Customer Reviews

Bose TriPort ® Blue Glacier Blue Headphones with Carry Case

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I bought my Triport headphones nearly a year ago, and mine have held up well, BUT I've had to be *very* careful when I handle them. The sound quality really is teriffic--excellent frequency response across the entire spectrum, with a "warmth" in the bass that is missing in every other set of headphons I have (admittedly, none of my other headphones cost as much as the Triport). In general, these headphones are comfortable to wear, and the foam rims around the phones mold to your head, doing a great job of blocking outside sound. At times, the thin headband becomes uncomfortable; I find I can wear these things for about an hour before the top of my head becomes sore from the pressure of the hard, narrow headband. As others here have pointed out, the construction of these things is extremely shoddy. They look and feel like a $10 pair you might pick up at Family Dollar. The cord is dangerously thin, as is the headband. These are definitely NOT heavy-duty headphones. The connections where the headphone cups connect to the headband are beginning to crack on mine--it's only a matter of time before they'll need taped reinforcements. Because they are so flimsy, I never take mine out of the house. When I want to listen to something walking, jogging, or otherwise "on the move," I take my sturdier Sony headphones, even though the sound is poorer. I use the Triports mainly for listening to music or movies at home when I don't want to disturb others in the house--for that they do a decent job. It's a shame that for what these cost, they couldn't be better made. If you're prepared to spend this much for a good set of headphones, think twice before buying this set. For the same price, there must be better-built, decent sounding headphones out there.

I bought these headphones and have been very happy. They are the best headphones I have tried and I have tried a lot of them. My ears hurt when I wear most headphones after a short time. With these, they never do, since the headphones don't touch my ears. It has a very comfortable pad that goes around the ear. You barely notice you're wearing them. The sound quality is amazing. It also has great bass for headphones with the tri-port system. I did have a problem with the quality of the plastic. Shortly after buying the headphones, the plastic piece that holds the adjustable band snapped while I was wearing them. I only use these headphones while sitting at my desk and they are well taken care of, but they still broke. Soon after that, the other side snapped. I had to use tape to hold my headphones together. Very annoying, but they still work great. I sent those in to be replaced by Bose. A month later, I got a new pair. A month after that, the sides broke on this one too. I still have that pair and am just using tape to hold the band together. I think it is rediculous that the band breaks while just wearing the headphones normally while sitting at a desk, but the sound quality is great which helps make up for it. When wearing the headphones and even with the music on very low, you can't hear anything else. The cup blocks out most of the sound and the music gets rid of the rest. I'd recommend the noise cancelling Quiet Comfort II over these since they are made better and have the noise cancelling. Though for the price, these are amazing headphones.

I have had these Bose headphones over a year.

I give them a solid "A" for sound quality, just as you would expect from Bose -- it is crystal clear, transparent, crisp, good highs and lows. Indeed, you will hear detail in your music that you couldn't hear before.

However, the headset these speakers are attached to gets an "F". I too have had the exact same problems as the other reviewers -- the headset broke on both sides at the attachment points, and I had to tape it to keep it together. This occurred despite very gentle usage. It seems that in an effort to create a lightweight and comfortable headset (which it is), Bose made them WAY TOO FRAGILE!!

I am about to take them to our local Bose store to see if they can repair them.

****

Service report (December 2005) -- Took them in to the Bose store. 90 seconds later I was walking out with a brand new pair, no questions asked. NOTE: The new pairs sport a much sturdier headband, but seemingly the same speakers. They have obviously addressed the problem very well. It was truly an impressive service experience, and Bose has recaptured me as a future customer.

Sound and comfort were great, unfortunately, as has been said many times before, they break extremely easily. An absolute disaster of a design on the plastic headband. I hope Bose fired the idiot that came up with it. Why they are still selling these things is beyond me - they are clearly defective. I use mine only at my desk and the headband has broken in three places now through very normal wear. Thank you Bose - that's the last product I buy of yours!!! Everyone else do yourself a favour and get another pair of well built headphones.

The triports are a good headphone in the $50 range. Unfortunately they cost three times that. For $150 there are much better sounding headphones to be had. Sony V6 or 7506 (same headphone) are good, the AKG 240 are good too. Sennheiser makes some great cans at all headphone levels. And all of these eheadphones are more study than the triports. There are forums online for headphones if you want more reviews or ideas. Shop around and you'll get a better pair for it.

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.

I bought these because of the comfort and sound, both of which I really like. I have a hard time wearing headphones and can't wear earbuds at all, so the lightweight design of these were very comfortable for me. The sound quality is very good in my opinion.

However, I agree with the reviewer that these are poorly made. Within a few weeks of owning them, mine also broke at the headband (where you adjust them to fit your head). Frustrated, I taped this up. Since that time, everything that could break on these headphones have broken. The headband is now broken on both sides and the headphones have broken at their swivel points. I've been using them all taped up, but they no longer swivel to fit close against my head. And, it is really frustrating to pay that much money for something that is of such poor quality.

I am going to start this blast out with, I am so mad I could just cry. I bought two of these. One for me, one for my husband. Ok, 300 bucks. Just after the warrenty expired the plastic along the side that holds the headphones to your head, broke. We taped it up. A week later mine broke in excactly the same spot. Taped it up. A few weeks later both of ours broke on the other side. Taped it up. Then again just above the first break. My husband gave up and ordered himself a pair of Audio-Technica for 99 bucks. They are very high quality and sound better. But me, I taped mine up. By golly, they cost 150 bucks!!! 6 months later one of the ear cups just fell off. Now. I know what you are thinking. How much abuse did I put these through? At this price, I treated them as if they were made of glass. I have never in my life seen plastic, for lack of a better word, rot like this. They just fell apart. I am suprised and angry at Bose for making such a cheap product and having the nerve to sell it for 150 dollars. SO!!! I went out and bought myself a pair of Sennheiser HD465 headphones for 72 bucks. Like my hubby's new set they are built like a tank and the sound?? Glory be!!!! 100% better!!

This product gets one star from me. What good are headphones if they don't stay on your head? Bose lost two customers for life. Bose 'shmose!!!!!

I purchased these several years ago when they first came out. I loved the sound. I am not an audiophile, I simply enjoy good sound. For years I've been the oddball who has carried the over the ear headphones (y'know, the Princess Leia looking things) with me to the bookstore, the coffee shop, the bedroom. The cool little portable jobs just don't do it for me. I want to feel encapsulated by sound.

Then I saw these at a retail store and tried them on. The sound blew me away. So I bought a pair. They are the most comfortable headphones I've ever had. I can literally wear them for hours on end without discomfort, without my ears sweating or my head hurting. So the lightweight design is a big bonus.

And the sound! Lots of bass and a good dynamic range rather than a flat sound so common in many headphones. I highly recommend them for the sound.

However, the downside. The lightweight design is not necessarily flimsy but it certainly is fragile. These headphones must be handled with great care. No one else in my home is allowed to use mine. Even so, the constant use caused a piece of plastic to break where the headphones expand to fit over my head after about a year or so. So I was disappointed. They worked but took some manipulation to stay on my head.

I voiced my frustrations to Bose, Apparently I am not alone in this. They listened. They suggested I call their customer support. I did. They took very good care of me. I now have a new pair and have noticed one major change. Where the plastic piece broke on my original pair the design has been changed and it now has extra reinforcement at this stress point so it should not snap like the other pair. Bose has obviously listened to all of the complaints and has taken it very seriously.

In defense of Bose, their customer support is fantastic. I have another Bose unit and they have been excellent in handling concerns. They listen to their customers and take their input very seriously. When you call their 800 number you get a real live person. When you email their customer support, you get a real person responding to your request.

I agree that these are some pricey headphones. I don't know enough about other brands but, though I can't go with five stars because of the price, I give an enthusiatic four stars. I was without these for well over two weeks and used the portable headphones. When I got these back it was like listening to my music as if I'd never heard it before.

I purchased these about one year ago. The sound was pretty good. However, while taking these headphones off both sides cracked and two pieces of metal dug into my head, ouch! I would try some other brand.