I’ve never been very interested in Bose audio equipment. I certainly don’t think the gear isn’t good; I just don’t think the cost is justified. Regardless, last year I actually purchased an expensive pair of Bose headphones.

Why?

At the time I was originally looking for something that could work with my (then new) Xbox One. My preference was for something wireless, rechargeable and that would work with other devices in the home.

I never did find anything that hit all of these marks well and migrated away from looking for something to use with the console and instead for something that I could use with my phone, laptops and TV.

The Bose SoundLink On-Ear Bluetooth Wireless Headphones is not a typical purchase that I would make. I’ve certainly purchased expensive gadgets before but investing this much into a single piece of gear that, let’s face it, doesn’t really do very much is not what I would typically do (yeah, I’m sure some would disagree). I purchased them from Best Buy but they are available from Amazon.com.

I do enjoy listening to music, and good quality does make a difference, though I wouldn’t have spent this much on a pair of headphones, no matter how good they sound, without the wireless Bluetooth support and built-in rechargeable battery. In addition, when the internal battery dies one can still use these with a regular audio cable.

From time to time I do use them with my phone, laptops and to watch TV at night (without disturbing my wife). I did all of these activities more frequently, before the arrival of our son, but late-night TV watching is a rare habit these days.

The headphones are recharged via a standard micro-USB connector. A carrying case is included, which the headphones fold into very easily. A regular audio connector is also included though I’ve only used it once or twice as the battery does a good job of maintaining a charge while not in use.

The quality sounds great to me but I’m not an audiophile so if you’re picky about your headphones then don’t use this post to make a decision.

The headphones also have a built-in microphone so they can be used to answer phone calls. It’s a nice feature as it doesn’t require removing the headphones to speak on the phone but most of the time I’d prefer to simply use my stock Apple earbuds for managing phone calls.

What’s the verdict? Do I think they’re worth the cost?

I suppose it’s fair to declare that I think they are overpriced but at the same time I also don’t feel like I was cheated. If you have some extra cash (which I did then but usually don’t any more) they’re not a bad pair of headphones but if you’re on a budget you might be able to find something suitable for far less.