Bose AE2 or OE2 Headphones?? - Page 3

I defer to Controlmajortom on this one since she has heard the ZX500 first hand.
Edited by dweaver - 12/5/11 at 4:14pm

Hey OP, if you haven't made your purchase and moved on already, allow me to add my thoughts. I was a fan of the Bose sound signature and purchased the original OEs for the thirty day trial. I enjoyed the increased bass presence compared to my Sennheiser 555 and 598s, but sorely missed the clarity (and other aspects I'm not quite savvy enough to describe, yet). I returned the Bose. Then on the recommendation of some members of this forum and others I landed on the Denon AH-D 1100s, which have been a huge success. Tons of bass without bleeding into the mid range too much, while delivery excellent highs and vocals. While they don't have that luxurious feel the Bose do, they sit very comfortable around the ears and I am able to wear them for hours at a time without any pain or stress on my ears. The Denon's also don't leave my ears as hot as the Bose OEs did, though it was rather negligible in either case.

 

The 1100s retail around $200, which I believe was slightly out of your listed price range, but I would strongly recommend you consider the extra $50 for what could be a semi long term investment.

 

Btw, anyone else try the OE2s? I've read Bose is trying to deliver a more balanced sound with less of their famous bloat. I noticed that controlmajortom mentioned in another thread that she did not notice a difference between those and the OEs, which was sad to hear. Anyone else?

I picked up the OE2's last week, after much deliberation. I have other phones (Beyer DT990 & DT1350, Sure and Klipsch IEM's). I was seduced by the virtually weightless feel when I tried the Bose on in a store. I couldn't really rate the sound though, until I got them home. I must say that I'm fairly impressed that they can get so much sound from such a light weight set. The DT1350's are more precise and have a more subtle bass. The OE2's (to my ears) have a decent range. The bass can be a bit boomy, depending on the source. I'm keeping them for casual listening and watching movies. It's nice to have an uber comfortable alternative to the 1350's (which clamp a bit and are heavier...but oh, such sweet construction). 

  

Despite views on Bose, I quite like the AE2's. In my local HMV they have a massive area set aside to listen to a variety of headphones from £25 to £350. Consequently they are heavily run in. You can connect you mp3 player to the headphones too. So I plugged my iPhone in. Highlights were the AE2 over the OE2. The Bose noise cancelling were astonishing good at removing the noise of the store. The Denon 1100 and D2000 were stunning. Also the Sennheiser SP-11 was were good. But comfort was lovely on the AE2 plus I quick liked the sound although it wasnt a quiet environment I was listening in.

I bought the Denon AH-D1001 based off of a recommendation on this site and love them. I would definitely take a look at those. Just a note, the AH-D 1001 are different than the AH-D1100 and are a little cheaper if I remember correctly. They are an amazing headphone tho.