These are built with both people on the go in mind. Whether you are living the city life and just want to block noise on a walking commute, travel a lot for business, or just need a pair of workout buds, these were designed with you in mind. They have the stay hear design, so they do not come off easily but are still comfortable on the ears. Though they don’t have any real noise cancelation attributes, the way the sound is produced is best listened to when you have a lot of outside ambient sound. This means the base is the most pronounced of the tones with the high range following suit and mid kind of settling slightly behind. So whether it’s a noisy gym with equipment noises, traffic, and people, or just wind, these earbuds will produce a sound you can appreciate. However, if your going to be somewhere quieter, a few have suggested that this may not be the best set for relaxed daily listening.

This is, at its most basic, a pair of wireless headphones, however, there are two types of wireless out there. When we think ‘wireless’ most of us assume the whole thing is without cords, but often this is not the case. Instead, it only has one cord. Fortunately, with the Soundsport Free, it is actually the case. With the Bose Soundsport Free, you get the earbuds with an extra set of covers, the rechargeable buds, and the micro USB charging cable so you can charge on the go. While a few think it should have an option to take a normal USB charging cable, unfortunately, it does not seem to come with that availability yet. You also get free access to the Bose online apps for their wireless earbuds of all types, but we will cover that a little better in the advanced features and touch base on a couple of other sections as well. The earbuds are designed with a special feature that helps them to stay in place more firmly while remaining comfortable still. The only downside seems to be a style preference for some, and again, we feel that is better covered in the area involving style.

For more advanced features we’ll cover exactly what the wireless app is import and for, after all, with headphones, there are not a lot of bonuses most times. The good part with these, however, is that Bose provides a free app for their sets, so they can better serve their customers. With this pair there is no cord connecting anything to the headset directly, this is because they rely on Bluetooth technology. This can have its downsides since Bluetooth isn’t exactly flawless yet, but many of the issues can be fixed simply by going to the Bose website and downloading the proper updates to fix them. The main issue most had was with the left earbud either lagging or cutting out completely, but the update on their site seems to fix this for almost all of those who had the problem.

The app also involves other cool features like the ‘Find Me’ feature which when turned on causes the buds to release an ever higher growing pitch to allow you to locate them when they are lost (A warning not to have either in your ear when you trigger it). Another is the ability to easily switch the buds from one device to another through the app so you don’t have to keep disconnecting and reconnecting, instead you go to the app and tell it what device you want them to be connected to and what you don’t want to be connected to. They also assure to keep updating software for the set so that you don’t have issues in the future. There are other features as well- like getting your heart rate- and we have no doubt that more will keep coming with a company like Bose to rely on.

Initially, the sound was said to be less than perfect, with it being set up to work better when ambient sounds were all around. While that seems to remain true, the app allows you to adjust the sound quality more easily so that it fits what you want. Keeping in mind that they were built for activity and being surrounded by ambient noise, the adjustments may only go so far in doing as you want, but they still seem to have pleased many with this additional aspect. When you are surrounded by ambient noise, however, having a louder bass and high tones vs the mid-tone allow for the sound itself to come through better and can act as a noise cancelation of its own. That being said, if your main intention is to use them as they were intended, you may not really need or want to adjust the sound, since it comes to setting up for louder surroundings, personal movement and breathing as well as wind. If you leave them as they come, most everyone agrees they do the job perfectly and sound great. They still have some of the best sound quality out there, no matter what, for true wireless headsets, which we can’t surprise us with the company’s reputation being as good as it is and as well known for their overall quality.

Straight out of the package, the connectivity seems to be a bit iffy, they are after all Bluetooth, and as we know, that means a rather linear connection that is known to drop out. Most say that they were surprised to find, however, that fully losing sound has not really been the issue. Rather than completely dropping out, the left earbud seems to be the original issue- lagging out or dropping out while the right remains perfectly connected. This issue was resolved though and can be remedied with a simple app download which updates all the software and adds other nice features to the bud right away. With the update, the left ear no longer lags out for almost all consumers and rarely if ever fully disconnects.

One thing that appears to remain true through all of the Bose brand earbuds is that their StayHear design both keeps the buds in place and maintains a high level of comfort all at the same time. It hasn’t changed with these, although the design is slightly modified for sports use to fit just a little more securely so that you can do all your activities without fear of one or both falling off. The comfort level is slightly different for long term use though. They maintain their lightweight feel, but the fact is, in order to be snug and not fall off, you can tell they are actually there versus with other non-sports models where you can almost forget their presence. It isn’t that they tug or become painful, it is simply the fact that you can feel something on your ear and after a long term of wearing them this might become an issue for some. (Those of us who have worn or still do have to wear glasses might actually have less of an issue, but we can sympathize with this ‘problem’.)

Most earbuds are smaller and can almost vanish into your ear, making style not really that big of an issue. Many consumers agree that not being visible can be a style of its own and make us more prone to liking one set over another for this exact reason. That is where we find one set of complaints, though, to be honest, complaints like this one make some of us quirk our brows. The fact is, this set is a little bulkier in size than most, but this may be the exact reason that this pair actually has a longer battery life than most other sets that are available. The size also has a lot to do with better tech being involved in the overall performance. The less you can fit into something, the more likely they are to have something of the extra’s missing, like sound quality or battery life. One other bonus that their size gives, however, is the ability to add a little more flash to their appearance when it comes to color and finish. These have three colors to choose from, black, blue and orange. No matter which color suits you best, though, you will find they all have a glossy and classic look that outdoes what is considered their ‘best’ competition.

This is another quality that plays into both the size and material of the set. The larger size does make for a much more difficult to break headset when it comes to being jostled, dropped or held too tightly than some of the smaller pairs, and many have found that key to the reason why they want this pair. With a more durable outside, they can be worn with a lot less fear during a workout. They are also water resistant, which means wearing them in the rain, or getting sweat on them isn’t as likely to cause much damage if any at all. There is a downside though, some of the smaller pairs are actually waterproof, which means you can swim in them, the Bose Soundsport Free is not meant to be worn for such an activity, and the water resistance won’t prevent damage if you decide to try them for it. Otherwise, this is one of the more durable and long-lasting pairs you can get on the market.

There is not much that is easier to use when it comes to technology than a headset- at least normally. With wireless headsets, though, the set-up process can sometimes be difficult to understand or do. Thankfully, Bose Soundsport Free is not one that you have to worry about complications with. Syncing is easily done through the headset with an on button to set them to sync, or even easier, through their downloadable app. With the app not only can you sync your headset, but you can set them up to be able to easily swap between devices so that you don’t have to keep disconnecting and reconnecting when you want to switch. The app itself even includes other easy to use and understand functions and makes it so you can keep your software up to date without having to worry about it.

The Bose Soundsport Free runs on a rechargeable power source. It comes with its Micro USB charger cord in its case making it unnecessary to purchase anything in addition to it. The other neat factor is that its battery life is noted to be nearly an hour longer than most at about 4.8 hours on average per charge. Most wireless earbuds fall around 3-3.5 hours so this definitely makes it stand out in the crowd of available buds out there for workout use.

These sit at around $200 when you go looking for them and some feel that is a little high considering some of the complaints had, however, we feel that overall it earns every dollar. If you take into consideration what it was built for, and all the additional things it can do, it truly does stand out and place it high on the charts for purchasing as a pair you can rely on. So we say ‘save up your pennies’ This pair is worth it!

-Fully wireless
-Micro USB rechargeable
-4.8-hour average battery life
-Water resistant
-Free software updates (via app)
-Easy switch between devices
-StayHear Sport design
-Durable

If you want sound quality while working out, and you want reliability to come with it, Bose is a company you can bet on. While these aren’t intended for quiet easy listening, they are great for places where you have a lot of ambient noise and have to be on the go- whatever the reason. If you need a headset that can keep up, this is headset you are looking for!