Bose AE2 – My joyful favorites for a long period happen to be in-the-ear-type headphones. Begun off with Shure e2c then e5, then Etymotic ER6i, ultimately ER4P which is king with the street to my ears. Although definitely wonderful sounding, have constantly had to battle to suit them specifically right with the ears for good reaction specifically bass (the “good air seal” thing). Used different ear cushions, moisteners, tugged & pushed them way in (often irritating ears), etc, with great results only sometimes. If you have to take them out (to hear somebody talking), same hassle to get them back in.

So by chance tried listening to the Bose enclosed-around-the-ear AE2 at an electronics store. At their price point and weight & size, was quite surprised by the “demo music” and the comfortable wearing (and no fitting hassles!), enough to give them a buy try. At home, continued to be impressed, specifically by the bass…

I know some Amazon reviews stating the bass is fairly unremarkable in these headphones (won’t blow you away). However, came across a professional review which said the low-end equalization on the AE2 has been “sculpted” by Bose (had to look that word up), that the listening curve is boosted at the very low end (50hz and below), and weaker with the medium-low range (80-125hz). Have pretty much confirmed this–super low bass is definitely there with a vengeance IF it exists with the material you are listening to (big “IF”). Moderate lows won’t rattle your brains like some headphones. But the super lows will. If you want to hear for yourself, put on the AE2′s with some music with extensive low-end organ, bass guitar, string bass or tuba, or thunder effects. Better yet, run such a soundtrack thru a graphic equalizer (e.g., Windows Media Player’s equalizer) with a 3db boost with the 31 and 62hz bands. Then for comparison, reduce 31hz and 62hz and boost the 125hz slider, and see if the AE2′s don’t sound more like those garden-variety boomers out there.

To some extent am sure this is personal-taste. A variety of listeners undoubtedly are satisfied with and thoroughly enjoy boomy moderate bass. But for those who can perceive harmonics (the dynamics with the sound, specifically at low and high ends with the spectrum), will probably more appreciate these phones.

Being a deep bass fan, the AE2 is literally “music to my ears,” and the bass a solid 5 out of 5 in my book. The mid-range and highs also are noteworthy (about a 4.5 and 4 out of 5), just not quite as standout as the low end. The only headset in my experiences that clearly beat the AE2′s mid & treble is the in-the-ear ER4P, so silky smooth along with a striking realism across the mid-high spectrum which is tough to match. That said, the AE2′s mid and high end are also very listenable, have wonderful presence, are “crisp” as others have mentioned, and very well balance the lows (and super lows).

Deep bass is helped by great low resonance with the AE2, but I think also by a slight de-emphasis with the rest with the spectrum, resulting in a slightly higher power requirement for the same loudness as other headphones. My Samsung Fascinate smartphone produces just enough audio power to drive the AE2, and Windows 7 audio on the typical laptop seems to too, so probably no biggie for most listeners.

Another point is the “sound isolation”. The AE2′s enclosed-around-the-ear design is better than on-the-ear or against-the-ear at isolating noise, but doesn’t hold a candle to the in-the-ear varieties. Properly fit, my in-the-ear ER4P can get as high as 30-40db external noise isolation (which is Actually quiet, great in airplanes!). Since Bose publishes absolutely no technical specs on the AE2, would estimate that they do maybe 12-15db isolation–ok for the quiet office or home environment, but not enough to filter out airplane noise. (Don’t even talk to me about electronic noise cancelling– there are much better, cheaper, more natural ways to exclude external noise).

All around, Bose AE2 is a definitely comfortable, nice-sounding headset for casual use, and fairly portable for trips (but I don’t think isolating enough for flying). They definitely step up to the plate on bass if you appreciate LOW bass, and aren’t bad with the rest with the spectrum, best of all instant great sound without any fiddling! (Note: if you have big ears, may not fit.) Recommend.

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