Bose SoundSport Free (2017) vs Audio-Technica ATH-CKS5TW

The Bose SoundSport Free (2017) is a great Earphone for its $134 asking price.

The Audio-Technica ATH-CKS5TW, however, is merely passable at its $119 price point. If you're considering buying a Earphone in the $170 range, you might want to check out some of its competitors.

The Bose SoundSport Free (2017) has impressed reviewers from two sources that are among the most highly trusted on the internet, namely SoundGuys and Rtings. It did great in their objective hands-on roundups - it earned the "Best sound" and "Runner Up for Best Headphones For Vocals And Instruments - Truly Wireless Alternative" awards from SoundGuys and Rtings, respectively. That's high praise from such reputable sources.

Taking a look at the Audio-Technica ATH-CKS5TW, it got featured in roundups from two reliable sources that conduct their own testing - Techradar and Wirecutter (NYTimes) - but it fell short of earning a top spot in either.

We conducted an analysis of all of the review data that we could find on these two products. First, we focused on sources that tested and rated both of them, like Techradar, and learned that they all showed a preference for the Audio-Technica ATH-CKS5TW.

Then we took a look at the highest review scores that these two Earphones received. We found that the Bose SoundSport Free (2017) managed to earn a rating of 10 from What Hi-Fi?, whereas the Audio-Technica ATH-CKS5TW got its highest, 8, score from reviewers at Techradar.

Lastly, we averaged out all of the reviews scores that we could find on these two products and compared them to other Earphones on the market. We learned that both of them performed far better than most of their competitors - the overall review average earned by Earphones being 7.3 out of 10, whereas the Bose SoundSport Free (2017) and Audio-Technica ATH-CKS5TW managed averages of 7.8 and 8.0 points, respectively.

Due to the difference in their prices, however, it's important to keep in mind that a direct Bose SoundSport Free (2017) vs. Audio-Technica ATH-CKS5TW comparison might not be entirely fair - some sources don't take value for money into account when assigning their scores and therefore have a tendency to rate more premium products better.