So it’s finally the Holy Week! After fulfilling some religious obligations, it’s finally time to tackle some things you’ve been avoiding for a while. For me, that was the clutter of both old and new tech items in my room. I was already into tech way before I professionally joined the industry after all. After scrambling through my items, I ran across my 8-year-old Bose SoundTrue Ultra earphones. These definitely had a story to tell but were no longer in any shape to be used. And so, I set out to get them to work once again.

For those who aren’t in the know, the Bose SoundTrue Ultra is a premium wired pair of earphones released in 2015. They had a successful three-year run until 2018 and then were discontinued. It was famous for its unparalleled comfort, flexible wing tips, and impressive sound quality for its time. Of course, it may no longer be ranked as high in this modern day and age, but reviews within that timeframe suggest that it was worth what you were paying for. Nearly, at least, thanks to the “Bose tax.”

It started out as an impulse buy in my younger, teenage years. These were the days that I was moving on from the Beats by Dr. Dre fad and discovered that I was willing to save up for more expensive audio gear due to my love of music. I already bought a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50s the year prior, but I needed a pair of earbuds I could sneak into school since we weren’t allowed to bring any sort of tech. Keep in mind that I didn’t listen to music in class… this was for the long, long wait after class on the journey home.

Thankfully, we were in Hong Kong for vacation and Bose was doing a tour for its latest SoundTrue Ultra. My dad immediately saw the glimmer in my eyes and didn’t hesitate to make the purchase, although it did cost a lofty SRP of PHP 7,500 at the time when converted. Merry Christmas indeed. There was a huge ROI though since I was impressed with the sound and used that pair every day. Not kidding or exaggerating. It eventually reached the point where years of frequent use tore the cables apart, and it got relegated into a dark, dusty shelf when I eventually fell deeper into the high-end audio rabbit hole.

Photo: FirstCry Parenting

I’d forgotten all about these until recently when I needed a new pair of wired headphones for sleeping. Yes, I do go to bed oftentimes with earphones on – so my non-negotiables were the following: Something that I’m not afraid to break whilst tossing and turning, comfortable, passable sound for my standards, WIRED, and shaped like a regular earphone; not an IEM with a wire that wraps around your ears. I had been using the Moondrop Quarks up to this point and it was perfect – but I gave them away to a family member who fell in love with them after trying them out. The rest of my collection is either bulky, expensive, or both, so it was time to look for a new option.

This was when I found these musty old earphones rotting away in the corner of my old drawer. These Bose SoundTrue Ultras did bring back a lot of memories, but they were in such bad shape that I wasn’t sure what to do with them. In addition to the ripped cables, they had also melted. The buds themselves were also falling apart due to old glue. Riding on not a lot of hope, I got to researching on how to restore them. It didn’t take long before I stumbled across Koast Audio’s Facebook page. (not sponsored)

They were advertising re-cabling and repair services for earbuds and even headphones of all kinds. With mostly positive reviews and a starting cost of PHP 399 for old earphones, there was nothing to lose in trying. And I’m glad I did. The team immediately got back to me, asked for what I needed, and asked for my details. They saw a picture of my Bose buds and acted like these once-glorified but now dog-chewed examples were a walk in the park to fix.

I selected Black as the cable color of choice (yes, you can pick, and some reviews claim they also do two-color braids) and they picked it up the very next day. The buds were gone for a mere two days before they were back. It was working again with a new cable, 3.5 mm audio jack, and everything looked awesome! But this is when I realized that one of these old earphones wasn’t glued properly. I wasn’t expecting much for the price anyway, but the team kindly assisted me with my concern and had the earbuds picked up a few days later. Everything was free of charge. After a bit of waiting, they returned in tip-top shape.

When it comes to sound, I’m sure that my standards for listening quality have long transcended what these old earphones have to offer. That’s why I also can’t tell if these buds sound better or worse now than they did when new. Let me know if anyone still has a mint version of these around. But one thing’s for sure: it’s definitely still an enjoyable listen, even if it isn’t the most technical. They’re perfect for sleeping, relaxing, and other mundane tasks I do in everyday life. I have zero regrets about bringing these back to life – and if you’re in the same situation as I am, then perhaps you could consider doing the same thing.

How much did this all cost?

I was charged PHP 399 for recabling my old earphones, parts and labor included. Then, the shipping fees totalled to about 100 pesos or whereabouts. That’s the standard flat rate for Metro Manila locations – definitely cheaper than Lalamove or GrabExpress, at least in my case. Everything was around PHP 500. For headphones, they begin at PHP 499 then charge a little more to repair broken headbands and the like.

Koast also has a Shopee store where they sell their own locally-crafted audio products. Some of them are modified versions of international brands’ buds, like Sony, but some are engineered and built from the ground up.

They’re extremely affordable and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. I haven’t personally listened to any of these, but I’d love to give them a shot in the future!