Bose Sport Earbuds less sound quality in comparison with SoundSport Wireless

[W_Romeo]

After 4 years waiting for a successor for the Bose SoundSport Wireless and Bose SoundSport Free...finally I could pre-order the Bose Sport Earbuds and they arrived today (25-09) in the morning as one of the first users (country\location Holland). When I put them on I immediately heard the lower sound quality difference in comparison with the SoundSport Wireless. The sound of the Sport is muffled and narrow where the SoundSport Wireless is spacious and crispy! I used to have the SoundSport Free also, but returned them because of the mono calling feature. Sound quality of the Wireless and Free are almost the same. The Soundsport Wireless was therefore my number 1 in use. After 4 hours intensive use and playback on the Sport and back to back switching with the SoundSport Wireless the difference is still noticeable. The sound quality is really important for me and I'm really disappointed in the sound quality of the Sport 😞

What did I try?
- Tried all 3 eartips according to the manual (experienced user because of SoundSport). Number 2 (default) is best fit\sound for me;
- No new firmware according to Bose Music app or BTU (https://btu.bose.com/). Current firmware is 1.0.7;
- Reboot\reset (30 sec bluetooth button pressed according to manual);
- 4 hours music playback for "warming up" the speakers;

My questions:

1. Does anyone have the same experience with the Sport VS SoundSport Wireless or Free?
2. Does anyone have both the Bose Sport Earbuds and the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds? Do you notice a difference in sound quality? I didn't took the QC because I get headaches with ANC, but if the sound quality is better...maybe I should take them and turn ANC off. Turning ANC off also kills the sound quality most of the time, so is this still an option then? QC are bigger, so maybe better sound drivers...
3. To Bose: Is there a program for beta testing and can I join this? Maybe there is a bug causing the sound quality...or just maybe I got a faulty batch\item.

Either way I really love my Bose ecosystem (a lot of Bose products here), but this setback is giving me second thoughts on the earbuds area.

[Charlotte_G]

Hey @W_Romeo, welcome to the Bose Community, it's great to have you here! 

Awesome to hear that you've received your Bose Sports Earbuds already. 😁 It's unusual that you're not experiencing exceptional audio quality, but we would love to gather some additional information to ensure that you're experiencing the Sport Earbuds as intended.  

Please could you provide the following information:

- Make, model, and OS version of the device you have them connected to

- What kind of audio are you listening to? Please provide any examples of music/tracks, etc.

- Are you listening via streaming services or locally stored files? Are there any particular apps that you're using?

- Have you tested the earbuds with any alternative devices?

I look forward to hearing back from you.

[davidmelis]

Very awesome that you received your new Sport Earbuds!  In my part of the world, it looks like it will still be a few days before anyone gets theirs in the mail. I own both the SoundSport Wireless and the SoundSport Free as you have, so I am commenting in order to “subscribe” to this thread to hear how your experience turns out. 

I know that headphone design is always a series of choices and compromises. I am always amazed how each model of headphones, even from the same manufacturer, sound different from each other. At the same time, I am always impressed also with how consistent Bose produces quality sound throughout their product lines. When I first got my SoundSport Free, I thought they sounded worse than my SoundSport Wireless. Overtime I changed my opinion discovering that the SoundSport Free were actually more accurate with a tad more detail and a tighter bass. I know that our impression of sound quality varies with our physiology and psychology. I can listen to my best cans one day and think they sound different than they did the day before. It is amazing how the brain works and how much we often reference “good” with what we are accustomed to. 

Anyway, enough of a ramble.  🙂  Interested to hear your further impressions of the new Sport Earbuds over time. 

[W_Romeo]

@Charlotte_G :

Thanks for your welcome and support. Additional information:

- iPhone X, iOS14. I have the same experience at my Windows 10 Version 2004 laptop;

- Streaming Spotify @320Kbps (Also tested with YouTube, SoundCloud and local files, same experience):

You & Me - Flume Remix - Disclosure, Eliza Doolittle, Flume
Green & Gold - Lianne La Havas
Under Your Skin - De Sluwe Vos, Barbara Ford

The highs\voices are more flat and not crispy. In the mid the dynamic, details and space is missing in comparison to the SoundSport Wireless.

@davidmelis :

Thanks for your honest reply. You are right in the emotional part. Music\sound is emotion, an experience and most of all...a feeling! So my reaction was also more emotional when I heard the Sport in comparison with the SoundSport Wireless after 4 years of waiting like a fan. The Sport isn't "bad". They just sound "less" in my experience. I also changed "bad quality" into "less quality" in the title to take the "emotion" out 😉

When I received the SoundSport Free in 2017 I immediately heard and felt they stepped up, because of the more detail, crisp and tighter bass. So I totally agree you with that! The SoundSport Free was my best sound experience in earbuds. However, with de stereo calling feature in the SoundSport Wireless, this was the overall winner.

[W_Romeo]

Update:

I just ordered the Bose QC earbuds so I can compare all three earbuds. I'm curious if the QC and the Sport have exact the same sound profile (preferably with ANC turned off). Hopefully the QC is more like the SoundSport Wireless or the SoundSport Free in the sound department.

Nevertheless, I'm still waiting for Bose to reply on my last post and other questions...

[Charlotte_G]

@W_Romeo Thanks for much for getting back to us with your feedback! Great song choices.👌 As the quality you are experiencing seems to be all-round and not with a specific device or source, it would be great to hear your comparison with the QuietComfort Earbuds when you receive them. The audio performance should not majorly differ, so if you find that the Sports Earbuds sound completely different from the QuietComfort Earbuds, then we should absolutely look into this further. 

I just wanted to also touch basis on the question you had about Beta testing. We don't currently have any openings for this, but we do appreciate your interest.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

@davidmelis You make some really great points too! I absolutely agree with you that sound is subjective and many factors can change the way things are heard. We're really excited for you to try your Sports Earbuds and can't wait to hear what you think. 😁

[W_Romeo]

Last Monday I received an update regarding my Bose QC earbuds delivery. At first it would be delivered at Tuesday  (06-10), but it is delayed for 4 weeks now. This gave me new thoughts and perspective of what I want. I really like the Bose SoundSport Wireless and want to spend my energy on other important stuff. Therefore I’m cancelling my Bose QC earbuds and returning my Bose Sport Earbuds today.

After 2 months I will check again for the Bose QC earbuds. By then the stock is possibly full and fast delivery is possible at many retailers. Early bugfixes and user wishes are more likely to be implemented at that time. In the meantime I’m going to “rest” and focus on other priorities. I’m always open for product testing and Bose can contact me for that.

Regarding user wishes, here are my user wishes\requests for the Bose QC\Sport Earbuds:

- Use the sound profile\quality of the Bose SoundSport Free;

- Volume controls \ more shortcut possibilities on the earbuds;

- Faster switching from devices (use the new iPhone iOS14 widgets to select the device? And the widgets for Android);

[davidmelis]

W_Romeo, I have yet to receive and review the Bose QC Earbuds nor the Bose sport earbuds.  Yet, for what it is worth, CNET came out with their review today. I generally respect and agree with David Conner’s ear and taste for sound. Here is what he had to say about the Sport:

”They don't sound quite as dynamic and their bass doesn't go quite as deep as the bass on the QuietComfort Earbuds, but they're well-balanced with nice detail and punchy bass.” - CNET.com

I will post my own impressions when I can. 

[W_Romeo]

@davidmelis: I saw the full review of both earbuds on CNET the same day! They clearly hear a difference between the earbuds, regarding the sound quality, and I too value their opinion. Last Saturday I saw with a coincidence the QC earbuds on stock at a retailer and ordered it. They will arrive tonight around 20:00 CEST. I'll let you know how they sound.

[W_Romeo]

I received the QC two hours earlier than expected.

First impression: The QC has the same muffled sound profile like the Sport, but the QC has a little bit more detail versus the Sport. When I use the QC without ANC I hear a hiss sound in the background. I will use it mostly without ANC because of my sensitivity to ANC, so this a downer for me.

Comparing to the SoundSport Wireless: Again, I immediately hear the openness, spacious and details in the SoundSport Wireless. The QC is more flat and muffled. Don’t get me wrong, all the Bose earbuds still sound better than the AirPods Pro, which is for me the standard at truly wireless earbuds.

Over time I will post my impressions and will check if my experience changes. Right now I don’t feel to keep the QC, but will check over time if this changes. Let’s see if I can get used to the new Bose sound profile.

@Charlotte_G :

This is my request for the next firmware:

- Remove the hiss sound;

- Use the sound profile\quality of the Bose SoundSport Free;

- Add customizable shortcuts on the earbuds. Volume control in this is a must;

- Improve (Bluetooth) switching from source devices (needless switching);