Frames

I remember the first time I switched on the Bose noise cancelling headphones - the first model that came out, some 20 years ago. It was a jaw-dropping experience, as flying on a noisy jet aircraft, I suddenly found myself is a quiet library. And then when I played the music, I was teleported to a concert hall. Have been using them - the original QuietComfort and then the wireless (Bluetooth) QuietComfort 35 ever since.

2020 is of course a non-fly year, so the headphones sit in my suitcase waiting for the vaccine. But thanks to the travel cuts I have now much more time to walk in the countryside, which I enjoy a lot. Recently I have brought back the idea of listening to audiobooks on the run. It is an interesting saga of technology (or rather product) failures, which I will continue describing soon.

But this week it is not about a failure, as the next product from Bose I have tried, is bringing similarly jaw-dropping experience. The Bose Frames. I opted for the 2nd generation sporty model - the Tempo. It has the style I prefer for outdoor activities, as well as it comes with some nice improvements, such as the standard USB-C charging port.

Nevertheless, flipping the switch on the Frames for the first time brought the same wow effect I experienced with the QuietComfort. Of course the Frames do not cancel noise. They do the opposite - they let everything through. Naturally. As there is nothing in your ears. But the quality of the audio experience is concert hall - like. I like Apple AirPods for their lightness and unobtrusive ear fit. But the Frames elevate that experience to a new level. The audio is better and the connection with reality is undisturbed. Of course they will not work for activities in noisy environments. But I do my trail runs in woods in a national park. And I do them in the morning, now starting even when it is completely dark. It is an unbelievable theatrical experience to listen to a good play walking through the woods in the dark. This week it has been the Changeling, a play about the haunted Wenshire Forest - something exactly to listen in a forest when dark :). Of course after dawn the sound remains the same, very immersive.

The Frames also excel at user experience. I have already mentioned the no-fuss USB-C charging port (Apple, do you listen?). There is just one button to operate them, so no danger you will press a wrong one :). And beautifully working touch-slide volume control, which is probably the most missing feature in AirPods. Bose have really nailed it.