swaffleman
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2008
- Posts
- 446
- Likes
- 47
I know it seems as though I am always going to bat for Bose, but I really do think they make decent products *I've made a couple of threads on them*.
Anyway, I recently picked up a pair of the Bose OE2. My PX 200 II's finally bit the dust for good, and I saw that the price of the Bose set was lowered a bit (they were still pricey, at 130$). However, I really like the detachable cord design, which is the number one killer of headphones. I've gone through trying to re cable and replace the plugs on other sets, those repairs never seem to last very long.
But I also just liked the way the OE2's sounded. I bought a pair and have been using them a ton since...
My verdict: They are a huge improvement over the old design. I originally said that the original Bose AE's were great for what they were. I stand by that, as they had a very warm, yet detailed and balanced sound. Bose headphones are known for being bloated sounding, with way overdone bass. That reputation was earned by the original OE's, which did have incredibly overemphasized bass. I owned them back when they first came out, and I quickly realized why Bose were so maligned.
However, the balance of the newer version is much better. The sound is akin to the original AE's, but a bit beefier (still plenty of bass, which is good because sometimes the bass of the AE's could be lacking), and these headphones go louder than they did. The sound is very warm, which is very typical of Bose, but it's detailed and clear with good depth and great balance. I did some sound testing, and these extend rather low, with a quite audible 20 hertz. I could hear sound from them all the way to about 18500 hertz, which is quite high (most people don't hear much above 17000, and the highest range is 20000 for anyone).
The bass hits pretty smoothly and evenly, but lacks the texture of the PX200 II's. (my benchmark of headphones are the PX 200 II's since they are so balanced and clear). The mids are also similarly smooth, yet quite clear, which is something the original design could not boast. The highs are...you guessed it, smooth. Everything is smooth and warm, yet still clear. Soundstage is sort of at a middle ground. Spacing and instrument separation is fine, but these headphones don't have a very wide Soundstage. They verge on being more intimate, but still with a sense of space.
The efficiency is improved as well. I remember the old versions being somewhat hard to drive on some devices and with some recordings. These get very loud.
Durability is kind of amazing so far. They guy at best buy actually demonstrated the improvement in build quality by bending the headphones in all sorts of directions, and twisting them. They are made some some very malleable material now, and they just don't break when bent. The old ones were known for being easy to break.
They are also very light weight and feel sturdy yet somewhat flimsy...it's hard to describe. They don't have a very rugged feel to them, but their durability has been proven.
Comfort is the only con, as the thinned down ear pads don't have as much cushion as they used to, and after a couple of hours, I need to take a break. This break is probably good for my hearing, though.
They may be expensive, but these are great headphones in their own right.
Anyway, I recently picked up a pair of the Bose OE2. My PX 200 II's finally bit the dust for good, and I saw that the price of the Bose set was lowered a bit (they were still pricey, at 130$). However, I really like the detachable cord design, which is the number one killer of headphones. I've gone through trying to re cable and replace the plugs on other sets, those repairs never seem to last very long.
But I also just liked the way the OE2's sounded. I bought a pair and have been using them a ton since...
My verdict: They are a huge improvement over the old design. I originally said that the original Bose AE's were great for what they were. I stand by that, as they had a very warm, yet detailed and balanced sound. Bose headphones are known for being bloated sounding, with way overdone bass. That reputation was earned by the original OE's, which did have incredibly overemphasized bass. I owned them back when they first came out, and I quickly realized why Bose were so maligned.
However, the balance of the newer version is much better. The sound is akin to the original AE's, but a bit beefier (still plenty of bass, which is good because sometimes the bass of the AE's could be lacking), and these headphones go louder than they did. The sound is very warm, which is very typical of Bose, but it's detailed and clear with good depth and great balance. I did some sound testing, and these extend rather low, with a quite audible 20 hertz. I could hear sound from them all the way to about 18500 hertz, which is quite high (most people don't hear much above 17000, and the highest range is 20000 for anyone).
The bass hits pretty smoothly and evenly, but lacks the texture of the PX200 II's. (my benchmark of headphones are the PX 200 II's since they are so balanced and clear). The mids are also similarly smooth, yet quite clear, which is something the original design could not boast. The highs are...you guessed it, smooth. Everything is smooth and warm, yet still clear. Soundstage is sort of at a middle ground. Spacing and instrument separation is fine, but these headphones don't have a very wide Soundstage. They verge on being more intimate, but still with a sense of space.
The efficiency is improved as well. I remember the old versions being somewhat hard to drive on some devices and with some recordings. These get very loud.
Durability is kind of amazing so far. They guy at best buy actually demonstrated the improvement in build quality by bending the headphones in all sorts of directions, and twisting them. They are made some some very malleable material now, and they just don't break when bent. The old ones were known for being easy to break.
They are also very light weight and feel sturdy yet somewhat flimsy...it's hard to describe. They don't have a very rugged feel to them, but their durability has been proven.
Comfort is the only con, as the thinned down ear pads don't have as much cushion as they used to, and after a couple of hours, I need to take a break. This break is probably good for my hearing, though.
They may be expensive, but these are great headphones in their own right.
