Apple In-Ear vs Bose In-Ear earphones
The new Apple In-Ear earphones are a very practical solution for iPhone/iPod Touch users who wants remote controller and (in the case of iPod Touch) mic functionality. And, thanks to the dual-driver, they sound good, too.
Bose headphones are known for reproducing details in sound, and In-Ear earphones are no exception. You can hear every little instrument that is used in a song. Also, it is good at creating the sense of space, so that the listener feels specific sound comes from specific direction, instead of all sounds come from same general direction. Bose In-Ear earphones are designed to produce rich bass sound, which means mid or high range sound can be overwhelmed by bass. To avoid it, you need to set your equalizer to “treble boost”.
Apple In-Ear comes with silicon tips, which I recommend to replace with foam tips. Foam tips improves the sound quality, and they isolate ambient noises better. Bose In-Ear has quite peculiar design. It is compromise between in-ear and earbud. The silicon tips are supposed to aim at your ear canal, without blocking it completely like other in-ear earphones. It means other people around you can hear the music, so it is not advisable to use it in a library, for example. But, it may help you to pay attention to the traffic around you, so it will be great if you walk around on a busy street.
Concerning the silicon tip size, I tried the large ones, because they felt more secure. But, my ears began to hurt after a few hours, so I replace them with the middle size. In the beginning, they felt as if they would fall off at any moment, but I ran with them in my ears for an hour without any problem.
In summary, if you have an iPhone/iPod Touch, Apple In-Ear will be more practical, since they are cheaper, and have remote controller and mic. Besides, you will not notice sound difference if you use them outdoors a lot. However, if you use earphone mostly indoors, where absolute quiet is not required, then Bose In-Ear earphones will provide better sound. I think they worth the $30 extra you have to pay compared to Apple In-Ear.
