. I learned the hard way.

7 of 11 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Money for ... Air?

Written by UR from Bulle

Jul 7, 2009

I purchased these earphones years ago and after having used them as my everyday earphones for a long time I must say that these are definitely not worth the money they cost. Sound quality is average at best, and the earphones themselves are impractical carrying around due to their design. Though they DO look good, far too much is sacrificed for the visual aesthetics of these earphones. In my opinion you're much better off purchasing a pair of in-ear's for half the price instead.

8 of 14 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Not worth the money

Written by MJ from New york

Jun 23, 2009

I have owned these headphones for a few years now. For $160, I expected them to last and remain high quality for a long time. Over time, the sound volume and quality in the headphones has reduced drastically. They now emit many fewer decibles than your run-of-the-mill ear buds that come for free with Ipods and Iphones. Also, the sound has grown much less clear over time. Further, they were never really comfortable - rather, something I just got used to. I constantly had to adjust them to stay in my ear, which is not what you'd expect because they can be manually adjusted to fit any size ear. Problem is, they didn't stay tight. You'll adjust them to fit your ear, and then they'll slowly creep back out. I bought them for the specific purpose of durability and sound quality, two things I expected from B&O. I'm pretty disappointed, frankly.

9 of 16 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Forms follows function

Written by AM from El Paso

Jun 16, 2009

I had comfort issues with most headphones, but the Bang & Olufsen A8 were as comfortable as they were beautiful... and the sound was as good as my bulky Bose headphones. Unfortunately, they were not very durable. They literally came apart in my hands. I don't know if I can justify buying a second pair, but after two weeks of Apple earbuds, I'm getting very tempted...

6 of 6 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Incredible

Written by AK from FPO

May 31, 2009

I recently purchased a pair of these and upon putting them on I was awed by the incredible sound quality. Perfectly crisp with great balance. Definitely worth every penny!

11 of 11 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Rich, deep sound; delicate but sturdy mechanism

Written by GC from Francestown

May 21, 2009

I listen to a lot of classical solo piano, so pure sound was very important to me. These 'phones are remarkable and bring out many subtle tonal qualities of the music. The fit of the A8s is similarly great...easily conformable once you learn the fine variations of moving the stem and buds. I'd agree with other posters here that for slam-bam-thank you-m'aam use, these would not be good, and would break easily. I have a Sennheiser set for workouts... I suppose I am a more passive user with these headphones, and they are a joy to put on and listen to!

7 of 9 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Not Bad

Written by AL from KINGSTON

May 18, 2009

Bought this for my boyfriend. Great product, definite sex appeal. The main problem he's had with it were the foam earbuds, which make them comfortable to wear but do not stay on very long without fraying.

First pair stopped working after three months, but the B&O store was quite accommodating and exchanged it. So far no other issues.

The B&O store actually has this in several different colours: white, yellow, orange, and green.

10 of 15 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

fell apart

Written by MH from Bangkok

May 12, 2009

I have this as a gift, been using it in the gym as the design suits well for running on the treadmill. However, just last week, the connection between the metal pieces fell apart... all the pieces were flying around the treadmill. I didn't manage to find them all (seems to have a lot of screws and connections for the tiny thing)... Now I'm looking for something a bit more solidly built.

11 of 12 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

I'd Forgotten What I Was Missing Without These

Written by DB from San Francisco

May 8, 2009

Last year, my 5 year old pair of these died (the cord came apart at the base of one of the earpieces) after seeing near everyday use (and being shoved in my pocket, back, etc). Because I had an iPhone (which the older version of these would not fit into without an adapter plug), I just began to use the headset that came with it purely for convenience (the mic/clicker control is nice!).

The other day, I stopped by the B&O store in SF and asked if the A8 headphone cord would now fit in the iPhone's jack. It indeed did, and because I had a bit of extra money at the time, I decided to splurge and pick up a new pair. All I can say is I had forgotten how wonderful these little guys sound (and how great they look - the black/silver metal is a great match for the iPhone) and how much I was missing in terms of sound quality. If you like a ton of bass, these aren't for you, but if you listen to all kinds of music (esp acoustic, rock/pop(non-bass-heavy), jazz, classical, etc) and are looking for awesome sounding headphones, these are it. I was hearing sounds in the very same AAC/MP3 files that I had not heard with the stock iPhone earbuds!

9 of 9 people found this useful

Bang & Olufsen A8 Headphones

Perfect

Written by HR

May 3, 2009

This is the perfect product for those whose ears cannot tolerate the 'buds'. There is no ear canal pressure and no falling out. Yes, as per other reviews, the base is a bit weak but that is completely balanced by clear and sharp higher pitched sounds (e.g piano, horns, etc. Great for listening to jazz.

5 of 5 people found this useful