How to detect fake:

BOSE Earbuds

There are growing numbers of counterfeit Bose products in the marketplace. In some cases, sellers located in China claim to be selling genuine "OEM" headphones, but these products are fake. Typically, these products are sold at a fraction of the price that Bose and its authorized dealers are offering. The counterfeit products do not meet the high standards of performance found in genuine Bose products. Make sure your headphones pass all the tests below.

First of all, make sure the wires (1) are flexible and somewhat soft. You can usually feel the difference between high and low quality wires. They also need to be twisted, as shown above.

Another thing to examine is the screen (2). In the picture above, you can see it's shiny but there are no direct reflections of light. The fake ones reflect like chrome.

Next check the collar where the wires exit the earbuds (1). Bend them, they should feel like rubber and easily bend. The fake ones feel rigid and can even break if bent too far.

If you are using this with an Apple product (iPhone, iPad, iPod), Bose provides a cable that controls the volume, play and pause (2). These buttons usually do not function right. Volume up may move it down or play may not work or some other problem. In any case, if any of the buttons don't function properly, they're probably fakes.

Next, pull off the ear tip and you will see numbers like the one shown in the picture above. This number needs to be uniform and straight. If you see that the numbers are different sizes, not aligned or crooked, you probably have a fake.

You also can contact Bose Customer Support and confirm the serial number with them. You can contact them at: 1 (800) 367-4008