Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Eleven Review (2024)

This is the Eleven’s strongest card. The earbuds use polished natural aluminum with a glass touch interface and a mirror-like finish that genuinely looks like jewelry. The case is a pearl-blasted aluminum clamshell that feels dense and premium in hand—closer to a watch box than a typical plastic TWS case. The buds are IP57, so they’ll survive rain, sweat, and dusty commutes without drama, and the materials feel like they’ll age gracefully. As a physical object, this is one of the nicest true wireless designs on the market.

The in-ear section is made of soft, high-quality silicone that B&O claims adapts to any ear shape. Reviewers and early users broadly agree the fit is stable, with a deeper insertion than some semi-open designs but not as intrusive as classic bullet IEMs. The buds are on the larger/heavier side compared with purely plastic competitors, and some ears may feel the weight after long sessions. Overall, though, they sit in the 'comfortable premium' tier: perfectly fine for several hours, secure enough for casual workouts, but not the absolute lightest or most forgettable buds you can buy.

The Eleven’s bass reflects B&O’s current philosophy: controlled, extended, with a tasteful lift rather than big consumer boom. The 9.2 mm driver can deliver real sub-bass when called for, but it’s more about texture and cleanliness than sheer quantity. Kick drums have snap, and bass lines are easy to follow without bleeding into the midrange. If you’re coming from Sony WF-1000X series or Bose, the Eleven will sound leaner and faster; if you come from very neutral IEMs, they’ll sound slightly rich and fun but still disciplined. This is 'hi-fi light' bass—engaging but not overcooked.

Midrange is clear and relatively uncolored. Vocals sit naturally, with enough warmth to avoid thinness but not so much that they sound thick or veiled. Instruments like guitars and pianos come through with good timbre and separation; B&O’s tuning here is more 'honest' than many ANC buds that drown mids in bass. Because the Eleven share much of their guts with the EX, the midrange character will be familiar to EX users—clean, slightly on the lean side compared with warm tunings, and easy to live with. It’s not HD-600-level natural, but it’s solidly hi-fi for a true wireless.

Treble is a touch lively, especially compared with Bose and Sony. What Hi-Fi and B&O’s own positioning both emphasize 'transparent, clear sound,' and the Eleven do aim for a crisper top end. You get good detail and air, with cymbals and high-frequency content clearly rendered. The flip side is that on harsher recordings, the upper treble can edge toward brightness. It’s not a razor-bright tuning, but it’s more unforgiving than smoother, rolled-off competitors. If you’re treble-sensitive, you may want to lean on the B&O app’s EQ to tamp down the top a hair.

For in-ear ANC buds, staging is a plus. The Eleven’s dual-mic ANC and well-tuned driver give a reasonably wide, open presentation with respectable depth. They won’t compete with open-back full-size headphones, but they do avoid the 'everything jammed in the center of your skull' feeling. Instrument placement is solid, and separation is better than many mainstream ANC buds in this price band. Again, the EX DNA shows: these feel like a refined, slightly more polished version of that same general soundscape.

Key strengths on the feature side include ANC: B&O claims 'twice the noise reduction' at low frequencies versus EX, with better optimization for different ear shapes and significantly improved wind-noise handling; third-party descriptions back this as the brand’s best earbud ANC yet. Transparency is also excellent, using six upgraded mics with lower self-noise to give a clearer, louder, and more natural ambient mode. You also get Bluetooth 5.2 with multipoint, working smoothly across Apple, Android, and Windows, alongside 6–8 hours of battery (up to 32 hours total with the case), wireless charging, and quick charge capability. However, the app EQ lacks surgical multi-band control, and there is no support for LDAC or other high-res codecs.

At roughly $499 MSRP, the Eleven are notably more expensive than strong competitors like B&W Pi8, Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, AirPods Pro 3, or Bose QC Ultra Earbuds 2. The problem is that they’re very close to the three-year-old Beoplay EX internally—same driver concept, evolution rather than revolution—with upgraded mics, ANC, and case. You are undeniably paying a luxury tax for design, materials, and the B&O name. If you want buds that look like jewelry and feel like a premium object, the price is at least understandable. If you care mainly about raw sound and ANC per dollar, the Eleven are a tough sell at full MSRP; they make much more sense if you can find them discounted or if you’re choosing with your eyes and hands as much as your ears.