Reviews for Bose In-Ear Stereo Earphones

Bose In-Ear Headphones

Strengths: Great sound. Great bass, but not over powering for to high end sounds.

Weakness: Silicone ear pieces fall out easily.

These headphones are the best headphones I've ever had. I used to have Vmoda headphones and wasn't satisfied. They broke in about 3 months, and they cost the same. I've had these for a year and they are still working perfectly. The sound quality is great, have to mess with the equalizer on your computer to make them sound to their best potential. Other than that I would say to buy these if you want to get the best sound quality for $100.

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I give it an 8/10

Strengths: 1) Great sound quality for a midrange priced headphone 2) Can be worn rather comfortably for hours--a hard to accomplish feat for most In-Ear headphones.

Weakness: 1) Same comfortable design also allows headphones to fall out easily sometimes 2) Seems to have problems with high end treble

First off, the sound quality on these are very good. It is hard to imagine that it's coming from such a tiny package. On the other hand, there are times when you just wish and feel like the sound quality could explode to another level. But one must remember that on the spectrum of in-ear headphones and their prices, these are pretty much in the middle. I mean, there are the incredible $400-500 headphones that you could buy, and their are of course the $15-20 headphones you could buy at a CVS. And I feel like with these, you get what you pay for, and a bit more.

Now the fairest comparison of these headphones would probably be to the Shure E2Cs, another nice quality headphone for about the same price. I've tried my friend's Shure for a bit and I don't like them for one glaring reason:
Way too invasive! The foam on the Shure headphones feel like they go deep into your ear canal to ensure a snug fit, and I don't feel like it would be comfortable after awhile. Now if you are looking for noise cancellation abilities, your best bet would be the Shure headphones because they do that wonderfully--but I am not. Maybe I'm just the cautious type--but when I am out on the streets, riding the Metro, etc. I really want to be able to hear with some clarity what is going on around me. To me, it seems that noise cancellation at that level would be kind of dangerous when you are out and about. In terms of sound quality, I feel that the bose has more bass, but other than that, they are pretty comparable--maybe with a slight favor to bose.

I've done a lot of research, and read a lot of reviews, and two negatives with these headphones that I feel always come up are:

1) Too much bass, not enough range, not enough treble, sounds muddy: This is true--when the headphones are right out of the package! Like any quality headphones, they need a breaking in period--in my case, I think they really got nice in around a week of using them 3-4 hours a day. The bass mellowed out, and things got nice and crisp, with a nice range. Also, if you're gonna throw down $100 for a pair of headphones, learn to use the Equalizer! Seriously spend some time with the EQ, and adjust it back and forth to how you like your music. On my Ipod, I like it at the Piano setting with these headphones--I listen to a ride range of music, from alternative/rock to rap and they sound great on that setting.

2) Headphones fall out too easy: now this was a serious concern for me before I bought them. True, when I first got them, for a couple days they were constantly falling out. But after learning how use them in the best way for my ears, and playing around with the different size tips, they rarely fall out anymore. I think you have to get used to the way they sit in your ear--the bose design is to allow a lot of comfort so you can wear them for hours--it's not supposed to go very deep into your ear at all. Regardless, it is obvious that the size and shape of everyone's ears are different, and I think for some people, these headphones simply would not fit nicely.

In the end, you have to give these headphones some time for them to reach their true potential. Bose has a nice 30 day return policy, so if they don't work out after a few weeks, return them. I have to admit, at first I wasn't too impressed (probably because I was so hyped about getting them), but after a week or so and trying the Shures, I like them more and more everyday.

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By member: bigwallys - Dec 30, 2006

a lttle dissapointed

Strengths: great sound. excellent bass. very cool design. comfortable. they're Bose!

Weakness: Volume lower than expected. missing some highs. wrapping cord for case may cause shorts in the future.

I was so excited to get these headphones. i love Bose products so my expectations were very high. a friend of mine had just got some Sony headphone so we were anxious to compare the two.
i must say that to me, the Bose sounded way better. it was like night and day. the bass was awesome and they were very comfortable to wear. (i changed the medium plugs to the large) i almost had a hard time getting them out of my ears, which is good. also you could not hear the sound from the headphones from outside my ears. i ride the trains in new york a lot and it can be annoying when you can hear another person blasting their headphones.
the only problem i have is with the volume. my friends headphones would get much louder than mine. i tried the Bose on several different units and found this to be the case on every one. not that they don't go loud enough for normal listening. but you have to turn the unit up more which may decrease battery life faster.
also even though i love the bass and wouldn't change that at all. it seems that when compared to other headphones you don't have the crisp highs and "air" which gives a sense of separation. sometimes it was hard to decide which i preferred the crisp highs or the rich lows. but it basically depends on the song you're listening to and the quality of the recording. the other the other thing is the case. i think that wrapping the cord, and kind of having to stretch it a little to make it fit perfectly might end up causing the wire to short at the contact points in the future. but I'm hoping that's not the case and maybe this would actually prevent shorts by keeping them from getting all crunched up in my bag. just an observation. love the case though.
overall i love the Bose in ear headphones and wear them with pride. it really just comes down to quality. and the Bose has that in spades. so no matter what i'm listening to, i know I'm getting some of the best sound available.

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A MUST BUY FOR MUSIC LOVERS!

Strengths: Excellent BOSE quality sound, Extreme BASS response, Does not distort at high levels, Price!

Weakness: Does not offer Noise Cancelling, A bit bulky looking compared to most in-ear competitors

I was reading many reviews on the Bose in-ear headphones when they first came out. I am a die-hard Shure fan and at the time...had Shure e3c's. The Shure's are excellent quality as well, but lacks the sound quality in bass response. Also, as the volume increases there are obvious signs of distortion. I purchased the Bose in-ear from my local Bose store and was blown away at the demo, so I bought them. I was shocked at how well the Bose can respond to such highs and lows without distorting the sound. When the volume is increased, there is barely any sound coming from them on the outside if a friend is next to you. Unlike many others, these don't give surrounding people an idea of what you are listening to, which is perfect in libraries, etc. After comparing the Shure's to the Bose, I noticed a difference in size which isn't a big deal to me, but they are definitely larger. I spent $99.95 on the Bose which is half the price of the Shure e3c priced at $199.95. If you're looking for great HIGH quality sound for different genres of music...these Bose in-ear Headphones are definitely worth the price. After all, it lured me away from Shure which cannot top the sound of Bose.

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Bose in-ear headphones

Strengths: These headphones fit really comfortably. The have great bass and don't fall out of your ears when you use them actively. I take mine jogging and they've been unlike anything I've tried.

The headphones have three different size tips to accomodate every user. It took me a about 10 minutes to figure out which ones I should use just because I didn't want them falling out and they feel so much more different than other headphones. They are the only only in-ear headphones I'v ever been able to take to the gym and not put away after 10 minutes. They sound great and I would highly reccomend them as a great substitute for any earphones on the market for MP3 players or laptops. Price point made me hesitate until I actually tried them out.

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Bose Does it Again

Strengths: - Exceptionally smooth and refined sound quality with very good bass response. - Extremely comfortable and accommodating through use of various silicon ear tips; includes small, medium and large.

Weakness: - As others mentioned, slightly bulky looking but no less comfortable. - More importantly, slight chance of silicon tips becoming separated and lost due to design limitation.

After purchasing the Bose TriPortIE and using it all day I was immediately impressed with the higher level of sound quality. Typical of Bose, they always manage to deliver enormous range from small packages. I've owned their original Wave Radio for years and was always impressed especially with the clarity and bass response from such a small package.

That said, the only "fly in the ointment" I’ve found is the silicon tip design. Before purchasing mine I wasn't completely sure how they fastened to the earphones. Having played around with them for the better part of the day, I come to realize there is a potential for these to separate and become lost when removing the earphones from your ears.

In fact, it happened almost immediately after trying them out - glad I was home and not walking outside when it occurred as they would surely have been lost.

The problem stems from their fastening design. Each circular earphone has a small, tubular protrusion where the sound emanates from and points into your ear canal. About halfway along each protrusion is a slightly angled and molded plastic ridge encircling it. Correspondingly, each mating silicon earpiece has a colored (different for each size), stiffener (possibly made from denser silicon) or wedge molded inside each earpiece.

While sliding the silicon ear tips on, the inside leading edge of the stiffener is designed to "catch" the ridge of the earphone and retain it. The design shortcoming seems to be with the ridge height or stiffness of the colored silicon wedge. Either way, it doesn't require too much effort for these 2 pieces to separate. Especially when removing them during colder weather as each material have different coefficient of expansion.

Without getting too technical, let's just say if your ears and the plastic earphones are cold and the silicon is warmed within each ear canal, the silicon could stick to your skin and separate from the earphone during removal.

IMO, a better design would have been a silicon ear tip designed to capture the entire circular surface of each earphone, similar to those foam replaceable cushions that come with many inexpensive headsets. The foam stretches over each earpiece and remains on until it disintegrates and you are forced to replace it.

However, please don't let this deter you from buying the Bose TriPortIEs as this is not as big a liability as it may seem. I called and spoke with Bose today and gave them my observations and opinion and they were extremely receptive to my feedback. They responded by saying the product is relatively new and so design changes are always possible. Better still, Bose will replace any silicon ear tip free of charge the first year should it become lost and additional ear tips are available for about $5.

Final word, these are truly great earphones, slightly pricey but of excellent quality and materials. Most importantly, sound quality is far higher than expected with comfort levels way better than Shure's E2C and E3C which is even more expensive and I felt didn’t perform as well. I also felt the Shure design was too invasive and went intrusively too deep within each ear canal. While no product is perfect and many opinions may differ, I believe Bose has done a very credible job of reaching a good balance in sound reproduction, comfort and affordability.

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Bose in-ear headphones

Strengths: In-ear headphones amazing sound and comfortable fit. I can hear guitar-picking and vocals. Hard-driving bass pleasant.

Weakness: Zebra strip. Prefer all black. Easy for thief to ID and Bose due to color coding.

Best in-ear headphones ever purchased. You can hear sounds that are not reproduced on the standard iPod headphones. Well designed lanyard for activities like running and active sports. You need to buy these headphones as you will not find better at any price!!!!

This is what comes in the box: 1 pair of in-ear headphones with 49" (1.24 m) audio cable, 1 pair each of small, medium and large silicone tips, 1 lanyard, 1 clothing clip, and Carrying case

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Another Amazing Bose Product

Strengths: Quality Sound, Extremely High Volume and Bass compared to other Products i have tried Personaly, and Price

Weakness: Thes are a little big, but still the design of these ear buds make up for that they look extremely cool when you wear them.

Mainly the only things i have to say are just think about it, Bose make Home Theatre Systems and basiclly anything else else that has to do with Sound Quality. So Headphones are much easier to design with that kind of expierence. Also Bose donates almost ALL of its profits into reasearching better and better products on the market. That is the main reason these great products are almost never discounted. For Comfortability of these ear buds best ive ever tried ive tried mostly all the apple headset, and some of the more exspenive Shure products. None Of these come even cole to the quality of comfortabilty, volume, bass, or even the design of these. I've had many ear buds that wouldnt fit right and would fall out of my ears and I would accidently step on them or etc, but with the 3 differant sized silicone tips and the design of how they go in your ear they stick in, and also because of this anyone near can usually never hear the sound from them. Just to test that theory i took mine to church turned it up almost full volume no one ever heard a thing. Even if you do a hard workout at the gym and these things and your head is rickiting these headphones they would rarely budge. So with this review I will recommend the ear buds to anyone, their a true qualty product of Bose.

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A good product with one big flaw

Strengths: Great sound with smooth highs and very nice base response.

Weakness: The silicone ear tips fall off WAY too easily

I bought these earphones about a week ago and have used them extensively since the purchase. I was surprised at the base response as well as the silky smooth midrange and highs. In my opinion, it would be hard to beat these at the price point offered in terms of audio fidelity.

My love affair with these earphones ended quickly because of the silicone ear tips that attach to the in-ear port. They have detached at least twice a day since I started using them and that design flaw alone keeps me from recommending this product to anyone.

A real shame. I am a huge fan of Bose and it pains me to see this lack of attention to detail.

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Love Em'! (Tip Redesign Coming!)

Strengths: Exceptional comfort and fit! Unique, non-symetrical, proprietary silicon tip design. Great sound. Can wear them all day with no ear fatigue. (I even fall asleep with them in from time-to-time!)

Weakness: A bit larger than some others (i don't care.) Silcon tips come off too easily, occassionally staying in my ear (though not hard to get out.)

Said it all above, but!!!

I just lost one of the wonderful-fitting silicon tips for these Bose earbus. Talked to a Bose rep who said that, yes, you can get a free set (1) of replacements (1-800-644-2673). After that, you are looking at $5 for a replacement set.

HOWEVER . . . a store rep told me that he just got an e-mail today (2/2/07) announcing that Bose is planning to start shipping new, re-designed tips that will keep the soft silicon ends, but will replace the inner rubber portion (the white, grey, or black section) with a more rigid material, providing a more secure "snap" as they affix to the plastic earbud housing. Hazzah!!!

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review for bose In-Ear Headphones (Ear Buds, 0.64 oz)

Strengths: Nice sound. Sound is bigger than normal earbud Multiple options for ear-bud size

Weakness: Price is so expensive

I bought this ear-bud from an authorized Bose seller. It has excellent sound and great sound quality, the cord is also long enough. The good point is this earbud comes with three different sizes of ead-bud, so you can pick what is suitable for you.

The price of this ear-bud is so expensive. I paid $100 for it and hoprfully it could last long enought time for my money.

I would liek to give it 4 star.

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Fake in-ear headphones!

Strengths: None

Weakness: poor quality

Fake in-ear headphones. The metal ring on one side of the headphone came off after opening the package, clip was missing. Booklet was a poor copy quality, like printer running out of in ink!

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Bose Ear Buds

Strengths: Remarkable clarity and comfort. A huge upgrade from regular ear buds.

Weakness: None

Clarity and comfort. A bit pricy, but they are so much better than the ear buds that come with ipods that it is worth it. You realize how good the podcasts and music downloads really are when you have this piece of equipment.

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Another quality product from Bose

Strengths: Good sound quality, good bass

Weakness: Some design limitation where the headphones may drop from the ears if not position right.

As always, Bose produces only quality products. Worth the money even though it is at the high end ($100). Really could tell the difference in sound quality. The only shortcoming is that the silicon ear tip tends to slip off, and can lose it if you are not careful.

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Bose stumbles with 1st entry into earbud arena

Strengths: Decent sound quality

Weakness: Buds fall out of ears way too easily, rubber tips fall off very easily, way to pricy for bad engineering.

Like many of you my search for the holy grail of ear buds continues. I have purchased literally dozens of ear buds in my quest, from $20 to $150, and had such high hopes for Bose's first entry into the ear bud category. While these earbuds have better than average sound, the frustration of trying to not only keep them in your ears, but keeping the gummy ear adapters on them is a lost cause. If you listen to music while sitting, and never take you earphones outside of a 5 feet radius then these may be fine for you. Otherwise save your money and get some Philips HE591's or HE592's. They are only $23 and sound better.

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good but quiet

Strengths: excellent sound quality, amazing bass

Weakness: not very loud

bought these over the shure ec2 as i didnt want total noise cancelling.found the quality to be great, especially the bass, but was hoping for a bit more amplification from my ipod as i like my music LOUD.Tried them through my stereo where i could crank them a lot louder and the sound quality remained abosolutely fantastic.they are very comfortable also, i hardly notice ive got them on, but a little disapointed for the lack of amplification on the ipod.but, maybe thats a good thing as im likely to give myself tinitus given half a chance.

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Bose In Ear Headphones

Strengths: I was simply amazed at the quality of bass that these little headphones delivered.I thought the entire spectrum of sound was well-balanced.

Weakness: Well, they do cost $100 but so what-they sound like a million.

I have a Sony CD walkman that I use with these and they sound wonderful.Don't listen to the people that unjustly put these down.Listen and decide for yourself.If the bass is overpowering-well that is what the eq is for.I think it sounds best with the bass boost on.I also have a pair of the original Bose Triports and while they do deliver a lot of low end I found that the IE headphones produce a much more defined bass.You can really hear the TONE of the bass guitar.Sure, I have other headphones that produce more high-end sizzle but these were the ones that were on my ears today at 3 o'clock in the morning.

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Excellent Product

Strengths: Lightweight, crystal clear sound

Weakness: None

Great product. I have been using daily with my Sirius radio and have had no problems. Easy to carry, great sound, extremely comfortable. Best I have ever used. Definitely worth the price.

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HATE THEM!

Strengths: The sound is good and they are comfortable

Weakness: The silicone tips DO NOT stay on for anything! I have lost SO many! Luckily I call Bose to complain and they send me new tips, but it doesn't improve the quality of the product.

Don't waste your money on these! Yeah - they sound nice. But ladies especially, you can't put them in your purse! If you do...you'll be searching 5 minutes for the ear tip that has fallen off and gotten lost in the abyss.

Save your money and buy $10 earphones. I wish I did.

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Old pol

Strengths: The right ear works great.

Weakness: The left ear doesnt at all

Ordering on line from Abe of Maine was very convenient but defective products must be returned to the manufacturer if the package is opened. Of course you cannot know if the earphones are defective until you open the package. The manufacturer has a delightful recording telling me to send it back and hope for the best.

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These sound fantastic

Strengths: Great sound, very comfortable.

Weakness: They look a little clunky, price is a little high, never discounted.

These sound fantastic, the sound from my ipod is greatly improved as compared to the basic headphones provided by Apple. Bose provides 3 sets of earpieces, small, medium and large, so you should be able to find a size that fits you properly, I find these very comfortable to wear, they do not fall out as my I have found problematic with other in the ear headphones in the past. Bose includes a nice case to store the headphones.

On the down side, I think these headphones look a little clunky, they are definitely larger than most other in the ear style headphones on the market. The price is pretty much on the high end and discounts from Bose are hard to come by.

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still after a month a great deal.

Strengths: great in-ear headphones. great price delivered in less than 2 days and authentic bose.

Weakness: nothing. the headphones are a little tricky to keep them in your ears. thats it.

a great deal with these earphones. great bose sound. i did not get the free extra tips when i registered so it may be because they are older? still paying 45$ less is totally worth it.

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Best earbuds I have owned!

Strengths: The sound is great, they are more confortable then triditional earbuds, and they come with a nice carrying case. Comes with 3 different sizes for a good fit.

Weakness: None

When I received these I compared them to earbuds that came with my Inno satellite radio and to ones that came with a Jabra bluetooth set, and there is a noticable improvement to the sound. I can wear them much longer without my ears being unconfortable.

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In-Ear headphones

Strengths: Having the longer cord is a plus.

Weakness: Reaplacable ear pieces were kind of a hassle. I lost one the first week I had it. They fall off very easily.

I thought the Ear Buds were just OK. I did not notice much of a difference in quality of sound than from the manufacture ear plugs that came with my IPOD.

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Bose in-ear headphone

Strengths: Good sound quality

Weakness: Not the best fit in the ear

I bought the set to use it with my iPod while riding my motorcycle. The sound quality is very good, but the earbud can easily slide out and they don't provide noise isolation.

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very happy

Strengths: very comfortable. great sound quality

Weakness: tips come off too easily

i loved the feel of these headphones as soon as i put them in my ears. the traditional soft earbud shapes start to hurt my ears after a while and i have not experienced any discomfort with the bose design. i lost one of the tips as i was pulling the headphones out of my coat pocket. i didn't even realize it until the next time i wanted to use them. bose did send me replacement tips. i think i will go ahead and purchase another replacement set to have on hand. i hope bose does a redesign in this area. i also purchased the extension wire, not knowing what to expect with the headphones. the extension is probably 6' long! i am not sure when i will ever need such a long extension but for the extra $10 i paid, i was surprised at what i received.

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Bose In-Ear Headphones

Strengths: Perfect sound transmission. Compact and comfortable.

Weakness: No weaknesses I can yet discern.

The Bose name signifies a quality product. This will not disappoint. We have the larger sound-cancelling headphones and satisfaction with that product led us to this one. The former is wonderful on airplanes and good for zoning out...these are wonderful for a mobile world.

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Bose In-Ear Headphones

Bose In-Ear Headphones are high end in-ear headphones from one of the most respected names in sound. Unlike most earbuds, the Bose In-Ear headphones are designed with soft silicone tips that rest gently in the outer bowls of the ears, not the pressure-sensitive ear canals. Additionally, these removable silicone tips come in three different sizes (small, medium, large) for a more tailored...

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Bose in-ear Headphones

Testseek.com has collected 20 expert reviews for Bose in-ear Headphones and the average expert rating is 75 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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