BOSE (R) In-Ear Stereo Headphones
by BOSE
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List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of BOSE (R) In-Ear Stereo Headphones
Customer Review: TERRIBLE. What a ripoff. Earpads fall off, no isolation, and cord is cheap.
Summary: 1 Stars
I have owned tons of headphones of many different types, and never have I felt as though I truly got ripped off, until now.
1. The gel earpieces are terrible. These come off the phones VERY easily, and you WILL lose them. The force of simply taking the headphones out of your pocket is enough to pull them off, and indeed, two weeks after I bought these, despite being very careful, I lost one. I then called Bose, and they sent me 3 pairs of replacements, for, I believe 21 dollars plus shipping. Yes, you get to pay to compensate for their poor design. It has been two months and I am down to 3 gels, that's 5 lost gels in 2 months. I have since superglued two on, hoping to at least have one good pair, but since the gels are, of course, flexible and non-porous, the glue didn't even stick. One thing a pair of earbud headphones should not be is HIGH MAINTENENCE, for which, I think having parts constantly falling off them qualifies.
2. The cord is made of some annoying springy plastic and is thin and cheap and will FAIL very quickly. These headphones lasted me all of TWO MONTHS before developing a short in the cord near the plug. Now they are just infuriating to wear, as the right phone constantly cuts out when I move or breathe. They are now garbage. I wear my headphones to and from work on the subway. That is all. Twice a day for 45 minutes each way. That's roughly 40 work days. So, about 60 hours of use. At the cost of 109 dollars spent on these headphones, plus the 21 dollars for extra gel pieces, that comes out to about $2.17 per hour of functionality. I don't know about you, but to me that's kinda steep for some headphones that do not sound at all special.
3. They sound about as good, if not worse than headphones costing half as much. As difficult as it is for me to take Apple seriously, but I had some of their inner ear headphones for my iPod and they sounded great compared to these things. I also had some 50-dollar-ish Sony in-ear headphones that sounded about as good. Both had much better isolation and reproduction of bass tones. Sure, the Bose headphones get loud, but that doesn't really matter because of the next point...
4. They do not isolate at all. Maybe the gel earpieces might fit your ear well and seal off your ear canal if you have perfectly circular ears, but I do not. As such, I could hear everything going on around me, even with my iPod at full volume. Yes, you can expect to hear every idiot on a cell phone, every car that drives by, and every subway commuter coughing and snoring. I could even hear the treble pop-tish of other people's headphones over the sound of my own. The only way these provide isolation, and the ONLY way you will hear any decent bass is if you stand with both hands constantly jamming the earphones into your ear canals with your fingers. This, is not particularly practical. Otherwise, you will hear everything going on around you and the bass tones will sound like garbage.
5. The lovely little impractical case that they give you to protect your investment is held shut with a MAGNET. This, of course, is perfect to stick in your pocket next to your iPod, your digital camera or your wallet full of credit/atm/ID cards.
6. More on the gel earpads. They include three sizes: Too small so they're falling out and you can hear the outside world, Medium - aka a little too big for average ears, and Extra hilariously huge. I wore the smallest size because anything bigger HURT. Don't let the gel fool you. They are squishy, but not squishy enough to actually conform to your ear. Instead, you stuff one in your ear that might seem large enough to stay put, and it tries to pry your head apart. Regardless of what size you pick, you can be assured that they will try to come out of your ears constantly. You will find yourself repeatedly stuffing them back in, and whether I was wearing the small or medium, they always lacked the ability to isolate. I never tried the large size because I am not a sasquatch.
To sum up, Bose has made some quality products in the past, but the past is the past and I was ripped off by buying these pieces of garbage. Save your money and buy any other inner ear headphones you want, because these are probably not even as good as most of them out there. In any case, if you buy something cheaper, at least you didn't flush 130 bucks down the drain for a cheap pair of headphones that dies after 60 hours of use.
Customer Review: Simply.... in a class by itself
Summary: 5 Stars
I have the Bose in-ear headphones for 2 weeks, and I had read all the positive and negative reviews. I can understand the love/hate relationship because they sound so different from all other earphones, and I've tried them all, namely, the Sennheiser CX300, Shure E2c, E3c, Sony MDR-EX71 and 90LP. I am a long time audiophile and I do not like Bose in general. My reference is live music/instruments and my high definition home audio system. In this case, I have to admit that the Bose is the most accurate (with some adjustments) earphones I've heard to date. Let's go into detail....
Bass - They have the best bass I've heard from any earphones, period. They go quite low, and have definition. For the other earphones I mentioned above, some of them do have acceptable bass but all of them give one-note basses. That is, nothing follows after the initial note, no decays at all. And none of them go as low as the Bose. They really sound like a subwoofer in a home audio system.
Highs - This is the area they got heavily criticized. Yes, the high frequencies (>10KHz) are significantly rolled off, no doubt about it. In order to compensate, you need to bring them up using the eq settings. Otherwise they sound like dead tweeters. If you correctly boosted the highs, you'll find them sweet and crisp, without exaggeration. Now, here is the problem, most people like and used to listening to exaggerated highs. This is what they referred to as clarity. So, accurate reproduced high frequencies to them are dull and lack clarity. If you're one of those who prefer extra sparkles, you need to look elsewhere. If you're an audiophile, you should know what I mean. The easiest way to check if the highs are exaggerated is to listen to a violin or a female vocal with lots of sibilance (words beginning with "s"). If they don't sound natural, the highs are exaggerated.
Every one of the above mentioned earphones exaggerate the highs and the upper midrange, except the Bose, hence giving them a false sense of clarity.
Lower Midrange - This lies the magic of the Bose. They reproduce the most accurate lower midrange to capture the realism of music and human voice. Listen to Jennifer Warnes' "Famous Blue Raincoat" CD, the Bose is the only one in the group that can accurately reproduce Jennifer's voice. All the others make her sound like 20 years younger. Listen to a well recorded grand piano, the Bose will give you all the foundation and authorities of the lower keys while others make them sound like an upright Yamaha.
Sound Space - Due to their open-air design as opposed to others' air-tight isolation, the Bose also recreates the most natural and convincing sound field compared to the others. All the noise-isolation type earphones give a feeling of jamming the whole soundstage in your head but the Bose positions the images beyond and outside of your head. They sound more like headphones than earphones.
Comfort - Because they don't sit inside of the ears, they're easily the most comfortable earphones I've tried. Sometimes I don't even feel I'm wearing earphones. And they can be used many many hours without hurting your ears. No, they do not isolate noise. So if you're always riding a train or in other noisy environment, they are not for you.
Fitness - This is another area where most people have disagreement. Since everyone has different ears, it's hard to fit everyone perfectly. For me, I at first thought I have small ears and need the small caps. But in fact, the medium caps fit me perfectly. Don't try to push them all the way in because they won't. I don't find them loose either, even shaking my head or jumping up and down. Another benefit is that their sound do not rely on perfect fit to your ears, so you can wear them in 2 secs while others are struggling for a tight and perfect seal to get decent sound.
In conclusion, if you do not like the idea of, or used to pushing plugs deep in your ears, and you seek accurate audio reproduction rather than exaggerated highs, I doubt you can find better earphones for the money.
Customer Review: Comfort and quality achieved
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased these for use with my iPod on a daily basis (commuting on noisy trains and for jogging outdoors). I had previously used the freebie iPod earphones until the cord failed after a year of daily use. I then sampled several different types of in-ear buds (Phillips, Sony, Sennheiser) which all claimed to provide good bass response and a secure fit. None of them met the claims they made. I returned the Phillips days after purchasing them because their feeble attempt at a secure fit was not adjustable and was incredibly insecure if moving (walking or chewing gum would easily dislodge the buds). I went back to Apple and purchased the Sennheiser MX-70 Sport buds.
The needs I was attempting to meet were these: Secure fit for use during average daily movement (walking and eating) as well as a comfortable secure fit for active movement (jogging or running), adequate cord length to extend to my waist line (where i carry my iPod on a belt clip) (note: I'm only 5'4" so an adequate cord length from my ears to my waist is not exceptionally demanding), sound quality that allows me to hear moderate quality base and treble without having the volume so high that it damages my hearing.
My direct comparison was between these Bose triport IEs and the Sennheiser MX70 Sport buds. I put the Sennheiser buds in my ears and the fit was loose at best, which was only slightly improved through swapping out the included ear pads. The "sport" cord was very short and required an extension to comfortably reach my waistline - however with the extension, there was an over abundance of cord just hanging there. It was prone to getting snagged on things, as well as being visually unattractive since the sport buds are neon green. The sound quality was flat and provided no noticeable bass response, with the treble causing my eardrums to hurt if I turned up the volume.
I plugged in the Bose IEs and used the medium plastic ear pieces which come on the buds initially. They fit comfortably in my ears without applying pressure to get them in further. I was initially curious about how the fit was because the plastic portion fits inside the ear, and the black portion sits outside the ear- but the design is such that the weight of the ear-bud is entirely supported and snug in the ear. The cord has more girth than other ear-buds, yet isn't heavy enough to pull or add weight to dislodge the buds. As soon as I turned on the song (Justin Timberlake's most recent "My Love" which is base heavy) - I could hear the base coming through crisp and clear, even heavy if I weren't seeking base. The highs were of good quality - amply sufficient for the MP3 quality from an iPod. The clarity was obvious and the flatness was completely eliminated.
Overall, the BOSE IEs are great earbuds. The price for Bose products is always steep, but the quality of the sound is typically far better than comparable products. I felt justified in my purchase after 10 seconds of listening to the Bose IEs. I had spent roughly the equivalent of $100 in time/travel/testing on other buds to no avail. These were simple to wear and use, and provided the best quality sound I've experienced from in-ear buds so far. I absolutely recommend them if you're in a similar situation as me. I commute on a train everyday and walk whenever I'm listening to my iPod. The Bose IEs met all of my needs and I'm satisfied with the price I paid. The carrying case is snappy but doesn't seem necessary - if you take care of your things, you'll want to keep these buds in good repair. Using the carrying case makes that a bit easier, but you could also keep them in a pocket or otherwise sealed enclosure (to keep dust from collecting in the "in-ear" plastic).
I am not am employee of BOSE - if I were, I might have gotten a better deal on these! I am a regular user who needed better comfort and quality for my daily music listening - and I found it with the Triport IEs.
Cheers!
Customer Review: Another Excellent Bose Product
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first saw the Bose In Ear Headphones at the Apple Store I was intrigued. In my life, Bose products have always been vastly superior to just about everything else on the market, that the average consumer can buy. I have owned Bose Satellite II's, a Wave Radio, a Sound Dock, and two cars with Bose factory systems installed. In every instance I have found them to be free from distortion, revealingly clear, and free from trouble. However, I know how disappointing earbuds can be, particularly if you use an iPod.
It should be no secret to anyone that the iPod was not designed with sound reproduction first in mind. It was designed aesthetically, with the secondary purpose of being an MP3 player. Over its successive developments, there has not been much improvement of sound quality (although, parenthetically, I must say that my fiancee's Nano does put out a good noise as compared with my 2002 iPod, Methuselah), leaving the amateur audiophile to improve the listening experience with aftermarket headphones. To this end I have used Sony V300 studio monitors which I adored, but which were ungainly. For several years I borrowed a set of Sennheiser earbuds from a friend and I enjoyed them. I learned how good they were much later, however, when I plugged them into the same friend's iRiver H320 and I was awoken to a new world of capability. Since then I have been using a second-hand set of earbuds from my XM2go receiver. Yet, the Bose In Ear was a tempting proposition.
I wanted a product that would replace my V300s, but could be as compact as earbuds for sake of portability and comfort. Unlike many people who write negative reviews of this product, I was not intending to purchase my Bose, 100-dollar earphones for exercise use. To me that's like buying a pair of Cole Haan loafers and then complaining when you get blisters playing basketball in them. Bose products have always been for enjoyment of the listening experience. In no way does the In Ear headphone masquerade as an "active" electronic device for use at the gym. In fact, in the owners guide, the user is specifically cautioned that the headphones may not remain in place during vigorous activity. While Bose suggests that a larger silicone sleeve may be used to try and improve fit, it makes no guarantee of that as a solution.
Personally, I have had no issues with fit. They In Ears are very comfortable for walking and sitting and the sound reproduction is simply amazing. I have not used the Shure E2c or E3c earphones and I understand that they are the most direct competitor with these particular headphones. I know personally, however, that headphones that insert directly into the ear canal have caused chafing and discomfort in my ear canals in the past. If you have had similar experiences, you may consider the Bose to be a welcome solution to this problem.
As far as sound quality is concerned, as I have already said, it is brilliant. If you record your MP3s at any less than 128 kbps, however, you will notice. Track quality becomes much more important as the Bose will be unforgiving of mistakes. I listen to a wide variety of music and, as others have said, the In Ears are not ideal for listening to rock or alternative music. I do think they are at least as good as any other earbuds for this kind of music. The In Ears are also very well-balanced and do not need EQ modification for good sound. If you are, like me, a fan of BT, Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk, or other techno artists, then you will be very pleased with the In Ears as they produce phenomenal bass for such a small package.
Thus, I am very pleased to give the In Ears five stars. I have had no complaints about them and think that they are fantastic. My only reservation is the price of entry. If you have the money, however, they are quite worth it.
Customer Review: Better than the Shure E3c and I don't work for Bose
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm tired of posting reviews on here for headphones, mainly because if I like something I get people calling me "deaf" or that I work for Bose. I'm sure the dozens of people who gave these 5/5 work for Bose. Uh-huh.
I'm one of those people who pretty much will try any new headphone there is. My limit is three hundred and I refuse to pay any more in most cases.
My first pair was a cheap Philips over the ear kind for $20. They worked just fine and sounded ok. I upgraded to a pair of the in-ear fontopia from Sony and loved them. Upgraded yet again to the Bose Triports and those sounded even better. Yet people insult me for liking the original Triports!
BTW i'm not a Bose "fanboy". I own their Sound Dock (which is great) and personally think their PC speakers are terrible, yet some love them. No problem there. I also had a Bose home theater system, which wasn't bad.
I noticed that Bose had some new headphones available so I gave them a try. I upgraded my Triports to some Sennheiser HD-555 headphones and for the record, they sound better, but when I bought them they cost $50 more than the triports. Of course they're going to sound better.
I went with these and previously had a bad experience with the Shure E3c. They are painfully uncomfortable and never seem to stay in your ear. I even went as far as special ordering a special ear piece from their webpage. One of the few times i've hated an earbud from day one.
These are extremely comfortable. They mostly sit just outside of your ear. You can shake your head if you wanted and they would not fall out. Unlike the Shure e3c you can put these in your ear in a second and don't have to worry about getting the perfect fit.
The reviews on here are quite funny. Someone said they have no bass. That was the case with the Shure E3c. Those had absolutely no bass at all and these have almost way too much. That's the biggest negative about them. Only on bass heavy sounds that is. On regular music it's not so bad. Then someone says you can't hear the instruments! Huh?! I'm listening to all my favorite songs and they sound perfect. There is absolutely nothing missing! NOTHING. Every single thing is there.
I compared three different pairs of headphones for hours and hours. I did my best to try and hate these, but I just honestly can not. I compared the same tracks over and over with these and the Sennheiser HD-555's and those are just slighly better.
I put in the Shure E3c and it honestly sounds way too harsh, too tinny and just plain hurts my ears. There is NO bass at all! If you love them, then that's perfectly fine. The sound from those felt just so artificial.
I'd also like to point out that the Audio-Technica ATH-EC7 Inner Ear Headphones are great. The have really light bass, but they have more detail and clarity than the Bose In-Ear headphones. They blow away the Shure E3c headphones by far in terms of sound quality, but they're somewhat expensive and hard to find. I just felt that after an hour they started to give me a headache. They sound a little too bright, but not nearly as much as the E3cs. Everything on the Bose headphones just seemed more balanced out and more "pleasing to the ear" (do I sound like I work for bose yet?).
Anyway, I think it's safe to say I was impressed with these from the day I got them. I've been using them for hours and hours and they're almost as good as my main headphones (Hd-555). I might end up switching to these full time.
Please, no negative comments! If you don't like them, then just post a review.