Bose SoundSport in-Ear Headphones - Charcoal

I will be comparing these to the original IE2's that I had for 4 or so years.The IE2's were fantastic for me. No earbud would stay in my ear, I guess because of how my ear is shaped. I needed headphones, particularly in-ear ones that would stay in and be comfortable. I have been a Bose fan for quite some time; I bought and still have and love the QC15's and the "bookshelf" 301 speakers for a large room with wooden floors and both are beyond worth the rather expensive investment. So I decided, you know what, I have these other products for years and love them so why not get these new SoundSport ones?I bought these because unfortunately, my IE2's stopped working in one ear. It was a connection issue I would gather, as observed by the frayed protective coating on the cable at the jack. The jack was a 90 degree one so that may have caused the issue as I always used them in my pocket with my phone and it tended to pull in a bad direction during my workout. In any case, I had them for 4 or so years and they were fantastic: stayed in my ear 100% of the time, blocked out 80% of the gym noise (depending on type of music and volume (usually around 75-80% volume)), and kept me in my zone efficiently. But, they broke.So I bought these SoundSport ones in charcoal, at a decent price I'd say compared to when I bought the IE2's for $100 or so. I have had them now for two weeks and I love them. Yes it has only been two weeks and only time can tell for durability and effectiveness, but I am comparing these with the IE2's.They sound the same, although the "surround" sound openings in the outer edge of the earbud, if that's what one can call them, have three rather than the IE2's 2 openings. I don't think this really makes a difference but I did seem to notice better background vocals or instruments on some tracks. Other than that, they perform exactly the same as the IE2's. Not much more, aside from what I just said above, and certainly nothing less.That being said, they are not the QC15's or the newer QC25's and they are not the $300 headphones that you can also get in this type of in-ear fit. GIVEN that they are less than $100 and from Bose nonetheless, these are fantastic in the sound department. Looking at the other reviews, I'd say the bass is fine. No it is not really punchy or full but it is there and in enough of a presence to be better than most other in-ear headphones that are designed to sit outside of the ear. They do offer better ear tips that isolate sound more and provide better quality because they sit more in the ear, so you can give those a try. Personally, I don't feel I need them; the bass is good, mids and highs are medium to good and that's all I really need in $90 headphones FOR THE GYM. Now, if I was at work, I would not be using these in the first place.In terms of feel, they feel exactly the same as the IE2's. They fit great and stay in the ear as long as you need them too. Running, lifting, aerobics, and more all are great with these, provided you utilize the clip included which can really help avoid that pulling or tugging sensation that may occur when you bounce up and down for certain exercises.Overall, these are fantastic for me. In summary: they block out 75-80% of noise depending on what music and how loud you are willing to put your volume; they fit great and stay in perfectly and as anticipated; they look great, better, than the IE2's, with a more modern design; finally, they perform as they should for the price and the Bose name.If you want better, fuller sound, buy the $300 in-ear ones. But really...do you want to bring those to the gym? In other words, for a good hard workout where you need zoned focus, just you, the workout and the music, these are fantastic and they are, relatively speaking, not expensive.Good luck.

First of all, I'm a die-hard fan of Bose's SOUND quality. Yeah, quality of headphones may be kind of... meh (my IE2 pair works, although all the wire-shielding has crumbled off after a little over a year, which I think has to do with the fact that humidity kills porous materials). But. I. Don't. Care. I just love the sound of Bose. Anyway... I switched over to them after I realized that Bose not only made the *warmest-sounding* earphones ever, but these earphones were super, super comfy. In other words, no other earphone out there matches Bose's superiority in the comfort level. I guarantee it. Now, comparing these to my IE2s, well... these sure sound different. Don't get me wrong, though--I'm not saying this as a bad thing. . First of all, they need a bit of a "run" for several hours to make sure that the diaphragm that produces the lows is "active" enough or it just sounds kind of weird. I don't mean that audiophile burn-in stuff--I just mean regular use to adjust to them (especially if you're coming from other earphones) and let the Bose earphones adjust to "being earphones."1. First thing I noticed in terms of quality is that I think if one takes care of them (ehem, alcohol wipes, anyone?), they should do pretty well with humidity resistance. I think the salts eat away at the wire as happened to my IE2 pair, but this wire feels a bit tougher and not as soft (a good thing!).2. The second thing in terms of build quality is that they are definitely lighter compared to my IE2s, and their fit is snug yet not as tight on the ears (I believe the shape was changed a little).3. The third thing that I noticed when I put them on is that is that they are more defined in their highs and lows. It's rather weird. I was used to that warmness that Bose brought, and now it's as though a wind has come to cool things off. I kind of miss the warmness, yet I like the newness. They still sound wonderful, and still sound better than any other earphone I've tried out there. I'm a bit surprised, however, at the change in balance between lows, mids, and highs that Bose has made. It seems to be more inclusive of highs now than before while trying to keep the mids and (especially) the lows included as much as possible (whereas in the previous IE models there was more inclusiveness of lows and mids over highs).Anyway, to anyone thinking about buying this: YES. YES. YES. Don't settle for ANYTHING else!!

These sound very well, sounded better than my other more expensive "headphones." One thing i should mention is that as per some of the reviews, these do look rather cheap with the plastic makeover, but then again you get what you pay for. They stay in your ear for as long as you need them to (change the ear buds if they're falling off). All in all a good buy. One recommendation i'll make is that it is definitely worth spending the extra 20 something dollars on the version with the volume adjuster/ mic. I was on a tight budget then and now i regret not purchasing that version. You'll come to realize that not having the remote/volume adjuster/mic is the reason you'll end up buying another pair of headphones/earbuds when this could be your only one. Trust me on this one, I find myself switching out headphones a lot when i could've spent $20 extra for these than $70 more for another not comparably good sounding headphones. Hope this helps.