(NEW) Bose SoundLink Wireless Headphones II

If you're looking for pleasant-sounding, comfy, light wireless headphones with sensical playback and volume buttons, seriously consider Bose's Soundlink II around-ear headphones. Passive noise-cancellation on these things is fantastic. I haven't walked down a noisy street yet, but when I press play on any song at moderate volume, my environment (usually a busy home or talkative workplace) fades away. The volume gets loud enough when listening on Bluetooth, and although I've never personally wanted to go past it's max output, I'm sure there are some headbangers out there who would want a little more volume out of these things. Sound performance is gonna depend on your personal preference, but I like the balanced, detailed, open-air feeling of my music on these cans. Highs and mids come through clear to my ears, and in my opinion, these things excel with vocals. The bass is probably the most polarizing aspect of the sound signature: it's full and present, but you don't "feel it" the same way other headphones *cough* Beats *cough* deliver. The trade-off here is that it doesn't overpower anything, so vocals don't get washed out when the bass drops. On some tracks I wish the bass were a bit more powerful, but I still think they're on par with other wired headphones priced around $200 (and if you really miss the detail of wired sound, there's an included 3.5 mm cable). I listen mostly to alternative which employs a wide array of instruments, and I think these deliver consistently clear, strong sound across the genre. In terms of battery life, I've only charged them once in the 3 weeks I've had them, so I'm led to believe the advertised 15 hours of listening at moderate volume. The headphones themselves were smaller than I was expecting when I opened the box. They're unexpectedly light, but still feel sturdy, and it can be easy to forget they're on when you're "in the zone." In fact, that's one of the best features: these things are comfy, and they don't heat up my ears like how other leather ear cups do. The black version I have is low profile because it's all a matte finish instead of gloss, meaning people on the street won't point and yell at you, "Hey everyone, they have Bose headphones!" In other words, if you're a show-off, look elsewhere. Some people might not like the button design, but after a week, it feels more or less natural to navigate. Three small buttons, one of them depressed for feel-only operation, on the back of the right earcup control volume and playback (pause, skip, rewind, Siri) the same way Apple earphones do, and the microphones on here are entirely capable of handling phone calls. Bluetooth performance is pretty excellent, and even though it's not perfect (it'll skip when I leave the audio source and go behind a wall 20 feet away), it works well for my listening purposes. Pairing to my phone and computer was easy as could be, and everytime I turn the headphones on, my device identifies and connects within 5 seconds. Easy peasy lemon-squeezy. Lastly, the overall value: I paid $230 for the headphones on sale, and even for a college student looking to "treat myself," it's a pretty hefty investment. I can't say yet if I've gotten my money's worth, but these headphones are definitely on track to prove themselves worthy. From the reviews I've read of other Bose products, I'm expecting quite a few more years of solid performance from these cans, and right now, they seem entirely up to that task.