Bose On-Ear Headphones
The basics
About as prosaically named as it is possible for a product to be, these are headphones, made by Bose, that sit on your ears (as opposed to in or over and around them). Extremely compact, they wear under 150g and fold up to a size barely bigger than some peoples’ noses.
The good
Bose products have a certain reputation that may derive from the fact they’re traditionally advertised in the back of Sunday supplements. Their headphones, however, are generally very good and these are no exception. You get an engaging stereo, if you will, “soundfield”, solid bass and punchy mids, although the top end seems to have been stifled somewhat. You seem to get the best results with polite, middle of the road type music, which we dare say suits Bose’s demographic very nicely. Shell out an extra £39 and you can get the Bose Mobile On-ear Headset, which is effectively a pair of these with a mic added, so you can answer your phone with room-filling fidelity and rich, warm bass
The bad
As with all Bose gear, these feel approximately 15 per cent more expensive than they should be, and the on-ear design, though comfy, never feels like it’s going to stay in place. Maybe that’s an unfair criticism, since in point of fact it <i>does</i> stay in place, but when you’re negotiating the blighted hellholes that are the UK’s city streets, you want to <i>feel</i> like your gear’s secure. As noted, proper high end seems a bit lacking and we also had to whack the volume up a fair bit to get best results.
The bottom line
These are a decent upgrade to your iPod or, with the Bose Mobile On-ear Headset, iPhone (or, indeed, an MP3 player made by another manufacturer). Compact and light, they’re a good alternative for those who don’t like in-ear ’phones and adequate for home listening. However, the audio is ultimately more efficient than magical and paying more for these than the iPod Nano you’ve got them plugged into seems a tad mad.
User comments (13)
Leave a comment
Derek01 September 2009
Purchased these from Ashford and wow what a difference a decent pair of headphones make! just try them and you will notice the difference
Report as inappropriateGadgetFreak200901 September 2009
Wow what a difference a decent set of headphones make! bought mine from Ashford for £105.00 well worth the money
Report as inappropriateThis comment has been removed.
nathan13 October 2009
owned a pair for 6 months paid £120 in hmv liverpool, been away from home last 6 days had to make do with a few 'standard' pairs.got my bose back today.....now i know why i use bose on ear headphones,pure luxury
Report as inappropriateRoger Hawes14 October 2009
Was given a pair for my birthday a few weeks ago. Whilst they are good I still feel that my open headset Sennheiser PX100 (£29) have a far more lifelike sound although do not have the external noise suppression of the Bose. The PX100 are superb in a quiet environment but not where it is noisy such as a plane or tube
Report as inappropriateHoyesic10 November 2009
these headphones are amazing if you are used to listening to music through the normal apple headphones. you will hear the individual layers of the music much better and the base of the song will be alot deeper and richer. would recommend it to any music listening fan.
Report as inappropriatejamie19 November 2009
£120 for a budget set of headphones!!! come on gadget show be real and show us a budget pair for around £30 a midrange for £70 rather than £200!!!!!! and a luxury of £200 not £400!!! it is the recession!
Report as inappropriateemma29 November 2009
purchased these earlier this year and the were totaly worth the money i belive if u love music uve got to listen to it through good quality speakers or headphones and these definatly lived up to expectations
Report as inappropriateDuncan Stewart30 November 2009
Just thought I'd let folk know, I bought these headphones the other day for £66! Awaiting their arrival, can't wait. www.good-headphones.com was the site, no point paying double! All the best.
Report as inappropriateBenG1106 December 2009
Bought thease for £120 Amazing sound
Report as inappropriategeoff01 February 2010
when used with the radio tuner lead but not the actual tuner for the ipod nano ,this then works as a amp giving one third more power to the head phones
Report as inappropriateTerry05 February 2010
The review is a bit harsh for phones that do the job respectably well. I plug into my desktop for well balanced reproduction of iTunes tracks. Using their equaliser I have been able to crank up the bass to my satisfaction on everything from Joe Bonamassa, Paloma Faith, Paolo Nutini to Seasick Steve and other "middle-of-the-road" listening!
Report as inappropriateMike McGlone23 February 2010
Would love to hear what Duncan Stewart from a previous post in Nov 2009 makes of his 'bargain' headphones from www.good-headphones.com. Had a look at the site and call me cynical, but seeing as they're based in Hong Kong & China, for £66 mate, I doubt very much you are getting a real set of Bose Headphones. I stick by the 'buy cheap, buy twice' mentality. I love a bargain, but I fear anything from a site like that, will not be a bargain!
Report as inappropriateJoin FiveFWD
Creating an account is free, will only take a few moments and will allow you to enjoy the full benefits of FiveFWD:
Leave a comment