Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

If you are looking at the E8's then you are probably also looking at the AirPods since both are directed at the same market. I own both and have worn each for extended periods and each has their own pros and cons. You can see my photos to compare the two in size. I was expecting the E8s to be larger than they are based on pictures on the web so I think comparing them to the AirPods in pictures will help others that had the same concern. They are larger to pack than the AirPods due to their larger footprint and the larger battery case. If you plan on carrying them in your pocket, then the AirPods will definitely be the smaller one since it's about the 1/2 the thickness of the E8's case. Here's a quick rundown on how the two compare based on my experiences with them both. Sound Quality. - Winner: E8. Due to it's sealed in-ear design, the sound quality is better assuming you can get them sealed properly for your ear. If not sealed, they sound hollow and weak. They include several sets of rubber tips and one memory foam style so almost everyone should be able to find one that works. However, some people find wearing sealed earphones uncomfortable to wear. I can tolerate them for short periods but after about 3 hours, I need a break. The iOS app also allows you to change the sound profile of the headphones. You can make them "warmer" or "brighter" or some blend that suits your taste. The AirPods have a fixed sound profile and sound very much like the EarPods that everyone knows. If you like the sound of EarPods, then you already know what to expect. Sound Isolation: - Winner: E8. Again, due to the sealed design, you can block out much more with the E8. The iOS app does allow you to control this isolation and you can tap the left earbud and allow the transparent mode to kick in. You can change this to different levels but basically it will pump in the ambient sounds to your ears (I assume with mic) and lower your music volume. This is handy if you need to ear someone talking for a short period of time. The AirPods don't really have isolation and you will still hear your surroundings at low volumes but this might be ideal for some use cases. Controls. - Winner: Tie. With the E8's, you can change the volume (hold bud), skip songs (double tap), pause (single tap) and enable the transparency mode. With the AirPods you can set the buds double tap to do some things but you can invoke Siri to do much more. It depends on your usage which one you'd find more convenient. The E8's give you more control of your music, but EarPods give you more control of your phone's usage. Comfort. - Winner: AirPods. I find the AirPods really comfortable and can wear them all day. Sealed earphones bother me after a few hours and I need a break and the E8s are no different. I find the E8s more difficult to insert and get seated just right. If you don't get them sealed properly, they won't sound good and can be tinny, hollow and weak. Playing around with them, twisting them, etc and you can get them right but it's not comfortable to do that. The AirPods are no fuss to insert and they sound the same everytime. Convenience. - Winner: AirPods. The AirPods are easier to pair and can be used one at a time (left or right). The E8s can only be used as a pair or the right one only. There is no way to use just the left earphone by itself since the right one is the master and it communicates with your phone and then relay's the signal to the left earbud. The transmitting distance from the right one to the left one is only about a foot and I have had several brief cut outs in the left earphone, which I assume is due to the relatively weak range from the master to the slave earphone. The charging case of the AirPods will also show you the battery level of the case and it's power for each AirPod shows up on your phone. The E8's case has no "smarts" that I can find and I have no way of knowing the battery level. The iOS app for the E8 does show you a battery level for the E8 buds, but not the case. Battery. - Winner: AirPods. I get 4-5 hours off the Airpods before I need to charge them and charging them is super fast.. typically getting me a full charge in 20 mins. The E8s go about 3-4 hours and charge much slower, taking 90+mins to fully charge. Cost. - Winner: Airpods. At $169, the AirPods are almost 1/2 the price of the E8s. This is where the E8's fall way short. Apple has really priced the AirPods well for everything they offer and that shows when competitors like the E8's are at $299. It's really hard to say that the E8s better sound quality are worth the price premium given all the other pros of the AirPods. Build Quality. - Winner: Airpods There is nothing inherently wrong with the E8s buds, but I think the case feels cheap. It doesn't close or open with the precision of the AirPod case. It's also considerably larger than the AirPod case yet offers no Bluetooth smart features to report battery level or assist in the pairing process like the AirPod case does. Overall. - Winner: Airpods If you are looking for the best sounding wireless buds, then the E8s are probably the ones to get. However, if you are an Apple user then I think the AirPods are the better overall choice when you factor in the price, convenience, build quality. The AirPods fit really nicely into the Apple ecosystem and if you use MacOS then it's nice to be able to switch between them. If you are a Android user, then you may like the E8's more but the price of entry is pretty high for the E8s. If B&O priced the E8s at $199 then I think they would be a much easier sell.