Bose SoundLink Around Ear Wireless Headphones II - Black

EDIT: After owning these headphones for just a few days over a year, read my updated review beneath the original!After reading reviews and seeing nothing but outstanding remarks for these headphones, I decided to drop the cash and give it a shot. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. I'm definitely an audiophile; I produced EDM music for quite a while which trained me to care about proper balance in songs. These headphones have AMAZING balance! Most expensive headphones that I've tried on just have a crazy boosted bass and it gives me a headache. Not to mention, it just doesn't sound good haha! Anyway, these headphones have super crisp highs, good mids, and crunchy bass. They really are perfect.As for comfort, I could easily wear these things all day. Sometimes I forget I'm even wearing these headphones... They look pretty stylish and they aren't too big. The carrying case is pretty lowkey and it works fine, no problems there. Headphones charge fast and the battery lasts me about a week with daily usage.I enjoy the little voice that sounds whenever you switch devices or turn on the headphones. It's not obnoxious in the slightest. Bluetooth is always a little finicky but these headphones connect almost flawlessly. They automatically reconnect to your last device and that makes things go A LOT faster! Switching devices is pretty simple too.Using the included aux cord doesn't effect sound quality at all. Good for conserving battery life is you don't particularly need the wireless feature at the time of listening!Overall, I'm more than satisfied with my purchase. It was well worth the money and I would recommend these headphones to anyone AND everyone! If you have any questions, leave a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.EDIT:As mentioned above, I've owned these headphones for a little over a year now and I'm still impressed. Even after 1 entire year of extensive use (multiple road trips, a whole school year in the backpack, recording, listening, calling) these still work flawlessly and I've had ZERO major problems whatsoever. Long story short, I'm still sticking with the 5 star review. Below is a little more detail:Physical: No physical damage at all. I try to take care of my stuff, but accidents happen and these headphones have not sustained any scratches, dents, or cracked despite my heavy usage. The foam-ish headband piece still holds its shape. The earphones are still fluffy and squishy (no tears or deformities). At some point in my 1 year of ownership, the little piece of fabric that has the "L" on it (inside the left ear cup; it covers the electronics and such) started slipping out, but I was able to finagle it back in and there's been no problem since. I use the case basically whenever I transport these headphones and that's probably the main reason they've maintained physical integrity. Highly recommend using that case. It's small, sleek, and effective.Sound: I haven't owned any other headphones since these so I can't compare the sound of other headphones to these, however, I'm about to purchase a Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro which is known for it's studio quality, neutral sound. I'll compare the sound when I purchase them. I have noticed problems occasionally when connected to multiple devices. If the headphones are connected to my iPhone and my MacBook I sometimes have a little lag when watching YouTube. But as mentioned by another reviewer, turning on and off the headphones solves this. I don't get too many phone calls, but the several calls I've had while wearing these headphones were crystal clear and easy to understand (on both ends, I asked). I've had several VERY minor issues with the Bluetooth connectivity overall, but Bose regularly puts out firmware updates for their hardware and they've solved many of these issues. I'd say check about once a month for updates on their update site: http://btu.bose.com/The only negative: since these are over-the-ear headphones, they have some natural sound cancelling properties, but after I tried out some Bose Active Noise Cancelling Headphones at Target, I can't even BEGIN to explain how amazing the active noise cancelling was. With the Bose SoundLink headphones, the natural noise cancelling is good. It blocks out a majority of background noise and outsiders cannot hear my music at all (unless it's turned up very high... don't do that!). But with the active noise cancelling headphones, it's almost magical. You put those headphones on and it's just dead silent. These headphones are perfect as they are, but if you can afford it, go for a pair of Bose headphones with active noise cancelling. Just my suggestion.Tip: If you use these headphones for mixing (which I'll update the sound comparison part of this review when I get my new DT770 Pro's), make sure to use the custom aux cable provided. This ensures there's no Bluetooth interference and you get the clearest sound quality. These aren't studio headphones, but if you want headphones to use in combination with studio monitors (as a reference listening device) or if you need a good pair of monitor headphones that can double as comfort/listening headphones, these work great.

Something I hadn't read (or noticed) when narrowing down my options, is that this pair of headphones can listen to 2 sources simultaneously. So while I'm listening to my computer for work, it's still connected to my phone, and I can hear when someone is calling, and can even take the call while still listening to my computer. This is something I didn't know was possible, and is 100% what I needed. I'm SO happy with this purchase.Aside from that feature, which may not apply to anyone else, these are the MOST comfortable headphones I have ever purchased. I have a pair of wired Bose at home, that have lasted for several years. They are super comfortable as well, but these really take the cake. Somewhere in their product description, they say you never want to take them off, and it's true.I'm also very impressed by the battery life. I leave them charging on Friday night, so Monday morning, they are at 100% (she tells you every time you turn them on what the percentage of battery life is!), and by Friday afternoon, they're usually around 30-40%, and I wear them 10 hours a day!They also get the best reception of any wireless headphones I've ever used. I can walk around my building and still hear my computer, and they don't cut out like my old Bluetooth ones did.I also have only had very slight sound delay. But then I turned them off and back on, and the delay was gone. But it wasn't even a full second of sound delay- just a fraction of a second, so it might not be noticeable to anyone just listening to music without using visuals.I don't know what else to say about these headphones. They are perfect. I'm so very glad I splurged. I know they are THE ONES and will last me a very long time.Bose knows, man. Bose knows.

I bought these headphones 5 years ago primarily to use at the gym, but I've found myself using them for much more. They stay in place while running/lifting and can handle sweat. I insist on using them when listening to a new album so I can get the fullest sound and hear every detail. I also like the noise isolation, as I can still hear some of my surroundings if needed.Battery life is great, call quality is great, sound quality is great but not super heavy on bass. After 5 years of regular use, they're only showing some slight fraying on the earphone padding material. They're comfortable, not bulky, look sleek, and I love the carrying case. I'm planning on upgrading to noise cancelling headphones mostly for plane rides, as these headphones don't filter out all of the loud hum of the plane. I do plan to stick with Bose for my next purchase based on their high quality.I believe this is the first Amazon review I've ever written, but I'm passionate enough about these headphones to make sure others know that these satisfied everything I was looking for!