Dynamic sounding cans that make you groove. Bose? Who would have thought it possible.
I
have never been a headphone snob.
I do
not think I even realized that people spent a lot of money on headphones. That they did not steal them off airplanes or
grab whatever pair was lying around the bottom of the junk drawer as I did. So
it was with hesitation that I took on this assignment. I know a significant
amount about music, but I never stopped to contemplate the issue of sound. No more than acknowledging a murky recording
or recognizing that the song was flowing unevenly through the wires. I was
dissatisfied…just didn't do anything about it.
Then
a pair of Bose headphones landed on my desk.
I plugged them into my iPod and clicked on Delirium's
"Truly." It sounded great,
like I was dancing at Pascha while the song was in movement around me.
Switched
to the iPod headphones. Instant
disappointment.
I was
intrigued. Started listening to some of
my other favorite dance recordings with the Bose. I was hearing old songs in a
very new way. The vocals were chilling, the bass thumping. I Got up and started
dancing. Hardly heard the phone as it rang off the hook.
I
contacted a friend in the audio business. I needed some more information, a
push in the right direction as to how one writes a comprehensive review. After
speaking to him and brushing up on some of the lingo, I attacked the project
with a newfound vigor.
I put
on Garbage’s "Metal Heart" from their Bleed Like Me album with the Bose headphones. Opening cymbals were
hypnotic, but Shirley Manson's voice did not sound as ferocious as it should
have. The effect was not as impressive as I had anticipated. I switched over to the iPod headphones. Butch
Vig's guitar solo is sharper and the overall sound is not as flat. Only the
background vocals and echoing effect are supremely better on the Bose.
Akon's
"Locked Up" sounds fierce on Bose. I am surprised to discover that it
is not so different with the iPod's, except that the beats sound better with
the Bose's insulation.
The Bose’s
top end on Justin Timberlake's "My Love" is far superior. With his
high pitch, it is almost offensive on the iPod headphones. The sound is much
smoother to me the first time around.
Robyn
Thicke, has similar vocal abilities as JT, made clear on his collaboration with
Lil' Wayne on
"Shooter." With the pounding beat and switch-off between rap and
vocal verses, the overall feel is much more grooving on the Bose.
Somehow
with Akon and Garbage, this is not the case, which is a let down because those
are two of my favorite songs, which is my feeling somewhat when I switch over
to the next recording.
Lenny
Kravitz's "Minister of Rock and Roll" is a fierce sounding recording.
The
only viable difference I find between the two headphones is that at the same
volume, the Bose create a pleasant, vibrating effect, while the Apple earbuds
are far too loud. They scream at you, rather than engage you.
The Bose's superiority was the most apparent when I listened
to that first dance recording by Delirium. I am willing to venture that for
rock and pop music, the iPod headphones are more than adequate, and it is only
on more complex dance recordings where the shrill vocals tend to be something
that the Bose are better at taming. Would this be reason enough to purchase a
pair? Sure, if you are into that kind of
music exclusively. Otherwise, they might
not be worth the extra money or room they take up.
The Verdict
