Bang & Olufsen earphones : Gear Review

Three pair of Bang & Olufsen earphones down and I’m left with those frustrating pods that came with my iPhone. That was two days ago before I screamed at the iPhone, threatening to turn it off and store it away in the manufacturer’s box. The wonderfully designed B&O’s were anything but. All three pair fell victim to the very same fate. The first symptoms always presented themselves early on; a small rip in the external rubber like material that covers the wiring, starting near the point where the cord branches into two wires. Next came a molting of sorts. It was as though the rubber died, like an outer layer of skin on a snake it was dead and the wiring slipped itself out. The final stages of the illness were of course expected. One by one the wires snapped just like in those movies when the blonde damsel in distress is hanging over a cliff and the rope begins to break fiber by fiber. While the B&O’s looked amazing they were perhaps the least durable earphones I’ve ever owned. What surprised me the most was the poor quality of the materials, especially given the relatively high price tag these things come with. Another problem I experienced with each pair involved the mechanism attaching the actual ear phone to the arm which swivels behind the ear. The more you wear them the more these lose their ability to stay in place, as though each time you adjust, you’re stripping a screw. Given the fact that the iPhone earbuds were free I didn’t really expect too much from them. The B&O’s, however were a tremendous disappointment.