audiosplitz

Wireless Sports Audio Part 4 - Bose SoundSport Wireless

July 14, 2016

It is refreshing to see that Bose has finally spruced up its SoundSport series with wireless offerings in their June product launch. The Bose SoundSport Wireless (SGD 239 / USD 150) marks the company's first wireless in-ears.

As Part 4 of the Wireless Sports Audio series of articles, we give you the full review of the Bose SoundSport Wireless.

Credit - Bose

Updated article with Performance results - Oct 2016
Pros (+): Snug fit; Intuitive voice prompts; App support.
Cons (-): Minimal noise isolation.

Unboxing
Out of the 2 color schemes (Black / Aqua), we were provided the brighter looking unit. Citron will only be released in September.

Bose SoundSport Wireless - Black / Aqua / Citron

Credit - Bose

We mentioned that the Bose QC35 is starting a new packaging identity. The SoundSport Wireless follows this with the new font type splayed right on the top.

Sliding off the outer cover, we open up the inner black box to reveal the earbuds.

Bose SoundSport Wireless - Packaging contents

Under the plastic layer lie the full suite of accessories.

So what's on the checklist?

Bose SoundSport Wireless
Charging cable (micro-USB)
StayHear+ buds (S / M / L)
Clothing clip
Carry case
User Guides

Design
The Bose SoundSport Wireless is approximately 22g, slightly meatier than similar under-ear wireless buds like the B&O BeoPlay H5 (18g) and Jaybird X2 Wireless (13g).

The buds exterior has a gloss circle with 'Bose' smack in the centre. The size of each bud appears excessively large but understandable given it's very convenient to adjust the huge elliptical sides when jogging.

The circular carry case is conveniently fitted with a carabiner on the outside and a fishnet inner pouch within.

Features
The Bose buds have sweat and water resistance. There's no IPX rating outright stated but so far, we've had no issues with usage on-the-go be it jogging or during light drizzles.

Credit - Bose

The in-line remote controls lie on the right side. The layout is similar to other buds - a multifunction button (Play / Take calls) flanked with the volume buttons. Skipping tracks is still restricted to double (or triple) tapping the centre button while it would have been sweeter for users if they implemented holding either volume buttons to do the same. While the buttons are large and easy to access, they require a rather large effort to actuate.

You can pair to your device through Bluetooth or NFC. To link via NFC, you need to activate Bluetooth on your player, power on the buds and press the remote (see the 'N') to the NFC touchpoint of your device. For Bluetooth pairing, hold the power button until the LED indicator flashes blue. Select 'Bose SoundSport' from your device to complete the pairing and the LED will give a white glow. The Bose can connect to up to 2 devices simultaneously. You can manage it by stopping music playback on one and then start music on the second.

Voice controls have been and continue to be Bose's forte. They range from informing the power level, pairing status and even support up to 11 languages.

There is a supporting app called Bose Connect that supports also the QC35 and AE2 SoundLink.

Bose SoundSport Wireless - Bose Connect app

You can adjust the product name, power down timing, voice prompt language (out of 11 options) and the most useful is the pairing management to other devices. It's quite standard with others eg. Plantronics BackBeat GO 3 app.

Performance
We test these sports earbuds in three areas when jogging:
1. Fit - Did it fit into the ears snugly? Did the weight of the cord tug on ears causing it to fall out?

2. Noise Isolation - We checked out the degree to which external noise is blocked. This is what you'd deem as 'passive noise cancelation'.

3. Microphonics - This is basically the sound of the cable rustle when there's any kind of friction, be it wind friction or the cord swishing when running.

Bose SoundSport Wireless - StayHear+ tips

The fit is amazingly snug. The M-size StayHear+ tips are the same as the ones used on the Bose QC20 and they do not disappoint. Upon insertion, I found they were gentle on the ears and yet were not easy to dislodge. Jogging really makes you appreciates the fit even further as somehow, they stay in your ear. This is something that joggers will really need as you'd just want to focus on your run without reinserting the buds every other minute.

Credit - Bose

On the other hand, noise isolation is really minimal as ambient sound can be heard with ease. In terms of cable rustle, I used the clip to fasten to the back of my shirt for my run. Somehow Bose manages to make the microphonics negligible though the in-line remote may rub your shirt on occasion. On my side, I found the right earbud may get warm with extended usage.

Credit - Bose

Sound Quality:
The sound quality is inclined toward the low frequencies, which to me is good for a pair of sports earbuds. Sure you get relatively decent vocals but the bass that emanates from these buds is mighty enough to give you that added motivation during your jogs / workouts.

Credit - Bose

Battery Life:
There's 6 hours of power on a full 2 hour charge, definitely enough to last your evening jogs or commutes to work. This is an average number when compared with other wireless sports audio devices like the Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless (6h) and the UA Headphones Wireless (8h).

Overall
These are a solid pair of wireless earbuds for your runs. The Bose SoundSport Wireless definitely goes easy on the ear in terms of fit. If you want to shut off ambient sound, this ain't the pair for you but if you're going for bass-inclined sports buds that give intuitive voice prompts with sweat resistance, these Bluetooth buds will really make your day. Guaranteed.

Where To Buy
You can buy the Bose SoundSport Wireless at USD 150 from Amazon.

Credit to Bose and Atlas for an evaluation unit.

Wireless Sports Audio Series
Part 1 - Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless
Part 2 - Sony NW-WS413
Part 3 - UA Headphones Wireless - By JBL
Part 4 - Bose SoundSport Wireless
Part 5 - Jaybird Freedom Wireless F5
Part 6 - The Verdict (TBA)

Bluetooth

Bose QuietComfort 35 (QC35) - Review

July 10, 2016

The wireless Bose QuietComfort 35 (aka QC35) is the highly anticipated follow up to Bose's top notch wired active noise canceling (ANC) headphones, the QC25. Newly launched last month, they are now available in Singapore for SGD 549 (USD 350). We gleefully received the unit and took it to the streets for a review!

Pros (+): Excellent ANC; Classy design; App support; Usage of integrated rechargeable battery.
Cons (-): No aptX; Pricey.

Design
There are currently 2 color choices available - Silver and Black of which we are dished the latter.

Onto the unboxing. One thing is quite clear - with the launch of the new Bose wireless products in June, the packaging graphics appear to have been uniformly updated to a new theme (yes, the SoundSport Wireless also have a massive font size for the product name across the top). Here's how it looks:

We slide out the inner black box to unveil a black colored flap which doubles as a quick setup guide on the flip side.

The carrying case lies within and unzipping it reveals the QC 35 neatly folded. The airplane adapter slots in firmly at the left corner while there's a handy sleeve, both inside and behind, to slot in the accompanying cables.

We spilled out the contents to unveil the following:

Bose QuietComfort 35 (QC 35) headphones
Audio cable (2.5mm to 3.5mm)
Airline adapter
Charging cable (micro-USB)
Carrying case
User guides

And now for the product proper. The QuietComfort 35 is and over-ear pair of headphones that weighs a meaty 309g, marking a more than 100g weight gain over the QC25. Somehow, it still feels alright when place around the head, possibly due to good weight distribution.

The headband comes in leather and Alcantara, a good combination for a touch of class and comfort. Like its predecessor, the dual-hinge design at the cups allows for better angling placement to your head and easy storage.

The product design appears to be a cross between the Bose QC 25 and the Bose AE2 SoundLink (aka SoundLink around-ear wireless headphones II), though it takes the predominant style from the former. The playback controls, USB port and power switch intervals are all cues from the AE2 SoundLink while everything else looks very QC25-ish.

Features
The draw of the QuietComfort 35 is undoubtedly the active noise-canceling (ANC) technology. This incorporates a dual-microphone system where one's on the outside and the other within, to effectively block ambient noise. Unlike the QC 25 where you need to activate this through a switch, the ANC is auto-on once the headphones are powered. We'll go into detail on the experience later.

Pairing to your device is a breeze. You can either connect through Bluetooth or NFC. To link via NFC, you need to activate the NFC and Bluetooth on your device, flick the power on and press the middle of the outer (right) earcup to the NFC touchpoint of your device. For Bluetooth pairing, you just need to flip the power switch to the right to initiate. Once the Bluetooth indicator flashes blue, just select 'Bose QuietComfort 35' from your device to complete the pairing. The unit can connect to up to two devices simultaneously. You just need to halt playback on one to start music on the second unit or you can use the Bose Connect app to manage.

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'.

The provided 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 QC 35 through a 2.5mm port and to your device by the usual 3.5mm jack.

There is a supporting app called Bose Connect (man, everyone has apps now!). The first supported product was the AE2 SoundLink and it appears to support the new range of Bose's wireless headphones.

What can you do? From the pic below, you can adjust the QC 35 name, power down timing, voice prompt language (out of 11 options) and the most useful is the pairing management to other devices. Is the app absolutely essential? We'd have to say not quite yet but we will have to see how the app evolves.

Performance
Updated (19 Jul 2016)
The QC 35 is a pair of over-ear headphones and they sure are comfortable when you fit them on. They have a snug fit and certainly won't fall off accidentally. Only after prolonged walking, you start to feel a very negligible weight on your head...and I must emphasize only negligible.

Let's talk about the experiences on each of the 3 sound modes available. Riding trains and sitting at the back of a bus is a really noisy event for most. What better place to test the active noise canceling (apart from a plane)? Of course, when testing sound quality, this was done in a quiet room to keep the sound environment constant.

1. Wireless (ANC)
There's bass emphasis resulting in a warm sound delivery. The bass buildup on Solarstone's Seven Cities is wonderful to behold. The rumbles of train and bus accelerations are drowned out though the occasional high-frequency shrieks of wheels grinding the rails are apparent. On wireless, ANC is activated by default and the Bose lasts up to 20h (for ANC + Bluetooth).

2. Wired (ANC)
For those who like a one notch of bass less and a more balanced sound quality, wired ANC would work well. Sarah Brightman and Fernando Lima's vocals on Ave Maria become clearer. The noise canceling appears to be similar in both wired and wireless. If you're on a plane, likely this is the ideal mode since the battery life doubles to an impressive 40h (for ANC only).

3. Wired (Non-ANC)
The soundstage significantly widens. Sound perfectionists would do well to avoid this mode as the vocals sound drowned out. Bus revvs are painfully obvious in this mode, though some is taken out by the over-ears product design that gives some noise isolation. The power is off in this mode and the headphones can be used as long as needed.

I actually liked the wireless mode the best. When traveling, I feel that the added bass plays a big part in reaching out to you beyond the low frequency traffic noise. In providing 3 sound modes, I reckon Bose is just giving more options for usage flexibility. The whole purpose for getting the QC35 is 'cos it's wireless and likely, you want to commute without cable tangle.

Overall
The Bose QC35, like the QC25, is a top notch choice for frequent travellers who want their own sound space in a noise-laced environment. While it's certainly pricey, it's likely the top wireless noise canceling pair of headphones in the market and I'd say that's a good enough reason to own one. All in all, Bose has done a great job on the sound quality in wireless mode while delivering a mind-numbingly quiet experience. They sure know what a wireless headphones' priorities are for the user.

Where To Buy

If you like what you have read, do feel free to support me by buying from Amazon. Here are the affiliate links for the Black and Silver variants.

Audio Sources
Ave Maria (Duet with Fernando Lima) - Sarah Brightman (320kbps MP3)
Seven Cities (Original Atlantis Mix) - Solarstone (Spotify 320kbps MP3)

Credit to Bose and Atlas for an evaluation unit.

Bang & Olufsen

Comply Foam - Sport, Comfort and Isolation Tips

July 08, 2016

Comply Foam is an increasingly common type of ear tip being used by the top audio manufacturers out there. The common question(s) that are asked are what is so special about these buds? After all, aren't the default silicon buds good enough? Let's find out together.

Background
Comply Foam is actually developed by Hearing Components, a company that 'develops products with an unrelenting passion for hearing'. They are primarily a US-based R&D company and it is spun off from 3M. They started with audiology products and have expanded to other areas like military and consumer electronics (that's where we are :)

What Brands Use Comply Foam?
We have reviewed a ton of in-ear earphones over the past year that actually provide Comply Foam tips within the default packaging. Apparently, 75 earphone brands choose Comply tips as part of their earphone solution. It's fair to say that these buds have developed a decent rep out there.

B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC - Comply Foam T-200 on the left

To list some out:

Jaybird X2 Wireless - Sport (Custom Jaybird)
Earin True Wireless Earbuds - Comfort (Ts-400)
B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC - Isolation (T-200)
B&O BeoPlay H5 - Sport (Sx-200)

Jaybird X2 Wireless - Sport tips

Earin - Comfort tips

B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC - Isolation tips

Why Use Comply Foam?
While default tips provide a decent level of fit and sound quality, Comply Foam tips are a customizable option that takes it a level further. If you want to run, you need to hear ambient sound while having decent ear fit / sound quality. If you sit in a plane or take the train, you need to block off ambient noise as far as possible. You get the idea :)

They feel and work like memory foam. Simply squeeze the tips, insert them in your ear and they expand to fill the void within.

Comply Foam Tip Types
Overall, there are 3 types available:

Sport (S)
Comfort (Ts)
Isolation (T)

We check out what are the general differences between these types.

1. Sport (S)
This is made of a more rugged and breathable material. The fit in the ear is great as we found out while reviewing the Jaybird X2 Wireless. Looks the most porous of the 3 types.

2. Comfort (Ts)
You can insert these in your ears for quite a while without much discomfort. And yup, that's where the 'Comfort' name comes from. These are the buds that came with the Earin and they provide a good balance between comfort and ambient sound blockage. They are soft to the touch and look the most spherical (ie. fattest) of the 3.

3. Isolation (T)
This type is the most intuitive to understand and apply. If you are in a train, the Isolation tips are the most effective of the 3 to block off the screeching of the rails for a more than decent passive noise cancelation. We had reviewed the LG TONE Active (HBS-850) with these tips and boy, were they good. Looks like a slimmer version of the Comfort tips.

LG TONE Active - Fitted with Isolation (T-400) tips

Each of these 3 types have a 'Plus' variant. They are called Sports Plus (Sx), Comfort Plus (Tsx) and Isolation Plus (Tx). The 'Plus' appended at the end of the product includes a layer called SweatGuard (for Sports) or WaxGuard (for Comfort / Isolation) where its purpose is to filter off the sweat or debris from entering the earbud hole.

Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless - Fitted with Isolation Plus (Tx-400) tips.
The WaxGuard layer is the whitish-grey area within the bud.

Sizes
No surprise here but the neck of every earbud tip of each audio product comes in a different size. For that reason, there are a series of numbers such as Size 100, 200, 400, 500 and even custom sizes to denote the differences. If you aren't sure what Comply Foam tip you need, you can check their site.

B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC - Size 200

LG TONE Active - Size 400

Now that we have a better understanding of Comply Foam, we will dive into further depth once we veer toward the conclusion of the Wireless Sports Audio series of articles. Stay tuned!

Pricing
From the Comply Foam website, 3 pairs go for the respective pricings from the Comply Foam website (USD) and Treoo (SGD). The following assumes a Size 400 bud (eg. Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless / LG TONE Active).

Sport (S-400) - USD 8.95
Sport Plus (Sx-400) - USD 12.95

Isolation (T-400) - USD 14.95 / SGD 31
Isolation Plus (Tx-400) - USD 19.95 / SGD 35

Comfort (Ts-400) - USD 16.95 / SGD 33
Comfort Plus (Tsx-400) - USD 21.95 / SGD 36