audiosplitz: Bose

2015 Holiday Gift Guide - Portable Audio

December 20, 2015

As Christmas beckons and 2015 comes to an end, let's take a look at some great portable audio gear you can gift for your loved ones. Not sure what to get? Fret not! We break down a few choices for each persona.

Merry X'mas folks!

Fashionistas
1. Beats Solo 2 Wireless (SGD 490)
This model is a head turner with the variants like the Active Collection (for sports lovers), and Luxe Editions (for a more premium look) being recently released.

2. Sennheiser MOMENTUM On Ear (M2) (SGD 319)
The MOMENTUM series is helluva looker and why change a proven formula? And they haven't, given its design has been around since 2013.

3. Master & Dynamic MH30 (SGD 549)
This New York company is certainly going places with its premium design. Want something novel? It ain't seen very much in Singapore (yet).

No Cables Please (Wireless)
1. Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth (SGD 379)
The OE SoundLink is one of the best in the wireless on-ears category for sound delivery. The price is very decent too.

2. Sennheiser URBANITE XL Wireless (SGD 419)
They are great headphones for street wear and high quality sound over Bluetooth makes for good icing on the cake.

3. Sony MDR-1ABT (SGD 499)
A good choice for a multitude of reasons - It's comfortable, it supports aptX and LDAC codecs and it's a Sony.

Sports Lovers
1. Jaybird X2 Wireless (SGD 259)
These rank right up there for sports earbuds. They are highly customizable and the Comply foam tips offer great noise isolation and fit.

2. LG Tone Active (SGD 189)
The space-age looking TONE series has been a killer product for LG. What better way to improve it than to make a sports variant?

3. Jabra Sport Coach (SGD 248)
It's pretty hard to find an effective product that gives an integrated software and hardware fitness solution.

Users On-The-Go (Noise Canceling)
1. Bose QuietComfort 25 (SGD 529)
The QC25 blocks off sound to the extent that you feel you're in a world of your own.

2. Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H8 (SGD 699)
This is a premium looking pair to be seen with. Oh, and it's great to use on an airplane where the engine hum is just taken away.

3. Sony h.ear in NC (MDR-EX750NA)
This really light pair of in-ears works wonders on the train. Once you flick the switch on, the train grinding sounds are magically reduced.

Audiophiles
1. Klipsch Reference X20i (SGD 999)
These are certainly pricey but the sound delivery will certainly appeal to purists.

2. Grado SR60e
The SR60e is their entry level headphones and despite that, the quality of the music is simply amazing for its price.

Bluetooth

Bose AE2 SoundLink - Listen in Comfort

December 08, 2015

Bose sprung its first wireless headphones back in 2013, nicknamed the AE2w. They were easily distinguished by a control module that stuck out like a sore thumb. Two years on, they have unveiled a new over-ears offering that looks thankfully more streamlined. Called the Bose SoundLink around-ears wireless headphones II (SGD 399), it is a highly descriptive (quite a mouthful) and understandable name that summarizes the product. We prefer to call it by its acronym - the AE2 SoundLink.

Design
And we start with the unboxing.
Here's the box front with the shrink wrap still on.

Tearing away the wrap and sliding out the outer box reveals a blue cardboard layer with nothing but the company name smack at the bottom third.

The underside of the blue layer shows an intuitive quick guide on how to connect through Bluetooth / NFC and button usage. Strip the thin layer of black foam to reveal the carrying pouch that stores the product proper.

On taking the loot out, the packaging contents include:
- Bose AE2 SoundLink headphones
- Carrying pouch
- USB charging cable
- Audio cable (3.5mm to 2.5mm)

There are 2 color variants - white and black. However, the white version (our review model) thankfully removes the blue accents seen previously on the Bose OE SoundLink, making for a more classic look.

The materials used make the AE2 SoundLink very comfortable to wear - the padded foam on the underside of the headband and the ear pads' leather feel plush. Even weight-wise, at 198g, this is one of the lightest in class for a wireless over-ears model. The Sony MDR-1ABT, the Sennheiser URBANITE XL WIRELESS (both at 300g) and the V-Moda Crossfade Wireless (292g) all weigh almost a 100g more.

The earcups swivel flat for safekeeping in the pouch but unfortunately do not fold inward for even more compact storage like its on-ears sibling, the OE SoundLink. There are giant 'L' and 'R' markings on the inner earcup that guarantee you won't be scratching your head on how to put on the headphones.

All that said, this is one visually appealing pair of headphones to be seen with. Punctuated with the distinctive Bose logo printed on the matte earcup, this could very well turn a few heads.

The carrying case is sturdy and practical enough. There's an inner pouch to store the cables and a flap to separate the two ear cups from abrasion.

Features
Connecting to your music device is a piece of cake. To link via NFC, you need to activate the NFC and Bluetooth on your device, flick the power switch on and press the middle of the outer (right) earcup to the NFC touchpoint of your music player.

For Bluetooth pairing, you just need to flip the power switch up to initiate. Once the Bluetooth indicator flashes blue, just select 'Bose AE2 SoundLink' from your device to complete the pairing and the status light will glow a solid white. The unit can connect to up to two devices (phone and tablet perhaps?) at the same time. You just need to halt playback on one to start music on the second unit.

The voice prompts make the user experience intuitive. Whenever you turn the power on, a voice will inform of the battery charge level. The pairing process is complemented with prompts such as 'Ready to pair' and 'Connected'. With an 11 language selector, Bose has clearly thought of the global reach of its headphones.

Interestingly, Bose is conspicuously absent from the list of aptX-compatible headphones. aptX supposedly delivers a "near CD quality" experience but as we've mentioned before, it ain't a showstopper.

The provided white audio cable doesn't include an in-line remote. What this means is that using the over-ears in wired mode, you will need to control playback through your device. It plugs to the Bose AE2 SoundLink through a 2.5mm port and to your device by the conventional 3.5mm jack.

The earcups are user replaceable, a welcome feature should they degrade through usual wear and tear.

Performance
We tested the sound quality and there is no bass emphasis. The neutral sound is actually emphasized in the press release where it states that 'What you hear is as close as possible to what was recorded, rather than re-created or altered'. This may work for some folks, depending on their usage.

For commuters, the flatness in delivery may not be a good option if you need a certain measure of bass to take it one step above the ambient traffic sounds. The low frequencies are not as strong as other bass-inclined headphones like the Klipsch Reference R6i On-Ear. That said, Sarah Cracknell's vocal clarity on In The Dark is clean but not overly crisp. If used in a controlled environment such as the office or home, the sound comes across as pleasantly well balanced.

Wireless and wired performance is almost on par which is an impressive achievement. However, the wired option still gives the edge in providing slightly better clarity. Do note that wireless mode will give a very (very) negligible hum in the background.

We mentioned this earlier but there's absolutely no harm reinforcing the notion - it's so darn comfortable! Passive noise isolation is a plus point as what can be expected from an over-ears model. The ear pads envelop your ears completely to seal off a certain level of ambient sound.

The battery lasts a rather average 15 hours on a 3 hour charge given the what the Sony MDR-1ABT (30h) and the B&O BeoPlay H7 (20h) promise. On a 15 minute quick charge, you can get 2 hours of juice. A thing to note is Bluetooth will deactivate once the USB cord is plugged to the headphones. Oh, and the battery ain't user-replaceable.

Overall
The Bose SoundLink around-ears wireless headphones II is one of the most comfortable pair of headphones in its category. The minimal bass emphasis may be a turn off for commuters but the balanced sound coupled with a stylish design to boot could very well appeal to the fashionistas.

The Bose AE2 SoundLink is available at selected stores in Singapore such as the Atlas Experience Showrooms.

Audio Sources
Around the World - Daft Punk (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on Samsung Galaxy S4
In The Dark - Sarah Cracknell (960kbps FLAC) on Sony NW-ZX100 Walkman

Credit to Atlas and Affluence PR for a review unit.

Bluetooth

Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth - Top Notch Performer

November 05, 2015

You will either love or hate the design of the white-based Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth headphones. If the color-hue turns you off, no worries as the more classic black model is readily available. While this SGD 379 unit has been on retail shelves for a year, let's see how well it fares to recent on-ears.

Design
Usually, we'll check out the unboxing process with a visual breakdown. In this case, the box and its contents weren't in the best shape for us to give the product due credit.

What we can say is that the packaging contents should include:
- Bose headphones
- Carrying case
- USB charging cable
- Audio cable

Let's dive in to look at the Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth (affectionately known as Bose OE SoundLink). As you may have guessed from the photos, we received the black model.

On taking out the headphones, we can say the Bose is comfortably light at 153g. Looking at other Bluetooth on-ears, this is comparable to the equally lightweight Jabra Move Wireless (150g) and way lower than the Beats Solo 2 Wireless (215g).

The industrial design of the new generation of Bose headphones comes with a signature thick headband and minimalist exterior ear cup design. They look like a cross between the QuietComfort 25 (QC25) and the new AE2 SoundLink.

There are massive 'L' and 'R' markings to make sure you damn well know the correct way to put on the OE SoundLink. The unit includes a two-way hinge design where the first allows you fold the ear cups inward for very compact storage and the second rotates horizontally to meet a suitable angle for your ears.

When zipped up, the solidly built carrying pouch does its job in protecting its contents. When opened up, you get a pouch to store the USB and audio cables. When placing the headphones within, there is a practical flap to prevent abrasion between the two ear cups.

Features
While there no touch controls, the tactile buttons that allow playback and volume adjustment are found under the right earcup and are easily accessible with your right hand. Pressing the center button twice skips to the next track and thrice will jump to the previous song.

Bluetooth pairing is a breeze. Simply flip, hold the switch on the right ear cup upward to start and the Bluetooth logo will flash blue. On your device, scan and select 'Bose OE SoundLink' to complete the process and the logo changes to a constant white. The headphones can connect to two devices via Bluetooth at the same time, a convenient feature when I was toggling between my Galaxy S4 and iPad Air.

Do note that aptX, that delivers a higher fidelity sound over Bluetooth with compatible devices, is not supported. If you are an audiophile, this may cause some consternation but to the majority, it's not a showstopper as you will find out as you read further.

The voice prompts were very useful and customizable. In one example, the female voice tells you when it's 'Ready To Pair'. When you power the unit, she will tell you what is the battery level left. The prompts can be switched off by holding the volume buttons and other languages can be selected by holding the volume up and center buttons.

For a wired connection, there's a blue audio cable (without in-line remote) that plugs to the headphones (via a 2.5mm port) and to your source device (3.5mm jack).

The ear cups are replaceable, a big plus should you want to use these headphones for the long run.

Performance
If there's one thing that makes the Bose stand out, that would be the sound quality. A audio quality comparison with other on-ears like the Beats Solo2 Wireless (SGD 499) and B&O BeoPlay H8 (SGD 699) gave favorable results that reinforced our notion that the Bose ranks right up there despite its lower pricing.

The instrumentation on Joe Hisaishi's classical The Girl Who Fell From The Sky is distinct and the bass buildup is able to complement well. Avicii's house vs folk-themed The Nights shows off the headphones ability to pull off a good balance between the punchy bass and Nicholas Furlong's accompanying vocals. That said, bass heads may not get their kick if they commute on a regular basis as the bass can be overwhelmed by ambient sound (such as chatter and bus engine roars).

In terms of comfort, this is probably one of the best in the on-ears category that I've tried. The clamping force does enough to keep the headphones in place without placing excessive force on the ears. The ear cups press flat on the ears but they are pillowy thanks to the underlying memory foam and even with glasses, I could keep the OE SoundLink in excess of an hour without much discomfort.

Noise isolation is not fantastic but it does remove a minimal layer of sound. When used in a silent room, you will get a faint humming at the right side due to the Bluetooth module but this becomes completely insignificant when traveling.

For a 3 hour full charge, you get a respectable 15 hours of music playback, a very decent number when compared to the Jabra Move Wireless (8 hours) and Beats Solo2 Wireless (12 hours). The power indicator will blink amber to show it is charging. During usage, green shows a healthy battery life while amber and red should tell you that charging at the soonest is a wise decision.

Overall
If there's a pair of wireless on-ears to buy, this is probably it. The comfort afforded along with the well balanced audio output and complex feature set made simple propel the Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth headphones to be an excellent choice for an on-ear.

Audio Sources
The Nights - Avicii (Tidal 1411kbps FLAC) on Samsung Galaxy S4
The Girl Who Fell From The Sky (Laputa: Castle In The Sky OST) - Joe Hisaishi (320kbps) on Samsung Galaxy S4

Credit to Atlas and Affluence PR for a review unit.

2015 Holiday Gift Guide - Portable Audio

Bose AE2 SoundLink - Listen in Comfort

Bose SoundLink on-ear Bluetooth - Top Notch Performer

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