Customer Reviews

BoseŽ IE2 audio headphones

5 star:		(293)
4 star:		(75)
3 star:		(31)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

Length:: 5:00 Mins

Here is a quick unpacking and fitting review for the Bose Headphones. My apologies when my dog heard somebody walk in the house and started barking, I edited about 95% of that out.

I just got back from running a half-marathon with these in my ears the entire time. My first impression is that these were extremely comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, I pretty much forgot they were even there when the music was off during pre-race instructions. The other pair I had, that did not have the StayHear tips, were also comfortable, but this raised the comfort level just a notch.

Also, these were very stable. Usually when exercising with any headphones I have to press them into my ear as they shift with all the bouncing that I end up doing. Especially the in-ear, noise isolating ones that give me a headache after an hour of so of use. I did not need to do that ONCE with these headphones. They get in there, they stay there, and are very comfortable the entire time.

Everything about this is fantastic. The sound, from the lows, the mid-range, and the highs, sound great. When I listen to audio books, the speakers come across very rich and clear, almost like they are standing right next to me.

These are, without a doubt, my go-to headphones 90% of the time. The only thing I won't use these for are when I'm trying to block outside noise and only noise-canceling, over-the-ear headphones will work for that. Which is a shame because they block the noise but are nowhere near as clear sounding or comfortable. I just wish I could afford the Bose brand, but I can't justify the expense.

These headphones are simply amazing. I have used Bose headphones before and they are always wonderful. Those were always the over the ear variety and honestly although they sounded great I did not like the feel nor did I find them practical. The price was always far more than I wanted to pay as well. That all changes here. Although the price is not in line with the bargain basement ear buds out there this set is so far above what you get that the price is more than worth the difference. The unique in ear ear bud stabilizer is a thing of genius and make in ear headphones a thing of comfort and improve consistency and quality of the audio experience.

Even though much more expensive than many other headphones I found the price to be one that I am OK to pay. These headphones have a remarkable range regardless of price. The bass is full and clear. The sound across the board is very unmuffled and distinct. I am very happy. This product is heads and tails above the standard buds that come with your iPod/iPhone and just about anything else on the market today.

Pros:
1. Fair Price
2. Great Sound
3. Great Range
4. Great Bass
5. Light / Comfortable / Stylish
6. Unique Design for in ear placement

Cons:
1. Cost make the set a bit expensive for all audio devices. I won't be buying for my kids ;)
2. I can't come up with two cons. This is an amazing product.

A great set of headphones that I couldn't be happier with. I hope they last me a very long time.

When I first opened the packaging I was a bit frustrated because it's not the "hassle free" packaging that I truly appreciate. You have to pull out the scissors to open this bad boy and be careful about not cutting yourself with the sharp plastic edges of the cut box. Fortunately, my experience with the BOSE IE2 ear buds gets better from there.

The Medium size, "StayHear" buds are in place when you get the earphones, and you have S, M, and L for both the StayHear and regular ear buds. I normally wear a size Small in other earbuds, so after trying on the Mediums that were already on, I tried on the Smalls. They both fit me, which was unusual for me. So after spending about 5 minutes trying out the various sizes and styles, I opted to stick with the StayHear Medium size ear buds.

They feel a little looser than the traditional ear buds I use from Skull Candy (those Smalls feel truly wedged into my ears when I wear those and it starts to hurt after a while), but they don't seem to fall out after just moving my head around in various directions.

I plugged the IE2s into my iPod first and the sound was much louder than with my other earphones, so I had to scale back the volume. This is helpful on an airplane and in the gym when there's a lot of background noise to have a higher volume ability. Then what shocked me was the actual sound quality. The bass was totally audible without being painful in my ears. The sound was crystal clear. I then switched over to use the earphones on my laptop and again, the sound quality was amazing and much louder at the same setting than my other earphones. I'm not one to listen to things very loudly, but it's still nice to have the ability to listen to it loudly should I so choose.

Aside from the actual earbuds/sounds: There's a little carrying case that comes with it. While it's a nice case, I don't see myself ever truly using it. It's boxy and takes up a lot of space. I'll probably end up just using the satin bag that comes with my old earphones to store them when not in use or traveling as it's much more compact. The wires of the earphones are black and white, which I found to be different. I'm used to the all white from Apple, or all black or all solid color. So I kind of like that it has a distinctive black/white to it...makes me feel kind of "hoity toity" walking around with earphones that are distinctive to being BOSE and not some other, less expensive brand.

I would highly recommend these earphones. They're a gem once you get past figuring out which size/style ear buds are right for you.

Bose is well known in the music industry, mainly because they spend so much money on advertising and self promotion. This is why many non audiophiles purchase Bose. The price is a little higher and everyone kind of assumes "Bose is the best" so they save up their money and get whatever new product they have to offer, thinking it is the best, when many times you can get the same or better quality from other products for much less money. I'm sure some reading this will disagree with me, but this is my opinion and the opinion of many others in the audiophile community.

I say all this because I want to let you know that the Bose IE2 earphones are amazing. They are not just another over hyped Bose product. These earphones provide crisp, clear sound at all volume levels, and the fidelity was better than expected at this price range. I normally prefer over the ear (supra aural) type headphones, my favorite being Grado, a company that doesn't advertise but relies on word of mouth to promote their products (Basically the opposite of Bose). But over the ear headphones aren't realistic in all situations, like working out, or lying down, or when there is limited space. The IE2 headphones really shine because of the StayHear tips that go into your outer ear, keeping them secure even during vigorous movement.

The bass is ample, and doesn't cloud the overall sound as many modern earphones do. The highs are crisp and well balanced and it is always a pleasure to listen to music with these earphones.

A handy clip is provided to relieve strain on the speaker cable, which is relatively thick and sturdy. Overall build quality is good and after a couple months of use, I have not noticed any problems at al, and fully expect these earphones to last a long time.

Yes, I have heard better in-ear phones. Yes, they cost much more money. Expect to pay $200+ for anything that sounds as good as these. If you need earphones that will stay in your ear, just get these. Even $600 earphones will fall out when running if you don't get a perfect fit with the included tips.

So although I will never buy a Bose Wave radio or Sound Dock, I do wholeheartedly recommend these earphones. I was and continue to be pleasantly surprised each time I use them.

I'm more familiar with Bose's noise-reduction earphones, but was eager to try these because there are times (notably walking in New York, and trying to avoid being hit by a car) when you want to know what is happening around you. Also, while I've been quite happy with Apple's in-ear headphones for the iPod, I'm always on the lookout for something more comfortable that I can use for longer periods of time (a plane trip, say).

Well, these certainly fit the bill. They nestle lightly in the ear, and while they don't always FEEL secure, they remained in place during periods where I was doing my shopping, walking home and working out at the gym. Even moving my iPod around in my bag or my pocket and accidentally pulling on the headphones didn't remove them. And I didn't have to jam them tightly into my ear to accomplish that!

Another big plus is very low noise leakage. Yes, I know that's more for others' benefit than my own, but it's still an upside.

Best of all, of course, was that the sound was exponentially better than anything else I have tried. True, you don't remove the outer world as you can do with the noise-reduction headphones, but even without that, the sound is crisper and more clear, all the way through the spectrum. I've turned down the set point volume on my iPod; I now don't need to have it turned all the way up. Another plus for me: I transcribe a lot of interviews, and find that these are nearly as good as the noise-reduction earphones in doing so. (The regular kind don't measure up; too much outside noise creeps in and the sound isn't clear enough for me to catch each word.) That means I can do my work and still hear when the phone rings!

One caveat: I find it finicky to remove and then replace these. Even after a week of using them, I was still having to pause and remember which earbud goes in which ear, and at what angle. There's no "pause" button feature on the earbuds themselves, so if you need to have a conversation with someone in real life (in a store, on a plane, bumping into a friend on the street), you'll either need to yank out your MP3 player and turn the volume down or remove the headphones. After years of using in-ear headphones, I'm used to just putting them back in without really pondering which goes in which ear. There have been a few times when I've had to stop, put down my bags, and figure it out. I'll update this review in a few months to note whether this gets easier, whether the earphones are as durable as they should be for this price, how they function in freezing weather, and whether they are as comfortable as I anticipate on a long plane trip and survive without falling out. That would be a boon for those overnight flights, when an over-the-ear headphone is just too uncomfortable and the Apple-provided earphones tend to fall out.

For now, I'd say these are the best earphones of their kind that I have tried -- which they should be, given their premium price. Recommended to anyone able to put sound quality above price as a consideration. 4.5 stars, rounded down.

I don't expect much from ear buds. The design usually means thumpy bass right in your ears ruining the sound quality, or just not getting good quality on all the tones in music. Even Bose's last attempt at ear buds fell short of being the sort of quality I expect from them.
I was very pleasantly surprised. The design has part of the sound going directly into your ear with the included tips, and part of the sound going against your ear. I'm not an expert on headphones so I can't tell you exactly what they did. All I can tell you is how it sounds to me.
It sounds wonderful. In heavy bass hard rock sounds, the bass is strong but it doesn't obscure everything else in the song. When I played Vivaldi, the music sparkled. Listening to speeches, the sound was very clear.
The tips are surprisingly comfortable. Usually having things in my ears bothers me considerably, but these I could wear for a couple hours without switching to my regular headset when I was home. As far as volume goes, I don't like listening loudly, but I turned it up and had my son listen from a few feet away and tell me when he could hear the music coming out of my headphones. It was louder than I was comfortable with before he waved to let me know he could hear it.
At a reasonable volume, you can still hear things going on around you.
The tips shown are the StayHear tips which wanted to get tangled in my hair. I switched to the small original tips and they were fine. Very secure and comfortable. I had my husband try them and he used the large StayHear tips and really liked them. He's slightly hard of hearing in some ranges and was impressed with the sound quality and what he could hear in the music with these.
If you prefer ear buds, these are a good choice. I'll probably only use them at the gym or when I'm out walking, but for that, they are perfect.

The case will comfortably fit an iPod classic and the ear buds.

First off, I absolutely HATE hard plastic vacuum packaging. I'm amazed that people haven't had serious injuries trying to open these type of packages!!

OK... beyond the packaging, the product is the BOMB! I have the first generation Bose Earbuds, and while the quality is high, they are difficult to keep situated in my ears in a static fashion. I spend a lot of time readjusting the buds to get the proper positioning and fit.

NOW... here come's Generation 2 with an entirely new method of properly positioning and HOLDING the buds in place at the ideal location at your ear canal. Perfect... and VERY comfortable.
Sound is as good or better than the first generation, with Bass Response true and full, while higher frequencies are clear and accurate. Very very enjoyable to wear for long periods, and not any listener fatigue from distortion or hiss.

This is clearly my new standard from which to judge all other earbuds and HIGHLY recommended!

I've been looking for a good pair of headphones for running for a long time and these are great! They stay in place and you barely even realize you have them on. They do not subtantially block external noise, but I want to know when a car or truck is coming at me, so that isn't a bad thing. My only real question is how long they will last.

I admit it, I am a an earphone snob. I don't know that I have ever tried the earbuds packaged with the many MP3 players I have owned in my life, and currently use a high-end Shure in-the-ear earphones/monitors (SE530), which form my current basis of comparison. The most recent offering from Bose is where I would expect excellent sound, a big upgrade from the included buds with any MP3 player. You DO get very good sound with these earphones for sure, but only when you are using them in a quiet context, otherwise you will be sorely disappointed and not hear much at all, other than the surrounding noise. Go into a crowded subway train, or I would imagine these to be useless on an airplane, and it is nearly impossible to make out music. At this price point, you have several in-ear options that will be a much more pleasant experience in more noisy conditions. Now, not everyone is comfortable with the inner ear phones - and they do require some maintenance, and extra care to monitor your surroundings, but to me the sound and overall experience is worth it.

Now, back to the IE2. With the name "IE2" I would assume that these are inner earphones, yet the packaging clearly states no noise canceling (or isolation) ability with the set. It also includes a case, which looks and feels cheap, and of little real world use. IE2 comes with 2 types of tips (in three sizes), which should allow comfortable fit for any ear. I did however, not get comfortable fit. I always felt like they were going to fall out of my ears. These buds come with a fairly short (not a deal breaker) and flimsy small-gauge cable (compared to some) that flies around and gets caught on things, because, I think it is too lightweight. Overall, I did not find that the build quality inspired confidence.

So overall, I would rate these a 4 for use in a quiet room/context - most people will likely find a good fit and enjoy the sound. However, I would rate these a 1 or a 2 for use in noisy environments (public transit, gyms, airplanes) that I often find myself in.

First, when I shop for new tech gear, I spend a ridiculous amount of time looking through reviews, searching out the best prices, and asking for feedback from people who have personal experience with the product. After going through all that and deciding on these earbuds, all I can say is, "Wow!" For those who don't want to read any further, these earbuds are incredible. I plugged them into my iPod, my laptop, and my Evo 4G, and they are every bit as amazing as the stories I read/heard.

So how did I arrive at my decision? I spent a great deal of time researching the Sennheiser CX-300 (for the value), the Shure S4 (for the slightly lower cost alternative), and these Bose IE2 earbuds. I wanted earbuds so that I could jog with them, listen to them on the go, and for an inconspicuous alternative to laptop speakers in the library.

The Sennheiser are nice and inexpensive in comparison. I owned a pair of these a few years ago. I remember them being nice, but I make a little more money now and I wanted something nicer. But if you are on a budget, Sennheiser really delivers with the CX-300. You get more than what you pay for with those. Even so, I jumped up to deciding between the Shure S4 and the Bose IE2. I wanted a more refined audio experience.

The Shure S4 had impeccable reviews. People love them. And they were averaging about $25 less than the Bose. I tried them out, and they sound fantastic. They were a huge jump up over any other earbuds I have ever owned, and that is quite a few. The bass sounded a little forced, like they were working too hard, but they were very nice. Then fate stepped in, and the price of the Bose IE2 dropped $10. Now the price gap was closed, and I had to give the Bose a shot. I am so glad that I did! These earbuds are awesome. The five-star reviews here are spot on, in my opinion. Once you find the in-ear piece that fits your ear, you are off and running. I have heard things in my music and video that I have never heard before. I was actually distracted by all the previously unheard sounds. The bass is wonderfully represented, and the sound is so clear. I could not be happier with my purchase, and if you are on the fence, come over to this side.

A note about the negative experiences with the earbuds in these reviews (and this is just something that I tell myself anytime I purchase a defective product). Anytime I have had a purchase not work out due to some major flaw or defect, an email or phone call to the company's customer service department has always resulted in my overall satisfaction.

If you end up with these earbuds, I hope that you enjoy them as much as I do.