Ear We Go Again (Bose On-Ear Headphones)

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	Bose On-Ear Headphones
Date:	25/08/09 (225 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent sound, good looks, two cable lengths, quality carry case

Disadvantages: Reliability problems

I've never really had what I would call 'expensive' headphones before. £30 a pair was probably the most that I'd spent, but I knew that I wasn't really getting the best out of my music. I use headphones in one of two ways, either through an iPod or through my laptop and in either case I like to be completely immersed in the sound. I want to shut the world out and enjoy the detail of what it is that I'm listening to. I also want, if possible, to ensure that when I'm in public, I don't irritate anybody at the same time.

These Bose on-ear headphones will set you back around £120. That's probably quite a lot of money to the average listener but given that it's not unusual for me to be using them for five or six hours a day, it's not a sum of money that I can begrudge. They're marketed towards users of MP3 players. Indeed, they're heavily promoted in all the Apple stores and I would say that they're a perfect complement to mobile music.

They're nicely presented. For starters, you get a sleek, branded zip-up case that's durable and looks 'good quality'. The phones look smart, with branded ear pieces finished in silver and a simple black band. True, they don't have the instant grab of Skull Candy but that means that they're fairly subtle and refined; you can wear them in a business suit or in jeans without looking out of place. Although worn 'on ear' the earpieces collapse in on themselves via a funky swivelled hinge, such that the entire set can be folded down to a small size and slotted into the case, if required. It has to be said that the phones fold down so easily and so compactly that the case actually takes up unnecessary room. You're also supplied with two detachable cables, one that's 115cm long and one that's 40cm long (both with 3.5mm jack as standard). This is very useful. Clearly, the 40cm cable is intended for an MP3 player, where you don't want to hang yourself on the move, whereas the longer cable is better for home use. The other advantage with this system is that if the cable does get caught up somewhere, the tugging motion simply pulls the lead out of the socket, instead of damaging the cable.

The headphones are pretty comfortable. The earpieces are nicely padded and the headband is adjustable enough to cater for all shapes and sizes. I only find two minor problems. Firstly, the soft leather surrounds are very snug but can make my ears a little hot, particularly in the summer, along with unwanted 'sweaty ears'. Secondly, the material underneath the headband (that comes in contact with your head) seems to irritate the top of my head after prolonged usage. Removing the headphones and rubbing the hair/skin seems to cure it but it's briefly quite unpleasant. This is probably just my scalp. I always was a bit weird. These things aside, these are the first headphones that I have owned that I can actually sleep in, well, for a time anyway. Needless to say, this type of headphone is not suitable for those who spend hours getting their hair just right as the band will flatten any kind of style except for, well, flat hair.

The sound quality is very good. Bass is rich, deep and clean (although not in the league of the next model up where, for another £150 you can get truly awesome bass). You can listen to these headphones at a significant volume and the bass is not distorted or disrupted in any way (notwithstanding the impact that the quality of the music file might have.) This works particularly well for my genre of choice, club music, notably more vocal, commercial trance that seems to benefit from the Bose's capabilities to work with the highly synthesised sound. Notably, you can also really detect the differences between music recorded in different ways. There's a raw, unpolished quality to live recordings or music mixed on vinyl (where you can pick out the grainy sound of the needle on the record) compared to music engineered entirely through digital means. Pop music, classical music and easy listening also work well here, particularly very 'triumphant' classical pieces that enjoy the attention to detail that the Bose headphones offer. Unlike the next model up, these are at least slightly refined and built for both power and detail.

These are very sociable headphones. On a train or Tube you can have your music at a high level without being detected by anyone else. Indeed, at 75% maximum volume (quite significant) you can only hear any sound leaking if the room is entirely silent. Needless to say, this also means that the sound insulation and noise cancelling qualities are excellent too, meaning that outside noise has little impact on the experience (again, once you reach a certain volume). I regularly wander the streets of London, headphones intact and the music remains largely undisturbed by traffic or other disturbances. At home, I really can't comfortably take them above about 33% of the maximum before it's too loud and it's timely to remind any potential purchaser that there is some risk of damaging your ears here. The sound is very immersive and for your favourite tunes it's hard to resist taking the volume up higher and higher but I do find that I can easily get a headache after prolonged usage.

There's a downside, however, and that's the reliability. Since September 2008, I've had four pairs. Yes, that's more than one every three months. The headphones seem extremely fragile and for reasons that I've not completely figured out, the cable and/or jack point seem to fail fairly easily. I purchased mine from the Apple Store and can't commend their after-sales service enough; they just swap them over (with receipt) for a new pair every time. But the fact that the phones fail so easily seems to be a major problem and I can only imagine the heartache incurred at a less reputable dealer, who might insist that you claim on the manufacturer's warranty. At any price, this is a problem, but when you've forked out £120 it does rather grate on your nerves.

But I'm prepared (at the moment) to forgive this in the face of excellent sound quality and performance. I enjoy music now more than ever and that's partly thanks to having these babies with me wherever and whenever the mood takes me. On ear headphones can attract strange looks (my silhouette occasionally resembles the new Cybermen) but I find in-ear headphones so uncomfortable that, frankly, I couldn't care less.

Recommended on the basis of performance and design but, whatever you do, buy them from the Apple store where, if things go wrong, you won't get any arguments.

Summary: Excellent headphones - even if they are prone to die on you....

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