BeoPlay H5 wireless earbuds
Apple's removal of the of the 3.5mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7 has caused a stir, so it is all about wireless earbuds for the next five minutes.
Danish consumer electronics company Bang & Olufsen has developed the minimalist, sleek and exceptionally good-looking wireless BeoPlay H5 earbuds.
I was shocked at the $379 price tag, but the sound quality is amazing for tiny earbuds. Nick Cave's baritone voice sounds majestic and James John Lee Hooker sounds as if he is in the same room.
I'm not sure about Apple's new cordless AirPods, because as someone who misplaces everything, I like earbud pairs to be physically connected. Beoplay has magnetised the earpieces so they stick together, and a great feature is that clicking the magnets together automatically powers down the earphones to save battery life. I charged them up fully, didn't use them for two weeks and they worked perfectly.
The buds fit snugly and comfortably into the ear, and don't slip out easily and there are a few supplied eartip sizes to choose from. The cord is light and encased in fabric, which is a pleasant change from the feel of plastic. The dusty rose colour option is beautiful, and black with white flecks is also available.
There's a Beoplay app where you can choose from a variety of sound profiles, for example, making it "warm".
However, in a design flaw, the inline remote needs to have a '+' and '-' moulded in so we can feel the volume controls, rather than looking or having to rely on memory.
The only annoying thing for me is that these buds have their own charging unit, which means another thing that needs to be carried around when you travel. But overall, these are fabulous wireless earphones.
