5 ms·

>It is just the audiophile hipsters who can't wait to show how much they know by bashing Bose. Are you implying that Bose headphones and speakers are a great v

by lotso 13y ago

>It is just the audiophile hipsters who can't wait to show how much they know by bashing Bose. Are you implying that Bose headphones and speakers are a great value and quality? Otherwise you are basically trying to paint a group of people as hipsters for what is seemingly an illogical reason.

product50 13y ago
Are you saying it is not?
- eikenberry 13y ago
  I would. At least not as good as their price point would indicate. In general you can get superior products for less money for most of what they sell.
  - dsrguru 13y ago
    Could you please list those better quality and less expensive alternatives for my edification? :) Especially active noise-cancelling headphones that are better quality and cheaper than QuietComfort. The Audio Technica ATH-M50s mentioned in this thread look like a pretty good less expensive alternative if you don't need low-frequency cancellation, but I'd love an affordable pair of active cancellors for flights.
    - ScottBurson 13y ago
      They're not cheaper, but I think the PSB M4U2 ($400) sounds much better than the QuietComfort 15. The noise cancellation isn't quite as good, though. The PSB is nicely designed, too -- for instance, the cord unplugs at both ends, and can be plugged into either side of the headphone.
      - dsrguru 13y ago
        Corrective upvote since you answered half the question. XD But yeah, I wonder if Bose's consumer-level reputation of having no competitors that are both better and cheaper is deserved. Hopefully Eikenberry can answer that.
        ScottBurson 13y ago
        Heheh, thanks. I've never liked the Bose sound, but I recognize that they do some things well; those just aren't the things I care about the most. I wouldn't say they're overpriced, though -- it's hard to argue that when their products sell so well. Maybe some of the others are underpriced ;-}
  - 2muchcoffeeman 13y ago
    I have a pair of on-ear Bose headphones that I bought when I didn't know any better. In hind sight they don't sound great. BUT, they are the most comfortable on-ears I have ever owned and possibly the most durable headphones I've owned. The model was recently updated, and I think the changes are improvements. In that light, if you want a really comfortable, quite durable pair of portables, They are a reasonable choice.
- jellyfish 13y ago
  Anything half the price will outperform what Bose has to offer. It’s all based on deception and marketing. For example, in store Bose displays have to be set far away from other speakers so you can’t make a fair comparison and the demos are played very loud to mask the thin sound quality. You have to stand in awe of their excellent capability to convince so many that their cheaply made 1000% markup junk is worth the money.
  - reeses 13y ago
    The over-ear Quiet Comfort 'noise canceling' headphones are one exception, and I gnaw my own liver whenever I have to replace a pair I donated as a "seat back prize" to the passenger on the next flight.
  - paradox95 13y ago
    Spoken like someone who doesn't know what they're talking about. I worked at the Stanford Bose store for a year. On many occasions we'd let customers bring in other products and put them side by side with Bose. Bose won every time. This was especially true for the Wave Radio and SoundDock. It was also an outdoor mall so if the door to the store was open, which it almost always was, there was a ton of background noise. Didn't matter. Bose always won. Bose is completely overpriced. As is Apple, Monster and a ton of other "high end" electronic brands. But there is no better audio equipment for the average person than Bose. For a home theater or headphones or bedside radio, Bose wins every time....if you're willing to pay. And like I said, I worked in the store, A LOT of people are willing to pay for that quality.
    - timc3 13y ago
      My experience, not working in retail, but about Bose speakers and SoundDocks is somewhat different, I say also check X and Y, and Bose usually is dropped. In fact I don't know anyone that has bought Bose (apart from coming in their car or for headphones in noisy environments) that has done serious listening to other systems.
    - jthol 13y ago
      Let's not get all crazy and start acting like you get anything for your money with Monster (at least the cables, I can't speak to the headphones).
dsrguru 13y ago
Their reputation in the US, as far as I've observed, is that they produce the best designed (in the UX sense) and highest quality (in terms of sound) audio equipment in the consumer price range, albeit at the high end of that price range. As others in this thread have stated, their reputation online seems to be much less positive. There seem to be two main groups of people who contribute to that less positive reputation: (1) those with expertise in audio equipment who state things like Bose doesn't have nearly as good range of sound as professional equipment and (2) those who don't provide an explanation beyond "Bose sucks" (analogous to the anti-Mac vitriol that was widely seen until the late 2000s). stonemetal presumably labeled the latter group as "audiophile hipsters" because their behavior appears to be the result of thinking it's cool to criticize products that are popular among mainstream consumers but which they believe to be deemed inferior by experts.
- tarabukka 13y ago
  > Bose doesn't have nearly as good range of sound as professional equipment It's not about "range of sound", it's about producing sound accurately. A more accurate frequency response won't sound exciting, but you'll hear slightly more of your music because nothing is hyped. It's a matter of personal taste and suitability to the task. I wouldn't mix a song on any Bose equipment, but I wouldn't be frothing at the mouth if I went to a friend's and they had a Bose system. I'd still prefer a £300 pair of studio monitors over an equivalent Bose setup, but that's my opinion.
stonemetal 13y ago
They produce decent quality gear outside of my price range. Is there better gear out there, sure. Is there gear out there that is both unequivocally better quality and better priced not to my knowledge. Bose is competitive with other high end consumer grade audio gear. When it comes to Bose I have only come across two opinions pretty good but expensive or utter crap let me tell you how my hand built tube setup is so much better.

by lotso 13y ago

product50 13y ago

Are you saying it is not?

eikenberry 13y ago
I would. At least not as good as their price point would indicate. In general you can get superior products for less money for most of what they sell.
- dsrguru 13y ago
  Could you please list those better quality and less expensive alternatives for my edification? :) Especially active noise-cancelling headphones that are better quality and cheaper than QuietComfort. The Audio Technica ATH-M50s mentioned in this thread look like a pretty good less expensive alternative if you don't need low-frequency cancellation, but I'd love an affordable pair of active cancellors for flights.
  - ScottBurson 13y ago
    They're not cheaper, but I think the PSB M4U2 ($400) sounds much better than the QuietComfort 15. The noise cancellation isn't quite as good, though. The PSB is nicely designed, too -- for instance, the cord unplugs at both ends, and can be plugged into either side of the headphone.
    - dsrguru 13y ago
      Corrective upvote since you answered half the question. XD But yeah, I wonder if Bose's consumer-level reputation of having no competitors that are both better and cheaper is deserved. Hopefully Eikenberry can answer that.
      - ScottBurson 13y ago
        Heheh, thanks. I've never liked the Bose sound, but I recognize that they do some things well; those just aren't the things I care about the most. I wouldn't say they're overpriced, though -- it's hard to argue that when their products sell so well. Maybe some of the others are underpriced ;-}
- 2muchcoffeeman 13y ago
  I have a pair of on-ear Bose headphones that I bought when I didn't know any better. In hind sight they don't sound great. BUT, they are the most comfortable on-ears I have ever owned and possibly the most durable headphones I've owned. The model was recently updated, and I think the changes are improvements. In that light, if you want a really comfortable, quite durable pair of portables, They are a reasonable choice.
jellyfish 13y ago
Anything half the price will outperform what Bose has to offer. It’s all based on deception and marketing. For example, in store Bose displays have to be set far away from other speakers so you can’t make a fair comparison and the demos are played very loud to mask the thin sound quality. You have to stand in awe of their excellent capability to convince so many that their cheaply made 1000% markup junk is worth the money.
- reeses 13y ago
  The over-ear Quiet Comfort 'noise canceling' headphones are one exception, and I gnaw my own liver whenever I have to replace a pair I donated as a "seat back prize" to the passenger on the next flight.
- paradox95 13y ago
  Spoken like someone who doesn't know what they're talking about. I worked at the Stanford Bose store for a year. On many occasions we'd let customers bring in other products and put them side by side with Bose. Bose won every time. This was especially true for the Wave Radio and SoundDock. It was also an outdoor mall so if the door to the store was open, which it almost always was, there was a ton of background noise. Didn't matter. Bose always won. Bose is completely overpriced. As is Apple, Monster and a ton of other "high end" electronic brands. But there is no better audio equipment for the average person than Bose. For a home theater or headphones or bedside radio, Bose wins every time....if you're willing to pay. And like I said, I worked in the store, A LOT of people are willing to pay for that quality.
  - timc3 13y ago
    My experience, not working in retail, but about Bose speakers and SoundDocks is somewhat different, I say also check X and Y, and Bose usually is dropped. In fact I don't know anyone that has bought Bose (apart from coming in their car or for headphones in noisy environments) that has done serious listening to other systems.
  - jthol 13y ago
    Let's not get all crazy and start acting like you get anything for your money with Monster (at least the cables, I can't speak to the headphones).

dsrguru 13y ago

Their reputation in the US, as far as I've observed, is that they produce the best designed (in the UX sense) and highest quality (in terms of sound) audio equipment in the consumer price range, albeit at the high end of that price range. As others in this thread have stated, their reputation online seems to be much less positive. There seem to be two main groups of people who contribute to that less positive reputation: (1) those with expertise in audio equipment who state things like Bose doesn't have nearly as good range of sound as professional equipment and (2) those who don't provide an explanation beyond "Bose sucks" (analogous to the anti-Mac vitriol that was widely seen until the late 2000s). stonemetal presumably labeled the latter group as "audiophile hipsters" because their behavior appears to be the result of thinking it's cool to criticize products that are popular among mainstream consumers but which they believe to be deemed inferior by experts.

tarabukka 13y ago
> Bose doesn't have nearly as good range of sound as professional equipment It's not about "range of sound", it's about producing sound accurately. A more accurate frequency response won't sound exciting, but you'll hear slightly more of your music because nothing is hyped. It's a matter of personal taste and suitability to the task. I wouldn't mix a song on any Bose equipment, but I wouldn't be frothing at the mouth if I went to a friend's and they had a Bose system. I'd still prefer a £300 pair of studio monitors over an equivalent Bose setup, but that's my opinion.

stonemetal 13y ago

They produce decent quality gear outside of my price range. Is there better gear out there, sure. Is there gear out there that is both unequivocally better quality and better priced not to my knowledge. Bose is competitive with other high end consumer grade audio gear. When it comes to Bose I have only come across two opinions pretty good but expensive or utter crap let me tell you how my hand built tube setup is so much better.