Head-fi and BOSE

[Thelonious Monk]

Wmcmanus, you speak wisdom, but i can't help but assume someone to be a troll when the only response they give to criticism of their argument is "my spelling is flawless" and "o rly"... generally in threads where i disagree with the OP or think the person is asking a question that just seems a bit TOO fabricated i respond seriously (as i did with my first post in this thread), but i really get skeptical when the next post they make just really questions the authenticity of their sincerity to the topic. sorry if i made myself seem childish

in my opinion, some people here just beat the dead horse with the bose thing. like in a different thread, calling people idiots for not being able to tell differences between bose and more expensive, audiophile headphones...

i don't really see how restating my opinion on the placebo effect not being true has any signifigance, so i'll just cut my post off here

 

[Jahn]

darn it santa, i was about to post the Bosecat pic and quote "This can only end in tears, pretzels and churros" but you totally took the air outta that idea.

 

[mirumu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John_M /img/forum/go_quote.gif Most of the products sold on head-fi work in exactly the same way. Tell the gullible consumer that the audio component he's about to buy will greatly enhance his listening experience. Super-freeze-dried cables. Specially modified mp3 players. "Musical" amps. The consumer splashes his cash, and once again the placebo effect does the rest. So although head-fi members believe themselves to be vastly superior to the average BOSE-buying mass market commoner, they have a lot more in common with him than they'd like to admit. The only real difference is that they get ripped off by different people. Revalation Complete.

The problem I see with this is that many of us don't pay attention to the hype and just trust our ears. I've never once asked for serious upgrade advice on this site. It's not that I think the people here aren't knowledgeable, quite the opposite, but nothing is a substitute for just listening for yourself. When upgrading I just look at what's written here and try to mesh it with my own experience as a guide of where to investigate next. My upgrades have yielded real and tangible improvements in ways that matter to me. The law of diminishing returns proves quite true but the spot at which we all choose to jump off that train will be down to our own tastes and budgets. You may see such things as the placebo effect but I could argue that people just don't want to admit to the differences in more expensive gear to avoid spending the money. If you really don't hear them I'm happy for you, save your money and enjoy.

 

[rwest1389]

its possible youre going to like the sound and comfort of bose. youre just really ganna pay for it

 

[bellsprout]

yes we buy some pretty ridiculously overpriced **** here.

the only difference between the stuff we buy here and bose is:

-we've heard all the products on the market. if people who buy bose has heard other products in the price range and likes the bose sound i don't think there will be any bose bashing.

-the stuff we buy here is expensive because of diminishing returns. bose stuff is over priced in a different way - u can get much better for cheaper.

 

[jinp6301]

slightly off topic

bose totally owns any other headphone with comfort. its so comfortable that you dont even know its on

 

[mrdelayer]

Allow me pitch in my two cents:

Bose makes a good product, just not for the money.

I would not pay $130 for a pair of headphones that can be outdone by a pair of $50 headphones. If they set them around that price point, they would possibly be more well received by the denizens of Head-Fi.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinp6301 /img/forum/go_quote.gif bose totally owns any other headphone with comfort. its so comfortable that you dont even know its on

Ehhhhhhhh. I'd disagree, but I don't want to derail this thread any more than it already is.

 

[mateo05]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jinp6301 /img/forum/go_quote.gif slightly off topic bose totally owns any other headphone with comfort. its so comfortable that you dont even know its on

How many other headphones have you tried? I've tried Triports, and they are comfortable, but so flimsy that I'd be worried about breaking them. Broken-in Sennheisers, Grado GS1000, HE90s, R10s, and a bunch of other headphones (I would guess Beyer, but I've never tried a pair) match and exceed Bose here.

 

[GreatDane]

What is good quality? What is good value?

I did an experiment today. I bought the 80 GB iPod 3 days ago, today I listened to the stock earbuds at low volume while working on a construction jobsite, which helped to mask their obvious suckage

. After 7 hours of this, I popped in my ER4P(headphone ouput). While the ER4P didn't sound nearly as good as my previous setup(ZV:M>LOD>SuperMini)...they were a HUGE treat,although lacking the sweet hyper detail that I'm used to.

What does this mean? - This means I need an iPod LOD.

Buy into the hype

You will be rewarded with ---->

 

[TheDarkTrumpet]

Well, ok there are a few things I'd like to add.

I've commented on a number of posts about bose overall, and having owned the triports (which is probably more than I can say for most others who bash bose) and have used the Quiet Comfort 3s, that I have experience with what bose is actually good at (and yes, they do have some decent qualities.

Bose headphones, when others who don't know headphones look at them, they automatically think "oh wow, that guy is rich" or "oh wow, this guy really is into music". It's a status thing that Bose brings to the table. Simply, the bose products do look good. Both the Triports and the QC3s are excellent looking products, hands down in my opinion.

Now, to those people who've only listened to bose outside say the normal earbuds that came with the ipod, the bose sounds darned good. I know when I first got my triports, I was amazed with the sound, and seriously thought it was the best thing on earth. Only after listening to other headphones have I really noticed that maybe the bose aren't quite so good after all.

So, the sound quality. After listening to Beyerdynamics for only a month and a half or so, after using the triports for over a year, I can no longer stand the triports for sound quality. Both my Beyerdynamic 880s and my A900s beat out the triports without any problems.

As I mentioned earlier, though, Bose does have some nice qualities:
1. They look good, very good.
2. To the semi-untrained ear, they sound fantastic, you can't get better (from the perspective of the normal consumer).
3. They are small. My largest beef with the headphones I normally listen to, they are huge and heavy. I don't mind them when I'm by the computer, but they can't travel worth anything. I know other headphones exist, but at this point I want my sound quality everywhere, getting cheaper portable headphones that actually are portable won't sound as good on my music now, haha.

I don't think bose is worth the money to spend on their headphones. The triports do beat out the QC3s in sound quality in my opinion, and the triports lose to near everything else. Placebo effect or not, my visit to the forums, and my plunge for new headphones have given me a lot better music. Through various pieces that are well mastered, I can hear the individual chime bells so clearly, where I couldn't hear them as clear or clear at all with the bose (I know because tonight I just messed around with both headphones, using the same source and was astounded by the feeling).

I don't want to bash bose, nor will. Basically if a pair of headphones sounds good to you, then use them. The name brand doesn't really mean a whole lot when it comes to sound quality in this case. Try out multiple types, and if you still like bose after all that, then that's good

 

[Blitzula]

I also find that Head-fi often has a sheepish, self-congraulatory and smug tone with Bose bashing threads. Those threads and excessive posts are really, really old at this point.

I think the point of audiophiles paying too much is also valid. Some of the headphones people love are-dollar for sound quality dollar-more expensive then Bose. Not to even then get into gimmicky or controversial products that might not even work.

I think there are some legitimate analogies between head-fi and Bose consumers in that regard. I don't think it's as bad around here though, and there is generally more sound quality for the buck.

 

[Singapura]

I reread the original post of this thread twice and must say that I haven't read anything in it that suggests that BOSE products are better or worse than other products. As I see it (I might be wrong) the statement was that Head-fiers are just a susceptible to marketing gimmicks as any other consumer. Most members are genuinly interested in quality equipment and know that low price doesn't equal low quality, just as high price doesn't equal high quality (for example the JVC marshmallow IEM's).

A fair number of responses in this thread were predictable argueing how BOSE's products are indeed inferior, how misleading their marketing is etc. etc. Correct me if I'm mistaken but that wasn't the point. The point was that some (not al) audiophiles take their hobby a bit too far and spend thousands to own equipment that sounds only a fraction "better" but brag about it as if somehow it makes them better persons. When I bought my first amplifier in China for 25% of what it would cost to buy a similar amp in Europe people didn't believe that anything good could come out of China. This trent is turning now as more and more high quality/low price stuff comes out of China and is acknowledged as being superior. This however will never convince anyone who gets his sense of self esteem out of owning a pair of European or US custom made headphones or an amplifier costing thousands.

In Asia anything can be sold as "high prestige" product. I've seen cereals packed in handcrafted wooden boxes with fine porcelain and bone spoons. It's still cereal though.

BOSE is basing their marketing on this same sense of owning something exclusive and superior that few can afford. It doesn't matter that it actually isn't. The pricing of BOSE equipment is part of the whole exclusive image. If BOSE would sell their stuff for normal prices no one would buy it. BOSE bashers miss the point, they point out actual quality when they should look at perceived quality. In that field only B&O has them licked.

 

[The_X]

Although it's easy to just dismiss Bose and keep listening to our Grados/Etys/Shures/Senns/etc, one thing still pisses me off about them. There are a lot of people who are actually looking for good sound and get duped by Bose into thinking their products will give them that. These people are missing out on the awesome experiences our headphones enable us to have.

 

[003]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mateo05 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Grado GS1000, HE90s, R10s, match and exceed Bose here.

NO! Really??? An HE90 better than a triport?? Never!

 

[Suzuka]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_X /img/forum/go_quote.gif Although it's easy to just dismiss Bose and keep listening to our Grados/Etys/Shures/Senns/etc, one thing still pisses me off about them. There are a lot of people who are actually looking for good sound and get duped by Bose into thinking their products will give them that. These people are missing out on the awesome experiences our headphones enable us to have.

Couldn't agree more.