obobskivich
Headphoneus Supremus
Alright, so now that you've clicked into this thread, you're probably expecting yet another page long rant about Bose products, like how they've killed my dog, or something vile like that. Well, I'll cut right to the chase here: that isn't what I'm writing; I went ahead and got my hands on a pair of these, and would like to share my listening experience. To quote a fellow Head-Fi'er: “all voices should be humbly sounded and humbly heard”, and that's exactly what I'd like to do here.
So, up today is a pair of Bose TriPort “around-ear” headphones, from the offset, these little guys have one hell of a mountain to climb, just to be “acceptable”, given their awful reputation (and the general reputation associated with Bose as a brand) around these parts. Because I don't believe a subjective opinion can be rendered on a pair of speakers or headphones without giving a reference point (in other words: if I say something is “bassy”, someone should stand up and ask “bassy relative to what?”), or basically comparing them to something. In this case, I've got two pairs of headphones to compare alongside the TriPort's: AKG K701's and Koss ESP/10's, the first being a relatively popular dynamic can, the later being a somewhat obscure, and very vintage, pair of electrostats. Furthermore, I'll add commentary of how I feel some similarly priced components perform (namely Grado SR-60's and Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's, I no longer own either, but have spent more than enough time with both), mostly for “fairness”, mostly because, for most people looking to spend around $100 on a pair of headphones, K701's and ESP/10's are a bit out of reach, while SR-60's and HD 280Pro's are fairly popular options at that price range, furthermore, it helps assess Bose's following claim:
Quote:
So, enough with the pre-qualifying fluffy stuff, lets actually get down to it, and talk some shop.
First up, I'd like to talk about the first thing I noticed upon taking these out of the box, and putting them on my head: soundstage and presentation. When I first took them out of the box, and held them in my hands, I wanted to know “what's the inside of the cups look like?”, as I'd never seen a picture, so I took a peek, the driver assembly is angled within the cup (somewhat like that of Audio-Technica, and almost exactly like the angle Grado's will take when on your ears). So, I slid them on, and hit play, and what do you know, the soundstage is excellent for a closed can, they present a very real and convincing 3D space, and while they aren't quite as spacious as the K701's, there is more than enough “room” for music. The intro to Rammstein's Rammstein has a panning effect, which flows around your head effortlessly, the crickets from The Beatles' Sun King sit just out of reach, and instruments take their positions quite accurately.
Speaking of accuracy, the TriPort's are “pretty good”, they aren't electrostats by any means, but I can still hear the registers being pulled, the air bladders opening and closing, and the pedals being pressed on Piet Kee's Organ Works Vol. 1, something most speakers have trouble reproducing entirely (and something the ESP/10's will hand over without batting an eye). Instruments sound “proper”, guitars are guitars, drums are drums, cymbals stand out, kick drums have a deep “thud” (as they damn well should), everything is handed to the listener.
Tonal balance is probably the last thing I'll touch on, and I'll say: they're pretty balanced. They are a bassy headphone, there is no question about that, but they aren't overpowering or boomy,the bass is instead “bubbly”, not “tight” like the K701's, or “lean” like the ESP/10's, it is presented with good attack and decay, no “harsh edge”, plenty of punch, and very good extension into the nether regions.
The characteristic I love here, is that the midrange and top-end don't suffer as a result of solid low-end, they're presented right in-line, and if the bass isn't meant to be overpowering (for example, chamber music), it isn't, it takes a seat, and lets the music flow. The midrange wrt clarity isn't quite as “crisp” as the K701's, I'd compare it about like so: garden fresh lettuce vs very fresh lettuce at an organic supermarket, both are "good", one is just a bit "better" experience
Ultimately, these aren't “better” than the K701's or ESP/10's overall, but they very easily deserve a spot at the table. Very good, and I would recommend them to others as a result.
A quickie with the SR-60 and HD 280Pro:
TriPort vs HD280Pro – TriPort wins hands down, the HD280's lack musicality, emotion, and outright “life”, everything is cold, good recordings sound “ok”, and anything less sounds horrible, the TriPort's have a more enjoyable upper-mid presentation, sweeter vocals, and less billowy low-end.
TriPort vs SR-60 – This is a bit tougher to call, the SR-60's are fully open, while the TriPort's are closed (we'll get to that later), as a result, I do feel the SR-60's win out for instrument separation, and easily for “directness” (c'mon, you really thought Grado was going to lose that one?), although the Bose provide better soundstaging, out-of-the-box comfort, and midbass/low-end presentation and extension. Having heard better Grado parts as well, I would probably extend this assessment as high as the SR-225, at which point things get a bit more complicated.
Now for the non-SQ stuff that still matters:
Comfort – I actually don't find these “the most comfortable headphones ever”, but I do find them pleasant to wear, they go right around your ears (and not an inch larger), and weigh next to nothing, you're aware of them, but not in a bad way. Personally I find the K701 wins out in comfort (but I do realize many users have issues with the headband, and I can say, the Bose headband will not give you that trouble, its smoothed all the way around), and the ESP/10's are less comfortable than the TriPort's (I've fought this war with the ESP/10's for about 6 months now, I've finally got them comfortable enough for ~6 hours of wear time, but anything more is a stretch, while I could easily wear either the K701's or the TriPort's for a full day and have no objection).
Isolation – Hands down, these win out over the K701 and ESP/10 (oh wow, a closed phone more isolated than two open phones!), they also isolate better than the Denon closed hp's, but not quite up to the HD 280 Pro (probably the only thing the 280 has over them).
Build Quality – Honestly I've only had these for about a day so far, so I can't give you any long term opinion, I've read of many users reporting broken plastic components, and I will tell you, they do feel somewhat fragile in the hands, although I have learned that with plastics “feel fragile” and “are fragile” don't always go together, but that doesn't mean they're tanks. I'm generally very gentle with my equipment, so I wouldn't be surprised if these never had an issue with breaking/falling apart, although at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if long term usage “catches up”, and the plastic gets fragile (much like older Sennheiser headphones developing small fractures in the plastic, difference being, the plastic on these isn't exceptionally wide or thick, so a small fracture could easily become a big problem).
Justice to Recordings – This is partly SQ related, and partly not, basically the question of: what do they do when you switch from a good quality recording such as a CD or LP, to something horrible, like overly encoded digital music? Well, I'll tell you they do “alright” with it (I consider it a strong suite to be capable of playing back bad sources and not sounding like mud), you can still hear compression artifacts and still have that “this really needs to be re-ripped or re-encoded” thought going through your head, but they're far more forgiving than the K701's or ESP/10's (sort of like Darth Vader is more forgiving than the Emperor, neither will really tolerate failure, but with one of them, you at least have a chance).
And now for the big'ol list of equipment and music used to test these:
Equipment:
amps – Yamaha RX-770 receiver and CI Audio VHP-1 amp (with VAC-1 PSU and TC-1200 AVR), the CI did tighten the bass up a little bit, but not enough to make me stop using my receiver (its more convenient for me, and since I've yet to use a pair of headphones that are night and day with the CI, I'm more than happy to keep doing so)
sources – JVC XL-Z444 CD player (using analog output), Technics SH-AC500D D/A fed from Auzen X-Fi Prelude (with everything from piss-poor 128k mp3 rips to lossless WMA and flac)
for a list of all of the headphones I've used/heard/etc over time, check my profile (its long), while I did use those experiences to help draw conclusions overall (I.e: I know what “good” sounds like to me), I tried to avoid flooding this with “oh and compared to GSKs its like this, and compared to SR-325i's its like this, and compared to Denon's its like this” and so on.
Music:
Piet Kee Plays Bach on the Muller Organ of St. Bavo Haarlem
The King's Singers/Tragicomedia – La Dolce Vita: Music in Reniassance Naples
Malcolm McLaren – Paris
Lost & Found – This
Cheap Trick – Greatest Hits
Mark Schultz – Mark Schultz
3Oh!3 – 3Oh!3
The Black Eyed Peas – Elephunk
OutKast – ATLiens
VA – African Swim
Stevie Nicks – Bella Donna
AC/DC – Back In Black
Rammstein – Rosenrot
Rammstein – Herzeleid
The Beatles – Abbey Road
edIT – Certified Air Raid Material
Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP
Madonna – Confessions On A Dance Floor
Nas – Hip Hop Is Dead
Jesper Kyd and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra feat Hungarian Radio Choir – Hitman: Blood Money Original Soundtrack
Hope you enjoyed some or part of this review/writing/whatever, and please no silly flaming
-bob
So, up today is a pair of Bose TriPort “around-ear” headphones, from the offset, these little guys have one hell of a mountain to climb, just to be “acceptable”, given their awful reputation (and the general reputation associated with Bose as a brand) around these parts. Because I don't believe a subjective opinion can be rendered on a pair of speakers or headphones without giving a reference point (in other words: if I say something is “bassy”, someone should stand up and ask “bassy relative to what?”), or basically comparing them to something. In this case, I've got two pairs of headphones to compare alongside the TriPort's: AKG K701's and Koss ESP/10's, the first being a relatively popular dynamic can, the later being a somewhat obscure, and very vintage, pair of electrostats. Furthermore, I'll add commentary of how I feel some similarly priced components perform (namely Grado SR-60's and Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's, I no longer own either, but have spent more than enough time with both), mostly for “fairness”, mostly because, for most people looking to spend around $100 on a pair of headphones, K701's and ESP/10's are a bit out of reach, while SR-60's and HD 280Pro's are fairly popular options at that price range, furthermore, it helps assess Bose's following claim:
Quote:
| Originally Posted by Bose We take great pride in designing each of our products with the goal of providing the highest accuracy musical performance possible in the price range of that product. We strive to reproduce the musical sounds as closely as possible to those of the original performance. And we strive to avoid flashy sounds such as those associated with the accentuated bass and/or treble frequencies. When you purchase any product from Bose, we encourage you to compare it, as we do, to competitive products for musical accuracy. We believe that this process will enhance your appreciation of the product you select. |
So, enough with the pre-qualifying fluffy stuff, lets actually get down to it, and talk some shop.
First up, I'd like to talk about the first thing I noticed upon taking these out of the box, and putting them on my head: soundstage and presentation. When I first took them out of the box, and held them in my hands, I wanted to know “what's the inside of the cups look like?”, as I'd never seen a picture, so I took a peek, the driver assembly is angled within the cup (somewhat like that of Audio-Technica, and almost exactly like the angle Grado's will take when on your ears). So, I slid them on, and hit play, and what do you know, the soundstage is excellent for a closed can, they present a very real and convincing 3D space, and while they aren't quite as spacious as the K701's, there is more than enough “room” for music. The intro to Rammstein's Rammstein has a panning effect, which flows around your head effortlessly, the crickets from The Beatles' Sun King sit just out of reach, and instruments take their positions quite accurately.
Speaking of accuracy, the TriPort's are “pretty good”, they aren't electrostats by any means, but I can still hear the registers being pulled, the air bladders opening and closing, and the pedals being pressed on Piet Kee's Organ Works Vol. 1, something most speakers have trouble reproducing entirely (and something the ESP/10's will hand over without batting an eye). Instruments sound “proper”, guitars are guitars, drums are drums, cymbals stand out, kick drums have a deep “thud” (as they damn well should), everything is handed to the listener.
Tonal balance is probably the last thing I'll touch on, and I'll say: they're pretty balanced. They are a bassy headphone, there is no question about that, but they aren't overpowering or boomy,the bass is instead “bubbly”, not “tight” like the K701's, or “lean” like the ESP/10's, it is presented with good attack and decay, no “harsh edge”, plenty of punch, and very good extension into the nether regions.
The characteristic I love here, is that the midrange and top-end don't suffer as a result of solid low-end, they're presented right in-line, and if the bass isn't meant to be overpowering (for example, chamber music), it isn't, it takes a seat, and lets the music flow. The midrange wrt clarity isn't quite as “crisp” as the K701's, I'd compare it about like so: garden fresh lettuce vs very fresh lettuce at an organic supermarket, both are "good", one is just a bit "better" experience
Ultimately, these aren't “better” than the K701's or ESP/10's overall, but they very easily deserve a spot at the table. Very good, and I would recommend them to others as a result.
A quickie with the SR-60 and HD 280Pro:
TriPort vs HD280Pro – TriPort wins hands down, the HD280's lack musicality, emotion, and outright “life”, everything is cold, good recordings sound “ok”, and anything less sounds horrible, the TriPort's have a more enjoyable upper-mid presentation, sweeter vocals, and less billowy low-end.
TriPort vs SR-60 – This is a bit tougher to call, the SR-60's are fully open, while the TriPort's are closed (we'll get to that later), as a result, I do feel the SR-60's win out for instrument separation, and easily for “directness” (c'mon, you really thought Grado was going to lose that one?), although the Bose provide better soundstaging, out-of-the-box comfort, and midbass/low-end presentation and extension. Having heard better Grado parts as well, I would probably extend this assessment as high as the SR-225, at which point things get a bit more complicated.
Now for the non-SQ stuff that still matters:
Comfort – I actually don't find these “the most comfortable headphones ever”, but I do find them pleasant to wear, they go right around your ears (and not an inch larger), and weigh next to nothing, you're aware of them, but not in a bad way. Personally I find the K701 wins out in comfort (but I do realize many users have issues with the headband, and I can say, the Bose headband will not give you that trouble, its smoothed all the way around), and the ESP/10's are less comfortable than the TriPort's (I've fought this war with the ESP/10's for about 6 months now, I've finally got them comfortable enough for ~6 hours of wear time, but anything more is a stretch, while I could easily wear either the K701's or the TriPort's for a full day and have no objection).
Isolation – Hands down, these win out over the K701 and ESP/10 (oh wow, a closed phone more isolated than two open phones!), they also isolate better than the Denon closed hp's, but not quite up to the HD 280 Pro (probably the only thing the 280 has over them).
Build Quality – Honestly I've only had these for about a day so far, so I can't give you any long term opinion, I've read of many users reporting broken plastic components, and I will tell you, they do feel somewhat fragile in the hands, although I have learned that with plastics “feel fragile” and “are fragile” don't always go together, but that doesn't mean they're tanks. I'm generally very gentle with my equipment, so I wouldn't be surprised if these never had an issue with breaking/falling apart, although at the same time, I wouldn't be surprised if long term usage “catches up”, and the plastic gets fragile (much like older Sennheiser headphones developing small fractures in the plastic, difference being, the plastic on these isn't exceptionally wide or thick, so a small fracture could easily become a big problem).
Justice to Recordings – This is partly SQ related, and partly not, basically the question of: what do they do when you switch from a good quality recording such as a CD or LP, to something horrible, like overly encoded digital music? Well, I'll tell you they do “alright” with it (I consider it a strong suite to be capable of playing back bad sources and not sounding like mud), you can still hear compression artifacts and still have that “this really needs to be re-ripped or re-encoded” thought going through your head, but they're far more forgiving than the K701's or ESP/10's (sort of like Darth Vader is more forgiving than the Emperor, neither will really tolerate failure, but with one of them, you at least have a chance).
And now for the big'ol list of equipment and music used to test these:
Equipment:
amps – Yamaha RX-770 receiver and CI Audio VHP-1 amp (with VAC-1 PSU and TC-1200 AVR), the CI did tighten the bass up a little bit, but not enough to make me stop using my receiver (its more convenient for me, and since I've yet to use a pair of headphones that are night and day with the CI, I'm more than happy to keep doing so)
sources – JVC XL-Z444 CD player (using analog output), Technics SH-AC500D D/A fed from Auzen X-Fi Prelude (with everything from piss-poor 128k mp3 rips to lossless WMA and flac)
for a list of all of the headphones I've used/heard/etc over time, check my profile (its long), while I did use those experiences to help draw conclusions overall (I.e: I know what “good” sounds like to me), I tried to avoid flooding this with “oh and compared to GSKs its like this, and compared to SR-325i's its like this, and compared to Denon's its like this” and so on.
Music:
Piet Kee Plays Bach on the Muller Organ of St. Bavo Haarlem
The King's Singers/Tragicomedia – La Dolce Vita: Music in Reniassance Naples
Malcolm McLaren – Paris
Lost & Found – This
Cheap Trick – Greatest Hits
Mark Schultz – Mark Schultz
3Oh!3 – 3Oh!3
The Black Eyed Peas – Elephunk
OutKast – ATLiens
VA – African Swim
Stevie Nicks – Bella Donna
AC/DC – Back In Black
Rammstein – Rosenrot
Rammstein – Herzeleid
The Beatles – Abbey Road
edIT – Certified Air Raid Material
Eminem – The Marshall Mathers LP
Madonna – Confessions On A Dance Floor
Nas – Hip Hop Is Dead
Jesper Kyd and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra feat Hungarian Radio Choir – Hitman: Blood Money Original Soundtrack
Hope you enjoyed some or part of this review/writing/whatever, and please no silly flaming
-bob
