Customer Reviews

BOSE(R) QCZ/GB Triport Headphone

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

Well, you may not necessarily believe that, with all the hype that surrounds Bose, these headphones would be anything other than stellar. They are, unfortunately, very subpar. In truth, these are rather cheap headphones, utilizing very light construction with a predominance of plastics, and very cheap diaphragm materials. The "Tri-Port" technology is nothing more than a plastic shield over the diaphragm with three asymmetrical cutouts that capture the sound at different parts along the diaphragm. I suppose that this does help in making a very cheap diaphragm sound better, but it is not a substitute for better materials and higher-quality construction. I expect the Triports cost no more than $20 to make.

Many consumers walk into the local Best Buy, try these headphones out, say "hey, they're great!" and walk home with a brand new pair. Why is that? Because most people haven't heard higher-quality systems, and compared to what is commonly available at Best Buy, yes, these are a notch above. However, there are several things you should know:

1) There are much better sounding headphones that are much cheaper.

2) The Triports are defective. The headband design is very flimsy, and is almost guaranteed to break after several months of use. I several friends who own these, and their headbands ALL broke after a few weeks.

3) Most of the phones to which these are compared are really terrible. The Sony MDR-V700, against which the Triports are often compared, is a very poor quality phone that isn't designed for home use - it's designed to offer DJ's lots of bass without any regard for detail and clarity. Saying that the Triports are better than the V700's isn't saying much at all.

I don't want to tell you that you're all wrong and that I'm all right. I want to say this: use your own ears. Audition real, high-end headphones before you spend $130 or whatever on these, and then decide for yourself what you want to buy. You owe it to yourself to get the best when spending this much money.

Here are a few models that I urge you to look at instead of these:

1) Sennheiser HD555, 590, 595, and 280 Pro. The HD580, 600, and 650 receive a lot of well-deserved praise, but they need expensive amplification in order to shine, and are in a different league that the Triports, hence, comparing them directly is unfair.
2) Sony MDR-V6. Not the MDR-V600! These are very different phones. The MDR-V6 is an older, discontinued model with different drivers that sounds fantastic, unlike the V600, which is very subpar.
3) Grado SR-60, SR-80, SR-225. All Grado headphones sound exceptional. The SR-60, at $69, will blow the Triports out of the water.
4) Audio-Technica ATH-A500, A700, and A900. These are exceptional Japanese headphones. They're hard to find in the US, but online you can definitely buy them. They compete directly against the Triports, and offer stunning sound quality for the money. They're also very well built and reliable, if slightly bulky.
5) If you can, listen to a Stax system. Granted, these systems cost as much as $3,000 for the headphones alone, but this will tell you what a hi-fi pair of headphones SHOULD sound like. Stax headphones are some of the best.

For portable headphones that will be used with mp3 players, I suggest that you look at:

Etymotic Research ER-4P, ER-6i; Shure e2c, e3c, e4c, and e5c; Westone UM2; Sharp MD-33; Sony MDR-EX51 and EX71; Audio-Technica ATH-CM7 and CM7ti; Koss KSC-35, KSC-75, and PortaPro; Sennheiser HD-25, PX-100 and PX-200; and last of all, Stax SR-001 Mk II, which while hard to find and expensive ($239 Japanese street price), is the best sounding portable available, period (and is the only portable electrostatic headphone in the world). Keep in mind that it needs a mini-to-mini interconnect, since it requires the use of an amplifier (which is included).

Use your own ears! I've told you where to start research. Please take the time and finish it. You will be rewarded with a quality product, and you will be grateful for the time that you spent researching the information.

For questions, please look at www.head-fi.org. It is an excellent source of information on anything and everything headphone-related.

I sincerely hope this helps.

I'm not the type to take a chance on expensive headphones that hve no professional reviews, but since I had a GC and needed a good pair of headphones I went for these. They retail about the same everyhere (see the page you're viewing for price). They're Bose, but like most Bose products you ultimately get what you pair for. First thing I noticed is that they were a little cheap looking. Trying them on however they felt very comfortable, something I could definitely get used to having on my head (and I see no reason why they won't hold together as time goes on). A lot smaller and lighter than studio headphones, they still provide a deep rich quality sound. Living at college, I've seen students with headphones bigger than these walking around campus. Don't get me wrong, they're definitely stereo phones meant for indoors (especially since you're gonna wanna crank these and other people are gonna hear it loud and clear). However, they are certainly not heavy duty and not a huge nuisance at all to travel with you somewhere. Also, though it doesn't isolate others from your music very well the headphones do a wonderful job of isolating you from a good deal of outside sound. I really wish I had some Sennheiser or Grado to compare with, but I can say for sure that these really rule over those sony 600's studio monitor headphones right at the triple digits. All in all, I can't compare to the headphone brands known for quality, but I CAN say for sure that I can't think of any complaints for these headphones nor how music could sound any better than this. Expensive, but I don't regret the purchase at all. They are cheap looking but obviously well constructed, comfortable, fit great, and sound flawless. I have nothing great to compare to so I can't tell you if they're superior to your Grado's but for those who haven't invested in a great set of headphones but are looking to, you'll enjoy these a whole lot. I really hope this helps people like me looking for reviews.

The Bose Triports are my third attempt at trying to find quality headphones. I first tried the Sony MDRV700DJ. They had amazing sound, bass and were free of distortion even at very high volume. But they are very uncomfortable and get quite hot. That is because they are designed for DJs in loud setting and are very close to the ear. They were not made for home use. I should have realized that before buying.

I then tried the Sennheiser HD570. The were comfortable, but the sound quality was horrible unless you only listened to classic music in a quiet room. These were not designed for music with ANY bass. I should have known that too, but I decided to try one more time.

After trying out the Sennheiser HD570 and Sony MDRV700DJ headphones, I turned to the Bose Triport. Finally! These combine the sound quality of the Sony and the comfort of the Sennheiser. Amazing sound, bass and no distortion except at very high volume. They are comfortable and shield a lot of outside noise out. I am very happy now and can't recommend these headphones enough!

At first I purchased the Sennheiser HD280 PRO headphones after reading great reviews on sound and comfort and I did not want to spend the $ on Bose, mostly because I figured Bose was more market hype than sound quality. After I received the Sennheiser headphones, I was okay with the sound but greatly disappointed on the comfort which ranked high on my list.

Not satisfied with these headphones, I reluctantly purchased the $ Bose Triports after reading reviews and thought I couldn't lose since Bose guaranteed a 90-day customer satisfaction. The only way to be sure was to compare the headphones side-by-side with the Sennheiser HD280 at home. The first thing I noticed was how much more comfortable the Bose Triports were over the Sennheiser, they were light and very comfortable on the ears and the headband did not give that annoying feeling on the top of my head like the HD280 did. The Triports had much better and thicker material construction on the ear cushions than the Sennheiser did. Also the Triport has a metal headband that you can widen to your fit.

Now on the sound comparison: On my MuVo MP3 player, the Triports had a cleaner and tighter sound than the HD280 which sometimes sounded a little muddier on the bass. I also immediately noticed
the Triports had a higher volume output probably due to the 32 ohms vs. 64 for the HD280.

Then I compared them on my home system listening to Jazz and Rock on an Arcam Alpha 7SE thru a Denon receiver with all settings on flat. The HD280 had great bass, some midrange and a bit bright on the treble. I'm sure the HD280 would sound a lot better later given the reviews of burning them in for a week but my biggest complaint is that these headphones are NOT comfortable as others have reviewed. The Triports, surprisingly, sounded a lot better with more midrange and an overall balanced sound.

The two negative things I can say about the Triport are: 1) For the price, like other reviewers have said, is that it comes with a cheap looking pouch to transport your $ headphones. 2) It doesn't include the handy in-flight adapter. Why Bose didn't include the adapter or a better bag like the one the Quiet Comfort has I don't know. Bose almost makes it appear that for another $100, your getting more amenities rather than the noise cancellation technology -- which I think goes against their marketing based on their ads.

Anyway, bottom line, I am returning the HD280 and keeping the Triports. Albeit I am spending more than I wanted to but after listening and wearing these comfortable headphones, I am very satisfied with my decision. If you're looking for great sound with great comfort, I highly recommend the Bose Triports. Everyone has a different sound taste, so I recommend comparing the Triports yourself since Bose has the 90-day return and you'll hear and FEEL the difference yourself.

I love the Sound of these headphones but after a year of use. I merely placed them on my head and snap. The plastic used snapped. I agree with many of the reviewer. The sound quality is great, but what good does sound quality do if the phones break with no fault but putting them on and off. I take care of my phones, I don't drop them. Bose needs to make this wrong right and reconstruct the head bridge on these phones. These phones should be taken off the market until Bose corrects this problem. Just count the review on this site alow and 1/3 complain of cheap construction because the headset breaks. It just a matter of time for the others usally a little over a year and the phones self destruct. Just long enough for the warranty to end. You would expect better quality from a company that prides itself on the best.

I got theis for few days, its really comfortable to wear it for long time. I got a HUGE head and this thing still fits me very well. I bought this thing to get myself isolate from my roomates hardcore rock music and listen to my own classical stuff, it surely did its job.
I know Sennheiser 590/600 DO have better sound quality than this thing, but they are all "open dynamic" design means you have to use it in a fairly quiet enviroment. Such enviroment is quite impossible to find in ordinary campus or college dorms. May be you can try Sennheiser 270/280, but Bose Triport is way more comfortable to wear, you won't feel a thing or get sweat inside the earphone even you wear it for real long time.
The isolation from outside noise also brings you another advatage, you don't have to turn your music loud to enjoy it, of course this will keep you from hearing losses.
The sound quality on this thing is decent, not very good but its decent. Some high pitch sound blured out when I use it (it happened when i was listening Ein Deutsche Requiem by Brahms) but its not too serious. Overall, the sound is good, could be better, but good enough that you can hear everything and you won't be disturbed by outside enviroments.
One suggestion for those who bought this for their computers, turn off any equalizer or plug-ins when you use your Windows Media Player with this headphone, this head phone is good enough that you don't have to use those software enhacements. Actually, you can have better quality of sound if you turn those enhacements off. I use it with my IBM T30 laptop and Creative Extingy external sound card, I really feel the sound quality get better and the less blured sound after I shut off those plug-ins and equalizers.
One bad thing about this is this thing is expensive, I said this because I spend 149 bucks and I got a package looks like some 59 or 69 bucks product. Of course i am satisfied with the headphone itself but when you spend 149 dollards you should get something more.
In cocnclusion, this thing is good, its great. Especially for those people live in apartemnt or dorms. If you hate your roomates or neighbors keeps on bombarding you with some hardcore rock music or watching TV all the time while you try to study or enjoy the type of music/movie/game you like, ths would be good choice. Of course you can buy a Sennheiser 580/590/600 if you always have a quiet place to use it, otherwise I would recommend Bose Triport.

I am not an audiophile - I do not have the precision hearing of a bat so I can echo-locate my breakfast. I know some folks are far more particular and can hear nuances in sound that are apparently not within my range of hearing. If you're like me - this review is for you.

Like shoes, it's hard to review something as a comfortable fit for everyone. I can only review something as being a comfy fit for me. Everyone's head and ears are designed differently. If you have a mammoth head or large ears, these may not fit you as well as they fit me. I'd recommend trying a pair on - they are sold at fine electronic stores and they usually have a pair you can try on and listen to.

First, I would try wearing them with no audio at all. Just stand there for 5 minutes with these things on. Do they bug you? If so, they're not for you.

Personally, I find the soft cups that pivot for the precise shape of my head to be very comfy. The cups envelope my ears without scrunching them - just surrounding them with the music or audio I want to listen to. The bass is deep - even with the volume cranked way up, I don't feel like either the treble or bass is cracking.

They're not as trendy looking as the miniscule ear buds everyone wears these days - but for complete solitude in listening to an audio book, mowing the lawn while listening to music, or just tuning out white noise while listing to something relaxing, these are nice.

My less than perfect rating is for the kinda cheesy-looking plastic and foamy headband. The headband is a magnet for dog hair (guess how I found that out?) and the plastic components just look cheap. It doesn't matter how good the sound is - when you spend this kind of money, it's nice to know you can enjoy looking at an item, too. This is why Sony & Apple do so well with their products - they work AND they are sexy to look at. These are just - eh. They're ok, but nothing to write home about in the appearance department. I know from their full-page print ads and infomercials that sound engineers and all kinds of research and rocket science goes into their audio equipment - but they seriously need to work with an award winning designer to come up with a better look. If they canned half their ad campaign and devoted some of that money to design, they could lower the price and these things would sell like hotcakes.

anyone considering buying these headphones should be aware that they are very fragile. the speakers themselves are sturdy enough but the plastic in the band holding the two speakers together is very fragile. i bought a pair even after having heard that they are fragile thinking the person reviewing them may have been careless w/ them but mine have broken two times when i was doing nothing more than taking them off. the plastic on these things is barely strong enough to hold them together. that being said, they do have the best sound quality of any headphones i've ever owned. they are also the most expensive headphones i've ever owned.

These headphones offer clear, distortion-free sound. I hear every note, at every frequency. Nothing seems over- or under-emphasized. The impression is that you're the producer, hearing the sound from your booth inside the studio. I can now put to bed thoughts and concerns about buying more headphones, or worrying about mis-hearing music; that's the best reason to buy them.

I had reservations about buying this headset from the beginning. It had $$$ price tag and they're not even active noise canceling.
After I bought the headset I was even more concerned seeing the poor reviews on the internet due to manufacturing defects and poor design. I ended up being quite happy with the sound quality and have had no major issues until today.

Now, as I wait on hold for the Bose service department to answer my call, I write this review. Too bad, the left headset snapped off while I pulled the unit onto my ears...I didn't drop them or pull very hard... it just snapped the sheer pin clean off. Oh well, next time I'll read the reviews first. Don't buy this one... move on to a better quality headset.