Bose SoundSport

Great product – easy to use and great results.

I have been in the broadcast industry virtually my entire adult life, and if there is one thing I am very aware of, its that Bose pretty much is the authority when it comes to audio quality. While in my studio, I use my Sony professional headphones (the industry standard), but part of me always wanted a pair of Bose. I finally decided for my birthday, I’d splurge.

I like to workout, and wanted some earbuds which would be perfect for the gym, and the SoundSport seemed to fit the bill, so I ordered mine. When they came I was pretty giddy, I’ll admit. But that faded pretty quick as I plugged them into my mp3 player and started to exercise. The earbuds–in MY personal estimation, were kinda crap…but not necessarily for the reasons you might think. They SOUNDED great, but unfortunately, they were designed to allow ambient outside noise to creep in so those who wear them while exercising outside, possibly in traffic, can be hyper aware of their surroundings, which is perfect–except it let in SO much outside noise it was almost to the point of a distraction. I wear a Samsung Gear S3 smart watch which keeps track of my exercising. It reminds me every 5 minutes by telling me my heart rate, calories burned etc. using its pretty weak speaker. I could easily hear my watch every 5 minutes as I worked on the elliptical. Sorry, but for me, that is like way TOO much.

Since I workout in the gym, outside noise isn’t a factor, but what do you do to fix it? I noticed while looking online that the eartips on the Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling earbuds were different…and I connected the dots and ordered a pair of eartips for the QuietComfort and they fit like a glove and the difference is absolutely phenomenal. Suddenly, audio that was completely lost before with the previous eartips was not only now easily heard, but the new tips helped to isolate the audio so much better. Honestly, Bose should include these kinds of tips for those people like me who don’t need the outside noise to interfere with what I’m listening to. Seriously, the difference was like night and day. The old ones let in so much outside noise that you cannot fully appreciate the great Bose sound. But with the substitution, NOW I could hear the difference, and boy was it dramatic.

Let’s be honest, Bose are miracle workers when it comes to audio reproduction. They do it pretty much better than almost everyone else. Suddenly my earbuds that I so badly wanted, finally lived up to the expectations I had hoped for. Bass is full, the Highs are crisp, the Mid’s were just as clear. Almost like wearing my Sony studio monitor, and that, my friends is an accomplishment for such a small device.

The one area where I truly believe Bose suffers, almost more than any other audio manufacturer, is in build quality. You might think differently, but if you compared Bose headphones or earbuds to similar devices, you’ll see it immediately, and if not right away, you’ll definitely notice that when you use them frequently. I’ve always found their stuff to be nowhere as durable as almost any other pair of similar like devices available, and let’s be honest, for what they make you pay, I honestly believe every possible effort should be used to make them as durable as possible. Even the Sport earbuds seemed a bit frail, especially the cords. I really felt that if I didn’t take extra good care, they’d fray and break pretty quick, even though they are almost brand new. Being in the broadcast industry, I am pretty familiar with how to treat electronic equipment with kid gloves, so I think mine will last a bit longer than most, but that is just a guess. I know not everyone will share my opinion, but I am not just a casual audiophile when it comes to headphones/earbuds. I know my stuff, and it pains me to admit this, but the build quality just isn’t as good as most others–even if the sound quality is just about as good as it gets.

In short, if you want truly superior audio quality, but you aren’t afraid to spend the extra money for earbuds that may not last as long as you’d hope for, especially for the money, you really cannot do better. However, if you want better sound, order some additional eartips like I mentioned above (they weren’t expensive, mine cost less than $6.00) and you’ll find a whole new appreciation for their audio capabilities.

My .02

I purchased the Bose SoundSport in-ear headphones because I either lost on vacation or severely misplaced within my house my Bose IE2 set after using and LOVING them for 4 years. The IE2 was basically the same product, but the earbuds were black and silver (and slightly larger). Simply put, they were the most comfortable and best-sounding earbuds I have ever used, and I have tried A LOT of sub-$100 options. But the IE2 was discontinued/replaced by this models, and this one has the volume and play/pause control for Apple devices, so I decided I would try it out.

In terms of sound quality, the SoundSport earbuds perform exactly like I remember my beloved IE2 set. Pretty much every earbud on the market tries to promote its low end capabilities with buzz words like “EXTRA BASS”, but the Bose sets really deliver. Actually they have outstanding clarity across the audio spectrum. Some people are generally critical of all Bose products for applying their own EQ curve (it sounds a bit scooped in the mids to me – it may not be ideal for every kind of music, but I happen to like the Bose sound). But the reality is with earbuds you are usually giving up so much ear quality, that even getting 90% of the way towards the quality of a over-ear Bose headphone set would be a major accomplishment, and I think they’ve done it here again.

It’s arguable, however, that none of this would matter if the darn things fell out of my ears all the time or were generally uncomfortable. That’s why the very unique StayHear tips are probably my favorite feature about the Bose earbuds. They appear cumbersome, but it’s actually a very soft and flexible silicone that bends and forms into the shape of your inner ear. The sound comes out of a silicone “nozzle” that inserts into the ear hole, and then the “C”-shaped portion rests around the inner part of your ear cartilage. It sounds weird, but at least for me, it 100% works. I’ve used them for running, doing push ups, or even sedentary activities like working on my laptop. They never fall out on their own, even if you are jostling around a lot. They will get ripped if you catch the cable on something, but that is true of any earbud that doesn’t vice grip to your ear. I have what I guess are larger-than-average ears, so many earbuds that are intended to wedge into a smaller ear simply fall out of mine. The large sized StayHear tip is perfect for me, and it’s really spoiled me for all other earbuds (well, that and the quality of sound).

NOTE: I should point out that that the standard “StayHear” tips are not really intended for sound isolation. If you like earbuds that block out ambient noise or wind noise while running, these don’t really do that. However, some people prefer to be able to hear what’s going on (for safety or socializing reasons). Also, there is a StayHear+ version where the ear hole insert looks more like a mushroom and can be purchased separately for $10. These are a much snugger fit and are better at sound isolation, though I find that the extra snugness emphasizes the bass frequencies to a fault, so I don’t think I would recommend those unless you have a problem with the buds always falling out.

A final note on build quality – I was and still am concerned by some of the other reviews I came across for this product, particularly as it relates to the cords pulling out of the earbuds or other connection points. Like I said, I used the IE2 set for 4 years, and that included balling them up and throwing them in my pocket, workout activities, and so on. I was, however, generally careful not to tug on the set or stress the cables excessively. So, I truly hope that the people who experienced this problem were just being rough on them. If I see cables pulling back out of the earpieces, that is a major defect, and I will revise my review. I also am not a fan of how they changed the 3.5mm plug to a longer, more rigid plug. This tends to be protrude and be a little more noticeable in my pocket while working out.

Those caveats aside, I’m still giving the SoundSport a 5-star review because I’ve never found anything close to this level of sound quality, and I think they are actually fairly priced for what they deliver.

These were recommended to me by my wife, who also has a pair. The challenge for me is, I wear hearing aids, so either I have to take them out to get any earbuds in, thus affecting my ability to hear clearly, or leave the HAs in and find earbuds that will stay in my ear as well. These work perfectly for that. Love the sound quality and comfort. The only warning is, noise cancellation–people can actually hear me clicking my mouse when I’m on a call. So, wouldn’t recommend using these in a noisy environment. Other than that, they’re perfect for my use case.