expired Posted by FabulousOstrich1300 • Nov 11, 2022
Nov 11, 2022 3:50 PM
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expired Posted by FabulousOstrich1300 • Nov 11, 2022
Nov 11, 2022 3:50 PM
Bose Frames, Audio Sunglasses with Open Ear Headphones $99
$99
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NOTE: These BOSE FRAMES ALTO had their manufacturing discontinued in 2020, and Bose has officially run out of supplies for repair and warranties as of October 2022.
These three new Frames have replaced the first generation Bose Frames: Soprano (small), Tenor (large), Tempo (extra-large/sports).
DESIGN FLAW
A WARNING to customers: There is a known design flaw in the two old discontinued Bose Frames models of Alto and Rondo. This flaw causes the Frames to break after 1 year of use for most people. They have a ribbon cable that passes power from the right arm to the left arm. Most reviewers commend Bose for only requiring you to charge one side of the frames, unlike the Razer that requires you to charge both arms of the frames. However, Bose did not add any slack to the internal ribbon cable. If the Frames are too small for your head and you bend them out, even a few degrees, the tension will eventually cause the ribbon cable to tear. If you put your glasses on or take them off one-handed, the tension will cause the ribbon cable to break. The Bose Frames will refuse to charge or power-on if it cannot pass power to both sides of the frames, so they turn into regular sunglasses with no electronic functions after the ribbon cable tears. There is no repair method for this, as you can watch an electrician on YouTube making an attempt and failing, and numerous people on the old Bose forums and Reddit stating the same thing. The new line of Frames have this same configuration, but customer reviews seem to state that they have added some slack to the ribbon connectors on the new models to combat the tearing that the old models had.
The Razer Anzu does not pass power or data through the middle of the frame/bridge, and therefore does not use ribbon cables and does not have the same design flaw as the Bose Frames. Instead, the Anzu uses a Master-Slave Bluetooth connection with a battery in both arms. However, due to this standard TWS-style configuration, the Anzu suffers from two problems: (1) There will be 1-second drop-outs in sound on one of the ears every once in a while, and (2) The battery on the Master arm will use more power and deplete faster, where in a year's time, the Razer app will tell you that one arm will have 1 hour of battery life while the other will still have 3 years of battery life per charge. You will be limited in run-time by the Master Bluetooth controller.
I alternate between the Anzu and the Bose, and much prefer the Bose Alto. However, I purchased 3 Altos and have had 2 replacements. That means I am on my 5th pair in 3 years. I filed a warranty replacement with Bose this Fall, and they were unable to fulfill their warranty since they ran out of the item in all global warehouses, which is why I bought the 3rd one out-of-pocket.
SOUND
Compared to the Razer Anzu, this discontinued Bose Frames Alto has slightly louder sound at max volume, more bass, much less sound leakage, and it has volume control on the device where the Anzu doesn't. The controls also independent of OS, so it doesn't matter if you're using it Bluetoothed to a PC/iOS/Android and volume/start/stop/etc. still works. The Anzu has more sibilance in its sound, which is detrimental for some people with sensitive ears since you have to crank the sound on the Anzu past 70% or higher to use it in most situations because the volume level is not linear.
For reference, these are an estimate of the volume levels I use, which exemplifies the volume difference and linear scaling between the two.
For the Bose Frames Alto: Office 30%, supermarket 60%, sidewalk 80% to 90%.
For the Razer Anzu: Office 50%, supermarket 90%, sidewalk 100%.
The new Bose line-up has slightly louder sound than the old Bose models. Reviewers state that the bass is louder too, but I didn't notice it on my Bose Tenor. Even the sound difference was just slightly louder at max volume between the newer Tenor vs. the older Alto. However, I've read that the new sports-style Bose Frames Tempo has a much more noticeable boost in volume and bass since it uses bigger drivers and bigger batteries.
SIZE and FIT
Another note for customers: The new line of Bose Frames are all slightly smaller all-around compared to the old models, so the "large" Tenor is actually even smaller than the old Alto. Read the dimensions before you buy these. Remember that if you decide to buy the old Alto and you're forced to flex the arms to take them on or off, those internal ribbon connectors will tear soon enough.
Also note that the Anzu comes with both sunglass lenses and clear blue-light blocking lenses so you can use it in office settings out-of-the-box. For the Bose, you will have to buy clear lenses from a third party, so plan to add an additional $70 minimum to the cost for the Bose.
TIP
If you really want some Bose Frames, wait until holiday sales where you can buy the newer models refurbished from Bose. Their eBay store will have it at $129 including a 2-year warranty, or their website will have it for $129 with a 1-year warranty for the three new models of Soprano, Tenor, and Tempo.
These three new Frames have replaced the first generation Bose Frames: Soprano (small), Tenor (large), Tempo (extra-large/sports).
DESIGN FLAW
A WARNING to customers: There is a known design flaw in the two old discontinued Bose Frames models of Alto and Rondo. This flaw causes the Frames to break after 1 year of use for most people. They have a ribbon cable that passes power from the right arm to the left arm. Most reviewers commend Bose for only requiring you to charge one side of the frames, unlike the Razer that requires you to charge both arms of the frames. However, Bose did not add any slack to the internal ribbon cable. If the Frames are too small for your head and you bend them out, even a few degrees, the tension will eventually cause the ribbon cable to tear. If you put your glasses on or take them off one-handed, the tension will cause the ribbon cable to break. The Bose Frames will refuse to charge or power-on if it cannot pass power to both sides of the frames, so they turn into regular sunglasses with no electronic functions after the ribbon cable tears. There is no repair method for this, as you can watch an electrician on YouTube making an attempt and failing, and numerous people on the old Bose forums and Reddit stating the same thing. The new line of Frames have this same configuration, but customer reviews seem to state that they have added some slack to the ribbon connectors on the new models to combat the tearing that the old models had.
The Razer Anzu does not pass power or data through the middle of the frame/bridge, and therefore does not use ribbon cables and does not have the same design flaw as the Bose Frames. Instead, the Anzu uses a Master-Slave Bluetooth connection with a battery in both arms. However, due to this standard TWS-style configuration, the Anzu suffers from two problems: (1) There will be 1-second drop-outs in sound on one of the ears every once in a while, and (2) The battery on the Master arm will use more power and deplete faster, where in a year's time, the Razer app will tell you that one arm will have 1 hour of battery life while the other will still have 3 years of battery life per charge. You will be limited in run-time by the Master Bluetooth controller.
I alternate between the Anzu and the Bose, and much prefer the Bose Alto. However, I purchased 3 Altos and have had 2 replacements. That means I am on my 5th pair in 3 years. I filed a warranty replacement with Bose this Fall, and they were unable to fulfill their warranty since they ran out of the item in all global warehouses, which is why I bought the 3rd one out-of-pocket.
SOUND
Compared to the Razer Anzu, this discontinued Bose Frames Alto has slightly louder sound at max volume, more bass, much less sound leakage, and it has volume control on the device where the Anzu doesn't. The controls also independent of OS, so it doesn't matter if you're using it Bluetoothed to a PC/iOS/Android and volume/start/stop/etc. still works. The Anzu has more sibilance in its sound, which is detrimental for some people with sensitive ears since you have to crank the sound on the Anzu past 70% or higher to use it in most situations because the volume level is not linear.
For reference, these are an estimate of the volume levels I use, which exemplifies the volume difference and linear scaling between the two.
For the Bose Frames Alto: Office 30%, supermarket 60%, sidewalk 80% to 90%.
For the Razer Anzu: Office 50%, supermarket 90%, sidewalk 100%.
The new Bose line-up has slightly louder sound than the old Bose models. Reviewers state that the bass is louder too, but I didn't notice it on my Bose Tenor. Even the sound difference was just slightly louder at max volume between the newer Tenor vs. the older Alto. However, I've read that the new sports-style Bose Frames Tempo has a much more noticeable boost in volume and bass since it uses bigger drivers and bigger batteries.
SIZE and FIT
Another note for customers: The new line of Bose Frames are all slightly smaller all-around compared to the old models, so the "large" Tenor is actually even smaller than the old Alto. Read the dimensions before you buy these. Remember that if you decide to buy the old Alto and you're forced to flex the arms to take them on or off, those internal ribbon connectors will tear soon enough.
Also note that the Anzu comes with both sunglass lenses and clear blue-light blocking lenses so you can use it in office settings out-of-the-box. For the Bose, you will have to buy clear lenses from a third party, so plan to add an additional $70 minimum to the cost for the Bose.
TIP
If you really want some Bose Frames, wait until holiday sales where you can buy the newer models refurbished from Bose. Their eBay store will have it at $129 including a 2-year warranty, or their website will have it for $129 with a 1-year warranty for the three new models of Soprano, Tenor, and Tempo.
https://www.bose.com/en_us/produc...tenor.
from my experience owning them, they are worth 130 dollars. the glasses look fashionable, and while i thought they would look goofy/techy they didn't. In fact, i'd get compliments on the glasses as trendy glasses. No one seemed to notice they were even audio enabled.
The sound quality is surprisingly good for what-they-are. They are excellent for a pretty short list of things, but if you do anything that benefits from open-air audio (would like to or need to hear surroundings), would be wearing sunglasses anyway and find yourself wanting to listen to something while doing work work, busy work or getting around town these are good for that. They ar excellent for listening to the news and podcasts while walking from point A to point B for example.
true wireless earbuds are superior in every technical aspect and i would choose a $40 pair for almost all situations but in any situation where I wasnt wearing them/had them, was outside taking a stroll or going from point A to point B and had been in the middle of a podcast or just wanted to pump some noise into my ears these would suffice well most times.
Essentially, if you are buying something for your primary audio source to listen to I would recommend normal earbuds, headphones and other equipment. However, if you are in the market for new ray-bans or some other fashion brand, already have normal listening devices and want a second line defense being without an audio source these fit the bill pretty well. They are good sunglasses as well, sturdy and the optics are as good as any other.
Just my two cents. I got them as a gift, thought I'd hate them but ended up liking them a fair deal as normal glasses at that price point and the audio gimmick/feature turned out to be pretty useful again and again over time.
The worst part about these is the proprietary mag-safe style charging connector. You know how many people will have one of them lying around? none. The battery life is decent though. They should have been USB-C. Cringe, or even micro-usb .