Cassadian
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 29, 2012
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Bose IE2
INTRO
Two years ago... okay wait. Let's clear some things up first. This is a pitchfork and torch free area; furthermore, tarring and feathering is not allowed. Please leave these items outside of the room.
With that out of the way...
Last January, I hadn't a clue about the ins and outs of audiophilia and could not tell the ins and outs of the subject matter. My father had come home from a business trip from Korea and had purchased me a set of Bose in ears. I reiterate this for my own safety, I didn't know any brands besides Beats, Bose, Skull Candy, and those cheap five dollar JVC ear buds that kept breaking every other week.
Unboxing
Upon receiving the gift from my father, I was floored by the beauty of the packaging and the lack of the horrid and dreadful and ubiquitous plastic packaging that my previous five dollar ear buds had come in. Inside I discovered a warranty card with a sticker containing the pertinent information in case the IE2's suffered from any manufacturing defects or failed to function within the one year warranty time period. In addition, there was a nice leather-like case with ample room to store the in ears and a nice thin layer of padding on the inside and some product information about their, and I quote, "Bose quality sound", Quiet Comfort 15's. And the last but not least, the Bose IE2 with minimal StayHear ear tips, which at first were intriguing and anomalies compared to my past audio experiences.
Design & Build Quality
Although I can't find any sources for technical specifications, it seems that due to the metal grill on the external portion of the in ears combined with a small hole at the top, I assume it is a single dynamic driver of unknown proportions and unknown impedance and so on.
The appearance of the headphones is quite nice, actually. Although the design of the StayHear ear tips is unconventional, unlike most ear buds, it allows the IE2 to stay comfortable and unnoticeably in the ear with little to no pain after extended durations of time (3-5 hours). Personally, I have experienced some discomfort in one ear forcing me to take off one side to allow my ears to recover but my ears are quite sensitive any contact. The black and white cable in a swirling fashion is very distinctive and in public use draws attention of passerbys and gains instant recognition as the "Bose" brand. The housing is made of black plastic that seems quite sturdy and near the metal venting grill the Bose logo is branded in plastic covered with a thin veneer of metallic-silver paint. The strain reliefs are nicely designed and have held up with years of use and mistreatment and the 3.5mm gold plated jack is nicely angled for stress relief.
Overall, the design on these headphones is very nice, very noticeable, and will draw attention in public and probably admiration.
Picture of the 3.5mm jack strain relief and the in ears themselves.
The left ear tip is from the old non-Stay Hear designs.
Sound
As a notice, I have no affiliations with Bose, nor am I in any way attempting to endorse or slander their product.
For the intents and purposes of this review I will be listening out of an iPhone 3G, T-Mobile MyTouch 4G, and a Sager and HP notebook.
The meat of the review, the sound. I could go on and on about everything else, but what we all want to know is, is this another overpriced, typical bad Bose product. Well yes... but to an extent. I would have to applause Bose on making a product that is particularly decent.
Due to the vented design, there is no isolation of any sorts, which is useful when exercising or partaking in conversation, but completely removes the possibility of enjoying any sort of music fidelity while outside of the house, the optimal use of these headphones is in a quiet and undisturbed environment. However, this vented design does not leak sound very much at all so that is a definite plus.
Highs
As a consumer oriented headphone, these in ears have rolled off highs and accentuate the lower end of the frequency, catering to people who prefer more bass and midrange as opposed to detail oriented audiophiles. While not terrible, they definitely take a back seat and I would go as far to say that they are veiled. A definite advantage is the fact that there is no sibilance at all in these headphones.
Midrange
Although not mid-forward, definitely has a mid-centric sound. Vocals take an intimate and forward quality. The details and inflections that might be noticeable in a live performance or in other headphones is dulled over in favor of giving a sweeter tonality to the voice, yet fails to translate the emotions and other subtleties. Those in favor of a detail oriented headphone will want more. In acoustic performances there is decent articulation yet it is hard to make out all the notes in fingerstyle acoustic performances and other more intricate styles. During complex passages, the articulation of the passages becomes muddled and it is hard to trace each note or instrument, which would be fine, yet at the 100-130 USD price range competes with a lot of other mid tier in ear monitors.
Lows
Sadly, while there is a decent amount of bass, there is little to no impact. The sub-bass is non-existent and in the dubstep genre, it fails to do any justice leaving the wearer to be wanting. Still, for other genres such as vocal-oriented or instrumentals this is less of a problem (Captain Obvious to the rescue!)
Soundstage
The soundstage is surprisingly not that wide even with a vented design. The sound projects from inside the head (like most other in ears) and is nothing to write home about. However, it does induce a state of claustrophobia and is not overly closed in any manner.
Conclusion
I don't want to bandwagon and state that all Bose headphones are bad. These are definitely of good build quality and have a nice presentation upon purchase. It will draw attention and has amazing comfort levels and is difficult to dislodge from the ear accidentally. However, at this price range other bass heavy headphones such as the Future Sonics MG7 would be a better choice.
Would I recommend to this anyone, maybe, but I wouldn't go as far as to say it's horrid.
And on that note, I bid you adieu, with more pics to come!
