I made a mistake to buy a pair of Sennheiser PX200--mistake because they have little to no bass that makes it to my ears. However, I loved that they came with a portable case and folded up. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD650s that I use at home (and have been known to take to the university), but I just can't walk around campus with the HD650s on my head (especially since I'm already carrying a hefty HeadRoom Desktop Portable + DAC in a travel bag, along with a rolling briefcase and a leather backpack). Anyway...
I have a pair of UltimateEars Super.fi 5 Pro and like the overall tonal quality to them, but really wanted something that was "easier" to take on and off--with the UEs, I'm in a constant struggle to untangle the "memory" wire and figure out which earpiece goes to which ear. Plus, they didn't quite fit too well and they like to pop out unexpectedly
Enter the Bose TriPort OE. I knew they'd have that "legendary Bose sound" and my last electrical engineering professor seemed to be totally in love with Bose as a whole (I can't tell you how many diversions from the lecture the class would have to endure). Since I own two Wave CD systems (I and II), I thought the TriPort OE version would suit my needs of having something portable and compact but able to provide a suitable bass response without being sibilant or piercing in the highs.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, and wrong. One thing they have going for them is their comfort, though they get a bit warm due to their vinyl-type earpad textured "stuffing." They totally need to be amplified, IMO, and I use the HeadRoom Desktop Portable. They are practically inaudible when watching a movie on the Sony PSP if they're not driven properly. I notice that I get listener fatigue very quickly and am more involved with twiddling the volume and crossfeed settings to try to find a sweet spot than I am actually enjoying the music. Perhaps the one thing that they are best suited for is playing games on the PSP (providing they're amplified).
Exit the Bose ... enter the UltimateEars triple.fi 10 Pro. I've had the UETF10P for less than 24 hours and have already requested an RMA because the right channel has a strange resonnance and buzzes at certain frequencies and I completely lost the base and/or midrange driver(s) in the left channel. The point? Others have talked about the price point of the Bose but don't mention the $400 or $500 or more on other products (which are supposed to be better, right?). I've had better Koss 'phones from Radio Shack in the '90s that played so loudly and bass-heavy that my head and ears hurt, but gosh did they sound superb for the $40 price. Were the Bose worth the $160 that I paid? Not in the least little bit, but Bose charges $600 for a clock radio, so $160 for a pair of $40 headphones is likely to keep them catering to bass heads or the consumer that won't spend $500 on IEMs but will try a (very well marketed, IMO) sub-$200 pair of headphones that are poor-to-adequate to my sensitive ears but will likely draw a large fan base for those looking to upgrade their stock iPod earbuds.
The bottom line: I'm still going to use mine when I don't feel like using an IEM, the Sennheiser HD650s, or I'm going to play games or only listen for short periods of time, like at the computer listening to a webinar.
--Scott