Bang & Olufsen (B&O) has released its latest wireless earbuds, the Beoplay Eleven. The Danish audio company says these new buds, which look essentially unchanged from their predecessors, the Beoplay EX, provide double the noise reduction at low frequencies and improved optimization across different ear shapes and sizes, creating “the best ANC technology in a Bang & Olufsen earbud to date.”
The Beoplay Eleven are priced at $499. The Natural Aluminium color is available starting today. The Copper Tone version comes out on December 17.
Editor’s note: Based on a press release from B&O, the original version of this article said that the Beoplay Eleven have the best ANC you can get. B&O has retracted that wording to clarify that the new earbuds offer the company’s best ANC.
B&O says transparency mode has also been improved and that adjustments have been made to the microphone opening to offer better call quality and more resistance to wind noise.
Otherwise, the Beoplay Eleven’s specs are very similar to the Beoplay EX. The earbuds offer an IP57 level of protection from dust and water, making them essentially waterproof. Battery life is a claimed 6 hours per charge with ANC on (20 hours total with the case) and 8 hours when it’s off (28 hours with the case).
The case can charge wirelessly or via Qi wireless charging, and a quick-charge feature gives the earbuds up to 1.75 hours of playtime after 20 minutes of charging.
B&O has kept the same 9.2mm Neodymium-magnet dynamic drivers, and Bluetooth codec support is also unchanged, with aptX Adaptive, AAC, and SBC. Bluetooth Multipoint lets you connect to two devices simultaneously.
Curiously, B&O says that the design of the earbuds “allows for battery replacement by service to align with the European’s sustainability goals of requiring replaceable batteries from February 2027.” A company spokesperson told us that, to replace the battery, customers will need to return the earbuds to Bang & Olufsen or an authorized repair centre.
If you’ve always wanted a set of B&O wireless earbuds but you’ve been put off by their high price, now looks like an excellent time to buy the older Beoplay EX. They’re currently on sale for $280 — their lowest-ever price. Since very little has changed on the Beoplay Eleven, you’ll be getting a great deal.