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Sound quality is king when it comes to headphones and that’s a fact – an inescapable one that hurts me given the sonic mediocrity of some otherwise fine audio products. But wouldn’t it be nice if we could have sonic? and aesthetic shine in earplugs?
Meet Beyerdynamic’s new second-generation Xelento, gloriously shiny earbuds that wouldn’t look out of place in a high-end jeweler. Add to that Beyerdynamic’s enviable track record in outstanding audiophile over-ear headphones (check out our Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless or DT 770 Studio/Pro reviews for reference) and its debut Free Byrd true wireless earbuds (which hit the market in July with a edgy look which I instantly fell in love with) and you get a good sense of what Beyerdynamic stands for.
So the new Xelento, which comes in ‘remote’ and ‘wireless’ models (aka a traditional wired design with built-in volume remote or a wireless Bluetooth cable with neckband), are earbuds to keep your eye on — no no, we have to look at it and check out the spec sheet, as well as those beautiful driver housings.
Xelento is billed as ‘sonic jewels…an audible jewel’ and it’s easy to see why. They are handcrafted to provide a hi-res sound experience, powered by beyerdynamic’s proprietary Tesla technology in the smallest form factor yet. Gold-plated plugs and silver-plated cables are used in the wiring, while the driver housing is designed with hand-crafted 24-carat gold – matching the inner beauty, of course.
The TESLA.11 driver is the star under the hood, an 11mm dynamic unidirectional driver with special new acoustic filters.
For a superior fit, you get no less than seven pairs of silicone ear tips newly developed by Beyerdynamic, plus three Comply Memory Foam ear tips of different sizes for maximum noise isolation.
Both new Xelento models come with a 3.5mm jack cable with remote control and hands-free microphone. The external model also includes a symmetrical 4.4mm Pentaconn cable that allows direct connection to high-quality hi-fi components with balanced outputs – ie. something for your Astell & Kern A&norma SR25 MKII or the best hi-res audio player of your choice.
Xelento wireless, on the other hand, comes with a Bluetooth 5.2 neckband that guarantees up to 14 hours of music entertainment. It includes a digital-to-analog converter and amplifier from specialist AKM, boasting support for the latest codecs such as LHDC, Qualcomm aptX HD and aptX for wireless audio quality that I can really stand behind.
Opinion: Classic beauty has a timeless appeal in earplugs
Prior to today, in the same vein, I chastised headphones for looking ‘dull’, but came to the conclusion that I would wear them, even if they only came in slime green and had a large vibrating insect eye on each pinna. Why? Because the sound quality of some headphones (in that case the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless) is undeniably excellent – and those in the know will just nod wisely and suspect that I’ve chosen talent over looks.
But it is possible to have both physical beauty and sublime sonic capabilities: just look at the Campfire Audio Trifecta, the Audeze Euclid and the Bowers & Wilkins PX8.
In any case, the product exuded a timeless beauty, supported by excellent, no-nonsense, best-in-class and cost-effective components. Music is culturally universal and has been around for thousands of years longer than all of us (exactly how many thousands is a debate for another day) and as fashion comes and goes, our love for audio will never die.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve screamed with joy at the bijou beauty of Genshin Impact earbuds and the like, only to be disappointed by the less-than-excellent sound. But I can’t imagine that these particular Beyerdynamic headphones would address such a problem. On the one hand, they are quite expensive, and on the other hand, this is Beyerdynamic that we are talking about.
A new contender for our best guide to wireless earbuds ahead of Black Friday? I haven’t had a chance to hear them yet, but based on this evidence, I certainly would think so.
The new Beyerdynamic Xelento remote and Xelento wireless earbuds are now available for $999 and $1199 respectively (opens in new tab) (that’s about £885 or AU$1585 for the external model and £1,064 or AU$1900 for the wireless option) and I can’t wait to put them in my ears…