EYEdROP
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2007
- Posts
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I recently visited the Bose outlet store in Anthem, AZ for the purpose of listening to each model in the lineup. I really wanted to compare them all at once for the purpose of writing this Head-Fi review... I spent about 2 hours in the store, taking notes on each headphone. The staff was very nice and accommodating, and understood my reason for being there was not to buy a pair of headphones, but to do the internet a favor.
Ive been in the audiophile game for about 15 years now, and have owned and compared countless pieces of equipment. I feel confident in myself that I can give an unbiased, objective view of the products. Everyone has their opinions and preferences, which makes it very difficult to get an idea of products just by reading reviews. But having one experienced person review 9 different models back to back can really give you a decent idea of what to expect when you purchase the product.
My personal sound signature preference is a neutral, fast, balanced, timbre accurate sound signature with highs that are slightly recessed but still present. I really enjoy headphones like the HD600, Monoprice 9927, DT48 and Etymotic in ears.
QC20:
These are active noise cancelling in-ear headphones. They are based off the Bose IE series headphones, and sound very similar. They have no passive noise attenuation, but provide pretty good noise isolation through just active noise cancellation. The bass is extremely powerful and goes deep, hits hard, is flabby, slow, and dominates over the rest of the sound. Reminds me of a crappy ported subwoofer in a car. The midrange remains fairly detailed, timbre accurate, and clear but does sound a little on the warm side due to the bass. Most headphones with this sound signature really obscure and overpower the mids. And while the bass overpowers everything, the mids remain clear somehow. Treble is almost non existant and drops off like a cliff, making these headphones sound a bit dark overall. The soundstage and imaging is pretty good, due to their open design. The sound is wide and spacial cues are pretty good. These have the best verticle imaging in the range. They dont have the typical “in your head” sound that most in ears have. Overall, they were an interesting listen simply for their decent midrange performance and big soundstage, despite the wildly unbalanced sound signature.
Soundtrue Ultra In-Ear:
These are passively isolated in-ears. They offer decent isolation, about the same as the active QC20. The bass is a little too powerful for my tastes. But its not offensive like the QC20. Id say a lot of people might like the bass since its not overblown, but still powerful and adequately tight. The detail and timbre in the midrange is the second best in the Bose range. It doesnt have the slightly warm mids of the QC20, they are more neutral, detailed, and clear. The highs are definitely more extended than the QC20, and have a nice little shimmer in the lower treble. But like all Bose products in general, they are a little bit rolled off in the upper treble, but not overly so. The imaging is more defined than the QC20, but soundstage isnt as wide, and there is less verticle space. They are more in your head sounding, but not offensively so. Overall, a definite improvement over the QC20 in almost every way. IMO, its the second best headphone in the entire lineup due to the balance, detail, and isolation.
Soundtrue OE:
The lows are fairly balanced with the rest of the sound and extend low, but are a little slow sounding and not detailed. They sound a little thick in the bass without being overemphasized. Almost like the bass is covered by a blanket or coming from another room. The mids are also lacking detail and sound a little thin. The treble is practically non existent. The soundstage is very small, and the imaging is not very good. Very generic left/right sound with vague imaging. Overall, not an offensive sounding headphone, but not much to offer in terms of performance. The sound is fairly balanced though…
Soundtrue AE2:
Overpowering, nasty, terrible bass with tons of bloat. The midrange sounds like its coming from a tin can and is recessed and not detailed. There is a very noticeable treble spike in the lower treble, but the upper treble is non existent. The soundstage is all washed out and scattered. The earcups have way too many reflections. The sound is a lot like the old Triport AE, but its like someone put a crappy rock EQ in the signal chain. Overall, the worst headphone in the lineup by a long shot.
QC25:
These are active noise cancelling headphones. The isolation is very very good. Overall, the sound is nice and liquid, creamy, and pretty clear. Bass is actually comforting and tame, yet full bodied and slightly emphasized in a tasteful way. Mids have surprisingly good detail and timbre is pretty darn good, balanced. The treble is by far the best in the lineup. Not particularly extended, but definitely adequate unlike EVERY other bose product. Nice friendly sparkle and a little detail thrown in. Soundstage and imaging are on par with the rest of the sound, fairly wide and nice spacial cues. Overall, the best sounding Bose headphone in their lineup by a long shot. The sound is audiophile grade while being tastefully enhanced in a subtle way. The excellent isolation is a major plus and lets the detail really shine through. These headphones good enough for all but the most demanding audiophiles…
Triport OE (non soundtrue)
Similar to Soundtrue OE, exept these have a mesh screen/port that enhances the sound unlike the soundtrue. They seem slightly more balanced with more detail. The highs are actually present but still rolled off. The mids are a bit better than the soundtrue version, have more detail and less thin. Soundstage and imaging are also improved. Bose took a step backward with the soundtrue. These have good balance with some detail thrown in, but have a bit of a veiled, thick sound just like the soundtrue. Overall, a decent headphone if you want balance but dont mind a general lack of detail.
QC35:
These are the new wireless active noise cancelling headphones. They look very similar to the QC25, but the sound is slightly different. The midbass is stronger, and less tight. The highs are pretty nice like the QC25, but are missing something still... Mids, soundstage, and imaging are also similar. Its like they took the QC25 and turned up the bass a little, and added the bluetooth which makes the sound a little compressed in the treble department. Overall, I would only get these if wireless is needed. The emphasized bass kind of spoils the balance that QC25 achieved. But they keep a lot of similar traits and are still one of the better headphones in the lineup.
AE Wireless II:
Very similar to the sound of QC25. Cant remember much about the sound, other than I was fairly impressed. I think the highs were a little off compared to the wired QC25, and sounded a little less smooth. But kept a very similar balance to the QC25. Overall, it reminded me of the QC25 without the isolation, and some of the magic was missing somewhere.… But one of the better models for sure…
Soundtrue Sport:
Wireless version of soundtrue ultra. The sound was nearly identical to the wired version.
All of these headphones were light and very comfortable, and none of the sound signatures were fatiguing (with the exception of the Soundtrue AE2). Bose seem to make products that are generally inoffensive and work well for unfocused music listening. The sound is almost always fairly musical and would sound good with modern Top 10 pop music using 128kbps MP3s through bluetooth. I wouldn't use any of them for monitoring or intense listening sessions, but I honestly could live with the QC25 for the rest of my life if I had to. All of these headphones are overpriced for the level of performance you get. You can easily find better headphones for cheaper. After I listened to them all, I compared them to my Monoprice 9927, a $10 IEM that kicks some major butt. I was blown away by how much more open and clear they were compared all of to the Bose headphones. Keep in mind, the 9927 crushes 90% of the "audiophile" headphones Ive heard, regardless of price…
If you are a head-fier and looking at Bose products, Id say the Soundtrue Ultra and especially the QC25 are the main headphones really worth looking at. The QC35 and AE Wireless II are honorable mention. If you can find any of these used at a good price, they would be a decent buy. These models are high-fidelity and offer good isolation. The rest of the range leaves a lot to be desired in one way or another, usually in the treble department…
Ive noticed most Bose products lack a lot of treble extension, even with their speakers. For example, I found the Bose 301 speakers to have better sound than the 901, simply because they have a tweeter. Im not even a treble guy, I actually prefer a rolled off tame treble most of the time, for the sake of smoothness and to reduce listening fatigue. But 90% of Bose products are missing the entire upper treble range, which is critical to having a sense of balance. Without treble, the sound ends up being too thick and lacks detail....
Bose is a company that makes "lifestyle" consumer products that sound "good" but are not geared towards audiophiles. Every once in a while, they design something that is mid-fi audiophile grade, but still remains inflated in pricing. The benefits are usually good aesthetic design, great comfort, great service, excellent customer support and warranty, trade in programs, lots of retailers, etc... If you can find a good deal on some of their better sounding products, then Id say go for it. But beware of some of the less desirable products they make are still expensive and totally not worth it...
Ive been in the audiophile game for about 15 years now, and have owned and compared countless pieces of equipment. I feel confident in myself that I can give an unbiased, objective view of the products. Everyone has their opinions and preferences, which makes it very difficult to get an idea of products just by reading reviews. But having one experienced person review 9 different models back to back can really give you a decent idea of what to expect when you purchase the product.
My personal sound signature preference is a neutral, fast, balanced, timbre accurate sound signature with highs that are slightly recessed but still present. I really enjoy headphones like the HD600, Monoprice 9927, DT48 and Etymotic in ears.
QC20:
These are active noise cancelling in-ear headphones. They are based off the Bose IE series headphones, and sound very similar. They have no passive noise attenuation, but provide pretty good noise isolation through just active noise cancellation. The bass is extremely powerful and goes deep, hits hard, is flabby, slow, and dominates over the rest of the sound. Reminds me of a crappy ported subwoofer in a car. The midrange remains fairly detailed, timbre accurate, and clear but does sound a little on the warm side due to the bass. Most headphones with this sound signature really obscure and overpower the mids. And while the bass overpowers everything, the mids remain clear somehow. Treble is almost non existant and drops off like a cliff, making these headphones sound a bit dark overall. The soundstage and imaging is pretty good, due to their open design. The sound is wide and spacial cues are pretty good. These have the best verticle imaging in the range. They dont have the typical “in your head” sound that most in ears have. Overall, they were an interesting listen simply for their decent midrange performance and big soundstage, despite the wildly unbalanced sound signature.
Soundtrue Ultra In-Ear:
These are passively isolated in-ears. They offer decent isolation, about the same as the active QC20. The bass is a little too powerful for my tastes. But its not offensive like the QC20. Id say a lot of people might like the bass since its not overblown, but still powerful and adequately tight. The detail and timbre in the midrange is the second best in the Bose range. It doesnt have the slightly warm mids of the QC20, they are more neutral, detailed, and clear. The highs are definitely more extended than the QC20, and have a nice little shimmer in the lower treble. But like all Bose products in general, they are a little bit rolled off in the upper treble, but not overly so. The imaging is more defined than the QC20, but soundstage isnt as wide, and there is less verticle space. They are more in your head sounding, but not offensively so. Overall, a definite improvement over the QC20 in almost every way. IMO, its the second best headphone in the entire lineup due to the balance, detail, and isolation.
Soundtrue OE:
The lows are fairly balanced with the rest of the sound and extend low, but are a little slow sounding and not detailed. They sound a little thick in the bass without being overemphasized. Almost like the bass is covered by a blanket or coming from another room. The mids are also lacking detail and sound a little thin. The treble is practically non existent. The soundstage is very small, and the imaging is not very good. Very generic left/right sound with vague imaging. Overall, not an offensive sounding headphone, but not much to offer in terms of performance. The sound is fairly balanced though…
Soundtrue AE2:
Overpowering, nasty, terrible bass with tons of bloat. The midrange sounds like its coming from a tin can and is recessed and not detailed. There is a very noticeable treble spike in the lower treble, but the upper treble is non existent. The soundstage is all washed out and scattered. The earcups have way too many reflections. The sound is a lot like the old Triport AE, but its like someone put a crappy rock EQ in the signal chain. Overall, the worst headphone in the lineup by a long shot.
QC25:
These are active noise cancelling headphones. The isolation is very very good. Overall, the sound is nice and liquid, creamy, and pretty clear. Bass is actually comforting and tame, yet full bodied and slightly emphasized in a tasteful way. Mids have surprisingly good detail and timbre is pretty darn good, balanced. The treble is by far the best in the lineup. Not particularly extended, but definitely adequate unlike EVERY other bose product. Nice friendly sparkle and a little detail thrown in. Soundstage and imaging are on par with the rest of the sound, fairly wide and nice spacial cues. Overall, the best sounding Bose headphone in their lineup by a long shot. The sound is audiophile grade while being tastefully enhanced in a subtle way. The excellent isolation is a major plus and lets the detail really shine through. These headphones good enough for all but the most demanding audiophiles…
Triport OE (non soundtrue)
Similar to Soundtrue OE, exept these have a mesh screen/port that enhances the sound unlike the soundtrue. They seem slightly more balanced with more detail. The highs are actually present but still rolled off. The mids are a bit better than the soundtrue version, have more detail and less thin. Soundstage and imaging are also improved. Bose took a step backward with the soundtrue. These have good balance with some detail thrown in, but have a bit of a veiled, thick sound just like the soundtrue. Overall, a decent headphone if you want balance but dont mind a general lack of detail.
QC35:
These are the new wireless active noise cancelling headphones. They look very similar to the QC25, but the sound is slightly different. The midbass is stronger, and less tight. The highs are pretty nice like the QC25, but are missing something still... Mids, soundstage, and imaging are also similar. Its like they took the QC25 and turned up the bass a little, and added the bluetooth which makes the sound a little compressed in the treble department. Overall, I would only get these if wireless is needed. The emphasized bass kind of spoils the balance that QC25 achieved. But they keep a lot of similar traits and are still one of the better headphones in the lineup.
AE Wireless II:
Very similar to the sound of QC25. Cant remember much about the sound, other than I was fairly impressed. I think the highs were a little off compared to the wired QC25, and sounded a little less smooth. But kept a very similar balance to the QC25. Overall, it reminded me of the QC25 without the isolation, and some of the magic was missing somewhere.… But one of the better models for sure…
Soundtrue Sport:
Wireless version of soundtrue ultra. The sound was nearly identical to the wired version.
All of these headphones were light and very comfortable, and none of the sound signatures were fatiguing (with the exception of the Soundtrue AE2). Bose seem to make products that are generally inoffensive and work well for unfocused music listening. The sound is almost always fairly musical and would sound good with modern Top 10 pop music using 128kbps MP3s through bluetooth. I wouldn't use any of them for monitoring or intense listening sessions, but I honestly could live with the QC25 for the rest of my life if I had to. All of these headphones are overpriced for the level of performance you get. You can easily find better headphones for cheaper. After I listened to them all, I compared them to my Monoprice 9927, a $10 IEM that kicks some major butt. I was blown away by how much more open and clear they were compared all of to the Bose headphones. Keep in mind, the 9927 crushes 90% of the "audiophile" headphones Ive heard, regardless of price…
If you are a head-fier and looking at Bose products, Id say the Soundtrue Ultra and especially the QC25 are the main headphones really worth looking at. The QC35 and AE Wireless II are honorable mention. If you can find any of these used at a good price, they would be a decent buy. These models are high-fidelity and offer good isolation. The rest of the range leaves a lot to be desired in one way or another, usually in the treble department…
Ive noticed most Bose products lack a lot of treble extension, even with their speakers. For example, I found the Bose 301 speakers to have better sound than the 901, simply because they have a tweeter. Im not even a treble guy, I actually prefer a rolled off tame treble most of the time, for the sake of smoothness and to reduce listening fatigue. But 90% of Bose products are missing the entire upper treble range, which is critical to having a sense of balance. Without treble, the sound ends up being too thick and lacks detail....
Bose is a company that makes "lifestyle" consumer products that sound "good" but are not geared towards audiophiles. Every once in a while, they design something that is mid-fi audiophile grade, but still remains inflated in pricing. The benefits are usually good aesthetic design, great comfort, great service, excellent customer support and warranty, trade in programs, lots of retailers, etc... If you can find a good deal on some of their better sounding products, then Id say go for it. But beware of some of the less desirable products they make are still expensive and totally not worth it...
