vlohjr1 wrote:

Grateful for opinions in terms of connectivity/drop out/ease of use etc? Ready to get one

Both have pros and cons - my biggest 'con' with the AirPods is simply that everyone has them. When I was in LA recently, it was almost a case of 'spot who doesn't have an AirPod in their ear'! On a morning, people were walking around chatting on a call with one in their ear.

For stability and fewer dropouts, you won't beat the AirPod. Or ease of use. It's cheaper, too. But, it's not B&O, so the sound quality won't be as good for sure.

I've never bought the E8's as I can never see myself running with them and one not dropping out my ear. And I'd never wear them to walk around and listen to music - I'd buy on/over-ear cans for that purpose.

moxxey wrote:

Both have pros and cons - my biggest 'con' with the AirPods is simply that everyone has them. When I was in LA recently, it was almost a case of 'spot who doesn't have an AirPod in their ear'! On a morning, people were walking around chatting on a call with one in their ear.

For stability and fewer dropouts, you won't beat the AirPod. Or ease of use. It's cheaper, too. But, it's not B&O, so the sound quality won't be as good for sure.

I've never bought the E8's as I can never see myself running with them and one not dropping out my ear. And I'd never wear them to walk around and listen to music - I'd buy on/over-ear cans for that purpose.

Hey Vince,

I do own all three, that is AirPods 1. Gen, E8 and E8 2.0.

My Gen 1 E8 had dropouts on one ear when near strong magnetic objects, e.g. certain parts in subway carriages. Slightly turning my head fixes that almost always though.  With the 2.0s, these dropouts are yet to appear. Once in a while (very rarely) I had trouble connecting my E8 Gen 1 to my iPhone, which was always easily fixed by reaparing them (tapping and holding both sides of the headphones for a couple of seconds). Again, with the 2.0, this has yet to appear. Normally though, they pair automatically when you turn them on. 

The AirPods worked quite flawlessly, which is no wonder as they are engineered to work with iOS with a deeper integration than just Bluetooth Audio. I rarely use them though, because the E8 are of higher quality, material and soundwise, and don't fall out of my ear when moving, because of the rubber. There's simply more friction opposed to the AirPods plastic. Also the E8 don't look like like electric toothbrush heads sticking out of your ear canal. The E8 2.0 have wireless charging as well, so that's a big plus.

All in all, I'd recommend the E8 over AirPods. I don't use Siri when in public, and I don't use headphones at home so I can just shout at my phone. The E8 sound better and are In-Ear. Transparency mode (rerouting real-world sound to your ear while still playing music at a lower level) is great whenever you want to hear the announcer announcing why your train is delayed today. All dropouts are supposed to be fixed in the 2.0 version, which I can confim so far. Pairing is quick and easy, as is turning them on. Unfortunately they don't turn off the music automatically when you take them out of your ears (I think? Honestly I never checked to this day) like the AirPods do. 

Intricacy wrote:

Hey Vince,

I do own all three, that is AirPods 1. Gen, E8 and E8 2.0.

My Gen 1 E8 had dropouts on one ear when near strong magnetic objects, e.g. certain parts in subway carriages. Slightly turning my head fixes that almost always though. With the 2.0s, these dropouts are yet to appear. Once in a while (very rarely) I had trouble connecting my E8 Gen 1 to my iPhone, which was always easily fixed by reaparing them (tapping and holding both sides of the headphones for a couple of seconds). Again, with the 2.0, this has yet to appear. Normally though, they pair automatically when you turn them on.

The AirPods worked quite flawlessly, which is no wonder as they are engineered to work with iOS with a deeper integration than just Bluetooth Audio. I rarely use them though, because the E8 are of higher quality, material and soundwise, and don't fall out of my ear when moving, because of the rubber. There's simply more friction opposed to the AirPods plastic. Also the E8 don't look like like electric toothbrush heads sticking out of your ear canal. The E8 2.0 have wireless charging as well, so that's a big plus.

All in all, I'd recommend the E8 over AirPods. I don't use Siri when in public, and I don't use headphones at home so I can just shout at my phone. The E8 sound better and are In-Ear. Transparency mode (rerouting real-world sound to your ear while still playing music at a lower level) is great whenever you want to hear the announcer announcing why your train is delayed today. All dropouts are supposed to be fixed in the 2.0 version, which I can confim so far. Pairing is quick and easy, as is turning them on. Unfortunately they don't turn off the music automatically when you take them out of your ears (I think? Honestly I never checked to this day) like the AirPods do.