Bose Out To Beat Dr. Dre With Cheaper On-Ear Headphones

With the rise in popularity of Dr. Dre’s Beats, audio company Bose saw a niche they weren’t capitalizing on – the cohort of kids who aren’t afraid of paying $229 for a pair of wildly overpriced headphones. Their reaction? To create and sell a pair of lightweight, over-ear headphones for the cool crowd for $149. Called the OE2s, these headphones feature comfortable memory foam earcups and support hands-free calling with an optional mic/phone control system.

These are half the cost of a pair of Bose QuietComforts, making them sort of a gateway drug to Bose products for a younger generation.

I’m a big fan of Bose QuietComforts for flying – there’s something calming about being able to cut out the engine and plane noise – so I’ll allow you guys to argue the value of Bose vs. everything else in the comments below. I’ll just add that these things are designed as a lighter alternative to full-sized Bose cans and, if history is our guide, the distinct lack of specs on the product page suggests that the price point and styling are what’s really being sold here.

Product Page