Bose Soundsport Free
Built with sporty types in mind, the Soundsport Free in-ears are both sweat- and water-resistant, and have a rugged feel – their appearance could best be described as chunky. There are three finishes: Triple Black, Midnight Blue or Bright Orange.
The buds are neatly held in place by Bose’s Stayhear tips, featuring wings that rest against the inside of your ear for stability. A number of options are included, so finding a decent fit shouldn’t be a problem.
Despite their sporty overtones, the Soundsport Frees have more than enough in their locker to appeal to the casual commuter as well. They boast five hours of battery life, and the solid plastic case doubles as a charger for an extra ten hours of power.
While some rivals have only basic track skipping and play/pause functions, the Soundsport Frees also offer the ability to change volume. It all works fine, although the volume buttons are a bit fiddly.
The buds manage to create a good seal without it feeling as if you’ve just undergone invasive surgery. These aren’t noisecancelling buds, so you will hear more of your surroundings, especially the higher frequencies; whether this is a good or bad thing depends on your requirements.
Overall, the buds deliver a sonic flavour much in keeping with other Bose wireless in-ears. It’s a bold but balanced sound with rich and weighty bass, and a solid and presentation that works well across a wide range of music genres. Highs aren’t wrapped in cotton wool, nor do they sound excitable or bright.
We play The Weeknd’s The Hills and the tune’s deep and foreboding bassline hits with force, driving the song along with a sense of purpose. It’s tight and well-defined – the shifts in weight and depth easy to differentiate. Highs sound crisp, but the fact they’re a bit rolled-off means there’s no harshness to upset things.
We switch to the Pirates Of The Caribbean At World’s End soundtrack and the Soundsport Free headphones capture the swell of rolling bass and percussion well, delivering the track as a single entertaining package.
When we first tested these earbuds, our only issue was with connectivity, with the left and right earpieces losing their connection to each other on numerous occasions – a problem not uncommon with true wireless headphones. Bose has since issued a software update, which seems to have fixed the problem; and so our rating jumps from the original four stars to five.