Bose SoundTrue Ultra is an interesting product from Bose that caught my eye. What does it propose? Good sound, a new “Stay on” design, and convenient features to boot. Let’s see how SoundTrue Ultra fares on all these fronts.
Sound Performance:
The first impression that you get from the sound of the SoundTrue Ultra’s is that it is well-balanced. Unlike many earphones and headphones, the sound doesn't tilt towards a specific frequency. Having said that, the earphones do lack deeper bass out-of-the-box, and no this doesn't come from me listening to music with bass pumped up. At first, I kept thinking that I had inserted the earphones incorrectly which is often the case of loss of bass in earphones design. But no Bose’s SoundTrue Ultra bass sounds lean, especially in tracks such as Some Nights by Fun or X-Ambassadors "Renegades" (Reed Streets Remix) where most of the fun comes from good bass drums.
Though, once you get used to the sound, you’ll begin to pick subtleties of music that you didn't know existed. This, however, doesn't mean that this is an “audiophile” grade piece of equipment but it is pretty damn good. All the music was very enjoyable, not once will your ears complain of flattened drums, over-bearing mids or noisy highs. One thing I didn’t like is the fact that the volume is lower than most earphones which is rather silly, let the user decide the volume as more often than not travel earphones are used in noisy environments, whether one has noise isolation or not.
The Most Comfortable Fit:
The earphones look rather weird and I couldn't figure how to wear them. Once you see how the earphones need to be placed in the ears correctly, you’ll be pleasantly surprised how nice and well the “StayHear” Ultra tips work.
First, they fit very snug; you’ll never feel that they’ll fall off even with vigorous moments. In most traditional designs, the earphone paddings hang on to the ears to stay on, StayHear Ultra tips work differently with a winged design that sits in the ear to support the earphones rather than stress the ear cavity for staying on.
Second the earphones are shaped and angled in such a way that they isolate and direct the sound well into the ear. No sound leakage, just pure sound. This brings me to the caution that these ought not to be used outside while walking or jogging; you aren’t going to hear anything outside, perhaps the lower volume works well to the advantage here.
Oh, No Lock-ins Please:
Bose has included the ability to call upon Siri or Google right through the headset controls which allows you to control your music. On iOS, you can additionally navigate your playlist with voice commands. A real nice touch and quite thoughtful. Unfortunately, the same cannot said of the volume keys, if using a SoundTrue Ultra meant for Apple devices on Android device, you cannot increase/decrease volume. Err…isn’t this counter-productive Mr.Bose? Apparently this is the after-effect of the eco-system lock-in, a minor inconvenience but if I’m paying this much money, then I’d want everything working all right and on any device. So keep that in mind before you purchase one.
Final Word:
I really loved the Bose SoundTrue Ultra’s sound. It is clean, clear and enjoyable, plus the design is super comfortable. Considering everything, it’s a definite recommend. However, for the price I wish I wouldn’t have to put up with the niggling issues that come with this.
Price: - Rs. 11,138
Bose SoundTrue Ultra in-ear headphones - Apple devices (White)
Bose SoundTrue Ultra in-ear headphones - Samsung and Android devices (Black)
What You’ll Love
- Good sound
- Well designed and comfortable Ear tips
- Thoughtful over-all design
- Passive noise isolation
- Has Android or Apple products specific controls
- Thoughtful carry pouch
What You Won’t
- Volume is lower than most earphones
- Lesser “bass” out of the box, needs EQ-ing
- Ecosystem lock-in
- Price
By- Nikhil Rastogi
 |
| Bose SoundTrue Ultra’s are weirdly smarter looking buggers |
Sound Performance:
The first impression that you get from the sound of the SoundTrue Ultra’s is that it is well-balanced. Unlike many earphones and headphones, the sound doesn't tilt towards a specific frequency. Having said that, the earphones do lack deeper bass out-of-the-box, and no this doesn't come from me listening to music with bass pumped up. At first, I kept thinking that I had inserted the earphones incorrectly which is often the case of loss of bass in earphones design. But no Bose’s SoundTrue Ultra bass sounds lean, especially in tracks such as Some Nights by Fun or X-Ambassadors "Renegades" (Reed Streets Remix) where most of the fun comes from good bass drums.
 |
| The unique shape of the Bose SoundTrue Ultra’s (without StayHear tips) |
Though, once you get used to the sound, you’ll begin to pick subtleties of music that you didn't know existed. This, however, doesn't mean that this is an “audiophile” grade piece of equipment but it is pretty damn good. All the music was very enjoyable, not once will your ears complain of flattened drums, over-bearing mids or noisy highs. One thing I didn’t like is the fact that the volume is lower than most earphones which is rather silly, let the user decide the volume as more often than not travel earphones are used in noisy environments, whether one has noise isolation or not.
The Most Comfortable Fit:
The earphones look rather weird and I couldn't figure how to wear them. Once you see how the earphones need to be placed in the ears correctly, you’ll be pleasantly surprised how nice and well the “StayHear” Ultra tips work.
 |
| The correct way to insert for the earphones to fit snuggly |
First, they fit very snug; you’ll never feel that they’ll fall off even with vigorous moments. In most traditional designs, the earphone paddings hang on to the ears to stay on, StayHear Ultra tips work differently with a winged design that sits in the ear to support the earphones rather than stress the ear cavity for staying on.
 |
| All three sizes (S, M,L) of ear tips come in the package, smartly coloured differently too to avoid confusion |
Second the earphones are shaped and angled in such a way that they isolate and direct the sound well into the ear. No sound leakage, just pure sound. This brings me to the caution that these ought not to be used outside while walking or jogging; you aren’t going to hear anything outside, perhaps the lower volume works well to the advantage here.
 |
| The T-joint and tangle resistant wires ensure you don’t get caught in a wirey mess |
Oh, No Lock-ins Please:
Bose has included the ability to call upon Siri or Google right through the headset controls which allows you to control your music. On iOS, you can additionally navigate your playlist with voice commands. A real nice touch and quite thoughtful. Unfortunately, the same cannot said of the volume keys, if using a SoundTrue Ultra meant for Apple devices on Android device, you cannot increase/decrease volume. Err…isn’t this counter-productive Mr.Bose? Apparently this is the after-effect of the eco-system lock-in, a minor inconvenience but if I’m paying this much money, then I’d want everything working all right and on any device. So keep that in mind before you purchase one.
 |
| She’s happy ‘cause she used the correct earphones with the device |
Final Word:
I really loved the Bose SoundTrue Ultra’s sound. It is clean, clear and enjoyable, plus the design is super comfortable. Considering everything, it’s a definite recommend. However, for the price I wish I wouldn’t have to put up with the niggling issues that come with this.
Price: - Rs. 11,138
Bose SoundTrue Ultra in-ear headphones - Apple devices (White)
Bose SoundTrue Ultra in-ear headphones - Samsung and Android devices (Black)
What You’ll Love
- Good sound
- Well designed and comfortable Ear tips
- Thoughtful over-all design
- Passive noise isolation
- Has Android or Apple products specific controls
- Thoughtful carry pouch
What You Won’t
- Volume is lower than most earphones
- Lesser “bass” out of the box, needs EQ-ing
- Ecosystem lock-in
- Price
By- Nikhil Rastogi
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