Wireless headphones are something you don’t realize you need until you try them out. I’ve always been the type of person to stick in Earpods and be content with the wired option. The downside is that I always tend to break wired headphones. I’m the type of person that will forget my headphones are plugged into my computer, only to get minor whiplash when moving away from my desk. After going through five sets of Earpods, I decided to invest in some around-ear style wireless headphones. Needless to say, these headphones have changed my life.
Build
I love the way Bose designed these Bluetooth headphones. It’s a major reason why I chose to cough up almost three bills to buy them. The headphones are built much sturdier compared to their older designs. I had the old school Bose QC30 which permanently bent out shape too easily. The newer design is thicker along the top of the headphones that wrap around your head giving it a much sturdier design.I got the Bose Soundlink AE2 in white, which i believe is the best looking headphone out in the market. The smooth matte finish combined with beige lining give it a clean simple look. I take pretty good care of my headphones and they are still as white as when I first got them. The headphones in general still look brand new.
I really like the location of the controls. My hand instinctively goes to correct location and easily adapted to the controls. The intuitive controls is an underrated feature of these headphones. Increasing volume is located on the upper button, while lowering volume is located on the bottom button. You’d be surprised how many companies don’t do this. The middle button controls pausing, skipping, and repeating music. The funny thing is after six months of use, I found out i was pressing the middle button too quickly. You really have to be slow and deliberate otherwise it will pause your music.
The Bluetooth Bose headphone comes with a carrying case and a cord if you want to go into the wired mode. Bose always includes nice carrying cases and this is not an exception. I feel comfortable putting my headphones in the carrying case and throwing it in my backpack. You’re going to want piece of mind when you’re spending more than a 100 dollars on headphones.
Comfort
Comfort is so important when considering which headphones to buy. It doesn’t matter how great the sound quality is if it makes your ears throb three hours into listening to music. This is a major reason why I believe around ear designs are far superior compared to on-ear or in-ear designs. On-ear designs leave my ears feeling bruised, while in-ear designs tend to give me sound fatigue during long stretches of listening to music.
The Bluetooth Bose headphones feature cushioned leather cups that fit comfortably around your ear. The cups provide good insulation so that the embarrassing music you listen to doesn’t leak out. This is a double-edged sword because my ears tend to get hot while moving around. If you are an avid gym goer, I’m sure you’ve seen many people wearing around-ear Bluetooth headphones while working out. 9 times out of 10, they are Beats. I don’t really understand this trend, but I would not recommend using these as gym headphones. You will sweat so much through your ears and probably form mold in the inside of your headphones. In my opinion, these headphones are best for students, travelers, or people who work a desk job. Active people should shift their focus to sport headphones that have a waterproof design. The headphones can adjust to fit even the biggest of heads. My roommate has the biggest head I have ever seen and he fits into them comfortably. He wears an 8+ in hat size, which pretty much means he’s a bobble head.
Sound
I am not an audiophile by any means. I like my headphones to look good and sound good. I’m not the type of person that needs to listen to music at the highest quality. My music profile consists of Spotify and Pandora, which is most of the general population. I am extremely happy with the sound quality of these headphones. I could tell instantly that these sound much better than the Earpods that I had used before. These provide more of a balanced sound compared to other headphones. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve steered away from bass heavy headphones because they give me a headache. I guess I really am growing up. I listen to a wide range of music from Rap Caviar on Spotify all the way to nostalgic alternative rock. *Cue Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard* I was impressed with the versatility of these headphones which made all genres sound fantastic. In my experience, Bose headphones do not get loud compared to other headphones. Look elsewhere if you’re looking for brain-shattering, face-melting headphones. The higher volume does not decrease in sound quality, commonly found in cheaper headphones. The mids, lows, and highs stay balanced while leaving no signs of crackling or distortion.
Usage
This version of Bose headphones is only Bluetooth and not noise-cancelling. However, it does an admirable job at blocking unwanted noise. I am currently wearing these headphones on the plane and it does a fantastic job of blocking noise from the plane and the three crying babies surrounding my seat. For 20 dollars more, you can get the noise-cancelling version. The noise-cancelling is extremely impressive, but I can’t get over the high-pitched ringing associated with active noise-cancellation.
The battery life is pretty awesome. I have a low bar when it comes to battery life because I’m used to my three hour battery life from my iPhone 6S. I easily get 15+ hours of use with the Bose headphones. For someone who is notoriously bad at regularly charging devices, this kind of battery life is invaluable. The icing on the cake is that it also takes little time to fully charge the headphones from 0-100%. I’d estimate it takes around 1-2 hours to fully charge. If you’re in a rush, you can get a 50% charge in about 30 minutes.
Bluetooth connectivity is always a hit or miss with various headphones. I found my experience to be decent. I had about a 30-40 ft range when connected to my iPhone. This made it very convenient to move around my lab without my music cutting out. Thicker structures such as doors or walls will definitely affect your connection. The connection to my Surface Book was a disappointment. I got maybe five feet before my connection got spotty or cut out completely. Multiple connection via Bluetooth was not as seamless as I was expecting. Typically, I’m connected to my iPhone and laptop. It seems the headphones had a tough time deciphering which device I was currently using. There were also times where the headphone indicated i was paired to one of my devices but I wouldn’t be able to hear anything out of my headphones. This always lead to the tedious process of re-pairing my headphones. However, the headphone works flawlessly when paired to only one device.
Versatility is a common theme with the Bose Soundlink wireless headphones. There is a wired option when your battery runs out or you want to connect to a Bluetooth-less device. I skimped out on Bluetooth feature in my custom built PC, but that was no problem because i was able to use the connecting wire and hook it up to my computer. The headphones are able to function when connected in the wired mode even if the battery is completely dead. A great feature is the hands-free calling option. With the simple press of a button, you can pick up a phone call in the middle of a song. The calls were always crystal clear.
TLDR
The Bose Soundlink Around-Ear wireless headphones II are a solid option if you’re in the market for a balanced, wireless headphone. The sturdy design coupled with the versatility of it’s wireless/wired mode ensures the headphone’s longevity. Don’t plan on using these for the gym or going on a run. Think indoor use instead. The Bose wireless headphone is priced at $279.99. Click here if you want to learn more about the Bose Soundlink wireless headphones.