Others say...

"Best headphones ever...."
I've been waiting a while to write this because I was really expecting them to break, but its been almost a full year now since I bought these headphones, and I have to say they are impressive. If you love music, do yourself a favor. These things sound better than most speaker systems. If you make music, you need these! There are sounds like deep base that no other headphones can reproduce due to there size. These headphones re-produce audio like a big speaker system.

As long as you don't jump up and down on them, they are very tough. I've been carrying mine around with me in Iraq for 11 months now, rotating through a FOB, and an outpost that causes me to have to pack up my stuff and move every few days, and my Bose have survived drops, kicks, being sat on,and being tossed across the room when someone else trips over the cord. I've been caught up on the cord and not known it, and pulled the jack out of the plug, or yanked on the cord where it enters the headphones many times, and they are still as good as new.

I normally hate headphones because no mater how much padding they have, they hurt after hours of wear. I can sit down after a patrol and watch several movies in a row without even noticing they are on, and the guy in the cot next to me can't here the audio, even if its blasting.

The day these things finally stop working, I'm going to buy a new set, or possibly the next model up.

Highly recommended!

"Decent"
People like to badmouth Bose because of their rather aggressive marketing techniques. True, they charge more for their products than really necessary. Apparently, though, Bose is filling a niche since people continue to purchase their products.

I purchased a pair of Bose Tri-Ports for $160 at a local big box store several years ago. I was introduced to them by a good friend and they did sound pretty good to my ears. Up until that point the best headphones I had ever used were a pair of Koss KTX-Pro's and some other, nicer Koss model. Nothing against the KTX-Pro's; they are excellent in their own ways and my pair has lasted over 10 years of travel and punishment. Not bad for $20 'phones. The Tri-Ports lasted about a year when I suddenly started hearing a loud buzzing in the right earpiece after playing some bass heavy music. Of course, as is the case with such things, this was a month after the warranty had expired!

* Design and comfort: The Bose Tri-Ports are easily the most comfortable headphones I've ever owned. The only caveat is that the headband is rather narrow, and after about two hours of listening, the top of my head would be a bit sore. The earpieces are quite roomy. The vinyl earpads make a nice seal against the side of your head. They make such a good seal that it actually works as a weak form of passive noise reduction. Now I never had an issue with them physically snapping in half as some other reviewers have stated, but I did notice a loose plastic strip at one of the stress points. This could probably be fixed easily with a piece of black electrical tape or a dab of super glue. They are certainly not small, so traveling with them may not be as convenient as a pair of fold-up headphones.

* Sound: Ah, sound quality. They have decent sound quality. That's about all I can say. Compared to past headphone experiences they were a revelation in audio fidelity, but looking back on them after owning other headphones, they are just OK. The treble isn't as clear as some discerning listeners may like, but it's there. The midrange is OK if my memory serves me correctly. The bass is pretty wide. I'd say they had a low frequency hump that went from about 40hz all the way up to 150hz (just speculation based on memory.) It is enhanced by the multiple bass port design on the outside of the earpieces. Hence the name. I'm kind of surprised no other company came up with this porting idea before Bose. Interesting.

Overall though, I'd say give them a listen, but don't pull the trigger on them until you've really done some critical comparisons with lower-priced models. I didn't have that opportunity. I replaced them eventually with a pair of Sony MDR-V6 Studio Monitor headphones (same as the 7506's mentioned in other reviews, minus the gold-plated plugs.) They were $70 + s&h from a New York retailer, they fold up, and can be retro-fitted with nicer plush earpads. I'm very happy with the very robust and durable V6's.

In the end it's all about what the listener wants. But again, I would suggest doing some research before putting your money on these.



"Way Too Flimsy!!!"
Bought this product about 1 year ago. The head band is a very thin flimsy plastic that will break as a result of normal usage. Mine broke one day as I was taking it off. Buyer Beware!

"good sound, bad construction"
i enjoy the sound these headphones give, but they are very fragile and have broken in several places, just from general use, fortunately not around the earpiece but i would still expect better for my money.

"They were a great gift but I probably wouldn't buy them myself"
I'm going to agree with what a lot of reviewers said, in that they probably aren't worth $150.00. That being said, I got them as a gift and I love them because they are extremely comfortable, to the point where even if they are not the highest quality headphones, the sheer comfort factor makes up for it in spades. I've been using them with my desktop and laptop computer for about a year whenever I'm on late at night when my wife is asleep. I take care of them, so I haven't had an issue with them breaking in the year I've owned them. Withing a few minutes of wearing them, I forget that I have headphones on at all. They're that comfortable. They are not constructed with heavy materials, and as a result they come off as being somewhat fragile, but extremely lightweight, which is a big contributing factor to the comfort. This is the reason to buy them, not durability or sound quality, although they are passable in both of these categories. It's up to the buyer to determine whether that comfort factor is worth the price. If these broke, I'm certain I could easily get them replaced if they are still under warranty, as everybody seems to rave about Bose customer service. If I had to buy a pair to replace them, I would probably hold off until if/when the price comes down. I would definitely look forward to picking up another pair for a more reasonable price, though.