With audio equipment makers now fighting for the "true" wireless Bluetooth earbuds space, Bose, with its "SoundSport Free" earbud, has raised the bar when it comes to delivering a cord-free music experience.
Taking on Apple AirPods (Rs 13,749) and Samsung Gear "IconX" (Rs 13,490) that laid the foundation for true wireless bluetooth earphones, Bose has launched SoundSport Free for Rs 18,990 in India.
Denmark-based Jabra has also launched "Elite Sports" earbuds for Rs 16,490 in the country.
Let's see how SoundSport Free fares against the competition.
The tiny devices are designed to fit easily in the ear cavity with elliptical silicon tips that come in three different sizes. The black and lemon-coloured buds lock themselves with the help of a soft curved wing.
The device comes with an on-the-go charger case which delivers extra battery for the buds.
For longer use, it is advised that users first charge the buds from the portable charger and then charge the portable case again.
In one full charge, the earbuds ran for just over three hours. The case gave two extra charges, giving the total output time of nearly 11 hours, which was impressive.
There is a volume rocker on the right earbud while the play/pause button is on the left piece.
To make the device work, users need to first download the "Bose Connect" app and set up the connection between the earbuds and the smartphone.
As soon as you pull the buds out from the case, they enter the bluetooth connectivity mode and are ready to pair with the smartphone.
Interestingly, unlike other such apps, "Bose Connect" has a very easy user interface. It detects the buds by itself, essentially eliminating the hassle of configuring the connection manually.
The link is made within seconds. The voice command can help make the set-up even more easy.
Users can also enable the "Find My Buds" feature to locate the earbuds if they forgot where they kept them last. The app even tells you the "Last Seen" status of the earbuds.
The sweat- and water-resistant earbuds house a strong antennae system to maintain reliable connection with the paired smartphone.
We hardly experienced any audio dropouts while listening to music. The structure and fit of the earbuds created a "seal", cutting out other sounds in a less noisy environment.
The Bose digital signal processing and volume optimised "EQ" combine well with a good music player. Listening to music with the app's equaliser will help bring music to life like some tropical music by Kygo.
The bass, drops, treble and vocals in "High For This" track could be easily distinguished. (It was, in fact, hard to get the same clarity with any other device currently available in the market.)
When we switched to a different genre and listened to guitar solos, we noticed the dynamic range offered by the devices.
Listening to the Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" song was amazing on these earbuds sans any cracks, pops or hisses.
What doesn't work?
Although the design is impressive, the size of the buds is a bit on the larger side.
In noisy environments, the buds fail to deliver a perfect output. We could hear outside noise.
Conclusion: Bose products deliver top-notch listening experience and are expensive. SoundSport Free is no exception. With a price tag of Rs 18,990, the device will have a niche market but, yes, if you can shell out that much money, these earbuds are made for you.
