Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones - Black

The bad : Firstly let me point out that 4 stars have been given not to the quality of the audio from these headphones but the average battery life ( rated at 6 hours but i am managing to get 4 to 5 at my volume levels ). Enough for gym and sport but when i`m gardening all day these will not last . Its not a bad battery life but not deserving a full 5 star ratingThe good :I purchased these as i used to own their wired soundsport headphones and i still rate them as the best in class for audio. However the cable was of poor quality and would require frequent soldering . Expensive if you cant solderWhen i saw these i had to buy hoping the audio would come close ( despite bluetooth loss) . In my opinion they match and even surpass the quality of their previous wiredversion I listen to mainly classical and opera . I also listen to spoken radio.The character of the audio on the Soundsport is detailed and punchy - Bose doesn't allow you to EQ the headphones or offer any audio mode presets, but they do say that the Soundsport will use "Active EQ" to optimally adjust the audio for whatever's playing. I found this to be the caseThe Soundsport offer a surprising amount of bass , very clear mid-range, and reasonably good highs. Detail is well-preserved and I found that while not always very faithful to the character of some recordings, the Soundsport always sound pleasantThey also get very loud, if you're concerned with that .The app itself is clean and well-designed, and performs exceptionally well on my note 8 phone. simple and intuitive when i connected to the headphones the app updated the firmware of the headphones and i was good to go.They are not the best looking and possible a tad bulky in appearance ( needs the driver size i assume to deliver such decent audio) but fit so snugly with the default medium buds i did not need to experiment with the extra small and large ones provided too.Once in ear they stay locked in place and i tested out this running,cycling and xtrainer. Also some yoga ( even inverted poses) and strength training.These are not noise isolating and so some background noise can be heard but safety first i presume,especially if out on road.I toyed with giving these a 4 star review due to battery life but they more than compensate for this with build quality,comfort and of course that BOSE sound quality. So 5 stars and my whole hearted unbiased recommendation for anyone looking for sport/outdoor headphones .

Update:1 year on and these are still my favourite earphones. I use them at the gym and and they have never fallen out. Call quality is great, I have no complaints.I'm sick of seeing biased reviews by people who get free products, I paid full price for this and want to give a real review for a great product.I have tried various wireless earphones and I must say that these are the best I have used.1. They are extremely comfortable and even though they are quite bulky, you can barely feel them in your ears.2. The sound quality is amazing, the bass is powerful (obviously you can tweak this is you don't like the sound), and the voices are crisp and clear. I have tried the Sennheiser CX 6.00BT and the music was quite piercing especially with percussion instruments and some artists' singing. The Bose earphones offer the highest quality.3. So far the battery life has been great, although 6 hours may not last me for long journeys so it will be worth investing in a small portable charger.4. These aren't entirely noise cancelling but they are good enough, you will not get run over by a car wearing these but also you won't be able to hear people's voices.5. I haven't used these at the gym yet but with the in-ear silicone wing I believe that they will not fall out easily.6. There is no sound delay when watching videos on apps such as YouTube or Twitter, as I have noticed with other wireless earphones. This is a huge plus for me.7. This even comes with a little case for your earphones so you don't lose them when you're out and about.Overall, this is a great pair of wireless earphones, you have to pay a bit more for the quality but it is worth it.

This is an update to my initial review of the Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones. I've left my original review unchanged, but I would like to add an update .... and an admission that my first impression was wrong.My SoundSport wireless headphones had been languishing in their box since that first disappointing test, and I'd happily switched back to my SoundSport wired. Well the other day I couldn't find my wired favourites so I picked up the wireless headphones as I went out for my cycle ride. Very quickly I noticed there was very little wind noise. I checked several times, took the phones off, switched them off and on, changed the music, and sure enough the wind noise was at a level similar or lower than the wired version I'd previously heralded as far superior.I tried again the next day, and the same happened: Clear music and not a lot of wind noise. What I did find though that a lot depends on the seal between the phones and your ear. By following the Bose instructions and placing the phones in your ear and then twisting them forwards into position a good seal is achieved more often than not. Of course being a bloke I only read instructions as a last resort and the first time I used them I just plonked them in my ears with the result that the seal wasn't properly formed, leading to lots of wind noise.On my second test I must have fluke the fit, but now I know what to do I'm sure I'll be able to consistently enjoy wind-noise-free music from now on.So apologies to anyone I may have misled by my initial review. I'd now say that these headphones are every bit as good (if not better for cycling) than the wired version, and they have the benefit of being wire free. My tip is to make sure you get the fit right by following the instructions.Original review:First of all I should declare that I am a big fan of Bose. I currently have a SoundLink 300 sound bar, Quiet Comfort 25 headphones, SoundSport wired headphones and an old Wave CD player. They are all excellent pieces of kit. Whenever I'm considering a new audio item Bose is always my first (and usually only) port of call.So when I came to upgrade my SoundSport wired headphones with wireless headphones I automatically turned to the SoundSport wireless.First impressions on opening the box were positive, as expected. Professional presentation and a quality feel to the headphones. I have read some reviews complaining that they are "plasticy". Well they are made of plastic but they feel solid, are nicely finished, and the cable connecting the phones is really substantial.They were very easy to set up (no need to refer to the enclosed instructions) and the sound is as you'd expect from Bose. I have to say though that I think they are not quite as good as the wired version, which seems a bit more natural and less digital. I found the same when picking out my over-ear headphones when I chose the wired Quiet Comfort 25 over the wireless Quiet Comfort 35.Comfort-wise they are pretty good. They are a bit bigger and heavier than the wired version, but I guess that is inevitable, and this isn't really much of an issue. They do have a lightweight seal in the ear and I think this makes them less comfortable than the wired version, which don't have a seal, and a probably the most comfortable thing I've ever put in my ears (!). However I don't have an issue with the comfort of the SoundSport wireless.My main sport is cycling, and the main reason for switching to wireless headphones is to improve flexibility and convenience in this context. Unfortunately this is where I quickly ran into trouble. The big issue was wind noise. Even at my usual modest cycling speed wind noise was extremely distracting such that it was hard to listen to music. At faster speeds such as fast descents the wind noise became uncomfortably loud and music completely inaudible. I tried adjusting the phones to different positions and different types of music, but with no improvement. This is a deal breaker for me as it means I basically can't use them for cycling. I also find it disappointing that a top brand such as Bose would market sports headphones that you can't really use for such a popular sport.I'd never really noticed wind noise with the wired SoundSport, so I thought I'd do a controlled test (a bit sad I suppose?). So, same bike, same route, same music, same cycling speed; I tested the SoundSport wired. As it happens there is some wind noise, but the levels are much lower and for the most part listening is not a problem. At my usual speed I'd describe the wind noise as low to moderate - I could pick out individual acoustic instruments with no problem. On those fast descents the noise increased to moderate to high (but I kind of expected this).The other aspect where the wired version are superior in my opinion is to do with the way the earphones fit in the ears. The wired version extend into the ear but have no seal. As a result you can hear quite a lot of ambient sound - like birds singing, or more importantly traffic. I like this when exercising outdoors and gives a natural "not cut off" feeling. The wireless version do have a light seal, and whilst you can hear some outside sound you do feel more cut-off from the world. I don't especially like this.This seal also presents a problem when jogging (which I do rarely). Each foot strike creates a boom, whereas this isn't an issue with the wired version.So I would say that the wired SoundSport are superior in almost every way to the wireless version. The only benefit to the wireless SoundSport is the absence of a wire! But then you have to charge them up.I've packed the wireless SoundSport back in their box and am currently debating whether to return them as "not fit for purpose". I may keep them for general listening use, as they are quite a neat bit of kit. They might also come in handy if I ever join a gym!