Bose – Frames Tenor — Rectangular Bluetooth Audio Sunglasses – Black
$249.00
Last updated on August 2, 2024 3:40 am Details
Photos: Bose – Frames Tenor — Rectangular Bluetooth Audio Sunglasses – Black
8 reviews for Bose – Frames Tenor — Rectangular Bluetooth Audio Sunglasses – Black
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Michele –
My husband loves his Tenor Bose Sunglasses. I purchased them as a gift for him and he was very excited. He wears his sunglasses everyday and we just recently went to the beach and he raved about listening to the sounds as he walked on the beach.
taureantiger –
I’d like to start this review by complimenting Bose for one of their most innovative and delightful products: The Bose Frames Tenor. Premium sunglasses meet with an integrated speaker system that sits at the temples directing the sound out into your ears so that folks around you barely hear what you are listening to. You can listen to quality music and also answer phone calls (and make phone calls through Siri; more on this later in the review) as a microphone is included as well.
Pairing the Bluetooth-enabled Frames with your iPhone is super-easy thanks to a very intuitive Bose Music app you’d install on your smartphone from the App Store prior to setting up your Frames. Create an account with Bose, then turn on the Frames, select “Speakers & Soundbars”, and the Bose Frames Tenor are automatically found for you. Select “Add”, and confirm connecting to the Frames. You’ll be presented with informational screens that confirm your product is being activated followed by a screen where you can name your Frames. The last screen provides you with product tips, from playing back music to answering phone calls to touch controls. That’s all there’s to it setting up the Frames. You’re all set.
Turning on the Frames is through pressing a button on the bottom of the right temple. The LED indicator light informs you when the pairing was completed switching from a white blinking light to a blue blinking light followed by a voice prompt that announces the battery level (how cool is that!). Pairing takes about 2-3 seconds. On my iPhone 8, I’ll see the Frame’s battery level displayed near the upper right corner of the screen (see the two Apple Music app screen captures). By default, the Frames turn off by placing them upside down, which you can disable if so desired.
Controlling the volume is done through swiping forward (or backward) on the right temple. Double-tapping on the right temple loads Siri where one of your commands could be “Call home” to place a call.
When you wear the frames, you will find yourself submerged in a wide stereo spectrum where you enjoy hearing all details the musicians wanted you to hear. I copied some CD (44.1 kHz, 16-bit) and Hi-Res (192 kHz, 24-bit) Apple lossless audio titles over to my iPhone 8 and just couldn’t stop listening to my music. A truly awesome listening experience. The Bose Music app allows you to add music services, such as Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRADIO, SiriusXM (added through the “authorize” function), etc. The TuneIn service comes preloaded, which enables you to listen to worldwide radio stations and podcasts.
Please note that the Frames do not come with noise-canceling technology, and bass reproduction is quite limited. You can replace the lenses with prescription sunglasses.
I found the Frames are best enjoyed in not-so-loud, quieter environments, like, riding the train and subways, in a car during daytime (when you don’t want to disturb your passengers), in the house/backyard, and outside hiking. You can crank up the volume quite a bit if you wanted to, but the louder the volume the less music enjoyment you’ll have. That said, if you make or receive phone calls, you’ll be able to increase the volume as much as you need. Make sure, though, your iPhone’s volume is set high enough.
I am giving the Bose Frames Tenor a well-deserved 5 stars. I love them and can highly recommend them. They look awesome, they feel awesome when wearing and holding them, and they sound awesome (Remember: don’t expect great bass reproduction), and I definitely prefer wearing the Bose Frames Tenor over headphones, as I find the Frames a lot more practical than carrying around headphones, and, you are not secluding yourself from folks around you. Very well done, Bose!!!
3dGuru –
Cool idea, but I just don’t know if overall, they make sense. I understand the reason for safety, but most earbuds have “aware” features, and can still keep your music private. These do a relatively good job at directing the music to your ear so people can’t hear it unless they are very close… like kissing range, or in a line at that local busy Starbucks. They have pretty good sound, these arnt by any means supposed to sound like earbud quality. Their app… is pretty pointless as you literally can’t do much with it. It only shows the battery, volume slider and the blue tooth connections. No customization of any type. To turn them on you have him open them and press a button, it makes a cool sound , but then has a very robotic lady voice giving you prompts. Doesn’t sound like something I paid $200 for. Overall, im not impressed , these are a shiny plastic and remind me of the Party City ones you could buy for $15, and for the money u can get a really good pair of buds with “ aware” features and 2 pairs of sunglasses.
I chose to try out the Razor Azure and will stick with them. Actually has a ton more features and app with customization for half the cost.
Knivels –
The Bose Frames Tenor (Square Style) Audio Sunglasses are currently the most stylish piece of audio tech I own. I was initially a skeptic about the concept until I used them.
Contents of my box are as listed below:
• Bose Frames Tenor Style
• Charging cable
• Hard case (with magnetic clasp)
• Wipe cloth
• Quick setup guide
• Safety instruction booklet
The frames are very trendy with a glossy black finish. The polarized lenses offer UV protection and can be changed out with the purchase of additional colors. Aside from the Bose branding close to the hinges, these will pass off as a regular pair of sunglasses. The right temple has a button for turning on, answering/ending calls and music control (advance or previous track).
I really like these frames for all the tech that you receive in the unassuming package. Both temples sport the speakers for a truly stereo experience. The right temple, however, is the star of the show. For volume control, a forward swipe on the temple will increase the sound while a swipe in the opposite direction decreases it. A double tap will invoke an enabled voice assistant (Google Assistant in my case). The touch control is one of the most responsive I have used and the area is fairly large so you do not need to hone in on an exact location for the gestures to be accepted. Finally, the right temple also houses the charging/connector port; the charging cable magnetically snaps into place when it is in close proximity. An LED confirms operation and charging. You have the option to turn off the frames using the power button or simply flipping them upside down for 2 seconds. By default, the fames will automatically shut off after 10 minutes of inactivity. Through this clever energy conservation tactic and the use of Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth 5 is at play here), the frames are able to hold charge for impressive extended periods. Bose claims up to 5.5 hours of streaming is possible and I have no doubt their estimate may not be that far off from reality. An hour is all the time required for a full charge.
Setup is very simple: the quick setup guide has a QR code that takes you to the appropriate app store to download the Bose Music app. The app requires enabling your location to help discover your device. There are options to pick as names for your device or like me, create a custom one. The app layout is clean and delivers battery and speaker levels at a glance. The frames also announce the battery level once turned on and pronounce the name of the last connected device; it initially announces it is looking for them and confirms once connected. Names of callers are also announced when calls come through. Not only will these make you look clever, they are very clever themselves!
While these will not replace an in-ear experience, the sound output is a marvel! On the highest volume setting, people close to you will hear some sound albeit not being able to decipher actual content; I usually keep it less than 50 percent which keeps the sound discrete. Phone calls can be carried out at your normal voice level and will be heard clearly by the other party. While wearing these, you are not totally tuned out from the environment and can thus pick on ambient sounds which are a big plus for safety in my opinion (i.e. walking, riding bikes, driving etc.)
If I could change these, I would add a longer charge cable. It is workable but more length would be ideal. It is also proprietary so you will need to reach out back to Bose for a replacement should you lose it. An additional cable and a set of lenses would have also been nice. Finally, I wish these were more rugged. Sunglasses typically get exposed to sweat and dust and I hope the frames can withstand the elements with use. I cannot help but “baby” them given the price point and all the tech contained within.
In the end, the pros for the Bose Frames Tenor Audio Sunglasses, outweigh my improvement wish list and I highly recommend them. Who said tech and style couldn’t coexist?
SteveC –
I’m always looking for different ways of hearing assistance since I have hearing difficulties and don’t like wearing my hearing aids all the time and when I saw the new Bose Frames “Tenor” I had to try them out.
Unboxing and setting up:
Thee come in a simple Bose labeled box, and inside is a very sturdy case with the Tenors inside. Along with them is a proprietary USB charging cable, cleaning cloth and literature.
After taking them out of the case I hooked up the charging cable to my universal multiport charger and let them charge. The charging cable has a simple magnetically attached end, so there’s no worry about wear and tear on a USB port. There’s also a small LED next to the charging pins showing charging status.
Once the light quit blinking and the Frames were charged up I installed the Bose Music app from the Google app store and went through the on screen setup instructions. There’s a single button on the bottom of the right bow that is multifunctional and is used for turning on/off, pairing, answering / disconnecting calls. They connected to my S20 Ultras bluetooth without a hitch, and were ready to test out.
Use:
All I can say is WOW, I‘ve never seen or had anything like these. Playing music was nice and clear, much better than I expected. I could easily hear the lyrics even with my hearing difficulties and not wearing my hearing aids. There’s plenty of volume and didn’t need to turn them all the way up either. I also figured that if I can hear this clearly anyone around me could hear it too, wrong; my wife didn’t even know there was sound until she put them on and she was completely blown away how clear they sounded.
The sound is actually coming out of the bows, when you look close there are two small grilled slots on the bottom of each bow at the bottom of the bulge, all the sound comes out of there and is directed directly into your ears, no one could hear what I was listening to so it’s very directional and only the user will be the one listening.
Now as for weight, these weigh 48.4g “on my scale”, they are a good bit heavier than my normal sunglasses that have glass lenses and they come in at 31g and my wife’s big designer type come in at 35g. While wearing them I really didn’t notice the weight difference though and got use to the extra bulk very quickly. The extra weight is in the bows and not on the front fortunately and is easy to handle without putting extra weight on your nose.
Thoughts:
I really like these new Bose Frames “Tenors” they remind me or Ray Bans and are very comfortable to wear. I did end up putting some stick on silicone nose pads on them as the nose piece “for me” is very slippery, but no issues after putting on the nose pads.
The included USB charging cable is only 22” long, way too short to me, I’ve since attached a 3’ USB extension cable , it would have been better if it were 3-4’ already, but easily remedied with an extension cable. I also tried charging them with a portable battery pack and that worked flawlessly and the short cable was handy using that method.
For functionality as sunglasses they work quite well, the dark grey lenses block out plenty of light, while they aren’t as dark as my regular sunglasses they are plenty dark for daily use in full sun. These also have polarized lenses and really help cut down on glare. I know the lenses are replaceable and I hope they make some computer viewing lenses for these, as I’d happily use them indoors while sitting at my computer.
It would be interesting to try some computer gaming with these, although while the mid and low ranges sound great there’s really not much for base, “understandable due to the design”. You can actually feel the bows vibrate from base, but it doesn’t come across that good into the sides of your head. And a set of computer viewing lenses would be great.
I’ve also used them a few times to take calls; it’s almost strange being able to hear/talk to someone without something being stuck in or over my ears. Calls are all clear and everyone on the other end could hear me perfectly. A quick press on the multifunction button answers and disconnects calls with ease. The Bluetooth range is really good, I easily walked 20-25’ away from my phone without any distortion or disconnects, I did try it a lot further, around 50’ going outside and leaving my phone indoors and they started breaking up during a call but never disconnected so I’m plenty happy with the range.
Battery life has been good so far, I’ve had them running for 2 hours playing music without a problem. I haven’t tested how long a full charge will last but a couple hours is more than I usually listen to music anyway and these are very simple to charge up in between use.
Overall if you are looking for a great way to protect your eyes and listen to music and take calls with an all in one solution these are great. While they are pretty large and a little heavier than regular sunglasses you are only dealing with one thing. And the sound quality coming out of these well make them worth having, “they are just amazing”.
JinOH –
First off and most important. These sound fantastic and everyone I handed these to was wowed by the technology of how these work and sound. And when was the last time you let someone use your in-ear headphones…nope that’s gross. And if you wear a hoodie while wearing, even better sound. Nice touch interface on the right arm gives you volume and assistant access and a small button for track advance or previous song are very easy to use. It’s a different approach to personal audio that I really enjoy.
Audio is very clean and clear. It lacks bass and you might miss that compared to some in-ear or over ear headphones. Yet, I enjoy how you can have music(audio book/podcast) and still with volume low enough, still hear what’s happening around you. Bose quality for audio is definitely here! Note that at higher volumes, people near you will hear your music, so that might be a negative if you want to wear these in a normally quiet location.
The problem I had and it won’t be the same for everyone. Is how the glasses fit your head and face. Luckily there are few different sizes and styles that will help here. Specifically the Tenor frames I have that have that Ray B. look about them. Are a bit off for my Charlie Brown head. The arms sit decently on my ears and aim the speakers directly towards my ears, but the lens/frame sit a touch off/above my nose. This could easily be changed if Bose included silicone nose pieces for the bridge of the frames. Various heads and faces like mine will need a set of nose pads to help keep glasses from falling down your nose (easily rectified, I found my solution from fellow members of the Bose forum with similar situation {search “Frames Nose Slippage”} ). But at this price, Bose should put a set or 2 in the box. Every in ear headphones includes extra tips for comfort. This would be 5 Star if Bose did the same. Certainly if they keep perfecting the Frames lineup there will be a perfect Bose Frames for each head and face out there.
One more niggle I noticed. They are not waterproof. It shows IPX2 on the left arm. Guess to keep the audio clear and crisp they couldn’t get an IPX rating any higher. So, sweating/light rain shouldn’t kill them, but I wanted to use these while kayaking. Lake paddling maybe, but not creeks and rivers. I wanted to mention this so others with watersports in mind have an idea of how wet you can get while wearing these.
Long story short. You won’t be disappointed by audio quality and they can get loud. It’s Bose and they sound great. Bass starved rockers might have less enthusiasm for these. Definitely try them on your face if possible before you buy. Sunglasses really need to be tried on before hand for a proper fit. The Tenors can fit a big head, but really need nose pads to assist in staying put while wearing. Bose, Please include nose pads or offer a factory branded accessories kit that maybe includes neck strap to hang them off your neck.
MacUser –
This is my first pair of audio sunglasses and I’m really impressed with them. Although, there are similar glasses available from other brands but Bose is Bose and you cannot beat them. I received them about a week ago and immediately opened the box because I couldn’t resist. I mainly got these to wear while walking. We live in Arizona and sunglasses are “a must” before stepping out. What more would you want if you can get bluetooth speakers already built in the sunglasses that you don’t have to worry about a separate pair of speakers. One less thing to carry along. With that being said, something you need to know right off the bat is that these will not replace your headphones. They aren’t designed to do that. What they are designed for, however, they do an absolutely amazing job at: giving you crisp, clear audio while still allowing you to hear your surroundings. If you are walking around during the daylight by yourself, these are a beautifully simple, elegant way to listen to audio on your phone. They sound excellent and work with the phone beautifully. I adore using them for that single, narrow use case, several times a week.
BOX CONTENTS: It comes beautifully packed in the box with a carrying case containing the sunglasses, magnetic USB charging cable and a cleaning cloth. Although the carrying case is nicely made, even the packaging it came in is strong enough that it can act as a second carrying case. It’s that impressive.
SETUP: Setup was pretty simple. They come pre-charged enough to get started and use for a while. As soon as I turned them on and wore them, a voice came through the speakers and I was instructed to download “Bose Music” app. I already own Bose Soundtouch 300 and have an app for it. I was expecting to use the same app but it’s a different app. That was a weird assumption, oh well. I downloaded the app and followed the instructions. I proceeded with adding my new sunglasses to the app. I was little confused first as there was no option for the sunglasses. So I just decided to ride along and tapped on headphones option in hope to get the sunglasses recognized. I was right and the app detected the sunglasses. After that, it was just a walk in the park. Other than setting up, I haven’t used the app again.
SOUND: Bose doesn’t need an introduction. Everyone knows how good their sound quality is. These sunglasses are no different. Same build quality and same sound quality. I always keep a particular song (my all time favorite) in my playlist that I use for testing sound quality of any speakers. Needless to say, I tested these sunglasses with the same song. I was very much impressed with it. I just loved it. The only thing that I wish is it had little bit more bass to them. That’s my personal preference, it may be good enough for others. I didn’t expect to get great bass anyways since there is only so much you can do with speakers that aren’t covering or are in your ears, but I am very happy with the sound. The sound is loud enough for the other person to hear if you have them on full blast. My wife was more than 15 feet away from me and was able to clearly hear the song I was playing. The other thing that really impressed me was the bluetooth range. I left my phone in another room to test the connection which was about 25 yards or more away from my room with no loss of connection. Now that’s impressive. There’s a pause/play button on underside of right temple which is conveniently placed for ease of use. Volume can be controlled by sliding the finger on side of right temple back and forth. How innovative is that? You can also make phone calls on these glasses as well, which is always nice. You can simply turn these off by flipping them upside down. They will shut off after a few seconds. That is also a great feature.
BATTERY LIFE: Bose claims to get up to 5.5 hours of battery life out of these on full 1 hour charge and up to 2.5 hours from a short 30 mins charge. While I haven’t pushed them to their limits yet but I can see them living up to the expectations. When I received them, they were about 60% charged. I turned them on, set them up & used them for a while (the very first time) and the battery was still hovering around 50%. I put them on charge and they were fully charged in about 30 mins (give or take).
SUNGLASSES QUALITY: I have a long face and I always like bigger sunglasses. That’s the reason for choosing Tenor over Tempo or Soprano. To me, it made sense to go with Tenor. As mentioned above, these sunglasses are expected to be of a great quality since they are made by Bose. The quality of the lens seems very good and provides a clear, shape image on par. These seem to be decent at blocking the sun.
Overall, I’m very much impressed and satisfied with these sunglasses. I agree they are a bit on the expensive side but they are worth it. I would definitely recommend them.
Rhostam –
Bose – Frames Soprano Audio Sunglasses with Bluetooth Connectivity
Summary:
A surprisingly functional pair of sunglasses with built-in audio.
Pros:
* Music quality is surprisingly good.
* Build feels solid.
* Frames are bold. Two styles (Tenor and Soprano) available.
* A few lens alternatives available separately.
* Support prescription lenses (available separately).
* Svelte size. These sunglasses aren’t as bulky as I thought they might be. They are comfortable to wear. I don’t think most people would even notice they aren’t *just* sunglasses^.
* Easy to use – the touch controls, buttons, and configuration options available via iOS/Android apps are impressive. From auto off/on to controlling volume to answering calls.
* You can take calls! These function better for taking calls than my Apple Airpods and Airpod Pros.
* Snug fit. You could go to a mosh pit and be fine. Probably.
* Easy to charge with provided magnetic ^quick-release USB cable (no charger included).
* Battery lasts a long while while listening on low-to-mid volume, taking off of the glasses, putting them back on, etc.
Cons:
* Charging cable is proprietary. If you fray or break the cable, you will need a new one from Bose. ^On the other hand, the quick release means if you grab your glasses and forget you were charging them, no problemo! They release easily. I’ve done this at least once.
Use:
I use them when I want to listen to music and I’m outdoors and need protection from the sun. This means bike riding, walking the dogs, or hiking. They fit snugly and I have no concerns wearing them. These are particularly great because while passing on narrow trails you need to hear incoming/passing people. This applies to those on bikes as well. With AirPods, noise cancellation, and all – I usually miss all of the important cues placing myself and others in danger. I only wear these and play music when I don’t expect to bother others as using them at mid to maximum volume will guarantee others will hear what you do (they don’t pump music directly into your ears, they project audio at them).
Note:
If you’re itching for something like this, the price point is worth it. After more extensive use, research on available accessories, and also the enjoying the fit of an appropriate style (I mistakenly ordered Soprano before receiving the Tenor), these really are a great multi-function accessory for people on the go.