I have been looking for a set of headphones for nearly 6 months. I previously owned the Apple In Ear Headphones which after 8 months started getting a bit tatty, I had absolutely no complaints with them but I felt it was time for a change. There were a number of headphones I was looking at, the new Sennheiser CX 880i, Atomic Floyd HiDef Drum Headset and then I was also considering just sticking to the Apple headphones and getting a new set. To be honest though, there are so many mixed reviews on all headphones online and because you can’t try them in-store you more or less are going by gut instinct. It had taken me so long to decide, and there was no obvious choice to take, so I went with the brand i trusted most… Bose.
The Bose MIE2 headphones are the new version of the previous Bose Triport, and they also produce a version built for the iPhone called the MIE2i (which I went for). The only difference between the two is the inclusion of an in-line remote on the right hand cable. Having not tried the previous generation headphones I don’t know of any differences other than the new StayHear silicon buds.
Thoughts
Pros
- Very comfortable, after wearing for long periods they do not cause any discomfort. They sit firmly on your ear, not in your ear… For this reason you still get some outside noise at very low volumes and your ears can breathe nicely so there is little chance of sweating. Just a note, although you can hear background noise, that’s only at low volume, and these puppies get VERY loud.
- Incredible tight bass production, most headphones have to form an airtight seal to produce any kind of bass. If they becomes loose in any way the music sounds rubbish, these sound incredible even a centimeter from your ear!
- Very clear and concise sound, very good highs, powerful mids. These headphones are also extremely loud, my last headphones I could play at full volume, these I can not.
Cons
- Very poor quality, every aspect of these headphones looks cheap. I can see mould lines all over the headphones, the clothing clip looks cheap, the microphone/controls look cheap. And they feel cheap in your hand. For £120 I certainly do not expect that, the Apple headphones were £60 and were absolutely stunning in every way. Bose store there headphones in packing that cannot be opened, if I had of seen the construction beforehand I would of reconsidered my purchase. That said, they seem to have held up well so far.
- The silicone earbuds feel comfortable, but are so soft that they attract all sorts of unwanted dirt/dust. It looks quite disgusting, and because they are so soft they are difficult to clean.
Conclusion
The best, most comfortable headphones I have worn to date, but if I had seen these headphones close up before hand I would have reconsidered splashing out £120 on them. That is a serious amount of money, considering how much these things must have cost to make and given their quite frankly crap construction.
If you have the money and demand the best audio quality then I have not heard a better set of headphones. If you don’t, then I wouldn’t recommend. I feel robbed, the build quality really is that bad.
