Bose On-Ear Headphones user reviews
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User reviews6
AndyR 29 January 2012
Good: Sound Quality
Bad: Poor Build quality
Comment: I had this headset for a little over two years - and that's frankly about as much use you will get from them on a daily commute.
1. The detachable lead that connects the headphone to your source will break at the source end within a year or so, the cable becomes brittle and snaps internally. The Bose store said yep that's normal, no you can't buy a replacement here call the online store. After 20 mins getting through, answering a legion of questions before I could place an order, £10 for a replacement cable ($4.00 in the USA - go figure the price hike), to have the same thing happen again 8 months later.
2. Now two years in and out of warranty, the right hand earpiece cuts out, again, cable breakage, this time internally across the headband, and apparently according to Bose, unrepairable.
Great cans, let down by poor construction and back up. Buy if you are prepared to chuck them after 24 months.
Rik Godwin 17 January 2011
Good: Overall sound quality, comfort, almost zero sound leakage.
Bad: Bass can be overpowering
Comment: Going from a pair of Audio Technica ATH-ANC7s to to the Bose OEs has been a revelation...who knew my clunky old iPhone 3G could sound so good?
I loved my ANC7s, the active noise cancelling especially, and was slightly sceptical about paying a similar amount for a set that lacked this feature. The biggest surprise with the OEs however is that, even though they lack the battery powered noise reduction of their bigger QC3 brothers, they still block at least as much noise as my old Audio Technicas, and without having to worry about recharging or replacing the batteries every 3 days. With songs playing at a reasonable volume traffic noise is almost completely obliterated. Also impressive is how little sound leakage there is. Sat next to someone listening to songs at 3/4 volume you really have to strain to tell they're playing anything at all!
It goes without saying that the sound quality is amazing. The moment the first song began I knew I'd made the right choice; the trebles are crisp and clear and the bass is suitably thunderous. A little too thunderous perhaps as this is my only criticism so far; the lower tones can be rather boomy especially on heavier tracks like Daft Punk's Da Funk. A change of equaliser setting helped negate this problem however.
I seriously can't recommend these enough. Comfort, impressive passive noise reduction and great quality sound for a price that, although comparatively pricey, is absolutely worth it.
Jemar Uriarte 2 August 2010
Good: It is compatible with my Iphone.
Bad: A bit pricey.
Comment: This headphone delivers crisp and a real life sound quality which I think others failed to provide. It goes a light carrying pouch for an easy storage. So far, I find this an excellent product.
Nichenelle 26 May 2010
Good: Sound quality
Bad: Built quality. 2 sets each broken after a year usage (right ear not working anymore)
Comment: These headphones were a present 2 years ago, and they deliver great sound quality.
The cable comes to the left ear side, and then wraps inside the headset to deliver the signal to the right side.
After a year using them in the most normal conditions, the right hand side started crackling. I contacted Bose, who replaced the head set. It took about 2 months to receive the replacement.
A year into using the replacement, the exact same problem is now occurring, where the right ear does not deliver sound correctly anymore.
I visited Bose flagship store on Oxford Street, only to be told in almost that direct a term that they did not care and I should speak with customer services.
I then contacted Bose customer services, to be told that the replacement headset did not re-start the warranty (now invalid since the original headset was purchased 2 years ago).
Bose customer services offer was to buy a new set at a discounted price (£50 discount).
Trying to understand from Bose customer services how the new purchase will offer more guarantees on the build quality, the lady got fed up and hung up the phone.
That leaves me with headphones that do not function anymore and that were purchased £150 at the time (£120 nowadays). This is over £10 a month for an item that will last a year.
Incidentally I also own a Bose docking station, and the comments are very much the same: the sound is great, the build quality is awful: 3 months into using the station, the remote control stopped working. It took Bose 4 months to fix it, and it still has its lapses.
My overall conclusion is that Bose products have a great sound quality, but are not built to last. With the price tag they tend to carry, I am not very likely to buy into the Bose brand again, nor am I likely to promote their products: good lasting sound exists elsewhere.
Piscium 3 March 2009
Good: Compact, comfy, great quality, smart design
Bad: Plastic 'arch' are a bit wide
Comment: My quick review: It was a toss up between the Sennheiser PCX-250 or these Bose On-Ear headphones, and the Sennheisers lost out because of the NoiseGard ‘Stick’, (a device about the size of a chocolate bar attached to the cord, which cannot be removed).
The Bose On-Ear are, in my opinion, excellent and ooze quality. Comfy, compact (compared to many ‘phones), with a sound quality that justifies the price. I was listening to the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack this morning on the Tube, and the sound was deep, rich, bassy and crisp. Background noise was minimal, and sound leakage (so my girlfriend tells me) is non-existent.
For a hundred and something quid, their Bose for goodness sake!
Hope this helps.
Ps. Smart carry case too!
kingoftherodeo 31 January 2009
Good: Comfort and Clarity!
Bad: Slightly boomy if you dont turn the bass reducer on.
Comment: I bought a pair of these direct from John Lewis who had them at the cheapest price of £117 at the time. I bought them from http://www.bose-headphones.co.uk.
I was very excited to recieve them as i'd read some promising reviews. They at first dissapointed as they were quite boomy with the bass, not naturally so either. I turned on the bass reducer in my iphone settings and they sounded a 100% better, I'd recommend everyone does it. THe clarity is fantastic and you can hear things you'd never noticed before. They noise cancel quite well even though they dont have an active circuit, i think the padding does a good job of that.
All round great headphones. I had some v-moda ones before which broke quite quick and im glad they did as these win hands down!