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How much would YOU pay for Bose AE's?

RamblinE

RamblinE

(╯°□°)╯彡┻━┻
Remember fellas, if you don't have anything constructive to say, keep it to yourself please :)

Last summer I bought a pair of Bose AE2's around the same time that I received my Grado SR60i's in the mail. I was so put off by the performance of the Grado's for HALF THE PRICE of the Bose phones that I returned them for a full cash refund. The Grado's were half the price and sounded just as good, well, more like, better.

Fast forward to LIVING your life with a pair of Grados. Are they built like tanks? I question that assertion honestly. I don't want to ruin them so I baby them. Their cord is also a giant pain in the ass in most mobile scenarios. Thick, hard to wrap around an itty bitty Sansa Clip. The open design is a PITA in public where it's so leaky you can hear entire conversations with a soundtrack.

The AE2 has a small, easy to wrap cord, closed design. It isolates you from surrounding noise but not too much. Light on the clamping force. Cushions are sumptuous to say the least. Around the ear and on the headband. Build quality, plastics used, fit and finish are solid.

The sound? A little rolled off on the top. Mid-centric. Bass is light until you get to the very bottom of the audible range. Then for some reason that last little bit of bass comes booming through the rest like god forsaken end of the world thunder. Weird sensation, strange sound signature. I can see why I returned these after receiving the Grados in the mail. It's not entirely bad though.

Oh yeah. I just bought a used pair of these off Craigslist. Forgot to mention that. All of the counterfeit countermeasures are in place. Serial numbers and bar codes. Markings on the detachable cable. Yadayadayada.

$50 :)

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RamblinE said:
At the same price point as a new pair of AE2's is the ATH-M50 and for $150 I'd much rather have that. But at $50? What's AT got at that range that will out perform the Bose?
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Actually a Senn PX-200ii that sells for $49 at J&R now will outperform the Bose when a simple EQ is applied. There isn't a simple EQ that will do the same for the Bose as far as I've found.
 
dalethorn said:
Actually a Senn PX-200ii that sells for $49 at J&R now will outperform the Bose when a simple EQ is applied. There isn't a simple EQ that will do the same for the Bose as far as I've found.
Click to expand...

Actually yeah I've read good stuff about the Senn portables in that price range. AND I saw your video about EQ-ing the PX-200s.
 
Still, you can't lose money on that Bose. $50 is a good deal and they make great gifts that way. In fact, it might sound silly, but if I were buying a bunch of $50 headphones for gifts, I'd get the Bose, not the Senns. I think you can figure out what I mean. The PX just isn't as nice looking and has that stupid volume control on the cord.
 
Almost forgot - an even more important reason to give the Bose as a gift. You don't wanna have to tell people to EQ their Sennheisers. The Bose will satisfy most people right off.
 
In A-B testing the other night the Bose were really not holding up to my Grado SR60s at all. :D Should have known better really. I stopped before I could garner any ill-will. There's that weird issue with the bass being boosted at the very bottom of the range and it turns out the mids are veiled a tiny bit.

On the plus side, those flaws do generate a pretty relaxing and easy going sound.

I've been using my Sansa Clip+ with a mixture of 320kbps and FLAC files and Fiio E5 with these headphones at work. They aren't as efficient as the original Triports (so I've read in several places) but the Fiio gives it enough juice. I don't like to blow my ears out anyway. I have been tinkering with the EQ settings on both of my portable units. Bass boost on the E5 mixed with a rock EQ on the Clip+ makes for an exciting and dynamic sound from the Bose. Without these settings they could almost be said to be a little boring, however when I use them with my laptop I don't set any EQ and the performance is still passable. So far, I haven't gotten tired of wearing them. Put them on your head and they really do just dissapear. It's a combination of soft cups, squishy headband, just the right amount of clamping force and low weight. The comfort is truly amazing. Just not $150 amazing if you ask me. I still don't have any qualms about returning the brand new pair I had bought for a refund. Had a good weekend in Sarasota with that money anyway :D

So I'm not a Bose convert or a Bose basher. I don't know why but I've always been interested in the Triport/AE's. I've always had this nagging "how bad can they really truly be?" thought in the back of my head.

So? At any non-sale rates they're overpriced but not horrendously. Sound signature is not accurate but not offensive, in fact it's rather laid back and relaxed. These are obscenely portable, even if they don't fold up. You can wear them for hours. Seriously, there is absolutely no flaw I can detect in how they rest on your head. 10/10 for comfort, but then again if they weren't that comfortable would they really be a Bose set? :D

I think my portable headphone hunt is over. I'm stickin' with the Bose.
 
Bose a safe bet

Makes sense. If you're stuck someplace with just one headphone, the Bose is a pretty safe bet to satisfy most requirements. I took a QC-1 out of the closet a few weeks ago - hadn't used it for years because of that extra battery box dongle - and it sounded pretty darn good - good overall balance and detail. But the earpads and headband were deteriorated and about to fall off, so I just tossed it. If that battery were internal like the QC2 I would have kept it and got new pads.
 
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