Bose SoundLink 2 Wireless Headphones Review

The Bose SoundLink 2 look very similar to the SoundTrue Around-Ear II and the QuietComfort 25 with a few differences. They have the same sleek and simple design that looks great and is available in different color schemes. They're well-crafted, and the suede-like padding on the headband contributes to giving these headphones a premium appeal that's eye-catching.

The Bose SoundLink Around-Ear 2 are incredibly comfortable headphones. They don't apply too much pressure to your head, and the padding used for the ear cups is very soft. That combined with their lightweight design makes you almost forget you have headphones on. The headband could you use a little more padding and the ear cups might be a little smaller than some other over-ear headphones, but you won't be disappointed with the comfortable level these headphones provide.

The Bose SoundLink AE 2 Wireless II have an efficient control scheme. They provide call/music, track-skipping, and volume controls. The buttons deliver good tactile feedback and are relatively easy-to-use. However, they feel a little cramped on the ear cup.

The SoundLink AE 2, like most closed-back headphones, do not have the most breathable design. They create a good seal around your ears which prevents a lot of airflow and will make your ears fairly warm during longer listening sessions. They will not be the most suitable option for intense workout routines but should be fine for more casual listening.

These headphones are moderately portable. They do not fold into a more compact format like the Bose QuietComfort 25 and 35, but the earcups lay flat to take up less space. They are medium-sized over-ear headphones that are not too heavy or cumbersome but they won't fit into any pockets and may need to be carried in a bag.

The Bose SoundLink II come with a decent, soft case that is only slightly bigger than the headphones. The case looks great and prevents the headphones from getting scratched or damaged. However, it doesn't offer as much protection from drops and impacts as the Quiet Comfort 35 II's case.

The Bose SoundLink 2 have a decent build quality. They feel sturdy enough to handle a couple of drops without any damage. The ear cups are relatively dense and won't break or crack easily. However, they are mostly made of plastic and don't feel as durable as some better-built over-ear headphones. The metal frame that reinforces the headband is thin and the swivel joints seem susceptible to breaking under moderate physical stress.

The Bose SoundLink AE II are above-average stable headphones. They will easily maintain their position during casual listening sessions. They have a wireless design that prevents the headphones from being yanked off your head due to the audio cable getting hooked on something. Unfortunately, like the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x, they are not sports headphones and are not tight enough on your head to stop the ear cups from swaying and slipping off your ears, when used while running.

• Bose SoundLink Around-Ear II Headphones
• Audio cable
• USB cable
• Manual
• Carrying case

The frequency response consistency is about average. As opposed to the QuietComfort 35 II that uses its noise cancelling system to calibrate the bass reponse, the SoundLink 2 doesn't have an ANC system, and therefore showed some inconsistencies in bass delivery across our human subjects. The maximum amount of deviation in the bass range is about 4dB at 40Hz, which is noticeable but not too bad. In the treble range, they show less consistency and seem to be sensitive to positioning and placement.

The bass of the SoundLink 2 is excellent. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 10Hz, which is great. Low-bass, which is responsible for thump and rumbling sounds, is within 1.5dB of our target, which is also great. Additionally, mid-bass, responsible for body and punch, and high-bass, responsible for warmth are within 1dB of our neutral target. This indicates a deep, punchy and well-balanced, that doesn't sound boomy and doesn't overpower the vocals or other instruments.

The mid-range performance of the SoundLink II is excellent. The overall response is quite even and flat, and low-mid, mid-mid, and high-mid are all within 0.6dB of our neutral target. This results in a well-balanced mid-range, which produces clear vocals and lead instruments.

The Bose SoundLink Around-Ear 2 have a good treble. The overall response is rather uneven, but well-balanced. Low-treble is overemphasized by 1.5dB, which could add a bit of excess intensity and projection to vocals and leads. The narrow but +5dB dips in mid-treble have a small but negative effect on the balance of sibilances (S and T sounds) which will be mostly noticeable on vocals and cymbals.

The imaging is good. Weighted group delay is at 0.19, which is very good. The GD graph also shows that the entire group delay response is below the audibility threshold. This indicates a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. In terms of driver matching, the L/R drivers of our test unit were well-matched in frequency response, but showed a little bit of mismatch in frequency and phase response. This could skew the stereo image slightly by making one side a bit heavier than the other.

It should be noted that this mismatch could be unique to our test unit and the one you buy may or may not have this issue.

The Bose SoundLink 2 have a sub-par soundstage. The PRTF graphs show a decent amount of pinna interaction, but with low accuracy. There's not a notch around 10KHz present either. This and the closed-back design of these headphones results in a soundstage that is perceived to be located inside the listener's head, as opposed to in-front.

The isolation performance of the SoundLink 2 is mediocre. In the bass range, where the rumble of airplane and bus engines sits, they don't provide any isolation. In the mid-range, important for blocking out speech, they achieve 14dB of isolation which is above-average. In the treble range, occupied by sharp sounds like S and Ts, they reduce outside noise by more than 32dB , which is good.

The leakage performance of the SoundLink II is decent. The significant portion of their leakage is between 400Hz and 2KHz, which is a relatively broad range. The overall level of the leakage is not very loud though. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at 40dB SPL and peaks at about 55dB SPL, which is just above the noise floor of most offices.

The SoundLink 2's microphone has an average recording quality. The LFE (low-frequency extension) of 306Hz indicates a recorded/transmitted speech that's relatively thin. The HFE (high-frequency extension) 3.5KHz results in a speech that lacks detail and is noticeably muffled. However, it'll still be decently comprehensible since speech intelligibility is mostly dependent on the 500Hz-4KHz range.

The integrated microphone of the SoundLink II is mediocre at noise handling. In our SpNR test, this mic achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 15dB, meaning they are best suited for quiet environments and may struggle to fully separate speech from ambient noise in moderate and loud places.

The Bose SoundLink Around-Ear II have a decent battery life of about 20 hours. This means you won't have to charge them as often throughout the day which makes them suitable headphones to take on long flights or road trips. They also have an adjustable timer that helps prolong the battery life. Unfortunately, like the SoundLink On-Ear, you can't use them while they're charging and they also take a quite bit of time to charge. So if you're out of battery, you won't be able to use the headphones for about 2.6 hours.

The Bose Connect app looks fancy but has a disappointing list of features. It only allows you to connect, rename, and update your headphones but doesn't provide you with an equalizer or any other sound enhancing features. On the upside, you get the battery level status, an auto-off timer you can set at different intervals and an in-app player that gives you some playback control but that's pretty much it.

Bose Connect Auto Off Timer

Update 10/18/2021: These headphones were updated to Test Bench 1.5 and their PC latency value has changed. Our previous Test Bench 1.4 measurements reported 'PC latency' at 195 ms. However, our new test bench uses an average of three measurements instead of one, resulting in a new value of 252 ms of latency on PCs. As a result, we have updated our text to better reflect test bench 1.5 measurements.

The Bose Soundlink 2 headphones can pair simultaneously with two devices and support NFC. Like the other wireless Bose models, they have an easy-to-pair power switch that you can quickly toggle to put the headphones in pairing mode. They also keep the last sync devices in memory for automatic pairing when you turn the headphones on. Unfortunately, their latency on PCs is likely too high to be suitable for watching movies and gaming. Their latency on Android devices is quite high, although it's a bit lower on iOS devices. That said, some apps and devices compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary.

The Bose SoundLink 2 come with a simple audio cable with no in-line remote or USB adapter. This means they do not have a mic that is compatible with consoles.

These headphones do not have a base/dock. If you want an equally great sounding headphone with a dock/base for watching movies and gaming, check out the Steel Series Arctis 7