Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I picked up a set of these a few days ago, and am delighted with them. As others have noted, the sound quality is excellent, which is particularly noteworthy considering their use of Bluetooth for wireless connections, a technology that is not generally known for its high fidelity. In that sense, this is a significant engineering achievement -- these sound better to me than some of the wired 'phones that I own, which is remarkable. I can't over-emphasize the great sense of listening freedom you get when you lose the wired connection on your headphones. No more accidental ripping them off your ears when the wiring gets caught on something or if you move your hand too quickly in the wrong direction. No more cables tethering you to your phone or MP3 player -- the source device can be charging up nearby while you move around the room instead of being stuffed in a pocket with wires dangling all over your body, waiting to catch on something. Another significant achievement is the long battery life. I have an older set of Bluetooth phones from another company that have a maximum battery life of about three hours. The SoundLink On-Ear phones, by comparison, are speciifed to last up to 15 hours -- enough time that you don't need to worry about a sudden shutdown in the middle of your favorite album or playlist. When I asked a Bose sales guy whether the battery is user-replaceable or not, he told me the it should be able to withstand 2,500 recharge cycles. If this is true, then it's likely that something else on the phones will break or fail long before the battery stops holding a charge. Although Bose is quite up front about these not offering their well-known noise canceling feature, I tried these out on a recent plane ride anyway, and found that they are indeed no replacement for noise canceling phones like QC15s or QC20s in this environment. I would estimate they passively reduced ambient aircraft noise by about 50%, which forced me to increase the volume significantly higher than the QC20s I also had with me. This high volume level is not good for one's ears, so I must reluctantly report that these are not really a good solution for use on planes. However, I did justify getting these anyway because I believe I will use them far more frequently than my QCs because 1) I am not usually on a plane, 2) they are more convenient to use everywhere else, and 3) they do nicely block out most noises that you'll likely encounter in traditional listening environments. Portability is another nice feature of these phones. When folded up in their carrying case, they are easy to throw in a bag or briefcase, although the case is nowhere near as small as the one for the QC20s and is about twice as thick as the one for Bose OE2s (wired on-ear phones). Still, they are much smaller than the carrying case for the QC15s and QC25s, so if you're used to taking along these QC bigger phones for general listening, I think the SoundLink On-Ears are a lot easier to pack and carry. Finally, they are quite comfortable to wear. Bose has developed the softest, most compliant on-ear pads in the business, and they are a pleasure to experience. They fit me better than the OE2s, having enough extension range to easily cover my ears without putting too much pressure on the top of head. Much appreciated, and quite pleasant to listen with for hours. It's also a comfort knowing that if a phone call comes in on my iPhone while using these, I can use the phones to take it -- no worry about missing important calls while you're immersed in your music. While $250 may understandably seem a bit steep for a pair of headphones to some people -- and I'm sure Bose is deservedly enjoying a good profit margin accordingly -- I will say that the attention to detail and excellent engineering these phones represent is a very good value for the money. How much is it worth to avoid ear or head discomfort? How much is it worth to have relatively great sound quality without wires tangling up when you move around? How much is it worth to have 12+ hours of uninterrupted sound without a recharge? These are a thoughtfully designed, high quality product that are well worth a listen.