Crank them up beyond 85% volume and you start to hear distortion, but they pretty loud by that point. As noted, the Frames are the first commercial product built to work with Bose's new audio augmented-reality platform. They're definitely worth trying if they pique your interest and I found the Tempo appealing for running and biking despite looking goofy when I wore them.

To update your product, you can either connect it to a computer with a USB cable and then visit the Bose update site or you can update it wirelessly from the free Bose Connect app on an Android or iOS device. Since there are no volume controls on the sunglasses, you'll have to use the controls on your device to adjust volume levels. The world has no shortage of awkward headgear spawned from utility-inspired collaborations: The beer helmet, the propeller hat (OK, there’s no real utility there), windshield-wiper sunglasses, umbrella hats, Google Glass, the Urban Sombrero — you get the idea. The Tempo model is the best of the bunch -- and for that reason, we're awarding that model an Editors' Choice. You’ll notice that the frequencies are always there when you cover the temples of these frames with your hands, creating an artificial ear-enclosing auricle of sorts.That inspired more potential use cases for the Frames: A musical trek in Oregon’s emerald Gorge (without bothering my fellow hikers), pulling weeds on a Sunday afternoon, or just relaxing in the backyard with an icy drink. Apart from GPS, the only really practical one for me is the golf guide, and I’m still not sure I want a robot in my head on the course.

Winning one marks it out as a design of great quality and distinction – a special product in its class, on the grounds of either performance, value for money, or usually both. Pegged as conveyors of aural AR and crafted for “sun and sound,” the Frames are a fascinating audio entry from Bose, made all the more intriguing when word began circulating that they actually sound good. Bose has the marketing muscle to make something like this seem cool, and with the Bose AR platform slowly coming to light with its existing headphone range, this feels like a perfect match for the company.It’s unlikely you’ll ever be listening to music for four hours straight with these, but it’s conceivable that you would listen that much over a full day, and you then don’t have an easy way to charge them back up without the specialist cable. But picking through the jungle of wireless earbuds available has gotten increasingly difficult as the breadth of brands continues to grow and tech-heavy features like active noise cancellation (ANC), transparency mode, hi-res audio capabilities, dust and water resistance ratings, and more challenge what it is we need and want in our earbuds, as well as what we can and are willing to pay for them. My first charge attempt must have been misaligned, however, resulting in dead Frames, so you’ll need to take care. The Tenor fits my face better than the Soprano, which -- as its name implies -- Bose is aiming at women who like oversized sunglasses (my daughter likes them).

View image in fullscreen The arms are at their thickest immediately before the ear where the speakers are held. There is a distinct Bose signature and quality to the upper midrange that lets vocals and strings poke through with an impressive amount of detail and texture that you wouldn't dare expect from a product of this form factor. The best of the bunch are some 3D audio experiences, a golf app that can tell you where the hole is and some walking directions. Though delicately designed, the Frames should hold up well over time as long as you keep them in their case and don’t drop them on hard pavement. Strings and guitar are sweetly rendered, horns crunch with breathy definition, and vocals are clean and clear at the center, even as the sounds of the outside world move through your ears with breezy nonchalance.But the Bose Frames are delightful and leaving your ears free of buds or headphones has a clear and obvious case.

The temples are large and I got some bounce on my nose at first, but you get a few different-sized nosepads that help you get a more secure fit. When you turn them on and off, you’ll be greeted with the battery amount in audio form, but it doesn’t offer a way to monitor how much charge is left over visually from the glasses themselves. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity.

For 2020, the line has been updated and expanded to include three new models: The Tempo sports model, which offers better performance, joins the more traditional-looking Tenor and Soprano. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology. Bose reps told me their engineers learned from working on the company's earlier horseshoe-shaped wearable, the SoundWear Companion Speaker, and were able to reduce the amount of sound leakage in the Frames as a result. View image in fullscreen The sound is piped to your ears through the speaker grille at the end of the thick bit of the arms. That said, in practice, I found myself much more focused on what the Frames can do than what they can’t.