I just got myself a new toy; a first generation Bose Triport In-ear headphone. I traded in my old Shure e2c’s to someone for this set. All I can say is, I made a great trade.
There are many people suckered into joining the sheep who have been brainwashed to hate a particular brand. Bose in particular gets a lot of flak, and for no real good reason frankly. People are quick to call any Bose product crap, nevermind that they probably never even heard the product. On the other hand people are quick to praise, say, a company like Shure. But, now, if there was ever an overrated pile of turd of a company it was Shure.
Let’s compare the two headsets from the two companies, shall we, Bose’s TriPort in-ears which retail for around $100US and Shure’s e2c’s which also retail for around that price (though I understand you can get them cheaper nowadays). The Bose has low-volume earphones (which may be a plus or minus depending on the person; some people like it loud and destroy their hearing, some peopel like it soft and subtle) which have a pretty good range, however the most evident thing you can say about them is that they have a powerful low bass range. Even with volume set low the bass will float up and you can make out the low notes very well. I personally like this because I am bassist and I like hearing the low end. The highs are still there but they are overshadowed by the bass, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s to your taste. The sound is very warm and it is excellent for smooth low music like certain kinds of jazz, house, Brazilian music, etc. In terms of comfort the earphones feel like they are never there; you can wear them for hours on end and still feel great. Oh and the case is very nice and snazzy.
On the other hand Shure’s e2c — is an earphone with almost no bass. The midrange is its strongest suite but the bass is pathetic and the highend is so-so. The best part is that, using the right eartip, you can get a perfect seal and this will block out most outside noise, and this is the proper way to listen to them (otherwise they sound horrid). That said the sound is a bit muddy, muddier than even the Bose’s (which isn’t all that clear either). Worse, the ear plugs all hurt your ear after a while, they are not comfortable at all after a half an hour or so — and this goes for all 9 earplugs that came with the set, even the smallest ones (in order to get a good seal they need to be big enough, but they will hurt your ears eventually because of said seal). Also, the really fat carry-case sticks out in your pocket like a speed bump, and the earphones are not easy to just “put on and play.” It takes effort to actually wear them, unlike most other earphones (like the Boss TriPorts) that you can just put on and take off on a whim. The fat cables, which are so durable they seem could live through a tug of war, also add to this bulky, hard-to-carry experience.
People are quick to praise this, and give Bose crap. But I say that’s crap, the Bose are a better value overall, neither are the best earphones ever and I find both a bit overpriced actually for what they are, but the Bose ones are still the better buy without a doubt.
The guy I traded the Shures to said he didn’t like the Bose because it was too bassy, but for me it fit just right. I guess he will enjoy the Shures more than I did, I certainly hated them. This Bose though will always be in my gadget bag as my standard ear-phones until I lose them or they wear out.
