Bose TriPort Headphones

I listened to these at the Bose store and was impressed with the way they sounded. A very open soundfield, I guess, is what grabbed me. I bought them the next day at Best Buy and headed home to side-by-side them with my reference Sony 700's. While the Bose phones did an excellent job with some material, they fell flat on sources that featured extensive work in the low-mid to low range of the spectrum. Case in point: Diana Krall's delicious Live in Paris showcases her saturated baritone very nicely, but the Triport lends an almost screechy tone to her voice. Over the Bose phones, her voice sounded half an octave higher than it should have, and it also seemed like she was far too distant in the recording. Reverting back to my big, manly Sony's (which, to knock the Sony, does get a little tiring after two or more hours) there was a definite jump in the quality of the middle range. And let's face it, 80% of everything is in the midrange; that's why it's called the middle. While they still had that open quality I initially liked, they lost so much in the visceral presence that it wasn't worth it. Dave Matthews is another good example; anyone who's a fan knows Matthews has that signature gravel-paved voiced. The Bose phones just couldn't make me believe I was sitting in front of him at Folsom Stadium or in Central park. If the majority of listening is lighter fare (maybe light jazz, not smoky jazz with heavy bass lines, though) or you just need a very light and comfortable pair of headphones, the Triports might fit the bill. But if you spend as much time with speakers strapped to your head as I do, take your $150 elsewhere if you value a deep, enthralling performance from your material. (To be fair, I work at an electronics store, so I used my employee discount and picked these up for under $75)