Buzz
Design Aspect
Beoplay E8 Sport resembles its slightly less robust twin sibling, but is equipped with a few features for 'on-the-go' usage. The stable silicone fins will ensure they stay securely in your ears, and the rubber-coated earbuds themselves have ridges. However, not at the top, used for touch-sensitive operations.
There are no gaps for buttons on the wireless earbuds. Therefore, operations are performed by tapping and applying pressure on the rear shield on both earbuds. Up to three consecutive presses. It's somewhat perplexing, but can't do much better with the available space.
It comes with silicone ear tips in four sizes and stable fins in three sizes. You also get a pair of memory foam ear tips.
Beoplay E8 Sport is akin to its slightly less robust twin sibling, except it's wrapped in rubber and features 'horns' for a secure fit in the ear. (Photo: Bang & Olufsen)
Battery life is similar to the regular E8, specifically seven hours. That's the standard for fully wireless earbuds today. The charging case can handle three charges, adding an extra 23 hours of battery life. The case itself can also be wirelessly charged using Qi standard. How clever.
Beoplay E8 in previous generations struggled with stable Bluetooth connectivity. Now it will be addressed. But perhaps not entirely. Pairing is much more difficult than usual (I pair many Bluetooth devices with my mobile phone for office purposes). And when the earbuds are turned off and need to reconnect, it's often on an unstable version.
Features
Sports headphones must withstand a bit of everything, and Beoplay E8 Sport is dust and water-resistant to IP57 standard. Meaning they can be submerged in water for half an hour. And if you have a waterproof phone, you can listen to music underwater. It's been fixed if the exercise is aquatic, but we haven't tested this in practice.
Beoplay E8 doesn't integrate voice control features. This is somewhat surprising, as the truly wireless earbuds could benefit from non-contact operation – and also because you can find this feature in much cheaper earbuds. However, you can still use the microphone for voice-controlled functions on your phone.
Another crucial feature is its support for aptX audio codec. That's a plus – and without it, it would be a drawback – but it's still just the standard version of aptX, not the HD or Adaptive version.
Sound Quality
Bass is notoriously tricky in earbuds. Unless the plug ends snugly in the ear canal, otherwise, bass is unattainable. And even when it does happen, small inaccuracies can still make significant strides in bass levels. In Beoplay E8 Sport, the task is nearly perfectly resolved. The bass is solid and with just the right emphasis on mid-bass, making it easy to follow the rhythm during workouts. If that's not enough, Bang & Olufsen can bring superior dominance down below with the 'sports' setting, ensuring even the dullest feet can maintain pace.
Although E8 Sport is engineered for rugged use, the sound is quite refined with quality akin to E8 3rd Gen. Midrange is surprisingly clear, so you'll want to slow down and sit back a bit to enjoy the song. Of course, you shouldn't do that. But the earbuds can also be used for commuting and working. Or reserve them for travel use. But since they lack active noise cancellation feature, you won't get excellent noise isolation.
When it comes to Bang & Olufsen products, we're accustomed to high prices. A price tag corresponding to superior build quality and design. Beoplay E8 Sport is undeniably reliable – but there's really no room for additional details like brushed aluminum and core leather on the cable-free earbuds.
Therefore, Beoplay E8 Sport becomes one of many fiercely competitive fully wireless earphones vying for consumer favor. If you want a pair of earbuds sitting snugly in your ears while you're driving through the woods for nearly four thousand kroner, that's your choice. It could easily be done cheaper. Especially if you can handle sweat density rather than total IP57 water resistance. Then, the choice might, for example, be a pricy half-JBL Live 300TWS.
Closing Thoughts
Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 Sport is a special edition of the successful 3rd generation E8, and it has endeavored to marry excellent sound from the civilian version with robust packaging. Beautiful, nuanced sound, suitable for bass-heavy training sessions. The transparency function, sealing sound from the surrounding environment inside, is very convenient.
However, if you don't need to immerse yourself in water while listening with aptX friendly to hi-fi, you can get sound almost as good for less.
