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Review

Bose Soundsport Wireless

Running with the new Bose Soundsport wireless.

The Bose Soundsport wireless edition was released in June 2016. It took some time before my package arrived and I finally could use my new running gear. The Soundsport comes with the wireless headset, 3 types of StayHear+ Sport tips (sizes small, medium and large), USB charging port and a user guideline. The earplugs can be connected to two devices at the same time. As I’m running with an iPhone and Apple Watch I had to do the following to pair the Soundsport:

When using your iPhone:

Step 1) Go to settings
Step 2) Go to bluetooth
Step 3) Ensure the bluetooth option is green, and start your Soundsports by pressing the on button.

Great feature:
The Soundsports will give you audio feedback about the battery life (100%) every time you power them on and tells you to what device it’s connected.

Step 4) In ‘other devices” you’ll see the Bose Soundsport wireless available to pair.

When using Apple Watch:

Step 1) Go to settings
Step 2) Go to bluetooth

After completion, the Soundsport will tell the name of the connected device(s).

Bose Connect app

After pairing is done, your iPhone will ask you to download the Bose Connect app for iOS or Android. This app works as a companion app and is a must have when using the Soundsports. As you can connect to multiple devices (like 2 iPhones, macbook or other device) with the earplugs you can quickly enable or disable a device. There are also other settings available like auto power-down (when no music is played!), naming the devices that are connected and setting the voice language. Also, the companion app notifies if you if there is a update available for the firmware of the earplugs and can install them (this might take several minutes when installing).

The Bose Connect app is free to download and is created to support also the Bose QuietConfort 35 and Soundlink Around Ear 2.

StayHear+ Sport tips

For some years Bose created a special tip that keeps the earplug steadier in your ear during movement. It’s easy to place the earplugs in the right position and replace the Sport tips. Standard the medium size is placed on the Bose Soundsports but ofcourse you can change them to your best fit.

Easy in control

Bose made it easy to control your music or pickup a phone call during your exercise. While listening to music you can do all basic music controls like up (+) / down (-) volume, pause / start (oOo), skip a track (press 2x oOo fast) or play previous track (press 3x oOo fast). On the back of the control panel you can find the microphone which is pretty good unless you have some wind blowing next to it.

Quality of sound

One of the main reasons I bought the Bose Soundsport is the sound quality which is pretty good for a wireless device. The Soundsport doesn’t have noise canceling, something that some people would have heard, but thats a good thing as you are using these earplugs while running in streets or trails. You want to stay aware of your environment and hear cars or other traffic as you want to come back home safely.

Battery life

The soundsports have a battery life of 6 hours. This is not long but is acceptable as you can train 3 times a week without charging them. Also, the bluetooth connection between the earplugs and your smartphone is really good as it barley drains your battery. This is because of the bluetooth low energy technique. To test the battery I did the following run:

iPhone 5 (35% charged) + Bose Soundsports Wireless
I did a progressive long run of 1.5 hours while using Run Trainer in the background. During the run I was playing a podcast (already downloaded and playing offline) and received the audio feedback of Run Trainer to change my pace. After completing my training the battery of the soundsport was down from 100% to 80% (20% used during the run) and surprisingly my old iPhone 5 was from 35% down to 19%. This means only 16% of the battery was used with bluetooth for streaming music and GPS for RunTrainer. And boy, did I had a great run!

My honest opinion

As admitted before I am a Bose fan, but my expectations of the Bose Soundsports became true. I now love running wireless, keeping the sound quality high and specially some of the unique features like telling the battery status when powering on. Also pairing with more then 1 device is really convenient as I’m still running with the AppleWatch and iPhone combined but in the future hope to ditch the last one when going for a short run. The battery of the Soundsport is ‘only’ 6 hours but it’s enough to run a marathon. The only thing I dislike about the battery is the charging time, which is 2 hours! And there is the price which is pretty steep (€ 179,- / $ 150,- … outch!) but eventually, as I’m running for at least 2 hours with a good pair of earplugs I think it’s worth it every penny.

Summing up the Pro’s and Con’s:

Pro’s:

• Pairing two devices (including Apple Watch)
• Bose Connect app (auto-power down setting, voice language, soft/firmware updates)
• Audio feedback when turning on (batterylife + device that is paired)
• Adjust auto off time
• Battery life of connected device (like an iPhone or Android smartphone)

Con’s:

• Warning: Watch out for surroundings, your ears will be pretty closed for surrounding sounds!
• Battery life is only 6 hours, but should be enough for a marathon!
• Battery charging time
• Price is pretty steep, but most wireless earplugs other manufactures created are high.