Rated 
I give it an 8/10
1) Great sound quality for a midrange priced headphone 2) Can be worn rather comfortably for hours--a hard to accomplish feat for most In-Ear headphones.
1) Same comfortable design also allows headphones to fall out easily sometimes 2) Seems to have problems with high end treble
Posted Feb 5, 2007 - First off, the sound quality on these are very good. It is hard to imagine that it's coming from such a tiny package. On the other hand, there are times when you just wish and feel like the sound quality could explode to another level. But one must remember that on the spectrum of in-ear headphones and their prices, these are pretty much in the middle. I mean, there are the incredible $400-500 headphones that you could buy, and their are of course the $15-20 headphones you could buy at a CVS. And I feel like with these, you get what you pay for, and a bit more. Now the fairest comparison of these headphones would probably be to the Shure E2Cs, another nice quality headphone for about the same price. I've tried my friend's Shure for a bit and I don't like them for one glaring reason: Way too invasive! The foam on the Shure headphones feel like they go deep into your ear canal to ensure a snug fit, and I don't feel like it would be comfortable after awhile. Now if you are looking for noise cancellation abilities, your best bet would be the Shure headphones because they do that wonderfully--but I am not. Maybe I'm just the cautious type--but when I am out on the streets, riding the Metro, etc. I really want to be able to hear with some clarity what is going on around me. To me, it seems that noise cancellation at that level would be kind of dangerous when you are out and about. In terms of sound quality, I feel that the bose has more bass, but other than that, they are pretty comparable--maybe with a slight favor to bose. I've done a lot of research, and read a lot of reviews, and two negatives with these headphones that I feel always come up are: 1) Too much bass, not enough range, not enough treble, sounds muddy: This is true--when the headphones are right out of the package! Like any quality headphones, they need a breaking in period--in my case, I think they really got nice in around a week of using them 3-4 hours a day. The bass mellowed out, and things got nice and crisp, with a nice range. Also, if you're gonna throw down $100 for a pair of headphones, learn to use the Equalizer! Seriously spend some time with the EQ, and adjust it back and forth to how you like your music. On my Ipod, I like it at the Piano setting with these headphones--I listen to a ride range of music, from alternative/rock to rap and they sound great on that setting. 2) Headphones fall out too easy: now this was a serious concern for me before I bought them. True, when I first got them, for a couple days they were constantly falling out. But after learning how use them in the best way for my ears, and playing around with the different size tips, they rarely fall out anymore. I think you have to get used to the way they sit in your ear--the bose design is to allow a lot of comfort so you can wear them for hours--it's not supposed to go very deep into your ear at all. Regardless, it is obvious that the size and shape of everyone's ears are different, and I think for some people, these headphones simply would not fit nicely. In the end, you have to give these headphones some time for them to reach their true potential. Bose has a nice 30 day return policy, so if they don't work out after a few weeks, return them. I have to admit, at first I wasn't too impressed (probably because I was so hyped about getting them), but after a week or so and trying the Shures, I like them more and more everyday.
98% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful , unhelpful, or inappropriate?
Comment about this reviewBuy now at GuitarCenter.com: $95.12
A good product with one big flaw
Bose stumbles with 1st entry into earbud arena
