These Bose headphones set themselves apart with their deliberately compact and stylish design. The tediously titled ‘Around Ears' are something of a rarity in being full, over-ear hi-fi cans that you can take out and wear in public without, frankly, looking rather silly.
Bose technology to the fore
And part of their compact design – as well as their performance – is due to Bose's clever ‘Triport' technology: essentially, as the name suggests, three small ports on each ear enclosure, and an equalised tonal balance that creates, the company claims, a rich performance that you would normally get only from bigger headphones.
And, as a pair of cans you might use on the train, they work remarkably well. They're incredibly comfortable to wear, don't leak much sound – unlike the open-backed designs here – and offer an accomplished performance with a generous midrange, reasonable detail and acceptable lashings of deep yet punchy bass.
Our only minor problem is with a slight lack of purity to the upper bass and a treble that can be pushed to harshness on occasions.
If you're looking for over-ear cans with which you can take to the streets, this isn't a bad place to start looking.
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