A new pair of truly wireless earphones sets a high price for something that feels like it’s a piece of art designed for listening. And yet we can’t help feeling reminded of something.
“In rod we trust.” That’s one of the first messages this journalist recalls when glancing at the latest pair of earphones to come out of Bang & Olufsen, a sound specialist that often sees some of the more unique designs for headphones, speakers, TVs, and earphones.
Over the years, we’ve loved some of these models, thanks in part to a combination of Scandinavian minimalism and delightfully warm sound.
Bang & Olufsen gets both of these principles, but in order for you as a customer to get it, so to speak, you need to part ways with serious cash, and the latest pair is no exception.
Priced at $2200 in Australia for the earphones and a few hundred more for the leather case, the B&O Beo Grace could be one of the priciest pairs of earphones we’ve seen, though their minimalist design also brings to mind something a little more media savvy.
While the Beo Grace clearly isn’t drawn from The Simpsons‘ inanimate carbon rod, the simplicity is similar, even if the hardware is very different. The rod’s appearance in season 5, episode 15 “Deep Space Homer” is simple in its glory, saving Homer and its crew from drama in space.
Bang & Olufsen’s use of a mere aluminium cylinder won’t likely save you from space, but it’s clearly an effort in space saving, the design with the earpiece including a 12mm titanium driver, three microphones per ear (for a total of six), wireless tech, a battery for up to 4.5 hours of playback, and tactile controls on the body with the sound of a click to confirm.
B&O is also going a little deeper with its hardware in the Grace. The microphones are tuned for adaptive active noise cancellation, fine tuning performance depending on where you are, almost like the automatically adaptive performance of its Beolab speakers.
Similarly, there’s an “EarSense” feature that aims to adapt the sound and noise cancellation performance by detecting ambient noise and measuring the signature of your ears. It sounds a little like what Bose does in its Bose QC Ultra earphones, but tuned from a Bang & Olufsen lens.
You’ll also find the charging case works as a transmitter for both USB-C and USB-C to 3.5mm cables, offering a similar feature to LG’s Tone Free, albeit in a more luxurious and premium way.
And they’ll also sport an IP57 water resistance rating, and spatial audio support is here, too, virtualising the experience for Dolby Atmos, though Bang hasn’t confirmed on whether head-tracking is included.
However, it has said that the software platform for its Beo Grace earphones will evolve, upgradeable as part of B&O’s “Amadeus Platform”, meaning updates will roll out over time.
The price is where things get really complex, because that $2200 tag in Australia is definitely not easy on the eyes. That’s not to say the Beo Grace won’t be worth it — we’ve reviewed some pretty awesome expensive headphones in the past — but also, wow.
Typically the best noise cancelling earphones max out under $500. You can find more expensive wired options, such as from Campfire Audio, but B&O’s price on the Beo Grace is on another level. They take the luxury design of the Bang & Olufsen EarSet range somewhere else.
Australians with enough money to even consider these earphones can expect the Beo Grace to land in November, priced from $2200 without the optional leather case.
Given the price, they may also want to consider a $75K transparent OLED TV from LG, as that is seemingly in a similar part of the luxury tech market.
