[petedgr8]

So I picked up the Bose IE2s after reading that they've made some changes that improve the sound quality.  The original IEs were slammed for being boomy, muddy, and everything else you typically throw at Bose.  And guess what? the IE2s were the same.  I mean, I don't understand the hundreds of positive reviews on amazon (i know its amazon but still) because the sound signature was almost identical to the previous model.  The only thing I liked about them were the new StayHear wings that really do keep the buds in place.  And you know these aren't sealed canals, so the StayHears really did do their job. For me anyway.
 
So, I was playing around with the buds and realized that if i moved the tips slightly outside of the canal, the high end began coming through and the boominess went away.  This was good, but I couldn't get these things to sit this way for long and they just weren't designed to do that.  So I looked at the design and noticed that there's about 1/8 inch of silicone tip that extends past the hole where the sound comes from.  I thought, why does this need to be here?  if these are designed to sit on the bowels of your ear, why force sound straight to your ear drum?
 
So I cut them off.  Just the tip, Archer style.  So now the silicone is flush with the nipple of the Bose.  And guess what?  NIGHT AND DAY.  High end is actually present, mids get stronger, boominess gone, and it had some airiness to it.  Maybe all these amazon reviewers have deep canals and the extra silicone tip worked for them and they were hearing what I'm hearing now, but if you've noticed your IE2s sound muddy and dark, give this a try.  
 
If you respond to slam Bose, please do yourself a favor and reserve your comments for someone who wants to hear it one more time.  Just one more time.  
 
I shall call this, the Archer Mod. Just the tip!
 

 

[bubsdaddy]

Any comfort issues? The Bose IE is ridiculously comfortable.

 

[petedgr8]

Quote:

Any comfort issues? The Bose IE is ridiculously comfortable.

None whatsoever.  I wouldn't do this mod to tips without the StayHear wings (Original Bose IE). The wing tips help with positioning and I think the tip i cut off would help with fit on the older models.

 

[bubsdaddy]

I have the older model but bought some Stay Hear tips.

 

[petedgr8]

Let me know if you try it.  Curious to see if it helps others.

 

[Oofloom]

Tried this myself on a pair that are falling apart anyway. Similar improvement to what you said... clearer mids, less boomy, more air.  To me the strength of the IE is its rare combination of strong bass and airiness. You gain more airiness with this mod, but you lose some bass... or at least I did. Rock music sounded better if still muddy... dubstep sounded worse due to the loss of bass. I think it's an overall improvement, but still results in an unimpressive earphone.
 
I removed the oval-shaped silver grill on the back of the earphones and tried listening again. Didn't seem to change the sound as much.