[elkend]

What really sold me on these was the detachable straight cable (I'm too newbish to do any mods) and Bose's $60 replacement program. (I know, they shouldn't make something that breaks anyway, but things happen.)  Thank you guys for all your help, and I hope these last me a few years.  I don't plan on using them much outside of the house, and I do plan on wearing them for 8 or more hours a day some days, and my cheapo Sony pair hurts my ears after a couple hours.  Can you recommend a good headphone extension cable? Would any cable? I just want it to extend across a large bedroom, maybe 15 feet extension max, but am unsure if the sound quality would be lost from that.  Would sound quality be decently preserved if I made a wireless set up, like putting an FM transmitter or something into an audio jack? What about with blue tooth?

 

[bosetrademarks]

I am a trademark attorney for Bose Corporation.  It sounds like you may have purchased counterfeit Bose headphones.  Where did you purchase them?  At that price, they are very likely counterfeit.  I recommend that you write to Report_Counterfeits@bose.com and provide the 17-character serial number, as well as photos of the inside of the headband, including the 5-character code on the hologram inside the headphones.  This will help us to verify whether the headphones are counterfeit.
 
Sincerely,
 
Michelle Brownlee
Trademark Counsel
Bose Corporation

 

[Lirpa]

Well, now you definitely shouldn't keep them. The quality of counterfeit products is horrible. I accidentally got some fake Sennheisers once, they were the worst. I recommend going to a high end audio store and trying on some real headphones. It will change your perception of things.

 

[ITALIANNYC]

Geez the guy is happy with the cans and people are trying to tell him to take them back.
 
I have them and are great for all types of music. They are extremely portable and you do not even feel them on your head. I hate when people say " try some real headphones ". Bose haters are the most annoying people in the audiophile world. Hate BEATS. That is more logical. You want an extremely comfortable pair of cans, with a pretty good all around sound, keep the AE2s. Let your ears tell you what is good or not, not what people on here tell you. Matter of fact, id say stay off these forums for 2 weeks and just listen to the music. Then you will have a better idea if you love them or not. 
 
Are their better pairs? Of course their is, but for the warranty replacement program, portability, and the extreme comfort alone, these are worth the price.

 

[Lirpa]

Actually I'm not tell him to take them back because of the brand, I'm telling him to take them because because they are counterfeit. Counterfeit headphones is becoming a really serious problem, and I don't want crappy knock offs to get any more money. Is that such a controversial thing to say? I don't know enough about headphones to know how bad Bose is, but I know fake headphones suck.

 

[joseph69]

Avoid all of this S@*T (only because they may be counterfiet) and listen to some GRADO SR80i's for the same price. Or check to make sure they are authentic, if not, buy them from somewere else if you want the BOSE.

 

[ITALIANNYC]

Quote:

Actually I'm not tell him to take them back because of the brand, I'm telling him to take them because because they are counterfeit. Counterfeit headphones is becoming a really serious problem, and I don't want crappy knock offs to get any more money. Is that such a controversial thing to say? I don't know enough about headphones to know how bad Bose is, but I know fake headphones suck.

 
I understand that but the thought of them being fake never came up at all in this thread until this bose guy just posted saying they might be just because of the price. If they are legit, he should keep them if he enjoys them. 

 

[obobskivich]

What really sold me on these was the detachable straight cable (I'm too newbish to do any mods) and Bose's $60 replacement program. (I know, they shouldn't make something that breaks anyway, but things happen.)  Thank you guys for all your help, and I hope these last me a few years.  I don't plan on using them much outside of the house, and I do plan on wearing them for 8 or more hours a day some days, and my cheapo Sony pair hurts my ears after a couple hours.  Can you recommend a good headphone extension cable? Would any cable? I just want it to extend across a large bedroom, maybe 15 feet extension max, but am unsure if the sound quality would be lost from that.  Would sound quality be decently preserved if I made a wireless set up, like putting an FM transmitter or something into an audio jack? What about with blue tooth?

For multimedia use, and what you're describing, the AE2 would likely be the top of the list of what I'd suggest you - especially based on the comfort concern. If this "copyright counsel" is legitimate, it needs a MOT tag and better introduction, but the claim that you can contact Bose CS and have the SN verified is legitimate (I wouldn't e-mail anything to that link - go through their official site or call their 1-800 (I think it really is 1-800-bose)).

There's *a lot* of stigma surrounding Bose products (and a lot of vitriol that comes from people who have never tried them); honestly I think they're very good all-rounder headphones that are a fantastic candidate for gaming due to their soundstaging. Check my "American Middleweights" write-up for more (I'm not trying to pimp myself out here, it's more that I don't feel like re-writing the whole thing).

Regarding build quality - the AE2 do appear to be more robust than the original TriPort, but the general theme is that they'll last if you don't abuse them - for at home use you should be alright, or at least as alright as you would be with any other pair of headphones.

Regarding "is there better for the money" - it depends on who you ask. The best answer I can give you is that there is DIFFERENT for the money, and to some people that difference will be "better" and to others "worse" (but often "different" morphs into "better" in audiophile parlance). Based on your described usage, assuming these are the real deal (and $100 for them doesn't seem unreasonable if you bought them from a legitimate source or used), and assuming their sound signature is good for you, they're probably one of the better choices you could've made here. Sure, you can drive yourself mad evaluating every possible permutation and every possible option and worry about that last 5%, but that seems to detract from the whole "enjoyment" aspect of music and such. Again, this assumes they're legitimate, which is something I would question with any popular product that comes from a manufacturer with a strict MSRP policy (e.g. if these were certain Audio-Technica or Sony models, we'd still be having this discussion).

I understand that but the thought of them being fake never came up at all in this thread until this bose guy just posted saying they might be just because of the price. If they are legit, he should keep them if he enjoys them. 

+1. MOTs should better identify themselves too.

 

[elkend]

I bought them at a local military AAFES (the store on the military base commonly known as the BX or Base Exchange) with a coupon for $35 off an item over $100.  I'll shoot an email over to the department anyway and try registering them today. Great service, registering an account just to tell me this.

Yesterday I wandered into a room at my university and found a recording room with 25 pair of ATH-M50's hooked up to computers, so I had to go try them.  I found them to get pretty uncomfortable after wearing them for a while and noticed they sound different than the Bose when I compared the same song on both. I wouldn't say I consistently enjoyed the sound more than I did the Bose while A/B'ing them, but I would say the Bose ones I can wear for hours and forget they are there.

 

[dweaver]

I would take the Bose rep on the email address and send them the information she mentioned. If they are legit then you can rest easy in that you got a pair for a good price and if they are not you will have grounds to get a refund. Other than that, if your enjoying the headphones don't worry about what others say just enjoy the music.

 

[mcast20]

I feel like the Bose rep just wants to see if someone is selling the AE2 for under msrp so that they can penalize the store.

 

[wolfetan44]

Quote:

I feel like the Bose rep just wants to see if someone is selling the AE2 for under msrp so that they can penalize the store.

 

[whoelse]

There is always something that is going to sounds greater regardless of price level or what you bought. Sounds better can also be a perception only and when we have A, we starting to think about B. When we have B, we want A.
 
Wanting to buy is more exciting then owning and once you owned it, the excitement lessen.
 
"Desire and ignorant are the root of all suffering".
 
Welcome to head-fi, sorry for your (our) pocket 

 

[soundeffect]

Ae2 for $99? Keep them they go for $150. Bose don't like to discount. I remember when I used to work in retail and they have sale on everything electronic and the Bose price stay the same. Good deal and pleasant to listen to when traveling.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

It looks like I'll be keeping the AE2's.  The internet seems be be divided on "These are pretty good for $100," and "These aren't worth $10."

Long term durability is what I'm looking at, and if i think they'll last me for five years, I'll for sure be keeping them.  My cheapo sony mdr-v150's lasted me for five years and still work the same as when I got them, and I'm sure the AE2's are better built.

 
Assuming they're genuine, good choice. I find they're still a pretty good deal even at $150. Had them back when I had the Denon D600, and I liked the AE2 more.
 
Hard to predict. You never know if the drivers will die out, connections will short, or the earcup will fall off. All headphones are prone to certain death. Some are luckier than others.