I just had the chance to try out the Bose AE2 and was pretty impressed. Let me first say these are very comfortable headphones and can be worn for long periods of time without causing discomfort or irritation. These headphones are very comfortable to wear, the headphones fit snuggly over my ears and did a good job blocking outside noise. The ear cups are made with memory foam that melds more easily around the contours of your ears. Also the Bose AE2 is designed to be more balanced and do a good job distributing weight evenly so it never feels heavy anywhere around your head when you wear them.
As far as sound quality goes, these AE2s reproduce sounds very accurately but I would rate them as mediocre overall. I tried these headphones on my Ipod and played all kinds of music, rock, jazz, acoustic, and all the instruments came through clearly and crisply but they were flat. Jazz sounded really good on these because these Bose headphones do a very good job with the bass. Here are some of the other pros and cons of these Bose AE2s.
Pros:
- Excellent bass and generally good crisp sounds.
- A very light weight but strong design, these headphones seem strong and will last a long time. Also the specs say these headphones weight 4.9 ounces. That is less than half a pound.
- Comfortable ear-cups that use memory phone so you can listen comfortably to your music for a long time.
- Can be flatten for easy storage and comes with a nice durable carrying case
- Detachable cable which plugs into only one ear cup and makes for less tangling and easier movement
Cons:
- The sound over all is mediocre. Don’t get me wrong this is not a bad product but I would say that in terms of sound recreation there are many headphones that do better in the price range.
- This is pretty pricey. The AE2 is about $150 and to be honest I think if you shop around you can find many headphones that sound much better than the Bose AE2.
Overall I think these headphones are average. I think if you are new to noise cancelling headphones and want something that will pass these are a good bet if you cannot tell the difference in acoustic performance. What stands out about these headphones is the design and comfort they provide, these AE2s seem durable and well built. I feel Bose can do better on the sound quality for the price they are charging, I expected at $150 for my music to be really awesome sounding but they ended up sounding as good as a pair of $50 Sennheiser’s I own. But to be honest I think most people would not notice. So if sound quality is not an issue these are good headphones, if how your music sounds is an important factor you should shop around more.
