Customer Reviews

Bose on-ear headphones

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

 

 

I recently got a pair of these from a local retail store for $100. A good family friend who worked there was able to acquire a discount. First, I will say that they are fantastic and lived up to everything I was hoping for. I'm a college student who not only lives with a roommate but also in a ground floor apartment. Before I had these, I used a pair of Memorex Noise Canceling headphones and even they were unable to completely ward off the sounds my roommate or neighbors would make; be it movie watching, DanceDance Revolution, or the occasional domestic violence. However, with my new Bose On-ear headphones I am able to listen to music or movies at a moderate and comfortable volume level while drowning out ambient noise. Peace and solitude are once again part of my life.

Quality. For months I tested these headphones on display at various stores and was astounded by the audio quality. The first thing I realized after buying them is that you can have the best set of headphones in the world but if your music isn't CD quality or better, it wont make a darn bit of difference. CD's, movies and MP3's 192kbps or more come through with amazing quality and clarity. I truly do find myself discovering nuances in my favorite songs which I had never heard before.

Comfort. I chose the on-ear headphones as opposed to the over the ear because I was worried about heat and extensive wear times. The on ear headphones still leave my ears a little warm and use for extended times (2+ Hours) leads to mild discomfort and the need to shift them around a little bit. Overall, I rate comfort a 4/5. Still better than any other headphones I've worn.

Durability. Admittedly, I did fall asleep wearing them once on the sofa. I actually rolled over on to them and in the process yanked the extension audio cable out of the main 1-inch connection line. I am glad to say they survived with no damage. While I do not recommend this to anyone else, I was at least relieved to see that they are more durable than I had feared upon buying them.

Price. This leads me to the single largest downfall of this wonderful product. I would never have purchased these at the full retail cost of $179, especially now that I've had them for a few weeks. Except maybe for the most regular airplane passengers, I can not think of any reason to pay more than $100 for them. Primarily for two reasons:
1) Extended wear can be slightly uncomfortable.
2) Audio quality is only as good as the source. No fault of the product of course, but it's something that Bose understandably doesn't like to remind consumers of.

If dropping $179 is of no consequence, you will not be disappointed. If you can get a good deal on them, even better.

I had purchased these after I had found out that they just came out. My Bose Triport headphones were in a gawdy state of being hideous to wear and I needed something new. The previous headphones were still in tip-top sounding shape, but the design...although light and comfortable, I had accidently broken the head strap on both sides...so I had to deal with using duct tape and electrical tape to mend them back together...I finally had enough of it and decided to purchase these and I had always expected the best from Bose. And as always, they impress me everytime.

I'm a high audiophile guy, a musician and a composer on the side, so I needed something that was at a reasonable price but produced incredible sonic sound. So what better company to pick than Bose? I've been buying their stuff since my first Bose 301 IV bookshelf speakers and every product they've come out have always impressed me. These headphones were everything I could had imagined. They carry out the low bass tones with ease and create those realistic highs without sacrificing frequencies. The company always noted that it created bass without the use of a bass boost on most cd and mp3 players....I never really thought so and never tried it out with my other heaphones...I love bass, who doesn't? But I decided to give it a whirl on these and to my astonishment they weren't lying. I have my iTunes EQ band setup where it's mostly focused on boosting the trebles which, in my preference, makes everything sound much better.

People always complain about the price of these products...and yeah, for 200 bucks for a pair of headphones sounds really crazy, but it really comes down to whether you want incredible sound or just decent/can-get-away-with sound. Plus it's Bose...yeah, sure you're probably paying more for the logo, but if you really do some study and research, the company puts a lot of time into their products to truly bring the best audio experience. And if you check out their other products on Amazon, their value usually stays the same. I've had my Bookshelf speakers for 4 years now and they still retain their value at $318.00. So if you buy these and end up needing or wanting to sell them (I can't see why you would want to) you'll more than likely get your money back at the price you paid for them. I know this is only a review, but seriously....the only way to truly know if these are worth it you need to try them out...bottom-line....you have to try them out for yourself to truly know what it's like to experience Bose sound from these incredible headphones.

J Scott Rakozy

I bought the mobile version of these. THe only difference is that they have a different cord that contains a microphone for your cell phone which I must say is awesome!! Only $20 more than these (199) and you get great sound from your iphone or other multimedia cell phone and can take calls!
A lot of people say you can get better but they are often speaking of even more expensive headphones that need seperate amps. These phones sound excellent! Tight bass and crisp highs. DOnt take my word for it... go to the store and try out the display set!!! Once you do you'll fall in love like I did and nothing will ever sound the same again. Try em out!

I had been searching for the right pair of headphones for my Ipod Touch for weeks on end, reading the reviews and published opinions in all the audio/video forums. I already own the UE Super.fi 5 Pro canal phones and they are great indeed, but I was wanting a set of headphones for both work and home that were easier to put on and take off. You have to fidget with canal phones to get the seal right. I decided based on reviews to buy the Sennheiser HD555. I was interested in the various Bose headphones, but they just seemed way overpriced. In the end, however, I was very disappointed in the HD555's - so much so that I went right out and purchased the Bose On-Ear headphones. The Bose On-Ear headphones are very similar to the Quiet Comfort 3's, but without the noise canceling feature and are about half the price. In comparing the Bose to the Sennheiser, I played an orchestra/vocal mp3, "Gollum's Song", with Emiliana Torrini, recorded at 320 sampling rate, and the HD555 sounded better than the Bose, richer midrange, more clearly defined...But. The Bose did quite well with this and other orchestra pieces too and just gave such a more well-rounded performance on all different types of music than the HD555 did. Amongst many other songs, I listened to the Beatles' "Come Together" and the HD555's disappointed badly there, and I had to turn the EQ bass booster on to get any satisfaction at all from it. The Bose were very nice with no EQ, just the right amount of bass, both felt and heard. Not muddy at all, but deliciously warm. You know, I think that the Bose On-Ears have more weaknesses than the Sennheiser HD555's, but it is sometimes more helpful to describe the way a headphone's sound makes you feel rather than a technical breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular set, and in that way I would say that the Bose On-Ear's are a kind of comfy chair that satisfies emotionally; and even if the chair is not perfect you are feeling very good in it, and you lounge and sigh with contentment. In comparison along the same emotional lines, the Sennheiser HD555 is an evenly padded chair, firm and not uncomfortable and no doubt has all the things in it that should make it a better chair than the Bose. But somehow it doesn't. If you are using an IPod, I think you'll be happier with the Bose On-Ear headphones than most other phones. They are good for the office too because they are small, they only leak a little sound and they block outside sounds quite well. And yes, they seem very comfortable too. I found the right ones for me.

You can listen to all the dynamic sounds that song writers include with their music.

these headphones are awesome! bass is amazing, sound quality better than any headphones i've used. My friend showed me his and i was amazed and had to get my own!

I have been using these at work for about 4 months now. At first the band was a little stiff and made the headphones a little uncomfortable. But after a while they broke in, and they are more comfortable now.
Overall, I think the sound quality is quite good.
+Pluses
compact, come with nice case that fits easily in my computer case, closed design-little sound leakage, decent sound quality.
-Minuses
expensive, I am sure you could find a better sounding headphone for the same money

I bought these headphones for my husband in December 2008. He absolutely loves them. They are very comfortable with great sound. He really enjoys to use them and is able to tune out the noise from our two younger children. He is very hard to please, but this was well worth the money!!

Great Sound and very comfortable . It is great to have something different beside my ear bugs.
Great for Ipod or I phone.. There are couple of drawbacks 1. Price (Bose is always overprice) 2. The extension could be longer. Overall a good product .. I used to have a Sony and this by far is better.

I purchased Bose Noise cancelling headphones, primarily for travel. The few times I used them, I really enjoyed them. However, they are bulky and take much room in the restricted space of a carry on bag. So sometimes I could not take them because there just wasn't the available space. Then I got a pair of these headphones in a promotion for test driving a car. I loved them. I found I didn't really miss the noise cancelling aspect as the music itself blocked outside distractions. And, these take up much less room. And, incidentally, are $200 cheaper! Treat yourself, you're worth it!