Customer Reviews

Bose Mobile In-Ear Headset

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I'm always a little leery of buying in-ear headphones, even the expensive ones from the likes of Shure. I tend to like more bass than what most standard headphone buds provide and if you are like me, you will be very pleased with the Bose in-ear phones. First, they are extremely comfortable. Much like the Shures, Bose includes 3 sizes of silicone plugs that allow you to change the sizes for the best fit. There's a very small piece that slides into your ear canal, but for the most part, they sit in the bowl of your ear with just the small piece directing music down the canal. Bass again, is very good (not as good as their around the ear headphones which I also own) but they are definitely more than adequate for my needs - bass can definitely be heard. There's a little bit of sacrifice on the treble end, but treble is still colorful. These do not fit like the Shures fit -- where the Shures are almost naturally noise-cancelling due to how they fit down your ear canal, these do not block out outside noise. I work in a relatively quiet environment and so if you don't mind listening to your music/audio with low humming of outside voices in the background, these aren't bad. If you're going to spend this much on a pair of ear buds and want the noise-cancellation, I'd recommend the Shures.

I use these with my iPhone 3GS and when a call is received, you can press the toggle switch on the headset wire to switch over to pick up the call and talk using the built in microphone. There's no need to remove the headphones from the 3.5mm jack in order to pick up the call. Conducting a test with a friend, the microphone sounded fine to the other party.

Summary:
Pros:
-- Good bass
-- Good execution of microphone
-- comes with case that fits iPhone
-- Comes with lanyard as well as a clip for positioning the headphone cable

Cons:
-- Treble a little muddy

I have been looking for headphones to replace the mediocre, at best, that Apple suppled with the iPhone. Well I want to tell you that these have the best sound of the multiple sets I have either purchased and tested. Their full sound has a depth and richness that I had not experienced with any other headphones and they are extreemly compfortable. They function well with the iPhone in answering calls and utiilizing the new voice activation that the new iPhone 3Gs includes. They have the best sound and function that Bose has to offer!!

Although a little pricy, they were worth every penny I spent. I now enjoy listening to the iPod function of the iPhone. I recommend them to you; you will not be disappointed.

So, you just got your new iphone 3gs. Too bad the headphones that came with it are trash. What are you going to do? Well, you could get the Bose mobile headset or one of the Shure mobile headsets. I tried the dj beatz headphone which is very uncomfortable. Then, I decided I needed a mic and my options were narrowed down for me. These headphones have good bass but, not as good as beatz headphones though. However, it's a 100% more comfortable and the bass is good too. Believe me when I say I would have returned it with the quickness if the bass wasn't good. Very, very comfortable.

Two important factors you should consider about these ear buds:

1. The volume is "adequate". For the most part, I use these for my commute and ambient sounds (movements of the subway, loud talkers, passing cars, wind) easily can overpower these unless turned up to full volume. For this type of situation you may want to consider another model that involves more sound isolation because I find myself having to frequently adjust the volume when I am out in the street, etc. Also, some times I have to adjust the volume to almost maximum with these, where on other earbuds would only be set to half the level.

2. The white replaceable tips constantly fall off the earbuds and are easily lost. For the first week or two, they grip to the earbud fairly well, but after a few uses the white tips will fall off frequently. I have owned these for about 2 months and will probably have to buy a replacement pack soon. Every other person I know that owns these has the same problem.

If you do not mind these issues and spending extra cash for the brand name doesn't bother you, I would say they are worth purchasing. the sound is good although not to the quality of other Bose products. You could definitely find earbuds from other brands for half the price with similar (or better) sound quality and less problems with ambient noise. The cord is also little on the long side.

Ok, I've been wanting something EXACTLY like this to replace my In-Ear set. Mainly because I really don't care for the sound of the On-Ear, and they're just too big to be a "mobile" set. I have the Around-Ear as well and they're a great sounding pair of headphones. The premium for these over the regular in-ear is well worth it when you figure out what you're getting, a headset compatible with ALL iPhones, a pair of great sounding headphones with a built in mic and button just like the headset that comes with the iPhone, only 32424 times better! Way to go BOSE. Your iPhone will even fit in the leather case they give you.

Pros -
- Bassy, but not totally overpowering (Can be a con if you're not into bass)
- Good, but not great separation
- Great fit with the Large tips
- EXCELLENT warranty support from BOSE

- I had the older In-Ear (Not mobile) and it seems as though they've REDESIGNED/Reinforced the headset jack so that it's less susceptible to fraying! Thank you BOSE!

Cons -
- Although better than the original with the just black cord, the tips are still easy to lose if you don't keep them in a case or pocket. BOSE will send you a free set but you can still lose those too.

- Somewhat "Dim" sound, could use a bit more of a treble increase.
Fixable with an EQ, but not the crappy one that comes with the iPhone. You will get used to it and enjoy the sound, but they still have room for improvement here. Turning up the highs with an EQ makes these baby's sound 100X better.

- Price. They would be perfect if they we're just $30 cheaper. But to me they're worth the premium over others just based on BOSE customer service alone. Other headphone producers have horrible after-sale support, not BOSE.

These earphones sound fantastic; the music is rich and full of bass. I don't have the issues with muddy trebles others have complained of, but I may have a bit of a tin ear.

I've owned several brands of high-end iPhone compatible earphones, and these are, sound quality-wise, the best yet. Other brands included Etymotics HF-2, and Maximo HS-5. Etymotics fans will tell you the HF-2 are the best thing on the market under $200 and sing the praises of the bass, but to my ears, the Etymotics are thin and tinny compared to these Bose.

Where the Bose lose it is in the ergonomics of the things, and not just in the fit of the earbuds, but in the overall design.

The earbuds just don't go deep enough into your ear to stay there, or to even block out any ambient noise. This is made worse by the very large speaker that sits outside your ear, which is heavy enough to pull the things out by gravity alone. Big FAIL here on the design. Bose could learn something from the Etymotics HF-2's deep in the ear canal design here. The Etys never fall out, and do a darn good job of blocking out ambient noise.

The other issues with the ergonomics are the cord, and there are several things wrong with it. First off, it's made of some thick rubber that likes to curl back on itself. You cannot coil these up and shove them in your pocket without having to spend a significant amount of time untying the knot they tend to tie themselves up into. This can be very frustrating. Another issue is some heavy plastic box thing about 7" up from the jack. It catches on things in your pocket when you try to pull it out. I also think the split part of the chord for the separate ears is too long; it's almost 1/3 the length. This probably contributes to easy tangling of the cord.

Overall, for most uses I am using the Bose because of the excellent sound quality, but the Etymotics are lighter, block sound better and don't tangle like this. They cost about the same, so it's hard to recommend one over the other, since sound quality often just comes down to personal tastes and ears.

these are great headphones, the only reason I am leaving a review is to tell everyone who is wondering....yes...the button works with the pause/play/forward/back function on the ipod touch, oh and the mic too.

I like to listen to music on my BlackBerry Tour when I run on the treadmill in the gym or go running outside. I also want to be able to take phone calls without having to unplug the headset, which is what you have to do if you use a headset without a microphone. While the headset that comes with the Tour is adequate in terms of sound, I had trouble keeping the earpieces in place when I went running. Not so with the Bose, which also has better sound.

The trick with any more advanced headset is to make sure you use the correct size ear insert, and that you position the earphones correctly. Everyone's ears are different, so not every headset is for everyone. Having said that, the Bose comes with three different size ear inserts, and for me the largest size works like a charm. These earphones are easy to insert, feel comfortable, and most important for me stay in place while I run. WARNING: Like many headsets, these are NOT water resistant, so if you wear them while exercising and sweat a lot, common sense says that you must towel off your ears occasionally so you don't zap these earphones with moisture. I have already ruined otherwise perfectly fine headsets by forgetting to do that.

The sound quality is far superior to the headset that came with my Tour. However, if you are not going to use these with a mobile phone, then for the money I would get something else, like a Shure E3C, which I think has a cleaner and crisper sound. But for mobile phone use, I have not found anything better than the Bose.

Although this headset is not designed to be a noise reducer, as a practical matter I don't hear the ambient noise in the gym when I use it. But I do have to turn the volume up higher on my BlackBerry to get the same level of sound as with other headsets. That is not a problem, just an observation; so if you are used to a certain volume setting with other headsets, you may have to increase it for this headset. If you don't, the music may sound "washed out." There is no volume control on the headset itself, but that is neither unusual nor a problem when using a mobile phone to listen to music.

It is very easy to answer calls by using the well placed and unobtrusive button on the cordset.

This comes with a nice large case in which the headset easily fits. I prefer this kind of case to the smaller "spool" cases where you have to wrap the headset very carefully to fit it inside.

My only nitpicking criticism is I have no idea why Bose chose to use a black and white striped cordset, which does not look particularly stylish and reminds me of stereo wire. But that is not really a big deal for me.

Bottom line: If use enjoy listening to music on your mobile phone, and want to easily take calls, this unit is great. For runners it has the added benefit of staying snugly in your ears while running so long as you use the proper size ear insert. I really like these earphones and look forward to using them when I run.

Update September 16, 2010: For the past six or seven months I have been listening to music on my Slacker G2 rather than BlackBerry when I run or sit at the beach. But even though I no longer listen to music on a mobile phone, I still love using these headphones. They stay put when I run or sweat, and even when they sometimes become loose, they never fall out, and can be repositioned in a second. So even if you don't listen to music on a mobile phone, these are still great earphones to consider.

Update February 5, 2011: I have now been using these for over a year and am still very pleased with their performance.

I paid extra for the Bose reputation and was so excited to try them on. I expected a notable improvement compared to the standard issue iphone headset. And what a disappointment !

I tried and tried but I just cannot get to like these earphones.

The ear buds do not stay in place and constantly fall out, whichever size of buds I used. I keep on trying to adjust them so they stay in place, but they never did. I though maybe it was my ears...so I gave them to my wife who encountered the same frustration.

Because of the poor fit I really never got to experience the famed Bose sound quality.

I ended up going back to the iphone headset which, sadly, fairs a lot better.

I definitely would not recommend them.

I highly recommend these earphones for the iPhone 3GS. The lack of a volume control button is a bit of a nuisance, but otherwise I have few complaints. I have never used the Shure equivalents, but these Bose earphones are far better than the Apple earphones that are included with the iPhone.

Pros:
- Great sound quality
- Works well for iPhone 3GS
- Excellent audio quality for calls
- Voice commands work well

Cons:
- No volume control on cord
- Add-on neck cord tends to slip off earphone cords