Bose SoundTrue On-ear Review: Lightweight and Sounds Good Too

Bose might be one of the best known names in audio equipment, but these days when you look at headphones, you see popular brands such as Beats and Skullcandy beginning to displace it in the high-end space. We tried out the Bose SoundTrue on-ear headphones, which feel like a response to this trend. The headphones have a sleek design and good sound, but at a price of Rs. 13,388, the question most people will ask is, "are these worth the money?" Read on to find out more:

Features and Design
The SoundTrue on-ear headphones we were using were a pale mint blue, but they are also available in black, white, and a deeper blue. The mint is, in our opinion, an incredibly poor colour choice, looking like it would match hospital scrubs. The other colours looked pretty good though, with a modern style that is still elegant - particularly the white option.

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The design itself is very simple and neat, and the headphones can be easily adjusted. The cups are mounted on collapsible hinges and can be folded flat so you can carry the headset in a small pouch (which comes in the box).

The real appeal of the design is in how lightweight the headset is - it doesn't feel flimsy, and you can wear if for hours without finding it uncomfortable. The cable to connect the headset to your phone has an inline remote which can be used to control music playback on an iPhone, iPad or iPod. Music controls did not work with a BlackBerry we tested the headphones with, but the same cable also has an integrated microphone for taking calls, which worked with non-iOS devices. The cable can be detached from the headset for storage. Voice quality seemed fine, with no one we spoke to reporting any distortion.

Sound Quality
To test the sound quality on the Bose SoundTrue on-ear headphones, we listened to a lot of different audio from various sources. First, we plugged it into a BlackBerry Z10, and listened to some saved MP3s. We listened to different artists including Rihanna, Janelle Monae, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Imagine Dragons, Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M. and Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

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It's a very mixed collection of sounds, and the headset sounded good across the board. At maximum volume, sound in the lower registers does get distorted, but it's something you won't notice most of the time.

We later checked with more music streaming at high quality on a laptop, and then connected the headphones to a Playstation Vita and used it for gaming. We also watched How to Train Your Dragon, connecting the headphones to a Playstation 3 for the audio.

In general, the audio balance is best suited for music - in games, the bass dominates, which can get a little irritating. This also affected movie viewing slightly, because vocals were a little weaker than the rest of the audio mix.

Verdict
There's a lot to like about the SoundTrue on-ear headphones. It's light enough to wear everywhere, even if the mint-blue makes it look like a child's toy. The black and white versions look good - stylish and modern but not needlessly flashy. These are the ones you'd wear when you don't want to look like a 13-year-old.

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Despite the slim design and low weight, they also happen to sound good. The audio is clear, and while these headphones are ideal for listening to music, they were also quite usable as a hands-free kit.

The catch is the price. At Rs. 13,388, you're looking at a relatively expensive pair of headphones. This pair costs more than the Sennheiser Momentum and the Sony MDR-XB 920. Other products are available for much less, such as the Grado SR80i which sells for as little as Rs. 8,010 on e-commerce sites, and sounds just as good if not better. If you're looking for the best sounding headphones at this price, then Bose loses out.

In its favour though, it is the lightest and most comfortable option that sounds this good, and we can see it being used for all-day listening, unlike the other options we listed.

Price: Rs. 13,388

Pros

Comfortable, lightweight design.
Foldable for easy transportation.
Decent audio isolation and good sound.
Cons

Relatively high price.
In the Box

Headphones
Audio cable (167cm)
Carrying pouch
Ratings (Out of 5)

Design: 4
Performance: 4.5
Value for Money: 3.5
Overall: 4