Bose Sport Earbuds

True Wireless in-ears especially for active sportspeople

In a nutshell

Bose’s Sport Earbuds vare sound-engineered and haptically high-quality wireless in-ears that bring music, podcasts and radio plays to your ears in a simple and straightforward way. Thanks to the StayHear Max ear inserts, they fit perfectly and don’t get out of position even when you sweat. Functionally, there could be more remote controls as well as more app features, which would make a good system into an excellent system and provide more value for money. But for the ambitious athlete, as well as for the demanding listener, Bose Sport Earbuds are definitely a good choice with a little bit of room for improvement.

With a firm fit, good sound and robust design, Bose offer their new completely wireless Sport Earbuds primarily to the demanding sports and work-out market, who want exactly these characteristics for their sweat-inducing activities: a firm fit, good sound and robust design.

Warm up

If you take the Bose Sport Earbuds in your hand and compare them with the new Bose QuietComfort Earbuds you might think that the QuietComfort are Sport Earbuds on steroids or that the Sport Earbuds have not been taking their tablets. In direct comparison, the Sport Earbuds do not seem so massive and heavy, which is of course due to the fact that they do not have active noise suppression, whose electronics and microphones add quite a noticeable volume and weight to headphones. Also, the charging case is significantly smaller compared to the larger model.

Without this direct comparison, I found the Bose Sport Earbuds comfortably sized and handy, and the case was solid and pocket-friendly, which makes sense as it is more likely to be placed in your sports bag.

In addition to the in-ears, Bose supplies its patented StayHear ear inserts with wings in three sizes (S, M and L), here called “StayHear Max”. These allow the in-ears to fit firmly and tightly in the ear, providing a well-engineered seal while still allowing enough air to circulate, which is much more comfortable during sweaty activities. Speaking of moisture: the Sport Earbuds withstand rain and sweat thanks to their IPX04 protection rating.

A connection to your player is made quickly and easily via Bluetooth 5.1 as soon as they are removed from their case. Subsequently, a button on the charging case helps you to search for further devices. On first use, you are prompted to download the Bose Music App (iOS or Android), in which you can (regrettably) only adjust some settings on the in-ears after a mandatory registration, and here a device list can be maintained where you can quickly switch between players. Multipoint connections are not possible with the Sport Earbuds. SBC and AAC are the codec supported, which could be considered to be a bit of a sparse set of options, even so, the Sport Earbuds still deliver good sound into your ears.

Sound performance

The Bose Sport Earbuds present a well-rounded sound image that delivers a good punch with a rich bass, which is powerful and present in the depths. The mids are clean and smooth across the board, and the clear and transparent trebles are clearly distinguished, allowing fatigue-free listening even during longer training sessions. With a process called “Active EQ”, Bose permanently adjusts the bass range and keeps it present even at low volumes, so that the listening impression is not too thin or dull, which I found very pleasant. All in all, the tuning of the Sport Earbuds is very successful and confident. They are not upset by either driving guitars or complex sound structures. The combination of good fit and an excellent sound from these in-ears means that you are sure to be motivated for another round of training.

Control at ear

Both in-ears have a feedback-free sensor area on the back, which unfortunately can only be used to perform a few actions: start, stop and call control all called up by two taps on the right side. On the left side, an individual shortcut function can be set in the app; either check the charge status or jump forward in the programme. That’s all. To change the volume or repeat the last track, the player must be removed from your sports bag, which can be up to 9 metres away before the Bluetooth signal stutters or breaks off. Telephone calls can be accepted or rejected, the voice quality of which was quite clear and easy to hear thanks to microphones directed towards the mouth.

Work-out with the app

While the remote functions are clearly arranged, the offer in the app is meagre. In the app you can define the shortcut for the left in-ear, manage the list of players and activate a wearer recognition that pauses the programme as soon as you take the right earphone out of your ear. Otherwise, the Sport Earbuds can be renamed – names like “Double Trouble” or “Afterburner” are offered. All in all, this is not quite sufficient for me and an EQ – no matter how simply or elaborately designed – was something that I really missed. Bose should think about this and give it a little more software, preferably with more remote functions.

Charging performance

The Sport Earbuds fit into the charging case with a magnetic snap that works well and safely charges the in-ears twice, for five hours playing time each, resulting in a net playing time of 15 hours. This is good but not outstanding. For those in a hurry, the in-ears can be charged for two hours of play in 15 minutes. The charging case itself draws power from a USB-C socket, for which a USB-A to USB-C cable is supplied.