Bose intros IE2, MIE2 and MIE2i in-ear headphones, only charges an arm for 'em
By Darren Murph 
posted August 17th 2010 5:48PM
posted August 17th 2010 5:48PM
NEW BOSE IN-EAR AUDIO PRODUCTS
Engineered for Improved Audio Performance and Stability
Bose has introduced three new in-ear products: the IE2 audio headphones for listening on-the-go, and the MIE2 and MIE2i mobile headsets, designed specifically for music-enabled mobile phones. Each is engineered with proprietary Bose technologies for improved audio quality, and feature new Bose® StayHear™ tips for greater stability and a comfortable fit.
The IE2 audio headphones, and MIE2 and MIE2i mobile headsets (which are not noise cancelling or sound isolating) offer an enhanced acoustic design using a more sophisticated application of proprietary Bose TriPort® acoustic headphone structure. Music sounds smoother and more natural, instruments have better detail and definition, and high frequencies and vocals are reproduced with improved clarity.
For improved stability -- during exercise or other rigorous activity -- each new model debuts proprietary Bose StayHear tips. They attach more securely to the headset itself, and then remain more securely in the ear while in use. Designed with soft silicone and a rounded profile, they fit easily inside the bowl of the ear, while naturally conforming to the upper ridge of the ear. Three sizes are included -- small, medium and large -- ensuring a comfortable fit for hours of listening.
The IE2 audio headphones can be used with a variety of audio sources, including MP3 players, personal computers and digital music players. The MIE2 and MIE2i mobile headsets offer an additional benefit -- taking calls with ease from music-enabled mobile phones. They feature a convenient in-line microphone and one-touch answer/end button for seamless switching from music to calls and back. While the MIE2 is compatible with many mobile phones -- including all iPhone models and many BlackBerry devices -- the MIE2i was designed exclusively for listening to and control of select Apple products, including the iPhone, iPod, iPad and MacBook Pro. Its in-line microphone provides access to certain voice applications in Apple products, and the in-line remote lets users adjust volume and navigate through stored music directly from the headset.
The IE2 audio headphones and MIE2 and MIE2i mobile headsets were constructed and manufactured for lasting quality. From the ear tips to the cables, they have been tested to meet demanding standards for durability. A carrying case is included for added protection and convenience.
Bose® IE2 audio headphones replace the Bose in-ear headphones, and are available on August 23, 2010 for $99.95. The Bose® MIE2 mobile headset replaces the Bose mobile in-ear headset, and is available on August 23, 2010 for $129.95. The Bose® MIE2i mobile headset will be available in October, 2010 for $129.95. Along with the new StayHear™ tips, each new model comes with the original ear tips for a more traditional fit and look. They will be sold at select authorized Bose dealers, Bose retail stores, www.Bose.com, and toll free at 1-800-444-BOSE (2673).
About Bose Corporation
Bose Corporation was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Today, the company is primarily known for acoustics, however, its research has resulted in products for non-audio fields. Bose inventions have improved the performance of:
· Loudspeakers
· Home entertainment systems
· Automotive music systems designed for the interior acoustics of each car model (first introduced by Bose)
· Noise reducing headsets for pilots and the public (first introduced by Bose)
· Sound in public spaces
· The production of sound for musicians requiring electronic amplification of their instruments
· Materials testing and durability simulation instruments for biomedical applications
· Driver suspension systems for heavy-duty trucks
@angelnilo06 Both the MIE2 and MIE2i are $129.95.
To be honest, Monster Turbine earbuds sound really good, and is priced at a cheaper pricepoint than the Bose. I may actually purchase another set. They can be vetted on head-fi forums too.
@cheese11
They probably are but I don't think I can give my money that company. Too bad there so shady when it comes to audio and video cables.
I bet these will be more comfortable than anything out there and for that I applaud Bose. They are untouched in the comfort department after many many years. If Bose would just drop their craptastic "signature" sound, then I think they could really make something worthwhile.
I doubt these will be much an improvement in creating a more neutral sound though.
Only folk who don't know buy BOSE
@Pearl Jam Nail, meet head.
Bose anything = slightly better than average, but for a high end premium price. There's usually much better quality A/V gear out there for what you pay for Bose.
You buy these, you can hear mesa talking instead of your music. Hooray!
Murph - that should read:
"The IE2 audio headphones replace the Bose in-ear headphones and are available on August 23 for $99.95. The MIE2 headset ($129.95), which replaces the mobile in-ear headset, also arrives on the 23rd. Meanwhile, the Apple-centric MIE2i headset doesn't ship until October, but it, too, will retail for $129.95. "
TYPO. MIE2 is 129.95 not 30.
FIRST
i had the first gen of the in-ear. My complaint were the tips always came off. Bose was great at replacing them as i needed. So i got another pair 2 weeks ago. The tips now have a larger "holder" and take quite the effort to change out.
I will be returning them for these next week though it appears. Got to love return policies at BestBuy sometimes!!!
Say all you want about Bose, but their In-ears are great.
Could someone PLEASE actually try them before giving the usual Bose rant? The joke is getting really old, anyway.
On the earbud spectrum, these are what I would consider mid-range pricewise, and I think you're really missing out if you don't give them a shot.
@naterecording: The simple fact that these are easy to pull out of your ear and do not seal as well compared to other actual in-ear headphones from Ultimate Ears, Shure, or Etymotic means that they are at an instant disadvantage.
Pair that with the fact that the audio performance from equal-priced products from the above 3 surpass these Bose units means no ear needs to touch these to know that they are not good.
And jokes are often grounded in reality.
@Ruben
You made two educated observations about the original Bose in-ears: In your opinion, they do not seal in the ear, and you don't think they sound as good as similarly priced buds.
I completely understand and respect your opinion, and this actually gets to my point: you tried out the buds in order to make an educated opinion rather than simply dismissing them based on a certain reputation of a company. Granted, I think you (and others) should still give these new buds a chance, but I respect that you are at least using a prior personal experience to base your viewpoint on.
Eh, they still won't sound good.
Eh, they still won't sound good.
@thumbtack
Why use that attitude? I have purchased and demo'ed a lot of in-ear headphones, and while they might not be the be-all end-all, I have found them to sound better than pricier sets.
I'm not saying that you can't disagree with my opinion... I'm just sick of people tearing something down before they even try them or even see them in person.
@naterecording I'm just very used to Bose making overpriced products that, to my ear, don't sound good. I've demoed their first pair of in-ears and found them to be too bassy and lacking in depth to the sound. Additionally, the two in-ear sets I've used in (Klipsch Image S4) or below (v-moda Vibe) their price range sounded better.
Most Bose products aren't worth the money. I have Bose Quiet Comfort 15 and Companion 5. I auditioned other headphones and speakers from Swan and Audioengine and these came out on top. Rarely Bose does some things right. But that still means Bose does *some* things right.
Now if they only sounded better than the full of crap ones that they had before...they must still have those awful earpieces as well that don't cancel sound. and for more money??? ill stay with the klipsch s4.
A friend of me owns the previous generation ... the soundquality is abysimal compared to the price. Not sure about the new ones, but their track record doesn't really "speak" for them.
Besides: I recommend everyone who wants to invest in expensive audio gear to do test hearings. You may end up dissappointed otherwise. I've burned some cash learning.
You want earbuds that actually have good sound a really good bass?
Get Klipsch. You'll never look back.
why are people complaining about the noise isolation when i had the previous model it was like the headphones themselves had a volume limiter OfCourse they didnt but the volume levels were extremely low you could barely hear them so a person sitting next to you had no chance in hell of hearing anything
Koss sells the best sounding earbuds I've heard. Buy Other Sound Equipment has such a horrible record they don't even deserve a listen. But if you really want them they'll probably show up on QVC sooner or later with George Foreman grills and Thigh Masters.
Now I KNOW I will ruffle lots of feathers here... But here it comes. I could estimate that about 70% of people that visit this website has some kind of Smart phone, and annually you spent close to $1,000 dollars for paying for the service that you get while using those devices. And consider that even if that smartphone comes out defective and some features that it is supposed to be able to do YOU still buy the device and still pay the $1,000 annually.
Well guess what with Bose products you definitely get your moneys worth.
I have seen people that STILL use the ORIGINAL Bose 901 speakers from 20 years ago and they still love them. So for those that "CLAIM" that Bose products are made with cheap materials... Please show me some speakers that do the same. Oh did I mention the 5 year warranty you get with all of their stereo speakers?
About their entertainment systems... they are simple to connect and use and you can have multiple rooms of sound too, and the speakers can be discreet so you can actually enjoy your movie and not spend half of it watching the speaker.
Sure there are other systems more sophisticated out there but when you price them you will see that you wont be saving money.
BTW according to some music magazines a proper surround system should cost you around $10K... and the most expensive Bose system is only $4k.
And as for the headphones... While I was shopping with my wife I found other sets of in-ear headphones for $300 .
I don't work for Bose, but if anyone wants to actually complain about their product I would recommend you to step into one of their stores and Test all their products. WHICH by the way you can bring your own headphones and music for you to test yourself and see if there is any difference.
By the way all their products carry a 30 days money back warranty unlike Apple that you get hit with a 10% re-stocking fee.
@Drake2005
I've got a pair of Altec Lansing Model 19's that are a lot older than Bose 901's and still have the original cone material so your point is weak. Those Bose speakers are made with the same cheap paper that you'll find in 60's and 70's AM car radios and plenty of them are still around in original shape. As for surround sound systems, for $4000.00 I could assemble a number of systems which would blow any Bose system out of the water. They will have published specs like minimum continuous RMS power ratings from 20 to 20khz which by the way a Bose system can't even reproduce. They'll have all the latest sound technologies like Dolby True HD and DTS Theater Master Audio. Bose...? Maybe you don't work for Bose but you sure sound like somebody who sells their crap and you definitely picked the wrong site.
@Drake2005
Let me tell you about your problem.
You first state that the BOSE 901's are still in use today. This is true. Do you know why? Because they're well-made and arguably good speakers. However, do not for one second think you can even remotely compare those speakers to what you see in shops today. BOSE spends more money on marketing than every other audio company in the world and for good reason - they built up a brand image of quality and they try to maintain it.
They do not make any good products anymore, though. A simple means of judging a speaker is by the size of its magnets, because the bigger, the stronger a magnet is. This applies even more to headphones where sizes can be as low as you want, but my headphones have 53 mm drivers iirc. That's more than those BOSE cube speakers. What does this tell you? My headphones are better speakers than the cubes.
BOSE is also famous for fooling around with their testing facilities in shops. They use high-quality processors that you don't get as a consumer in order to make the sound 'better' in shops.
Anyway, I'll keep my point short: in the enf, BOSE makes products that are a little bit better than low-end Sony products or skullcandy headphones or earphones that came with your iPod. They are, however, not nearly as good as the competitors in every sector. A good surround system for $4k will sound miles better than the same-priced BOSE system. A pair of same-priced headphones sound miles better than the BOSE triports and such.
5 year warranties on speakers are easy to give away. Speakers don't often fail and are not touched much. Understand that, while BOSE has a nice marketing department, they are disliked by the general audiophile groups for a reason. They make products that don't perform well compared to similar sized products.
@brenro
Or maybe I am someone WHO TESTS and checks the products before I purchase it. The same thing you do by reading here. And you mention you can make the same system for 4 k... So how about you mention time and labor you spend finding those individual pieces and stuff. Again to me Bose is more about the simplicity and performance. So Bose uses speaker materials that was used in the 60's you say... Tell me one thing then... How come those speakers still outperform most newer speaker models??
Last time I checked I will probably have to upgrade my IPhone Next year simce according to Apple my hardware is old already.
And about new sound techs.. You might wanna do some research. Bose did NOT add some support for this since EVEN most Blue-Ray movies don't even come encoded with it.
Same reason why Apple hasn't added BLU-Rays to their Mac lines.
Again before critizing a product you yourself should evaluate it and you should step in to a store and spend sometime discussing the options you have.
The price you pay for a product isn't just about the hardware itself you also pay for the service at their stores.
And I to be honest... No one is putting a gun to your head and telling you to buy Bose products, so I see no reason why you should refer to their products.
@Drake2005
"So for those that "CLAIM" that Bose products are made with cheap materials... Please show me some speakers that do the same."
Klipsch's flagship speaker, the Klipschorn, has been in production for over 60 years. A very large number of them are still in use, and are still working great. In fact, many old pairs of speakers exceeding 20 years still work. The best thing about real high-end brands is that they often shy away from proprietary parts, especially back then, so even when these older sets do break, they're almost always fixable.
"...and the speakers can be discreet so you can actually enjoy your movie and not spend half of it watching the speaker. "
No one does that.
"And as for the headphones... While I was shopping with my wife I found other sets of in-ear headphones for $300 . "
Go to an FYE or Five Below. You'll see them ranging from $4 to $8. Just because you saw a few pairs for $300 doesn't mean they all cost that much. Amazingly enough, there are a lot of pairs of in-ear headphones spanning a lot of price ranges.
"I don't work for Bose, but if anyone wants to actually complain about their product I would recommend you to step into one of their stores and Test all their products."
For all the expensive systems, they choose demo material that specifically sounds good with the wildly inaccurate frequency response of the product at hand. For home theater systems, they put all the speakers right by your head and crank them up so they sound loud at that distance. Put them in an actual living room and get them to sound as loud, and they'll distort like hell. They also put the 'accoustimass module' right in front of you so you don't notice that it's making half of the midrange tones (and thus ruining the illusion of surround sound). Additionally, their 'theater rooms' where they give you big demonstrations of the systems use rooms that have been acoustically designed to make the systems sound better than they will in any realistic setting.
By the way, Bose can't justify their prices at all. If you take apart any product of theirs it's immediately apparent that they use the most common, inexpensive materials to make them. Their home theater systems use drivers so small and cheap that directional midrange tones have to come out of the subwoofer (which, in turn, can't produce any low bass tones at all). Their $500 table radio uses a long plastic tube to make that "full sound."
By the way, I do own Bose products. There's a Lifestyle 12 system in my basement that I only use for the surround sound. I've tried using it for music a few times, but there is a noticeable departure from the sound quality of the $80 Logitech Z4 computer speakers that I normally use.
@Coptician
I can tell you with absolute certainty that it is a myth that Bose does anything with their systems to give a false impression of the sound in the store. This is a long-running rumor that has been going around and is simply not true. The closest true statement that you make is that they play demo songs that sound impressive on the systems, but I guarantee you are more than welcome to bring in your own examples.
Next time you go to a Bose store, try this: Ask an employee to show you where the acoustic treatment is for the theater room or have them show you where they add all the extra amplification or hidden speakers, or anything like that. They won't be able to show it to you because it simply isn't there. The only aspect that might make it sound more impressive than in someone's home is the fact that it is in an enclosed room.
You have every right to feel any way you want to about the products, but it is simply not true that they try to fool customers in their stores.
@Drake2005
Outperform?! It has been laboratory tested that Bose surround sound speaker systems DO NOT reproduce the full range of human hearing. That is reprehensible.
Most blurays don't have lossless audio? When you get yourself one check back with me.
Go to one of their stores where I can't do any comparisons with other brands? A very foolish way to part with my money.
If you're happy with your Bose stuff so be it. But this is a tech site and most readers of this site want to know specifications for the expensive electronic equipment they're looking into buying. Even simple things like power output and signal to noise ratios are glaringly missing from Bose ads. Wonder why?
@brenro
"BOSE is also famous for fooling around with their testing facilities in shops. They use high-quality processors that you don't get as a consumer in order to make the sound 'better' in shops."
Ok I have to start with this one I know it wasn't you that posted it but it is with the same line.
They offer a 30 day full money back warranty. On all their Headphones and Systems.
You can buy the product Test it and if you don't like it RETURN it for a full refund. I don't see where the problem is in that. I mean friking Apple charges you 10% for returning a product if you don't like it.
Take the system home test it and make and if you think you can find better headphones cool you get them...
And I have spent time in their stores comparing Headphones and systems. The military uses Bose on some of their products , Aviators love their Aviation headphones and hell there is even a video in You tube about a suspension system created by them.
I mean if you want to argue that they make cheap pieces of crap product....
@Drake2005
Your lack of knowledge makes you a prime target for the Bose marketing machine.
The Army and Air Force had a contract for noise canceling headphones from Bose in the 1980's. Long story short, after wasting millions of dollars, the contract was canceled due to the fact that not only did the headsets not work, they were shoddily constructed.
Having spent most of my life in aviation I can tell you that any discerning pilot wears Sennheiser or David Clark headsets.
Stanton DJ Pro 3000. Approved by Tiesto. Technics, approved by Armin van Buuren. Bose and Monster are shit compared to these.
Well that's annoying. They took the IE # model format from Sennheiser.
Wait $100 for Bose? Even $129, what a ripoff... Especially when you try Grado or Ultimate Ears, Your ear will be bored big time :)
I'll stick with my Klipsch image s4's. For $80 they are the best bang for your buck.
Logitech ftw
Thats alright, I"ve already ordered my Monster Mobile Jamz headset, should be here tomorrow as a matter of fact! I"ve heard they're BOSS and cannot wait to test them out. = )
bose is a great brand. better than klipssht or somethin with an 'i' somewhere.
Better Sound through Prolonged Marketing
The average consumer doesn't know any better. They step into a Bose store, get a demo packed with mid-range frequencies and walk away impressed. "Really? I can get all that lifelike sound out of those tiny speakers?" NO. Thankfully that can all be undone by a solid salesperson with a quality demo of a decent speaker line. Pick one. Even horn-loaded models like Klipsch more accurately reproduce full-range material.