Not bad for the daily commute, but why not spring for the real thing?
Bose has long been the purveyor of good headphones that can
that sit on your noggin and give great sound. However, when the company
announced that it was launching a new in-ear model, I was skeptical. Could Bose
create a decent, affordable, musical sounding in-ear monitor that could compete
with some of the offerings from Etymotic, Ultimate Ears, and Shure?
I took a closer listen.
Small and compact, the Bose Report IE’s are very comfortable
to wear. Fitting in the well of your ear rather than having to ram the thing
down your ear canal, the headphones feature soft silicone tips shaped to rest
gently and securely in the outer bowl of your ear.
Bose has also included two further removable tips bringing the total you
receive in the box to three; small, medium and large, meaning you can adjust
the size for a more accurate fit.
It might sound strange but at times, I almost forgot I was wearing them.
However, comfort is only one part of the equation. How did they sound?
For ninety-nine dollars, the TriPort are crisp sounding,
although I did find them to be somewhat bloated in the bass. There was an
imbalance between the midrange and the upper bass.
I tested the TriPort IEs with a number of tracks from Lauryn Hill, Akon, Jill Scott, Portishead and some alternative music. I was generally impressed, but it certainly was not as
musically pleasing as the TriPort Around-Ear models that I had listened to
before. It did not have the same degree of control in the bass that made the
larger headphones great for dance and hip-hop.
"Glory Box" by Portishead, sounded quite flat via my Nano.
The IE’s were clearly designed to be used with portable media
players, but after two weeks with them connected to my iPod, I was ready to go back
to the larger Around-Ear models which I just find to be far less fatiguing over
the long haul, and better balanced.
I will be utilizing the 30-day money back guarantee on
these.
