Bose® MIE2i Mobile Headset

These are the sixth or seventh set of earbuds I've had for a succession of iPods and iPhones. I'm slightly hard of hearing, and I've gone for the 'phones that get best reviews for sound. Before these, the best I've had were the Klipsch s4i; those produce great sound, and good noise isolation, but I had to jam them so far into the ear canal that they got uncomfortable after a short while, or if I were sweating.The Bose 'phones don't get quite so far into the bass as the Klipsch, but nothing I've ever tried beats them for clarity of overall sound. Nothing else even comes close. I find myself hearing lyrics clearly for the first time; the overall crispness and balance is absolutely amazing. I don't miss the pounding bass at all.And I've decided, after wearing these for a couple of days, that noise isolation is over-rated. Sure, I can hear what's going on around me, but the same holds true when I hear music live, or listen over a speaker system. With the clarity of sound that Bose delivers, my attention is focussed on the music, even in a coffee shop where there are people talking at neighboring tables. I've even found that I can listen comfortably at significantly lower volumes and still distinguish the words and hear every riff and arpeggio distinctly.And speaking of comfort. Wow! When I first put these on, I was sure that they were going to fall out, because I wasn't able to jam them into my ear canal. Didn't happen. These ear pieces sit most lightly, and they never budge! (I did find that the large tips fit my ears better and feel more secure than the medium tips that are on the ear pieces coming out of the box.) I can wear these for hours, and I feel no discomfort whatever. And because I'm listening at lower volumes, and the 'phones are not isolating me from my environment, I don't even have to take them out when I'm dealing with a cashier at a store or getting a grocery list from my wife.Construction quality seems superb; the cables are thick and fairly stiff, so they don't tend to tangle. The "Stay Hear" tips clip into place, so that I can be virtually certain that I won't have the problem I've had with other earbuds (especially the Apple In-Ear units) that the tip stays in my ear when I pull the bud out.The MIE2i handles the iPhone functions just fine, although, like with most iPhone headsets, it takes some practice to feel the inline controls with precision, so that you don't stop the music accidentally when you just meant to change the volume; double-clicking is just as sensitive and tricky as it is on other iPhone sets. Clarity at both ends is excellent, and the stiffness of the cables keeps the mike from rubbing on my clothes and generating noise.The only negative thing I have to say about the Bose is that they are glaringly ugly. The cables are a bizarre black-and-white swirl; combine that unfortunate design decision with the fact that the shape of the buds and the stiffness of the cable causes the cables to stick out from your ear further than most earbuds, and the whole thing calls attention to itself and looks more than a little ridiculous. [Update: The cables relax over time, and though I still think that a uniform black (or white) would be more attractive, the buds don't seem nearly as ugly as they did when I first wrote the review. BTW, they are really, really durable; I use them all the time, and they are still sound and work just as well as they did when I bought them nearly three years ago.]Still, if you're looking for great sound and awesome comfort in a pair of earbuds that you're likely to be using for a long time, look no further than the Bose MIE2i. Worth every penny.

***Summary***Allow me to start off by saying that overall, I believe this is one of the best headsets on the market. While I may not be a true audiophile, I do spend a great deal of time everyday listening to music (probably 8-10 hours a day) and care very much about the quality of my headset. As such, I decided to order this set on Amazon to see if they are worth the hype.Comfort - 9/10To me, comfort is the most important aspect of a headset, ranking even higher than sound quality. Even a headset with superb quality can be a major disappointment if it is uncomfortable to wear and/or keeps falling out of your ears *cough* Klipsch S4i *cough* and in this respect I am happy to report the Bose MIE2i are among the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn. I was a little apprehensive when I first put them in, as I was unsure if they were situated properly or not, but after several minutes of use I was amazed at how great they feel. Rather than trying to jam these into your ears like many other types of headphones, they simply rest just inside your outer ear, projecting sound towards your ear canal. They feel like they're floating in place, thanks in so small part to the lightweight design.Sound quality - 8/10Now on to sound quality. Because it is such a subjective topic, it's hard to say definitively whether once headset sounds better than another. However, rest assured the sound quality coming out of this set of cans is excellent. Not the best I've ever heard - I'd still argue the Klipsch S4's sound better - but these still sound fantastic. Mids and highs come through nice and clear and there's just enough bass to keep things balanced. Overall sound clarity is superb.Durability - 7/10While the actual earpieces and ear inserts appear well-made and rugged, the cable leaves something to be desired. It's a little thinner than I would have expected from a headset in this price range and I could see it splitting and flaking off down the road with heavy use. The included travel case should help keep these safe outside the house, but I would have rather had a solid plastic or metal case rather than the cloth binder-like case that's included.Value - 5/10Here's where we come to the major downside to these headphones - the bang for your buck. Now, I think it's safe to say we all know Bose products are overpriced. That's just a fact of life. You're paying for the brand, but unlike the vastly inferior Beats by Dre headphones Bose customers have to come to expect great quality products. While these headphones are certainly a high quality set, I believe they fall short of their $130 (or $99 if you decide to go with the version without a microphone) price tag. $75 - $80 would seem like a much more reasonable price for this set, especially considering what the competition is offering.Conclusion - Four StarsTo sum things up, I have to dock a star from this headset due to the high price tag and questionable build quality of the cable. Otherwise, this is a fantastic headset with excellent sound quality and one of the most comfortable designs I've ever tried. If you're a fan of Bose products or very picky about your headphones, I would definitely give these a try. Otherwise, I would only purchase these if you can find them for under a $100.