Hey. I want to share with you my impressions of using Bluetooth – the Bose Sound Link Around-ear Wireless II headset.
Since this is precisely the operating experience, here will be mainly my impressions of use, and not technical characteristics or a detailed description.
But nevertheless, you cannot do without a description at all, therefore we will consider the device.
I got a light version – it is impossible to call this color white, it is rather an ivory color. And this is good – the traces of exploitation will be less visible.
There is also a black version.
As for the sizes, they are typical for this type of headphones and headsets:
Headphones:
- Height – 190 mm
- Width – 150 mm
- Depth – 38 mm
Ear cushions
- Height – 97 mm
- Width – 74 mm
The model is not new, so the MicroUSB connector is used for charging, not Type-C.
Of the additional elements, one cup has only Jack 2.5 (yes, exactly 2.5).
And on the second, all the other elements are located: the already mentioned charging connector, a lever for switching on and switching to pairing mode, a microphone grid in the form of a perforation of the case, a pairing and charge indicator, as well as three playback control buttons.
The designations of the sides are made on the inner surface of the cups, but this is not particularly necessary, since you very quickly get used to the fact that the right side is the one where the switch is located. After that, you stop paying attention to the designations inside the cups.
The light brown eco-leather ear pads were very pleasant to the touch, soft and comfortable to wear.
A stainless steel plate can be seen inside the headband. This instills confidence and creates a sense of security.
On the inside, there is a soft cushion made of a material very reminiscent of natural suede in the color of the ear cushions. It's not natural suede, but it's hard to tell if it's a plus or a minus.
The outer side of the headband is covered with eco-leather in the color of the case – you don't notice it right away, the shape and color are so precisely adjusted.
That's, perhaps, all about the appearance.
Oh yeah, there is also a cool design in which the cups rotate 90 degrees, forming one plane.
I love this version of the hinge – these headphones are very convenient to put in a bag, which they do not burst.
This version of the hinge is much better than when the ear pads simply stupidly fold inward without turning, almost without reducing the size.
By the way, the weight of the headphones is 144 grams. But more on that later.
I got the headset without the bundled wire, with which it can be used as a headset even when it is completely discharged, which is what it came to me, so I decided to fully charge it before using it – this process took 1.5 hours from the laptop's USB connector. Looking ahead, I will say that the next charge that I performed from the power supply took exactly the same 1.5 hours.
In order to put the headset into pairing mode, you must move the power lever all the way up and hold it there for 3-5 seconds.
After that, the headset will first announce the battery level as a percentage, and then announce that 'the device is ready to connect'. You can search for a headset in the phone menu and pair.
By the way, judging by the way the headset pronounces words, it becomes clear that the native language for it is still English. This is audible when she calls, for example, the name of the device with which it is establishing a connection (if you have it written in English).
The headset also knows how to connect to multiple devices and remember them. To switch between them, you need to briefly move the lever all the way up. Then she will tell the name of the device with which it was previously paired, and will try to connect with it.
About working time
The manufacturer claims 15 hours of music playback. For me, this indicator turned out to be both higher and lower, once the headphones lasted a little more than 15 hours, the other – 14 hours and 20 minutes. It seems that the playback time was influenced by both the volume – the second time it was higher – and a slightly different scenario: plus about an hour of calls.
In daily use, a single charge of the headset lasts about a week. In addition, the headset itself helps to monitor the charge, which, each time it is turned on, announces the remaining percentage of the charge in 10% steps. This allows you to always know how much is still left and when you need to put the device on charge.
The headband covers the head quite tightly and presses the ear pads to the ears.
At first, I had fears that from such a reliable girth, the head might start to hurt after a couple of hours of use, but no, the fears were in vain – the headset does not fly off with sudden head movements, and this very head does not get tired.
But it is better to check this parameter personally by trying it on and assessing whether such a headband's grip will be convenient for you.
Very pliable and soft ear cushions, which compensate for a tight headband, also play a role.
As for the weight, according to which I spoke above, then according to this parameter the sensations are controversial. I would like the weight to be a little less, since while the headset is on the head, it is impossible to forget about its existence.
Perhaps not only weight plays a role, but also a tight headband, but the fact remains – that you are in a headset, you remember all the time.
The operating range is standard – 8-10 meters in the line of sight.
At home, the headset played without stuttering, receiving a signal from the phone, which was lying in another room. There were no complaints about working on the street.
In addition, the headset passed the test perfectly both with the back pocket and head twisting, which readers often ask about in the comments to the materials about wireless headsets.
There is complete order with this – the signal from the back pocket reaches the headset without problems and is not lost with sharp turns of the head. ?
Another drawback, more typical for fully wireless (TWS) headsets, is expected to be absent here – there is no audio delay during video playback and in games. Everything is synchronous and comfortable.
Working in a conversation mode gives an unusual effect – you hear not only the interlocutor, but also, as if a little yourself. The result is an interesting effect that creates the feeling of a natural conversation without headphones. Apparently, this was done to remove the effect of isolation from ambient sounds and the kick effect that occurs when talking on headsets of this type.
But you need to understand that this is not an analogue of sound transparency, in which all surrounding sounds are transmitted to the ear. The effect is slightly different here, and it only works during a conversation.
The work itself in the headset mode is good – despite the fact that the microphone is far from the mouth, the interlocutors did not complain about the quality of speech transmission and did not notice that I was speaking on the headset.
Difficulties arose only in the wind, but this is not surprising and is typical for many such devices.
In general, for the operating mode as a headset I can put almost five out of five – four and seven.
And finally, by tradition, at the end – about the sound.
Sound
The headset does not have any outstanding codecs. Neither Aptx, nor AAC, nor LDAC. And this is the biggest disappointment.
But there are proprietary Bose technologies, this is Triport® and ActiveEQ, which in theory should make the sound better.
And the first impression is exactly that – you put it on, turn it on, and think: the sound is not bad, very good. Juicy, deep, powerful bass, well-developed middle, detail.
And everything seems to be there. But then, when you start listening to the sound, you realize that the sound lacks depth, purity and clarity.
Moreover, these sensations are at the level of “everything seems to be fine, but something is not right …”.
The headset is most suitable for listening to club, popular and electronic music.
It is difficult to listen to rock and complex instrumental music – at high volume, the treble becomes too harsh and intrusive. In complex fast compositions, the sound falls into a mess. Alas. And this sound porridge together with cutting highs spoils the first impression.
I noticed that during the time I used the headset, more electronics and dance music appeared in my playlist.
This is because it sounds good here and you want to listen to it, which cannot be said about instrumental music.
Conclusion
Cool materials, comfortable construction, excellent autonomy, confident headset operation and juicy, above average sound that will sound great if you are not an avid audiophile.
On the one hand, it is a good product that can be recommended for purchase. On the other hand, from a headset for 16,990 rubles. I want more transparency and clarity of the sound, as well as better work with high frequencies and a more accurate attitude to detail.
Although if the price was within 10 thousand, then you would not have to find fault with the sound, and the conclusion would be unequivocally positive.