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Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 234 reviews
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Product summary
The good: The Bose TriPort In-Ear headphones have strong bass and good overall detail, and they're not intrusive in your ear canal.
The bad: The Bose TriPort In-Ear headphones don't block out any noise, and the fit doesn't feel quite as secure as advertised. The silicone tips come off very easily, and pick up tons of dirt.
The bottom line: The Bose In-Ear Headphones are a hybrid set, falling right between regular earbuds and canalphones. They don't block out noise, but they do provide much more bass than stock earbuds--almost too much, in fact.
Specifications: Product type: Headphones ; Design: Ear-bud ; Color: Black ; See full specs
Price range: $99.00 - $99.99 check prices
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 02/16/2007
- Released on: 11/13/2006
The Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones have an unusual if not unique design. They resemble the earbuds that come with the Samsung Yepp YP-K5; they look like regular earbuds but with silicone tips that funnel the sound directly into your ear canals. The symmetrical cables have an antitangle slider and terminate in a 3.55mm gold-plated straight plug. The plastic plug housing is oddly bulky and rectangular--seemingly just so the company could fit its logo on it.
Bose's tips are very soft and comfortable with no rough edges. They snap onto small tubes that protrude from the earphones, but they don't stay on very tightly--you're virtually guaranteed to lose them, and you only get one set each of small, medium, and large tips. (Replacements cost around $5 per set.) Of course, as one user recommended, you can always superglue the tips to the earphones. Bose also includes a padded leather case that has an integrated cable winder and magnetic flaps. It's a must if you want to avoid having to wash the silicone tips constantly, since they pick up every last bit of lint and dirt in your pocket.
Compared with canalphones, the Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones feel very unstable--they won't fall out easily (provided you've got the correct size tips on), but they feel as if they might. On the other hand, they feel significantly more secure than most stock earbuds, such as those that come with the
In the company's ads, Bose calls the sound "lifelike," but that's a bit misleading, since it implies sonic accuracy. The headphones are very heavy on the bass--comparable to the Sennheiser CX-300--which some listeners will like. But the bass tends to overwhelm the midrange, creating a somewhat boomy overall sound on first listen. After spending some time with them, you can hear that the highs extend nicely, despite taking a backseat to the bottom end. Since there's no seal in your ear, the bass actually needs to be quite powerful, but Bose overdid it a little in that regard. You also have to turn your portable player up quite far to get decent volume, which will drain your player's battery faster than with more efficient models.
At nearly $100, the Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones cater to a very niche market. If you're a die-hard Bose fan, you've probably already bought them, but if you're looking for something in between canalphones and standard earbuds, these are a viable option. With a few design tweaks like more secure attachment for the tips and perhaps extralarge tips for listeners who actually do want to block out some noise, these could be even better. The overall sound quality is good but not as well balanced as that of similarly priced in-ear 'phones, such as the Creative Zen Aurvana.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 234 reviews
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20 out of 22 people found this review helpful
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18 out of 22 people found this review helpful
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Where to buy
Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones (black):
$99.00 - $99.99
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