Customer Reviews

Bose® Over-the-Ear Headphones (41213) - Silver

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

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.

(Review updated, 09/22/08) These headphones, with their clear, detailed treble and warm bass, are very sweet sounding, indeed; they feel great on the head (even after extended use) and are as light as air.

Unfortunately, they are ridiculously fragile, especially at their price point. I always took great care when using these headphones, and would use them no more than a few times a week, with them never leaving my home.

Even so, less than a year after my initial purchase, the right side of the headphones (where the plastic "slider" is) inexplicably came apart. Bose acknowledged they are aware of this issue, and sent me a new pair, stating personally to me that they had revised the headphones construct material, claiming that the plastic is of a much sturdier quality. Bose readily replaced my broken headphones, although I did have to pay for shipping costs.

One year later, my replacement headset came apart, in exactly the same fashion as the first! Bose is (once again) sending me a replacement; once again, I pay for shipping costs.

In fact, more than three years after my initial purchase, judging by various online customer reviews, this issue STILL seems to be fairly widespread.

To be fair, I must say that their customer service is top notch. Still, despite the great sound quality and good customer service, I cannot recommend these. Buyer beware!

When you move significantly above the $100 mark with headphones, one naturally expects superior sound and build quality - things that can be found with competing phones like the Grado SR125, Alessandro MS1, or even the Sony MDR-V6. For one thing, the body of these headphones is made of a relatively flimsy plastic, and lends little in the way of confidence in the product. The sound - the part that matters - may impress neophyytes with their strong bass, but balance and richness of tone are sorely absent. Perhaps that's why may TriPort owners find themselves defecting to other products.

Bose has earned a name through aggressive advertising and name recognition, but if you're a savvy shopper (and are willing to look at some superb competing headphones (sometimes at half the price), you and your music will be in a better place.

I have spent in excess of $400 trying to find the right earbuds that have great bass. These headphones are at any Apple store (they use them to demo the Ipods, but are not for sale). When I tried them with the Ipod, I was blown away. I wear them jogging, hiking & to the Gym (perfect for this - the phones shut out that horrible music selected by my Gym). You will have no regrets here, your search is over.

I'm on my third (and last) pair of the Tri-Port headphones. The sound is good and they are very comfortable to wear for extended periods. The problem is that they are fragile and cheaply made.
My first two pair failed because the jack is a poorly made molded plastic item that can't stand even moderately heavy use. The wires inside the jack become disconnected and sound from one or both ears is lost. Bose replaced the first two pair (still under warranty) but the current pair has failed in the same way.
Think twice about buying these headphones. If you ever remove and reinsert the jack on a regular basis, I guarantee that it will eventually fail.

My list of headphones needs was very specific and narrow: A lightweight, really comfortable set with solid range of sound. These headphones met my criteria and I am very pleased with them. I use them at my desk at work either plugged into my PC or into my iPod. Sometimes, I wear them at lunch while taking a walk and they work wonderfully for that.

Yes, I supposed there might be better sounding headphones out there in this price range, but believe me, most of these are heavier and bulkier. I was resolved to having to wear behind the neck headphones because I really don't want Borg headgear on at work, but when I tried these on I was sold. I love them. I can wear them most of the day and not feel any discomfort and...vain as it may sound, my hair doesn't look like I have been sleeping beneath my desk all morning when I have to leave the music behind to attend a meeting.

I bought these headphones when I heard them at the Apple Store when I bought my iPod. The quality of the sound just blew me away. Great range of sound. The bass is just sweet. What more can I say? You want to truly enjoy that iPod this is how to do it.

I am usually quite fussy about sound quality. I would highly recommend these headphones for your listening pleasure.

I purchased a pair of these Bose Triport Around the Ear headphones, and used them very little (maybe 30 times). When I went to use them a few days ago, the plastic just above the Y swivel on the right side broke apart. This happened just picking them up and putting them on my head with normal force. Is this what you call a quality product? What do I do now? The $139.95 headphones are completely useless!

So, I contacted Bose Support and here's what they told me: "The date of purchase indicates that your Bose(R) Around-Ear headphones are no longer covered by the warranty. The headphones are not factory or user-serviceable. You may trade your Around-Ear headphones for a brand new set for $60".

Why would I invest any more cash into a product that obviously has a poor build quality. After searching the internet, I found many other people who had the same problem with these headphones. This has been going on for years and Bose has not corrected the problem!

So basically, Bose wants to charge me $60 (half the price of the headphones) for the flimsy plastic Y swival that connects the right side earpiece to the band? Must be worth a total of 50 cents! And I'll bet many people fall for this, right? What a marketing scheme! I've heard it said that Bose is all about marketing, not quality. Now I know first hand.

At least I know I'm one of the more intelligent buyers who will see it for what it is and take my business elsewhere!

As I've posted elsewhere, these are my favorite choice for quality listening. They don't tire your ears out (like plugs) and they isolate you from all but hte most intrusive environmental distractions. Superb bass response. Older models have a defect in the headband design, Bose has been replacing them absolutely free for the newer, more resilient model (silver).

I love the sound these headphones provide. I live in an apartment building. I like to watch television and DVD's until 1 a.m. I listen with headphones, so I don't annoy my neighbors. These provide the closest thing to surround sound I have found.

Unfortunately I had to replace them after about 3 years, because they fell apart. First the padding came out because the vinyl came unstiched. I tolerated this until one earphone came completely apart. I have owned other headphones that lasted much longer. I am mystified. How could Bose make headphones with such great sound and such lousy quality?