shootthemoon18
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2014
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I had a listen to to the H5 and Bose Soundsport wireless today. Note that my intention for getting a wireless earphone is for office use(headphones are too goofy) and not for the product intended usage (sports).
Overall Sound. They both sound quite similar on initial listen. Large amount of bass, neutral mids with some emphasis on the upper midrange. I think the Bose and B&O sound signature is quite similar. They work well with good recordings but will sound thin and sibilant when fed with typical modern pop.
Bass. Both have very significant bass boost. I did't have my T20i with me but i suspect they have similar amount of bass. Bose seem to have more emphasis in the upper bass area and some bleeding into the mids. This actually makes it sound more fun initially but having owned another Bose earphone, i know this emphasis and midrange bleed can induce headache in long listening session as it is a distortion. H5 is much more well behaved in this area. It's quite fast, no bleed into midrange, and it even throughout the range. The bass quality is actually really surprising for me. It is even better than RHA T20i while being wireless.
Midrange. They both share a fairly neutral mids. Not very full but not too thin either. There's a slight hint of warmth that gives voice some foundation which so many high end earphones and headphones lack. Upper midrange is where things start to fall apart to me. They are sibilant capable. They do not work very well with modern pop. Female vocals often sound shrill and harsh. They are not that bad in that it sounds piercing but if this is your main earphone and you love female vocals, do have a good listen to them first.
Treble. On the Bose, it's quite well tune. It lacks a little extension in the very high end. Other than that, it has just the right amount of treble. Not dark or bright. H5 has a little more emphasis in this area. Some would say they are 'neutral', for my taste, it's a little bit too much but still bearable. it's somewhere in the middle between DT880 and HD600.
Soundstage. Things get a little strange in this area for good and bad. Bose has a wide soundstage but poor imaging. Everything sounds quite fuzzy. H5 has a smaller soundstage but much better depth and layering which is a bit weird to me. I always find that earphones that have good bass, soundstage and dynamics always have large drivers. It's strange to me that H5 has two out of the three.
Detail. Bose have quite low level of detail throughout the whole range. This is not a earphone that you want to do any serious listening. H5 has one of two levels more detail especially in the bass. The Bass performance is uncharacteristic for a wireless earphone. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the midrange and treble. They are better than the bose but not enough fitness to make treble sound smooth and natural. There's always harshness.
Design. Both are surprisingly light earphones. Not heavy at all. Bose cable is softer. They both have different tips and it's entirely up to your preference which is better. With stock tips, Bose is more secure however the H5 tips are changeble with 3rd party tips. Both are equally comfortable. H5 has one big killer feature. The charging box. This is the deal breaker for me. With the Bose, you need to plug the charging cable to the port on one side of the earphone while for the H5, you just place them on the stand. This is a big deal as it means you can easily charge the H5 while you take a phone while for the Bose it will be too cumbersome to constantly plug and unplug it.
Conclusion. In grand scheme of things, both are actually quite good. They are better than some ways than it's cable competitor but ultimately fall short especially in the treble region. So which one is better? Bose is the more pleasing sounding but H5 has more fitnesse. If the slightly hot midrange does not bother you, H5 is the better sounding one by a good distance. That being said, Bose is a lot cheaper. Bose has bigger bang for buck but nifty H5 exist.
Overall Sound. They both sound quite similar on initial listen. Large amount of bass, neutral mids with some emphasis on the upper midrange. I think the Bose and B&O sound signature is quite similar. They work well with good recordings but will sound thin and sibilant when fed with typical modern pop.
Bass. Both have very significant bass boost. I did't have my T20i with me but i suspect they have similar amount of bass. Bose seem to have more emphasis in the upper bass area and some bleeding into the mids. This actually makes it sound more fun initially but having owned another Bose earphone, i know this emphasis and midrange bleed can induce headache in long listening session as it is a distortion. H5 is much more well behaved in this area. It's quite fast, no bleed into midrange, and it even throughout the range. The bass quality is actually really surprising for me. It is even better than RHA T20i while being wireless.
Midrange. They both share a fairly neutral mids. Not very full but not too thin either. There's a slight hint of warmth that gives voice some foundation which so many high end earphones and headphones lack. Upper midrange is where things start to fall apart to me. They are sibilant capable. They do not work very well with modern pop. Female vocals often sound shrill and harsh. They are not that bad in that it sounds piercing but if this is your main earphone and you love female vocals, do have a good listen to them first.
Treble. On the Bose, it's quite well tune. It lacks a little extension in the very high end. Other than that, it has just the right amount of treble. Not dark or bright. H5 has a little more emphasis in this area. Some would say they are 'neutral', for my taste, it's a little bit too much but still bearable. it's somewhere in the middle between DT880 and HD600.
Soundstage. Things get a little strange in this area for good and bad. Bose has a wide soundstage but poor imaging. Everything sounds quite fuzzy. H5 has a smaller soundstage but much better depth and layering which is a bit weird to me. I always find that earphones that have good bass, soundstage and dynamics always have large drivers. It's strange to me that H5 has two out of the three.
Detail. Bose have quite low level of detail throughout the whole range. This is not a earphone that you want to do any serious listening. H5 has one of two levels more detail especially in the bass. The Bass performance is uncharacteristic for a wireless earphone. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the midrange and treble. They are better than the bose but not enough fitness to make treble sound smooth and natural. There's always harshness.
Design. Both are surprisingly light earphones. Not heavy at all. Bose cable is softer. They both have different tips and it's entirely up to your preference which is better. With stock tips, Bose is more secure however the H5 tips are changeble with 3rd party tips. Both are equally comfortable. H5 has one big killer feature. The charging box. This is the deal breaker for me. With the Bose, you need to plug the charging cable to the port on one side of the earphone while for the H5, you just place them on the stand. This is a big deal as it means you can easily charge the H5 while you take a phone while for the Bose it will be too cumbersome to constantly plug and unplug it.
Conclusion. In grand scheme of things, both are actually quite good. They are better than some ways than it's cable competitor but ultimately fall short especially in the treble region. So which one is better? Bose is the more pleasing sounding but H5 has more fitnesse. If the slightly hot midrange does not bother you, H5 is the better sounding one by a good distance. That being said, Bose is a lot cheaper. Bose has bigger bang for buck but nifty H5 exist.
