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Bose intros new OE2 and OE2i headphones

Bose says its next-generation on-ear headphones deliver "demonstratively" better performance along with an updated new look.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. 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. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
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David Carnoy
The $179.95 Bose OE2i (with inline remote and microphone) in white. It's also available in black. (Click to enlarge). Bose

Here's something you don't see everyday: a pair of white Bose headphones. Yes, its next-generation on-ear headphones, the OE2 and OE2i, now come in black or white.

As you can see from the photo above, the step-up OE2i has a microphone for cell phone calls along with an Apple-product friendly inline remote that's compatible with more recent iPhone, iPod, iPad, MacBook, and MacBook Pro models (some features work with Android smartphones, but volume control is often an issue with headphones that carry the Made for iPhone stamp).

The $149.95 OE2 in standard black. (Click to enlarge). Bose

Bose says the inline remote for the two models will look identical and that both offer improved audio performance over the previous OE model that launched in 2008. They're also lighter and slightly smaller than their predecessor.

"With redesigned and newly tuned earcup ports, audio reproduction is more balanced and natural," the company says. "There is no manufactured 'boost' across the frequency range; low notes are full and rich, and mid-high frequencies are smooth and clear."

The OE2 and OE2i retail for $149.95 and $179.95 respectively, the same prices Bose charges for its around-the-ear AE2 and AE2i headphones. Neither the OE2 nor AE2 models feature active noise cancellation. For that you have to step-up to the more expensive QuietComfort line.

We'll let you know how the new OE2 models sound as soon as we get our hands on a review sample.