Customer Reviews

BOSE(R) Triport Headphone - Silver

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

These dont sound bad...They just are not worth even close to 150 bucks. Trust me and all the last review, there are much better headphones for alot cheaper.
In the Under $50 range, Id get Koss KSC75, or Sennheiser HD-201
In the $50 range, id get the Sennheiser PX-100s, or koss PortaPros.
In the $50-$100 range, Id get Grado Sr-60s/80s, Sennheiser HD-280, Shure E2s, or Sony MDR-V6
$100-$150 range Id get Etymotic ER6is, Beyer DT770, and Grado 125.

The bose like I said have only ok sound, and not nearly good enough to spend 150 dollars on. You may go to Best Buy and hear these and say "Wow these sound great", but thats probably after you have had ipod, cd player, and other mp3 players stock buds that came with them. Trust me...Dont buy these.

I skipped all the reviews about how fragile these were and went out and bought some anyway. One of the reasons I bought these over anything else is that they are light. I hate big and bulky headphones. My primary usage for these headphones is an Ipod. From my understanding, certain more expensive large headphones have problems producing loud volumes in portable devices. These headphones have no such problems.

It was hard to go and purchase these. So many people think BOSE makes junk and just believe what they hear and just keep spreading it around. Go out and try the products for yourself first. I almost skipped them because I almost wanted to believe BOSE made stuff that wasn't any good.

Anyway, I tried these and they brought new life to my music. Everything sounded so much better than my Sony Fontopia headphones. Such an amazing difference. I also quite frequently prefer using these headphones with my ONKYO receiver to watch DTS movies. This is over $1000 home theater speakers.

Now onto the bad news. Yes, they ARE fragile. Very fragile. Within 4 months the plastic piece holding the ear piece broke and now if I want to listen to them I have to hold them up to my head like one of those old telephones. Ok, I don't do that, but I was so dissappointed all day. Not only that but I lost my receipt and couldn't return them or get a replacement. I was wrong. The nice people at BOSE let me send them back for a replacement. That's good service! No phone calls, no waiting on hold. All done by email in a matter of days.

Stupid me thought I couldn't get a replacement so I went out and got some Sennheiser HD 580's for a little bit more. I was expecting them to be blown away by them but they were honestly just a tad better to my ears and are built MUCH better.

My opinion is that if you primarily use portable devices and want the best sound, get these. If you mainly use them on devices such as a computer, receiver etc maybe something from Sennheiser would be better for long term.

My opinion is that the triports sound like $149 headphones. They are not built like $149 headphones though. The quality is more like a $50 pair of headphones. Does this make sense to you? It's probably to keep them light. I will say though that they are some of the most comfortable headphones i've ever used! I think if BOSE eventually reduced the price to $99 they'd be a steal and would FLY off the shelves. Don't tell me these really cost that much to make!

Sennheiser sells headphones that have replacable parts and offers more expensive "upgraded" models with higher quality parts. Maybe BOSE should do the same.

And BTW these are far better than any $100 Sony or Pioneer headphones IMO. I've tried several of them.

Anyway, keep the receipt. If it wasn't for the cheap plastic these would get a 5/5 definitely!

Bose is able to mass-market and heavily advertise their products, while superior headphone companies (e.g., Beyerdynamic, AKG, Sennheiser, and Grado) do not have that luxury. This means that Bose can get away with selling a $50 product for three times that amount. It's probably worthy of 3 stars if it were sold much cheaper, but I have to take off a star for price inflation.

The best thing to do for people on a $100-150 budget for quality headphones is to shop around, and defintiely to check out forums like Head-Fi.org where users share their views.

These are the hype of headphones you are so excited to get home and see what the $$ gets you and when you plug in... let down to say the least! It's all about bang for buck folks, these things should be priced at about $79 with the over pronounced bass, muddy mids, and shrill highs.

Take a look at Sennheiser HD580 or for something sealed the Beyerdynamic DT 250-250 for a few bucks more will really dazzle. If you are serious about your sound Buy Other Sound Equipment (pun intended)

Before I ventured into the world of serious high fidelity by way of headphones(which I now prefer to speakers for the ultimate experience, and use Sennheiser HD580's to get to that paradise), I thought highly of the Bose Triports, despite the fact that I had not heard them until about a year or two after they were released. I had not known about any of the issues concerning these headphones until getting into the headphone hobby, and later I finally got to hear "The best headphones ever".

I was in for a dissappointment, and for several reasons. First, the good part:
-These 'phones are indeed comfortable, but as much so as most other closed type circumaural headphones in this price class, and many in lower price classes do match its reputed comfort.

-TriPort headphones are efficient- you can use them on just about any CD or mp3 player made. So can ALOT of other headphones.

And the bad? Well, it's bad:
-Flimsy construction. If so many owners report that the headphones have a fragile headband, why wouldn't Bose issue a recall to save their customers some grief in having to deal with such a problem? Other companies would and other companies have.
This is manufacturer's defect and should be handled as such.

-TriPort technology. A closed headphone that has three miniscule sized ports just isn't going to make much of a difference when altering the performance of their drivers. Proper dampening and engineering of the earcup are paramount when it comes to good closed 'phones, and Bose doesn't seem to get it.

-"Rare Earth" Drivers. Same magnets used as lots of other headphones out there. Neodymium Iron Boron is easier to produce for headphones and there's no reason to charge extra for it-many cheap $20 headphones use the same materials. Additionally, the drivers are just flat out cheap, and cheaply engineered. They aren't put through any kind of tests for accuracy, and it shows.

-Sound. Or lack thereof. Where is the deep articulate bass, warm smooth mids, and crisp clear highs that Bose wants to have you pay $150 for? I've listened to these headphone coming from much less expensive models from other companies like Sennheiser, Etymotic, and Grado, and those 'phones I own literally own the sound and then some. My most expensive 'phones, my HD580's($110 used) quite easily overpower the weak output the Triports produce, with neutral, smooth sound that lacks nothing and lets you hear everything your music has to offer. The triports let you hear what Bose thinks you should, not what the artists hope you experience, and music should be just that. An auditory experience, a veritable party in your ears everyone should be invited to. But that doesn't appply. Triports don't reproduce sound on that level, or for that matter, sound on the $50 level.

-Value. I haven't found any yet, and I've been looking for how long now? It is my opinion that the MSRP on the Triports isn't worth what the money gets me, so if I see them in a store, begging me to lend my ears to a demo unit, I will simply walk on and pay no attention. Give my ears the sound I want, not the sound the Bose corp. believes is the sound I should be hearing.

Overall: Meh. Don't need to get into it, the body of my review speaks for itself and I encourage anyone reading this to listen to demo Triports(as they have been burned in), and then demo some Grado SR60's, Sennheiser HD280's, or even my HD580's if you can find them. I think you'll be quite surprised at what's out there for your dollar, and those that put the work into such headphones work much harder for your money than that which is evident with the Triports. If you already have a pair of nice headphones and want to know what all the hype is about, A/B your 'phones with Triports. You'll most likely be in for the same downer I was.

Late!

Just awful headphones for the money. Boomy one-note bass, mids are harsh and start to roll off towards the top of the spectrum. Treble is rolled off slightly too. Isolation is not as great as the marketed hype. My DT770 trounce them from an isolation standpoint, as do my Shure e2c. Fragile headband snaps after a week of delicate use.

For under $150 there are many better headphones:
AKG K240s-55 / K501
Koss KSC75
Sennheiser HD201, HD580, HD100, HD280
Grado SR60/80/125
Alessandro MS1
Shure e2c / e3c
Sony MDRV6, MDR-7506

Potential buyers... surf over to www.head-fi.com . Run a "Search" for "triport". 100's of disapointed user impressions there.

Before you buy these phones, ask yourself, have you ever heard of the following companies? Grado, Sennheiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic, Etymotic, Shure. These companies are all mid to high-end headphone manufacturers that offer products that are significantly better (in sound and in durability) than anything Bose has and for less money as well. You have simply not heard of most of them because they have very few customers outside of professional sound engineers and serious audio enthusiasts. Do a google search for any of them and find more information for yourself. I made the mistake of puchasing Bose once and after I heard a pair of Grado SR-80, I sold the Bose on Ebay immediatly. Many people purchase Bose thinking they are the only options available for higher-end headphones and frankly, they sound terrible for the price. Please do your wallet a favor and do some sound research before purchasing.[...]

These are very competitive sound wise with $50.00 offerings from Sennheiser and Grado and if that was the retail price, these might be of interest. Since their price is three times that they are about the worst value in headphones. Their sound is marked by a midrange that is MIA. Add in their poor build quality and this becomes a deal that only a Bose accountant could love.

I've heard quite a few good headphones, Grado 125, Sennheiser 580, Beyerdynamic 770, Audio-Technica a900, AKG k271, the list goes on, and I've got to say the Triport is one of the worst vales in the audio industry. $150 for bloated one note midbass that doesn't extend very far at all, piercing grainy treble that doesn't extend and a scooped out midrange that obscures details. I swear the frequency curve on this thing must look like an M.
The Triport's tendency to break is well known, leaving them little more that expensive bolos.
If it cost $40, it may be a decent deal, but I wouldn't buy it. I'd either get the Sennheiser hd-280 for $90 or the $30 koss ksc-35, both are better deals and sound much better IMO.

As soon as you pick up these headphones, you will realize that they were a mistake. They have the structural Integrity you would expect from a $5 pair of Headphones. The cups are awkwardly sized to the point where they do not seal large ears and put pressure on small ears. Their sound quality is comparable to Grado/Sennheiser/Beyer phones in the $50 range, not the $150 range. In the $150 range, you have MANY better choices. Avoid these phones like the plague.