Early in 2024, I reviewed the Bose Extremely Open earbuds and was blown away by their audio high quality. The sound high quality was distinctive for open earbuds, and the options had been premium. They stood out head and shoulders above every part else, however then I heard about one other premium model doing one thing fascinating that might change that.
Wait, what? A model recognized for audiophile-quality audio gear is doing open-ear earbuds? Once I heard that Beyerdynamic was bringing an open earbud to market, I used to be confused however keen to present the Verio 200 a shot! I used to be confused as a result of, given Beyerdynamic’s popularity for high-quality audio tech, why? I used to be keen due to that very same popularity.
Greater value, increased sound high quality
Launched in June 2024, the Beyerdynamic Verio 200 is out there for $220 instantly from beyerdynamic.com or Amazon. They’re out there in black, cream, or an orange and black “Sport” model.
What I like
There’s a lot to love concerning Beyerdynamic’s first foray into open-ear merchandise, the Verio 200. First up, the gentle contact case is the very first thing you’ll discover after unboxing.
It has a two-stage hinge, which retains the lid open. Inside, you’ll discover the earbuds, a standing LED, and a multifunction button for pairing the earbuds, which assist multipoint pairing; the function labored flawlessly in my testing when concurrently linked to a Pixel 9 and iPhone 15 Professional Max. The again of the case is the place you’ll discover the USB-C port for charging.
In comparison with Bose’s providing, the Verio 200 is far bigger, favoring the ear hook-style construct, however they don’t really feel heavy on me. They’re fairly comfy throughout prolonged put on, which is nice as a result of the sound high quality is so good you’ll doubtless wish to put on them for so long as the battery lasts. It is round 8 hours, relying in your listening quantity. A part of the rationale the Beyerdynamic Verio 200s sound so good is as a result of they assist Bluetooth 5.3 and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Lossless, in addition to the standard AAC and SBC codecs.
In different articles on open-ear true wi-fi earbuds, I’ve talked about auditory masking and the way that impacts the sound output of all these earbuds. With that in thoughts, I first hit my Bass Check playlist and The Roots radio playlist on Tidal when trialing the audio high quality. AptX 16 bit, 48kHz was the audio high quality from Tidal and the Pixel 9, and I’ve to say that the bass replica was very full for a pair of headphones that don’t sit inside your ear canal. I would say it is on par with Bose.
The depth of bass response can be predicated on the environmental noise round you. Much less noise extra bass rumble. Extra noise, much less rumble. The Verio 200 isn’t for bass heads, however for individuals who take pleasure in deep, darkish bass and require or need open earbuds, these are among the many greatest I’ve listened to, outdone solely by the newer Nothing Ear (open) I just lately reviewed.
What about different elements of the sound signature? Mids and highs are a delight right here. Vocals are vibrant and ethereal. The Beyerdynamic Verio 200’s love properly mastered Jazz. Charles Mingus’ “Moanin’” was an absolute pleasure to hearken to with the Verio 200. The observe is presently my “go-to” for analyzing the stereo imaging and soundstage of a pair of headphones or earbuds and the Verio 200 didn’t let me down—lovely imaging, with instrumentation layers properly nuanced within the mastering of that observe.
Listening to “Violin Duel” from the Chevalier belies the extent of readability the transducers within the Verio 200 reproduce. The assault and chord adjustments on the violins within the tune are filled with stress and texture as in the event you’re standing subsequent to the musician, watching them aggressively assault these actions with the bow asserting itself over strings.
Although not essentially the most feature-laden app to come back with earbuds, the Beyerdynamic app has what you want. Although the sound is stable out of the field, I tuned it a bit extra to present me what I need once I’m sporting these within the streets. I boosted the high and low finish, adopting a v-curve with the five-band EQ discovered within the app. You can even select from a number of presets, together with the flexibility to set the auto power-off time, management the assistant performance, and customise the playback and name performance.
Final however undoubtedly not least, the decision high quality was stable. Callers mentioned I got here by means of clear and didn’t sound tinny or like I used to be in a closet.
What could possibly be improved
I’ve two points with the Beyerdynamic Verio 200, that are considerably associated. First, there’s a lack of wi-fi charging assist. I’m wondering why we could not get Qi charging on board in 2024 at this value level and with a case this massive (my second challenge).
If Beyerdynamic places out a second-generation model of the Verio 200, it ought to assist wi-fi charging.
Does the rest examine?
There are merchandise by Shokz, Anker’s Soundcore, and 1More on this class. All of those merchandise are bought at a cheaper price than the Verio 200, however the merchandise that the majority instantly compete on options are the Nothing Ear (open) and the Bose Extremely Open earbuds. Each compete on sound high quality, however you’ll pay a premium for the Bose expertise. Bose’s Extremely Open are considered one of my favourite open earbuds to this point, however I don’t know that they’re $80 higher than the Verio, which price $220 on Amazon.
Alternatively, I’d take a severe have a look at the Nothing Ear (open). They retail for $150 and are one of the vital compelling open-ear merchandise launched in 2024.
Although costlier than the Ear (open), your different choices on this class are Shokz OpenFit with its wi-fi charging case or Soundcore’s AeroFit Professional with its LDAC assist. Each will prevent round $40, although, as I said, they’re costlier than Nothing.
If you happen to’re an avid swimmer, take a look at our evaluation of Shokz $180 OpenSwim Professional, that are open-ear bone conduction headphones particularly tailor-made for watersports, that sound wonderful underwater!
Must you purchase the Verio 200?
My evaluation interval answered my preliminary query, “Why open ear?” The reply is probably going that they knew they may do it and reside as much as their pedigree.
The Verio 200s reside as much as Beyerdynamic’s popularity for creating refined, high-end audio experiences! No, these gained’t sound like their audiophile-grade, over-ear headphone cousins, however my time with the Verio 200 has given me an expertise on par with two of my favourite open earbuds, the Bose Extremely Open and Nothing Ear (open) earbuds. With that, I can wholeheartedly suggest the Verio 200 as a stable choice in the event you’re on the lookout for high-quality audio within the open earbuds format.
Excessive-quality open earbuds
The Beyerdynamic Verio 200 provides among the best audio experiences within the open-ear audio class. Strong sound, a succesful companion app, an IP54 water resistance ranking, and good battery life make these an important choice, in the event you’re out there for an open ear product.