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Bose TriPort Over-Ear Headphones

Bose TriPort Over-Ear Headphones

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Good headphones -- bad headband
Review:
I use headphones nearly all day, and I was excited to get these, my first "real" headphones.

Now...I don't know nothin' about no sound quality. They sounded good to me, and quieted ambient noise when on my ears, even with no sound playing.

But the headpiece connecting the two headphones has cracked in FOUR different places (and flown apart in three) in about four months. One crack appeared smack in the middle of the left headband, nowhere near a stress point--the rest of the breaks happened at the tops and bottoms of the headband. On my headphones, you can now see more duct tape than original headband due to all the various repairs.

If you need to use your headphones more than occassionally, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: People who say these are bad headphones...
Review: ... ARE WRONG!

I have been a steady audiophile (more or less) for 10 years now, and I have gone through many pairs of headphones. Some people say that these headphones are being sold at high prices and made poorly so that the reputation of Bose's speakers will get to the buyer - thus paying a lot of money for a piece of junk.

I am sorry people, but this is far from the truth. I just visited the Bose at White Plains, and bought a pair of these headphones and they sounded incredible. Like all audiophiles do, however, I brought a pair of Sennheiser headphones, priced just slightly lower than these were. The difference was incredible.

To begin, the Sennheiser HD497 headphones were not NEARLY as comfortable as these BOSE Triports are. The Triports sport much larger ear cups with much less and more comfortable padding - because there is such open space in these headphones, it is about impossible for your ears to get strained in them. Secondly, the sound is much more "closed" than the Sennheiser headphones. The Sennheisers have a tendancy to leak their sound because the headphones go over your ear, but don't fully cover and surround it. This means that there is air and space for sound to travel outwards. At the highest sound level, the BOSE headphones leaked much less than the Sennheisers did at 3/4 their highest sound capacity.

The only main issue I had with these headphones was their tendancy to feel quite cheap. I certainly put trust in their build quality, because, like usual, it's a BOSE product. However, I first picked these up and i gave a troubling look at the sale's rep at BOSE's store that was helping me. I put them on and was amazed. These headphones feel quite light-weight. For many people, this may seem like a tease. Such a reputable company with such a bad build quality? Wrong. These feel that cheap for a reason. The light-weight feel of these BOSE headphones actually feel much better once put on your ears. My Sennheisers sometimes give me the feeling that I am going to break my neck if I move my head when I have them on. They are that heavy. These BOSE headphones, however, sound better and feel better than the comparable Sennheiser headphones.

Bottom line: For most people, this is the perfect low-end audio sollution for audiophiles (or the best gift you can give to music enthusiasts, or people that aren't as into audio as me). If you are buying these headphones for yourself, then I recommend that you try these headphones out before you buy them. You may be like me and find the light-weight style as god's gift to audiophiles, or you may feel too nervous wearing such light material. If you find these things feeling too cheap to wear, then I completely understand. My experiences with these headphones, however, completely deserve 5 stars. The sound quality is top-knotch (especially for the price), and the unique light-weight build quality is like no other - it is truly the best feeling that I have ever had on my ears. I recommend these headphones highly - although if you're not sure, then, as I mentioned before, try and find a store where you can try these headphones out - just so you can see if the light-weight design is meant for you or not.

I hope this review helps. Thanks to BOSE for another outstanding product!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Self-destructing headpiece
Review: Add me to the list of people who broke the flimsy, fragile headpiece. Bose should be ashamed.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Great Sound......Flimsy Construction
Review: After owning these for 2 months, one side of the headband broke. They sound great, but unless you plan on leaving these constantly connected to your home PC, then DO NOT BUY THESE because they will break on their first trip in your breifcase or backpack. One more thing, they direct cord connection to each earcup is annoying.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Too pricey
Review: After reading the reviews here, I went to a local merchant to purchase. I asked the sales person there and they said to me that 2 out of 5 people return this product. Maybe they realized it was WAY too much to pay for headphones.

It was enough to stop me, and I ended up buying the Sony MDR-V600 for about two-thirds the price. The range of the Sony is from 10-30k khz with 106DB. In comparing the other headphones that were pricier, none could match the specs of the Sony.

I am sure that the Bose is a good headphone, but not at the price.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hesitating on the fifth star...
Review: All this talk of 'audiophile' this and 'audiophile' that is, well, pointless. Most people will never meet the lofty claims of 'true audiophile' (whatever that is...). That being said, these headphones are really remarkable. I tried several brands before buying these and found these to be the best all around.

Are they the best ever? Beats me. All I know is they sound great. There is a great bass response and a good range of the rest of the spectrum. I hear all the sounds and a high volume isn't required to really feel the sound. Since I don't play my music at top volume (burned that bridge when I was young), distortion has never been a problem with these. Nice, crisp sound coming through the headphones.

Having tried for a long time to find a pair of over the ear headphones that don't hurt, don't make my ears sweat and don't require constant fidgeting to get the right fit, these are the most comfortable and well fitting headphones I've found. These cup my ears perfectly without suffocating them. And my ears don't sweat and begin to hurt after half an hour. I can wear these things for hours with very little discomfort, even after many hours.

Are they worth the high price? That is why I hedge on the fifth star. They are a bit fragile and the bag is kind of cheap for the price you pay although it's nice they throw in the adapter for the headphone jack. But I'd expect a better way to carry these with a bit more protection. But that is something of a technicality. Just be extra careful with them and you'll be fine.

Four, even four and a half, stars for fit and sound. I just can't quite say emphatically that the price is justified. Still a solid investment.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: good sound quality but very fragile
Review: anyone considering buying these headphones should be aware that they are very fragile. the speakers themselves are sturdy enough but the plastic in the band holding the two speakers together is very fragile. i bought a pair even after having heard that they are fragile thinking the person reviewing them may have been careless w/ them but mine have broken two times when i was doing nothing more than taking them off. the plastic on these things is barely strong enough to hold them together. that being said, they do have the best sound quality of any headphones i've ever owned. they are also the most expensive headphones i've ever owned.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great for Watching DVD's on my PC!
Review: As a parent, I normally prefer to use open-air headphones since they allow me to hear my kids calling for me even while I'm listening to music or watching a movie. But there are times (when my wife is home) when I'd prefer to insulate myself from the outside world and enjoy my music -- or my movie -- to their fullest! For times such as these, the Bose Triport headphones are phenomenal.

The audio quality and stereo separation of the units are unparalleled. The base is deep and the highs are crisp. Voices can be heard down to a whisper, and bombs exploding and planes shrieking will have me quickly diving for cover. The enclosed-ear design certainly helps to block out other distractions. But the clincher for me was the included extension which lengthens the audio cord out to 5', which allows me to sit in an easy chair to enjoyably watch DVD movies -- on my desktop PC! (Most other headphones, by comparison, have cables that are much too short - and they certainly don't sound this good!)

When hearing every aural nuance is important - and when being connected to the outside world isn't - these Bose Triports are definitely the headphones to get!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great headphones, better than I thought after comparing
Review: At first I purchased the Sennheiser HD280 PRO headphones after reading great reviews on sound and comfort and I did not want to spend the $ on Bose, mostly because I figured Bose was more market hype than sound quality. After I received the Sennheiser headphones, I was okay with the sound but greatly disappointed on the comfort which ranked high on my list.

Not satisfied with these headphones, I reluctantly purchased the $ Bose Triports after reading reviews and thought I couldn't lose since Bose guaranteed a 90-day customer satisfaction. The only way to be sure was to compare the headphones side-by-side with the Sennheiser HD280 at home. The first thing I noticed was how much more comfortable the Bose Triports were over the Sennheiser, they were light and very comfortable on the ears and the headband did not give that annoying feeling on the top of my head like the HD280 did. The Triports had much better and thicker material construction on the ear cushions than the Sennheiser did. Also the Triport has a metal headband that you can widen to your fit.

Now on the sound comparison: On my MuVo MP3 player, the Triports had a cleaner and tighter sound than the HD280 which sometimes sounded a little muddier on the bass. I also immediately noticed
the Triports had a higher volume output probably due to the 32 ohms vs. 64 for the HD280.

Then I compared them on my home system listening to Jazz and Rock on an Arcam Alpha 7SE thru a Denon receiver with all settings on flat. The HD280 had great bass, some midrange and a bit bright on the treble. I'm sure the HD280 would sound a lot better later given the reviews of burning them in for a week but my biggest complaint is that these headphones are NOT comfortable as others have reviewed. The Triports, surprisingly, sounded a lot better with more midrange and an overall balanced sound.

The two negative things I can say about the Triport are: 1) For the price, like other reviewers have said, is that it comes with a cheap looking pouch to transport your $ headphones. 2) It doesn't include the handy in-flight adapter. Why Bose didn't include the adapter or a better bag like the one the Quiet Comfort has I don't know. Bose almost makes it appear that for another $100, your getting more amenities rather than the noise cancellation technology -- which I think goes against their marketing based on their ads.

Anyway, bottom line, I am returning the HD280 and keeping the Triports. Albeit I am spending more than I wanted to but after listening and wearing these comfortable headphones, I am very satisfied with my decision. If you're looking for great sound with great comfort, I highly recommend the Bose Triports. Everyone has a different sound taste, so I recommend comparing the Triports yourself since Bose has the 90-day return and you'll hear and FEEL the difference yourself.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: 150-dollars worth of MUDDY BASS
Review: Back in October I heard about the TriPorts and their superior quality, but at the time my budget was 100 dollars and I settled on some Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's. The relationship I have with those babies is timeless. Even though they sounded a bit thin at first, that all cleared up after breaking them in.

Today, I bought the Bose Triports. Based on reputation and a test on instrumental metal music, mildly satisfied with what I heard (high volume and deep bass), I bought a pair. When I got home, I opened the box and started playing some rap. The vocals were buried DEEP IN BASS even without any bass boost. On my favorite recordings where there are details in the background, it is all masked by the midrange.

To put it best, Bose Triport headphones make music sound two-dimensional and muddy.

The bass isn't clean. I CANNOT reccomend these headphones at ANY price. They're unacceptable for any serious listener.
The only reason they're compared to Sennheiser DH 280's is because of the price-range and closed design.
I wanted these to be a 150-dollar answer to my music needs, but...
Bose TriPorts are just an EXPENSIVE MESS! Buy the less-expensive, more-durable, infinitely cleaner-sounding, more-isolating, and near-perfectly balanced-sounding Sennheiser HD 280's.
If I were Bose, I wouldn't be able to sleep with this NASTY product being sold in stores. Luckily, I'm taking these horrid things back to the store for 150 dollars store credit.

NOTE: There's no way I have accurately described the disappointment I had with these things, nor the inferior sound quality. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT BUYING THESE!

Oh and I hear the break easily too. Can't say we didn't warn you.


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