[Adam78]

Salutations! For as long as I could remember, I have always been able to hear if something sounds off when others do not notice it. I have found the same in my headphones and decided to finally get a good pair off of a whim. I know most audiophiles tend to stay away from Bose because they are more hype than product it seems. BUT that being said, I just picked up my first pair of Bose AE2i headphones. 
 
I have been using $10 headphones for years, buying a new pair when the old ones break every few months. Now that I just got a job at Best Buy and am able to get a pretty good discount, I decided to try out these fellas. My biggest thing was I wanted something with a microphone for when I use things such as Rosetta Stone. But also wanted something that could do well with classical music. Well all music really. 
 
I was stuck between Sennheiser and Bose (Best Buy doesnt have a great selection honestly) since I am on a budget, I decided to stick with what only BB has to offer. So far first impressions are good. Great? Not really, but then again I did get these guys for under $100, so you cant expect perfection. They sound better than the Beats my friend has though. 
 
I do, however, have 15 days to bring these things back. So if there is something else that BB carries that would better suit me, please make recommendations. Exactly how much better are the Sennheiser Momentum headphones? They are double the price, but are they twice as good? I was torn between the Bose CQ15 and Sennheiser Momentum, but my budget decided that the AE2i were better, I also needed a bluetooth headset, and am getting a TV next month, or I would have gone better lol.
 
So in conclusion, should I stick with my AE2i for now? Or should I return them, save up for something like the Sennheiser Momentum or perhaps CQ15s? Thanks! I hope to learn a lot from this great site!

 

[JmanOfIsrael]

Um... I don't have a huge problem with AE2is, I think they are decent headphones. The QC15s are AE2s with noise canceling so stay away from them unless noise canceling is attractive to you. I've never tried the momentums but I'd say that if you are new to the audiophile world and you like what you are hearing you should try some open back headphones. The Sennheiser HD598 were my first pair of open backs and I loved them some much I still have them (I started the headphone thing a year ago. Check Amazon for good deals. If you have a student email address you get free 2-day shipping and free returns.
 
Have fun with this addictive hobby!

 

[Adam78]

Thanks! I do like the AE2s, they are great for classical, but I am finding the bass to be slightly lacking. It's good, better than what I have been used to, but not as good as the system in my car or surround sound at home. For the times when I do listen to bass heavy music, it's usually in the very low end lol.
I have heard that open backs are better, i'll have to do some more research as to what they have at best buy. For the really great things (ei: things BB doesn't carry) i'll have to save up for a while. 

 

[davidsh]

You'll never really get the bass from your car or surround system, open headphones tend to have less bass.. What are your opitons at best buy? How will you use your headphones, what are your expectations?
 
Welcome, sorry for your wallet.

 

[Adam78]

My options are actually pretty good. And i'm looking for good 'everything' headphones. Ones I can use while studying at school, or on my computer at home, ect... I like the idea of noise cancelling, and the Sennheiser PXC 450's are sold at BB. They also have the HD 598, and HD600. Obviously they have all of the Beats, but they are ssooo drowned in Bass that I just cant stand it. The Sennheiser Momentum also caught my eye. I like having a mic on my headset so I can also use them for Rosetta Stone as well as occasional gaming. But that is not mandatory since I can get a cheap mic anywhere. 
I'm aware that i'll never get the same bass that my car's system will have, even though it is a stock unit, it did come with a subwoofer. But the AE2s do great until it gets to the really low bass, they just kind of give up it feels like lol.

 

[JmanOfIsrael]

If you want to use these headphones to study at the library I'd definitely recommend closed headphones since open headphones will leak sound and annoy other students. Read a few reviews of the Momentums, I'm not sure how good they are. There are definitely better headphones for bass that AE2s (especially for sub bass response).

 

[davidsh]

Would recommed the akg k550

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

My options are actually pretty good. And i'm looking for good 'everything' headphones. Ones I can use while studying at school, or on my computer at home, ect... I like the idea of noise cancelling, and the Sennheiser PXC 450's are sold at BB. They also have the HD 598, and HD600. Obviously they have all of the Beats, but they are ssooo drowned in Bass that I just cant stand it. The Sennheiser Momentum also caught my eye. I like having a mic on my headset so I can also use them for Rosetta Stone as well as occasional gaming. But that is not mandatory since I can get a cheap mic anywhere. 
I'm aware that i'll never get the same bass that my car's system will have, even though it is a stock unit, it did come with a subwoofer. But the AE2s do great until it gets to the really low bass, they just kind of give up it feels like lol.

 
Quote:

Would recommed the akg k550

 
I have not heard the Sen HD 600 BUT if best buy has it go for it. I hear it's a side step of the beyer Dynamic Dt 880 [which I'm wearing atm and ADORE] they are a really safe bet
 
I also own the K550 and they are also very nice! The HD 600 should have as much bass as the AKG k550 as well, in addition this "open cans have less bass" crap is well... CRAP. 
 
The bass is distorted if there is noise, but in a mostly quiet area [this INCLUDES having a small fan to your left] the bass of open cans is [imo] MUGH tighter and easily defined and textured than Closed cans

Spoiler: Warning%3A%20Details

 
, my Dt 880 [semi open] has a tad more bass than my closed Akg K550, heck the beyer also has a touch more texture to the bass as well [K550 is CLOSE behind] that being said, the Beyer Dt 990 has a VERY nice bass to it! More than your bose, more than a K550, more than most open cans as it has been tuned for a NICE FULL bass, that is still VERY tight and well detailed. Trust me, for EDM I LOVE the Dt 990, it's a bass head can with amazing clarity detail and even nice delicate mids! Although some ppl don't like the treble
 
Still, I recommend the HD 600, and the Akg K550 [which I own] and open cans usually sound a bit more balanced than closed cans, so if you are in a mostly quiet area [like a library] I'd go for them
 
And for those who are like "well Mshenay open cans LEAK] I used to wear my dt 990s in a library EVERY day listening to EDM, I never had an issue with anyone asking me to lower the volume, or people [most often 1 foot away from me] hearing what I was listening to, then again I don't like loud music but still. The sound of typing and things like PC fans should drown out a good bit of the sound that leaks, unless your getting them loud.
 

 

[davidsh]

Let's say the bass from open headphones is often different from the bass closed headphones produce, and keep it at that, unless OP want to dig further into it.

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

Let's say the bass from open headphones is often different from the bass closed headphones produce, and keep it at that, unless OP want to dig further into it.

exactly, it's very different. People either like open or closed bass. I prefer open, the op may prefer closed. 
 
It comes down to simply needing to hear it for your self <.<