Bose SoundLink Around II

EDIT: After owning these headphones for just a few days over a year, read my updated review beneath the original!

After reading reviews and seeing nothing but outstanding remarks for these headphones, I decided to drop the cash and give it a shot. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. I’m definitely an audiophile; I produced EDM music for quite a while which trained me to care about proper balance in songs. These headphones have AMAZING balance! Most expensive headphones that I’ve tried on just have a crazy boosted bass and it gives me a headache. Not to mention, it just doesn’t sound good haha! Anyway, these headphones have super crisp highs, good mids, and crunchy bass. They really are perfect.

As for comfort, I could easily wear these things all day. Sometimes I forget I’m even wearing these headphones… They look pretty stylish and they aren’t too big. The carrying case is pretty lowkey and it works fine, no problems there. Headphones charge fast and the battery lasts me about a week with daily usage.

I enjoy the little voice that sounds whenever you switch devices or turn on the headphones. It’s not obnoxious in the slightest. Bluetooth is always a little finicky but these headphones connect almost flawlessly. They automatically reconnect to your last device and that makes things go A LOT faster! Switching devices is pretty simple too.

Using the included aux cord doesn’t effect sound quality at all. Good for conserving battery life is you don’t particularly need the wireless feature at the time of listening!

Overall, I’m more than satisfied with my purchase. It was well worth the money and I would recommend these headphones to anyone AND everyone! If you have any questions, leave a comment and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

EDIT:
As mentioned above, I’ve owned these headphones for a little over a year now and I’m still impressed. Even after 1 entire year of extensive use (multiple road trips, a whole school year in the backpack, recording, listening, calling) these still work flawlessly and I’ve had ZERO major problems whatsoever. Long story short, I’m still sticking with the 5 star review. Below is a little more detail:

Physical: No physical damage at all. I try to take care of my stuff, but accidents happen and these headphones have not sustained any scratches, dents, or cracked despite my heavy usage. The foam-ish headband piece still holds its shape. The earphones are still fluffy and squishy (no tears or deformities). At some point in my 1 year of ownership, the little piece of fabric that has the “L” on it (inside the left ear cup; it covers the electronics and such) started slipping out, but I was able to finagle it back in and there’s been no problem since. I use the case basically whenever I transport these headphones and that’s probably the main reason they’ve maintained physical integrity. Highly recommend using that case. It’s small, sleek, and effective.

Sound: I haven’t owned any other headphones since these so I can’t compare the sound of other headphones to these, however, I’m about to purchase a Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro which is known for it’s studio quality, neutral sound. I’ll compare the sound when I purchase them. I have noticed problems occasionally when connected to multiple devices. If the headphones are connected to my iPhone and my MacBook I sometimes have a little lag when watching YouTube. But as mentioned by another reviewer, turning on and off the headphones solves this. I don’t get too many phone calls, but the several calls I’ve had while wearing these headphones were crystal clear and easy to understand (on both ends, I asked). I’ve had several VERY minor issues with the Bluetooth connectivity overall, but Bose regularly puts out firmware updates for their hardware and they’ve solved many of these issues. I’d say check about once a month for updates on their update site: http://btu.bose.com/

The only negative: since these are over-the-ear headphones, they have some natural sound cancelling properties, but after I tried out some Bose Active Noise Cancelling Headphones at Target, I can’t even BEGIN to explain how amazing the active noise cancelling was. With the Bose SoundLink headphones, the natural noise cancelling is good. It blocks out a majority of background noise and outsiders cannot hear my music at all (unless it’s turned up very high… don’t do that!). But with the active noise cancelling headphones, it’s almost magical. You put those headphones on and it’s just dead silent. These headphones are perfect as they are, but if you can afford it, go for a pair of Bose headphones with active noise cancelling. Just my suggestion.

Tip: If you use these headphones for mixing (which I’ll update the sound comparison part of this review when I get my new DT770 Pro’s), make sure to use the custom aux cable provided. This ensures there’s no Bluetooth interference and you get the clearest sound quality. These aren’t studio headphones, but if you want headphones to use in combination with studio monitors (as a reference listening device) or if you need a good pair of monitor headphones that can double as comfort/listening headphones, these work great.

Bought these for myself for a Christmas present from my wife. Really looking forward to them too! The build quality was really good and they are amazingly comfy to wear with many adjustments. There was a faint constant noise interference in the right earpiece so I returned them. I would have ordered a replacement pair but after researching the issue I found it to be quite popular with the headset with some people seeing the issue on day 1 and other people noticing it later down the line which has completed put me off and I expect better from a company like Bose so I thought I would leave this review to share the awareness of the problem.

I’ve had these for about six months, I dig ’em. They sound better, feel more durable, and wear more comfortably than other wireless cans I’ve had. That said, I find these become somewhat uncomfortable after a few hours of listening, not as comfortable as my corded Bose, but less pinching than say, a Beyer Dynamic 770

These are great headphones I got on sale for a GREAT PRICE! I had another pair that lasted about 4 years until the fabric on the headphones started to fall off

So I’ve had these for five months and they are truly awesome. The most important thing – the sound quality – is just wonderful. Rich, textured, great balance across all the ranges. Luxurious sound, so much so, they make my ears happy. Next up, how they feel on your head. THEY FEEL AMAZING!!!!! Super light, you could wear these all day with no discomfort. And they are well made, super robust. And yet light. And while these are not noise isolating, they do an unbelievable job of blocking out background noise on the train. A commuter’s dream! I have bought a lot of headphones during my 50 years on this planet. These are a revelation. Hallelujah. They rock. Genuinely.

Very good sound quality on my end and folks tell me that the sound quality is also good on their end. I like to use them during work meetings from home. Gives me flexibility to be productive at home while being productive at work (make bed, sweep floor, do laundry, etc.) Certainly more bulky than ear buds, but I think the sound quality on the other end is better. Also, ear buds can sometimes fall out.