B&O Play revives ‘90s design in new wireless Earset earbuds

While the Earset shares similarities with other wireless headphones on the market - five-hour battery life, three-button in-line remote, choice of finishes - there’s no question the design stands out from the sea of compact, penny-sized earbuds out there.

Drawing on Anders Hermansen’s iconic ear-hook design from the 1990s, the Earsets place importance on flexible fit - you can alter the angle of the bud, the height of the piston and curve of the rubber hook.

Rather than burrowing deep into your ear, the buds aim to be less invasive, sitting just inside the inner ear so ambient sounds can be heard.

“The angle of the ear bud housing design has been adapted to determine the optimal angle for sound performance, with the speaker housing now tilted slightly towards the ear to ensure better sound delivery and reduce sound leakage,” says B&O’s executive sound engineer Knud-Erik Lauridsen, who also tuned the original Earset.

On the acoustic front, the Earsets feature a 14.2mm driver with a neodymium magnet, behind which are two acoustic vents and a bass port designed to optimize performance.

The Earsets, priced £269, are available now in ‘graphite brown’ - a white version will follow next month.

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Becky Roberts

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. During her 10 years in the hi-fi industry, she has been fortunate enough to travel the world to report on the biggest and most exciting brands in hi-fi and consumer tech (and has had the jetlag and hangovers to remember them by). In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.