[manaox2]

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Originally Posted by The D /img/forum/go_quote.gif So all of the people who have had bose stuff and did not like it are wrong? If a company makes rubbish they should get dragged in the mud for it, if no one did that there would only be bad products because companys would only make the worse crap they can because there would be no reason to make anything better. Also captian73 it was not a blind test you did to your friends so it means nothing.

I don't think anyone is judging whether they are right or wrong. It really is lame to repeat the same topic over and over without adding any pertinent information or reason for anyone new to care about what anyone says about them. Thats just adding fuel to a fire. I don't think the headphones are complete rubbish. Just that they are overpriced. I can see how some would prefer them. We all have that nostalgic sound signature that we probably fell in love with growing up.

 

[Drag0n]

Quote:

Originally Posted by manaox2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Same thing here... All female vocals. Sounded nice to me, but I couldn't even see what the source was or change the track. When I used to go inside the BOSE store, they would have their speakers in a glass sealed room with the proper placement for optimal sound loading and run it again with something I couldn't see. I've since heard from past employees that they run them from expensive amplifiers hidden in a back room. Many of us have heard what changes a huge recording can make. If I throw a binaural track on any decent headphones, the illusion of the sound coming to life makes you just say WOW. Its not fair to heap them on consumers without releasing specs or having an honest test trial.

The Bose store i checked out uses CROWN amplifiers behind the speaker wall,and all CDs are optimised for BOSE sound.

 

[Assorted]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drag0n /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Bose store i checked out uses CROWN amplifiers behind the speaker wall,and all CDs are optimised for BOSE sound.

Believe it or not, the Wave demo disc sounds fine with other non-Bose equipment... compared to the Wave system!

 

[captian73]

but when i read comments like

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Also captian73 it was not a blind test you did to your friends so it means nothing.

i'm there's some blind people here, because you've obviously not read the countless statements where i've said only 1 out of the 7 knew of Bose, and i live in the UK, where, apart from the odd advert in the odd Sunday supliment magazone, Bose don't go to the extremes i hear about in the U.S. so let me explain again!

[size=medium] only 1 out of the 7 i tested them on, knew of Bose,[/size]

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Also captian73 it was not a blind test you did to your friends so it means nothing.

it's...... silly comments like that, that get me thinking that comments like that ARE nothing more than ignorant Bose bashing. how can i think it otherwise?

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The problem others have is Bose makes it hard for others to make an informed decision with their marketing.

I do kinda understand, if ose is pushed that hard (in the U.S.) But there again every company will say their product is the best. know, here we go, i'm beginning to see that for the "uninformed" they'll grab teh first thing they see. so if they walk into a hi-fi shop and the assisitant only has sennheiser on hand, then the "uniformed person" will go for the sennheisers.

so people will grab whatever they can.......simply because it's there,= Bose visicous/overbearing marketing am i right?

what i'm not seeing is that we at head-fi would plumb for the UE's....regardless. I'm i right or is that a presumption?

if we (being well informed) would choose the UE's over the Bose, why then did 6 uniformed people choose Bose?

i've yet to hear and answer.

Head-fi: UE, because they're better than Bose. wed tell anyione they're better than bose.

uniformrmed: Bose

yet in the blind test, 7 chose Bose.


my point is that several times, i've heard the phrase "bose are overpriced" yet there's info to back up that statement. No; "i think Bose are overpriced because when i went on an art trip to Leeds (link given to show i'm genuine) and tested them on 7 of my fellow art students, they all chose UE"

or

Bose are overpriced because after 5 months testing i found that when i listen to Shimon - The shadow knows, that the HD25-1's picked out the percussion piece the top left hand corner with a bit more difinition than the Bose.

if i saw more statements like that, i could think that there was a resonable arguement. basically i'm asking you to put more meat on the bones.

i think marketing is marketing so i'm not going to get into that. Bose, like any other company are trying to sell a product, just like an insurance company, and they have the right to do that.

i understand that we may not like HOW they go about it, but at least they don't call me up in the middle of east enders (british soap) and ask me what headphones i have, and would i like to try there's, unlike the kind person who tried to sell me accident cover insurance last night!

maybe they do that in the U.S. but i've yet to get a call, late in the evening from any audio company.

Build quality? well if you know my Bose history, i wentn through 4 pairs of Bose triports (now Bose AE). but i've aslo had cable issues on my brand new HD650's, i've had to replace the cable on 5 of my senheiser, and 3 of them more than once. the first pair of iGrado's i got were damaged (leaning to one side)

Headphonedeals: The Grado Igrado’s are here, but there's a slight problem.

my ultrasones have been a model of realibilty, and they can take alot of abuse.

V-Moda vibes, i just won't go there. they look like they'll fall apart just by looking at them, and the pair i tested gave up the ghost a week or so after i tested them. but i seen a few build quality issues for the V-moda's around the place.

i still have a cable issue with the HD650's it's seems there might be a loose connection. but it's not a major bug bear. My Bose OE's have been solid and realiable, and unlike the AE's for build quality, i recommend them. (unfortunately) i've sat on the stood on them twice (sorry!) and they've been fine.

my lovely wife dumped a plie of clean washing on top of my stax sr-001's, which was nice! they were fine, adn so in my book they've passed the quality test. many call the SR-001's fragile..... i call them light weight, but there's nothing to suggest that they'll buckle under pressure, unlike the V-moda's, which just felt......less than complete.

sorry i'm getting carried away.

overpriced, over priced. when i hear that phrase, i feel that you're comapring it to something. it like saying...in isolation i think the PX100's are great adn id recommend them, but put them next to the iGrado's and the PX100's are slightly overpriced.

if Bose (for example) OE's are overpriced, then what are you comparing them to, inorder to come to that conclusion. Because when i test the Sub $200 HD25-1's against the $179 Bose, i found that on certain tracks, Bose deifinition was slightly ahead. That'as my comparision after 5 months, what was yours?

so on the odd occasion i found the $179 Bose to be slightly better than the $200 HD25-1's.

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The HD650 and the BOSE cost about the same for certain phones and thats fine if your wife doesn't like the sound of the HD650. Let me go behind my wall, hook it up to a $6000 studio headphone rig, and then play some binaural specially made recordings that highlight only its strongpoints. Lets do all of this in a Target while she shops for clothes and stuff for the family. Heck, I'll even hook that Target up to a mall. After she finishes her shopping, she can walk to the BOSE store at the other end so that she can compare to the QC3. Thats fair, right

i don't know about the U.S. but in the UK, the Bose retail at £120 and the HD650's retail at £300. so yeah, obviously they cost about the same??? Are you seriously saying that a pair of $349 headphones and a pair of $599 headphones cost about the same. sorry let me quickly do some math here, but my calculator is telling me there's a diffence of $250. that's another good pair of headphones and a good night out!

someone has quoted me a retail price of $179 and the HD650's i've not seen for less than around the $400 mark. hands up but i've not seen the retail for the Hd650's but $179 and $400 are about the same????#

i've just had a look on amazon.com and the HD650's retail at $599 which is obviously around the same price as $179.

HD650

Amazon.com: hd650

Bose

Amazon.com: bose oe

even the flagship Bose quite comfort retail at $349 compared to the HD650's which retail at $599, which in my book, is around the same price. Yeah right!

Amazon.com: Bose® QuietComfort® 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones: Electronics

i'm sure we'd all expect a fair an totally equal result from a pair of headphones costing $349 and a pair costing $599! give me a break! but obviously, in teh minds of many, that's a good arguement against Bose!

so it's fair to test a pair of Grado RS1's against a pair of HD595's becasue they're about the same price!

it's statements like that, that are unsustainable. you would never expect the same result from a pair of headphones costing $349 and $599. but for the point of Bose bashing, we here comments like

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The HD650 and the BOSE cost about the same for certain phones

when if fact FACT there's $250 between Boses' top model and the HD650's. how am i to take that other than blatent Bose bashing? how?

i can appreicate that you have a $6,000 set up, and it would be my dream to have a $6,000. but to test a pair of headphones which a $250 price gap and expect the same result? come on manaox2, surely you're not aksing me to take that seriously?


so i've ask this a number of times, but no one has answered, although oarnura has touched on it. which would you choose, UE or Bose?any UE and any Bose, but what would you choose? can someone answer?

 

[lordmozilla]

while i'm not going to argue wether your test is fair or not, I think personally it is fair and you are right the HD650 are not in the same league as the bose.

But the bose OE are not at all like the UE 5EB. The 5EB are IEM's and the bose are normal headphones. It doesnt, in my mind make much sense to compare the two.

People in the test might not have heard that much difference and gone for bigger is better, as we are often told that bigger headphones mean bigger and better sound.

 

[manaox2]

Wow man. You did all that research and never even looked at the definition of what a blind test was. Your friends shouldn't be able to see what they are listening to at any part. Then you should be the one switching between the phones after they have been volume matched with the source. There is no "grabbing" in a blind test.

What you did was dangle them in front of them and let them do and play what they wanted, which still goes for something. Even I think the super.fi EB are not very good looking sticking out of your ears with that comparatively big dynamic speaker in there, not to mention that they need to be fully burned in. BOSE In-Ear, once again, ARE NOT IEMS. They do not have that odd feeling you get by having to stick them in your ears. They do look more attractive in likely most people's opinion.

I wouldn't pass IEMs around between friends and tell them to stick it in their ear canals after me. The BOSE OE are EAR BUDS that sit in your ear. They are two DIFFERENT types of phones.

Here is something from CNET that I believe are more impartial tests then 7 of your art buddies:

Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones (black) Headphone reviews - CNET Reviews

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"They provide far better bass than your MP3 player's stock headphones, but the overall sound isn't a match for similarly priced in-ear 'phones." "They resemble the earbuds that come with the Samsung Yepp YP-K5; they look like regular earbuds but with silicone tips that funnel the sound directly into your ear canals." "In the company's ads, Bose calls the sound "lifelike," but that's a bit misleading, since it implies sonic accuracy. The headphones are very heavy on the bass--comparable to the Sennheiser CX-300--which some listeners will like. But the bass tends to overwhelm the midrange, creating a somewhat boomy overall sound on first listen. After spending some time with them, you can hear that the highs extend nicely, despite taking a backseat to the bottom end. Since there's no seal in your ear, the bass actually needs to be quite powerful, but Bose overdid it a little in that regard. You also have to turn your portable player up quite far to get decent volume, which will drain your player's battery faster than with more efficient models. At nearly $100, the Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones cater to a very niche market. If you're a die-hard Bose fan, you've probably already bought them, but if you're looking for something in between canalphones and standard earbuds, these are a viable option. "

BTW, yes, at least here in the states, the HD650 IS 300 cheaper. They go for $320 on new on eBay right now and a week ago I saw them going for $275. No one BUT amazon puts them at that price anymore. Check headroom or many other stores. Here is a quote I have from J&R Electronics:

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Here is the information you requested: Sennheiser HD650 Stereo Headphone $499.99 - Suggested Retail Price $329.99 - YOUR PRICE Please click here to view or purchase this product at the discounted price: JR.com: Sennheiser HD650 Stereo Headphone in Corded Headphones:

You should try to take me more seriously. I get the feeling, like others have said, that your having trouble understanding and seeing only what you want to see.

 

[captian73]

thanks for your point of view manaox2, but i don't think it's seeing what i'm seeing, it's a matter of certain people not putting up a very strong arguement.

Quote:

Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones (black) Headphone reviews - CNET Reviews Quote: "They provide far better bass than your MP3 player's stock headphones, but the overall sound isn't a match for similarly priced in-ear 'phones." "They resemble the earbuds that come with the Samsung Yepp YP-K5; they look like regular earbuds but with silicone tips that funnel the sound directly into your ear canals." "In the company's ads, Bose calls the sound "lifelike," but that's a bit misleading, since it implies sonic accuracy. The headphones are very heavy on the bass--comparable to the Sennheiser CX-300--which some listeners will like. But the bass tends to overwhelm the midrange, creating a somewhat boomy overall sound on first listen. After spending some time with them, you can hear that the highs extend nicely, despite taking a backseat to the bottom end. Since there's no seal in your ear, the bass actually needs to be quite powerful, but Bose overdid it a little in that regard. You also have to turn your portable player up quite far to get decent volume, which will drain your player's battery faster than with more efficient models. At nearly $100, the Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones cater to a very niche market. If you're a die-hard Bose fan, you've probably already bought them, but if you're looking for something in between canalphones and standard earbuds, these are a viable option. "

this is what i wrote in my test against the HD25-1's.

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The sound staging is good and, with that left hand cymbal coming in a bit better than the Sennheiser’s. The vocals,.... or Michael I should say is more centralized. You can really feel him in the center, but it’s a kind of muffled sound. The guitar comes through as well as the Sennheiser, but the constant bass of the Bose, makes it harder to pinpoint. The rest of the sound staging is good it has to be said, but if you’re not a bass fan, then these are definitely not for you. They will annoy you, as the bass is an overpowering factor of the Bose Triport range. I don’t think the Bose sound bad per se, it’s just that the bass is uncompromising. Even with tracks that have no bass, the Bose will thump away. Good points (HD25-1's) For a chunky pair of headphones, they offer smooth refined sound. You’ll pay nearly half as much as I paid for them. They are smaller than your average ‘full sized’ headphones. You can literally build your HD25-1’s piece by piece. Down sides The clamping effect, can be unforgiving They are still a little bit bulky. Bose Triport OE Good Points If you're a bass-head like me, then you’ll love these. They are tiny, very light, and comfortable. Reasonable amount of extras come as standard. Reassuring feeling of good build quality. Downsides The bass is overwhelming at times. You won’t be accepted amongst the audiophile crowd.

not a million miles apart!


but still, and this is a presumption, regardless of the different types, some comments seem to slag of the BRAND, not the type. so apart from the fact that the UE's had already gone through over 250 burn in a few weeks previous, i think they had settled in by the time they got to my fellow art students.

my point is, that as a BRAND i don't think many here would go for Bose over UE regardless! that seems to be the severity of the hatred for Bose. can you answer me please, and tell me if i'm right or wrong?

as to the price factor, it's to compare a headphones that have a $250 price gap. savings are good, but prices flucuatute depending on where your buying from, ergo, even though you might buy a pair of headphones that cost you $600 RRP but you happen to be lucky enough to buy them for $250 from a friend, that doesn't mean that they are now only equivolent to a $250 pair of headphones. No, they are still equivolent to a pair of $600 pair of headphones.

The HD650 retail at $599 and for arguenments sake the K701's and SR325i all retail for the sme price. if then you get a pair of Hd650 for $275 and for what ever reason, you still can't find a price deal on the k701's, that that deminish the HD650's performance? are they now not upto the task of taking on the K701's or SR325i's because you've bougth them at $275 intstead of $599?

Sennhieser deals are 10 a penny, but grado, i've found it hard to get a good Grado deal. the PX100 retail for £40 in the UK, but you can buy them for under £15. does that mean they can't compete with £40 headphones in sonic terms?

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You should try to take me more seriously. I get the feeling, like others have said, that your having trouble understanding and seeing only what you want to see.

as someone who has a $6000 system, i find it hard not to take you seriously believe me. what i do have a trouble with IS:

1) people who haven't spent any real time (more than i tried them once) with the Bose.

i wouldn't the guts to slag of Shure earphones, after a 2 minute test, and never have tested them against anything else. i would feel that for me, Someonwe who hasn't tried the shures for any lenght of time, to make any comment on them slating them would be inapproriate and unsupportable. when it comes to giving advice, i stick to headphones that i have a personal long term knowledge of.

2) people making statements like "they're crap" or "they're overpriced",but giving no explaination for that piont of view (unlike yourself manaox2), like "i found the PX100's to be better becasue..."

i think this show a blatent lack of knowledge on behalf of the Bose bashers.


3) and arguements that just don't stack up. i.e. the price comparision which don't really compare.

now it might be O.K. for you and me knowing all the nooks and crannys of where to buy, but think, some poor idiot is going to walk into that hi-fi shop and pay £329 for the HD650's where the RRP is £299 and i got mine for £160.

does a deal price, deminish a headphones capabilities? because i paid £160 for my HD650, am i only getting £160 worth of performance from a pair of headphones that should and do cost £300 at retail?

Thanks for your comment manaox2 and i really mean that. i've heard some good comments, comments believe it or not that get me thinking. however, i get the sense that some people (inclcuding myself) aren't at your level. you and oarnura have been the only people to make me sit up, so don't give up on me. don't write me off as a lost cause yet!

sorry for not being as eloquent as you manaox2, it's just some things get my back up. i like to see proof, i like to have staements that are then supported (like your blind test statement), not benine commets.

if you think they're over priced, then don't stop there,. tell me why? give some comparisions ...etc. etc (throweing it out to all).


Quote:

You should try to take me more seriously. I get the feeling, like others have said, that your having trouble understanding and seeing only what you want to see.

I do take you seriously, but i'm having trouble becasue not everyone....goes to the ....trouble and detail in explaining themselves like you have. they drop one line and that's it.

 

[lordmozilla]

you still don't explain the fact that you are comparing IEMs to normal headphones. it seems silly.

you wouldnt compare the HD25's to the UE 5EB... well anyone's who's review i'd respect wouldn't

 

[The D]

How the hell is it "bose bashing" if all I said was that because it was not a blind test it does not hold any merit?
The fact you jumped like that just shows how much of a fanboy you are.

The fact is most Head-Fiers who have had headphones from bose don't like them, so when people say that "bose does not make good headphones" they have good reason to say that.
I don't care if you like them, just get over people not liking them!!!!!!!

Also how can you flame people for not liking them when you hate the UE 5 EB?
UE BASHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[oarnura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by captian73 /img/forum/go_quote.gif [size=medium] only 1 out of the 7 i tested them on, knew of Bose,[/size]

That is not a definition of a blind test.


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it's...... silly comments like that, that get me thinking that comments like that ARE nothing more than ignorant Bose bashing. how can i think it otherwise?

I am sorry I have to get a little personal here but you need to get off your high horse because your comments about your 7 art student test is pretty silly in itself.



Quote:

I do kinda understand, if ose is pushed that hard (in the U.S.) But there again every company will say their product is the best. know, here we go, i'm beginning to see that for the "uninformed" they'll grab teh first thing they see. so if they walk into a hi-fi shop and the assisitant only has sennheiser on hand, then the "uniformed person" will go for the sennheisers.

I asked for specs on the Bose OE. I can't make an informed decision wihout those. You have a pair so please tell me what the freq response, sensitivity, driver size and diaphragm are made out of. The bose website does not provide that information. Let me guess neither does the manual.

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so people will grab whatever they can.......simply because it's there,= Bose visicous/overbearing marketing am i right?

Wrong.

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what i'm not seeing is that we at head-fi would plumb for the UE's....regardless. I'm i right or is that a presumption?

From what I have read people on head-fi would rather go for the UE 5pro than the EB.


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if we (being well informed) would choose the UE's over the Bose, why then did 6 uniformed people choose Bose? i've yet to hear and answer.

I have yet to see a valid question.


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my point is that several times, i've heard the phrase "bose are overpriced" yet there's info to back up that statement. No; "i think Bose are overpriced because when i went on an art trip to Leeds (link given to show i'm genuine) and tested them on 7 of my fellow art students, they all chose UE"

All your test has proven is art students in Leeds don't get audio or prefer on ear cans to in ear monitors. You have NOT PROVEN THAT THEY PREFER BOSE TO A SIMILAR PAIR OF HEADPHONES. Similar meaning ON EAR HEADPHONES

How about you repeat that test with the HD 25-1? Since you keep bringing that up as a competitor to the Bose OE.


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if i saw more statements like that, i could think that there was a resonable arguement. basically i'm asking you to put more meat on the bones.

How about you first answer the questions I have asked and not dodge around them?

 

[james902]

lol in short. bose is above average in sound quality. they have great marketing. and many people think they're overpriced for the quality you get. trade-off, the active noise cancellation is pretty good.

i still like my headphones. they fit the iphone's stupid connector. they sound decent. and my ride on the subway is great. and if i can get a hold of anc7's, i'll gladly give'm a try.

thanks for the tid-bits & i'm sorry for your wallet

 

[Methos1979]

I love my Bose TriPort AE's. They are comfortable and sound great. I paid too much for them.

This thread has become idiotic.

 

[Bizzel]

Quote:

This thread has become idiotic.

I didn't think it'd make it beyond 5 pages.

 

[captian73]

o.k. let's go a little slower. as a Brand we would all choose any UE earphones over say, a pair of Bose IEM's yes or no?

Quote:

How about you repeat that test with the HD 25-1? Since you keep bringing that up as a competitor to the Bose OE.

good idea!

 

[manaox2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by captian73 /img/forum/go_quote.gif o.k. let's go a little slower. as a Brand we would all choose any UE earphones over say, a pair of Bose IEM's yes or no?

Wait. BOSE makes IEMs?