If you’re running or cycling on a shared path where other pedestrians (or worse—vehicles) might be, you need to hear what’s going on around you. And the latest frames from Bose do exactly that by pairing a pair of down-firing speakers with sunglasses. They’re super cool.
To be clear, this isn’t Bose’s first foray into the world of sunglasses with head speakers—in fact, the company has had a couple of pairs since 2018 in the Alto and Rondo frames. But for 2020, it went bigger and better with three new pairs: the stylish Tenor and Soprano, alongside the sporty Tempo.
The Bose Tenor BoseAll three pairs offer more bass response and are more comfortable to wear than their predecessors—they also cost $50 more, coming in at $250. Still, for a decent pair of sunglasses and a good set of “headphones,” that’s not a bad deal.
The two stylish pairs, the Tenor and Soprano, have 16mm drivers and offer five and a half hours of battery life. They charge with the same proprietary cable as the originals, so they’re a good upgrade option for anyone with the OGs and are ready for something new.
The Bose Soprano BoseThe Tempo, on the other hand, are more sport-oriented in every way. They have 22mm drivers for bigger sound, 8 hours of battery life for all-day sessions, and charge over USB-C. They’re also sweat-, water-, scratch-, and shatter-resistant. It sounds like you can beat them to death and they still won’t die. At the same price as the Alto and Rondo, these seem like the clear winners of the bunch, assuming you don’t mind the sporty aesthetic.
All three new pairs support integration with Siri and Google Assistant, dual-mic arrays for phone calls, and touch controls for volume on the side. Bose says each new frames supports a dynamic EQ that will also adjust with the volume to reduce distortion at higher volumes. Separate lenses are available as add-ons as well.
The Bose Tempo BoseAll three new sets (along with both existing models) are available now from various retailers.
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via CNET