This is the Freestyle, Bose's new $129.95 (£114.95, AU$179.95) earbud-style headphone, which comes in Indigo and Ice Blue, and complements the existing IE2, SIE2i, and MIE2i in-ear headphones but does not replace them.
Floating 'buds
As with all of Bose's earbud-style headphones, this is the in-ear headphone for people who don't like to have eartips jammed into their ears. The buds are designed to sit loosely in your ears, but they're held in place by Bose's StayHear tips, which feature a soft silicon wing-like design and come in three different sizes.
I really like the fit -- the medium-size Stay-Hear tips worked well with my ears and kept the buds locked in. I think most people will find these earphones very comfortable, but because of their open design, they do let a lot of sound in, so they're not good for noisy environments (Bose also makes theQuietComfort 20, an impressive high-end noise-canceling version of this headphone, but it costs $300).
If the headphone looks familiar, that's because it's not so different from its cousins. What you're looking at are some small design improvements and a rebranding of an existing product rather than a truly new product. In some ways this is Bose's attempt to loosen up a bit and appeal to a younger audience with more fun, eye-catching color choices. The earphone itself is probably most similar to Bose's SIE2i sports model but has a different, arguably superior cord design. Like that model, the Freestyle is also sweat and water-resistant.
The SIE2i comes with a default shorter cord for those who want to use the headphone with an armband (an armband case is included), as well as extender cable that ends up making everything a little too long. The 45.3-inch (115 cm) cable on the Freestyle is a medium-length cable that feels long enough without being too long.
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