Bose SIE2i Sport Headphones - Purple

PROS:Earbuds are comfortable, firm fitted, could wear for hoursLines are at perfect length (if not, there's an extension), well constructed material to maintain durabilitySweat proveSuperb SOUND QUALITY even in loud environment. (Like with MANY other in-ear headphones, the tighter the fit, the less outside sound will enter your ear canal. THE HEADPHONES do NOT let outside sound in, it is made of airtight rubber for G'sake!)Stylish armband included that modified to FIT iPhone 5/sCONS:The included armband, though is very stylish and comfortable to wear, is very flimsy. The back flap is weirdly constructed, I feel I may accidentally rip it apart if handled too rough.Could come with a carrying case but Bose designed the armband so the headphones can be tucked into the velcro.REVIEW:I am unclear to what the sodomites that giving this product less than 4 stars are talking about. These are by FAR the best SPORTS headphones I've owned...and I've only owned these for the last 2 hours. That is saying a lot if you could see my headphones collection.There seems to be a BIG question about the SOUND QUALITY of these headphones. I'm affirming that the sound quality of these headphones are phenomenal for its class. Rich, warm, crystal clear sounds with incredible bass that is qualify to bear the brand Bose. Surely, compared to other high ends, more expensive headphones, they do not perform as well. But then again I am emphasizing that these are SPORTS headphones. What do you valued the most when you're exercising? For me:- Firm fit- Comfortable- Superior sound quality in term of clearness and bass- Durability and convenienceI will assure you that which end of the sound spectrum the headphones do poorly in is the last thing on your mind between the pounding of your heart and the sound of you gasping for air. When the music sounds good, it just simply sounds good. If you are worrying that much about the sound spectrum when you're exercising, maybe you should exercise in a recording booth where you spend thousands on sound quality equipments.

Although I agree with other reviewers who say that the sound quality of these headphones leaves a (tiny) bit to be desired, I think their sturdiness, feature set and cool looks result in an overall excellent product.I have been using these headphones for 8 months so far, at least 4 hours daily for my telecommuting, using a Macbook computer. Obviously, the sound quality in this scenario is not that relevant but I can say that I always hear my co-workers loud and clear. Apparently the built-in microphone is sensitive enough so that they can even hear if it's rubbing against my clothes. :) When I am not in virtual meetings with coworkers, I can comfortably listen to my music albeit not with the highest quality I have heard in my life.Like I mention in the title, I also use the headphones for my runs. I run outdoors, so the fact that the headphones are not noise-canceling comes handy: keeping the volume at a decent level will allow me to enjoy my music and also be aware of my surroundings. Regarding the "sweat- and weather-resistance" of the headphones, I have to say that I am impressed. I ran under heavy rain for around thirty minutes (fearing that my phone would drown inside my pocket) and the only thing that happened was that a bit of water got into one of the earbuds making the sound muffled. Everything went back to normal once they were dry.All in all, I strongly recommend these headphones to people using Apple computers and/or iPhones for any of the cases I mention above.

There's no disputing that these are good ear/headphones. I use them every day and am glad I have them because they have a couple of features that most of Bose's competitors' products don't. Specifically, the earphones, while oddly-shaped with soft pliable ear wings, are much more comfortable, yet much more securely fastened, than other top-range products that one has to stuff into his/her ear canal, that get waxy, and that pop out with mild jarring (e.g., while jogging). The Bose's stay put perfectly, and they let the right amount (for me) of ambient sound through, so you can hear traffic, a knock at your door, whatever. I also like the iPhone compatible microphone, pause button, and volume controls.But there's also no disputing that these are not great ear/headphones. The sound quality is good, but no better than that -- nowhere near the quality one would expect for the price. Another disappointing bug (that Bose will surely argue is a feature) is the two-piece chord. At its short length, the chord is about 3" too short to use putting your iPhone in your pants pocket. [I'm 6' tall - it might be OK with 5'8" and under.] With the extension, the chord is about a foot too long, which maybe wouldn't be that bad, except that the connection between the basic and the extension chords adds significant weight to the chord and makes it dangle very awkwardly. My guess is that this dual-length design had the armband device-holder in mind, and the short length solo-chord probably is more optimally sized for that. But if you don't want to mess with an armband holder (which I can't imagine you would unless running), the chord is a design flaw. Another unfortunate oversight is that the mic/volume control doesn't have track-skip/forward-rewind capabilities.Summary: I'm glad to have the SIE2i's, but, had I to do it over with the knowledge of their shortcomings, I would not purchase them again unless the price were cut by about 50 percent. It seems that's usually the case with Bose products. (And, therefore, it also seems I have a Bose "learning issue.")