Bose Frames Audio Sunglasses, Alto (S/M), Black

Product Information

View image in fullscreen Sensors are hidden in the frames that can detect your head position and interactions such as taps to the side of the glasses. Background noise might also be a concern for some, though in quiet scenarios this isn’t an issue at all. The Bose Frames look like a regular set of sunglasses, with nylon frames and user-replaceable lenses, but hides sensors and speakers in the arms.

We like the versatility of these products, and they generally offer much better battery life, though in my experience bone conduction doesn’t offer sound as vibrant as Bose’s Frames.Crank them up beyond 85% volume and you start to hear distortion, but they pretty loud by that point. It's a bold move from any audio or headphone company to produce a fashion wearable, but if anyone was going to do it, I'm glad it was Bose. 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. Again, that's audio AR only -- the glasses don't offer a Magic Leap- or HoloLens-style digital overlay of the real world. The StereoNET editorial team includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected hi-fi journalists with a vast wealth of knowledge.

If you wish to connect to another device, even one previously paired, you must power off Bose Frames by flipping them upside down for two seconds. Get tips and personalise your settings, so you can spend more time enjoying the music instead of setting it up. Bose has an answer for this though as the Frames also come in a smaller, more rounded form factor, named “Rondo”. In fact I took delight in the look of surprise on people’s faces when I gave them the Frames and they suddenly heard my tunes blasting out as they put them on.Don't expect the big bass you get from a standard set of headphones and they can distort a bit at higher volumes. They're sweat-, weather-, scratch- and shatter-resistant, according to Bose and fit under most protective helmets. There are currently two styles available – the square-framed Alto is similar to Ray-Ban’s Wayfarer sunglasses, while the Rondo is rounder, smaller and looks a bit more retro. As noted, the Frames are the first commercial product built to work with Bose's new audio augmented-reality platform. The midrange response is full and blooming full of body, and the spatial separation between left and right channels is eerily wide.

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. 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. Once you’re done with the Bose Alto for the day, they can be switched off by folding them and placing them upside down. They don’t suit city use, and they’re not all that suitable for public transport either, but if you’re looking for a fun device that’s different to anything else out there then these may be exactly what you're after. C lick here for more information on the types of cookies we use and how to change your cookie settings.The second positive perk of these sound capable shade is that you don’t lose engagement with the surrounding environment when they’re worn. Hopefully, this could be improved with a future firmware update, but it could well be one of the physical limitations of this wearable release. Looking back on 2020, we still think the Bose Frames are pretty cool, and they sound a lot better than you'd expect. The basic gist here is that when you're wearing the headphones, these apps will do things like identify nearby landmarks, tell you stories via sound, and even assist you on the golf course.

Clearly this is a massive advantage for cyclists or pedestrians, but it also means you’re subjected to the noise of the world around you. The lenses are also interchangeable and can easily be popped out for a different color, although choices are currently limited to a mirrored silver for the Alto and a rose gold set for the Rondo. On the underside of the right frame arm there’s a small golden button that’s used to switch the device on. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology.Bose had to design tiny speakers to fit into the arms of the Frames from scratch, along with some proprietary tech that, Bose promises, directs 99% of the sound to the wearer’s ears, with only 1% leaked.