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Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones (black)

Manufacturer: Bose Corp. Part number: 40226

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$89.00 - $99.99 at 12 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
2.5 stars Average
Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 196 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The Bose In-Ear Headphones are a hybrid set, falling right between regular earbuds and canalphones. They don't block out noise, but they do provide much more bass than stock earbuds--almost too much, in fact.
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CNET editors' review

Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones (black)

price range: $89.00 - $99.99

Reviewed by: Mike Kobrin
Edited by: Jasmine France
Reviewed on: 02/16/2007
Released on: 11/13/2006

The good: The Bose TriPort In-Ear headphones have strong bass and good overall detail, and they're not intrusive in your ear canal.

The bad: The Bose TriPort In-Ear headphones don't block out any noise, and the fit doesn't feel quite as secure as advertised. The silicone tips come off very easily, and pick up tons of dirt.

The bottom line: The Bose In-Ear Headphones are a hybrid set, falling right between regular earbuds and canalphones. They don't block out noise, but they do provide much more bass than stock earbuds--almost too much, in fact.

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If you're looking for noise-isolating earbuds, the Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones ($99) are not for you. Although they have silicone tips that protrude slightly into your ear canal, they are not meant to protect your ears from screaming children on airplanes--nor from the drone of the engine. They provide far better bass than your MP3 player's stock headphones, but the overall sound isn't a match for similarly priced in-ear 'phones. If you have a tough time sticking things deep into your ear canal or are paranoid about walking around without hearing much of what's going on around you, these are worth a listen, despite some physical design flaws.

The Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones have an unusual if not unique design. They resemble the earbuds that come with the Samsung Yepp YP-K5; they look like regular earbuds but with silicone tips that funnel the sound directly into your ear canals. The symmetrical cables have an antitangle slider and terminate in a 3.55mm gold-plated straight plug. The plastic plug housing is oddly bulky and rectangular--seemingly just so the company could fit its logo on it.

You'll want to keep the Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones' included case on hand to avoid cable tangles and keep the eartips clean.

Bose's tips are very soft and comfortable with no rough edges. They snap onto small tubes that protrude from the earphones, but they don't stay on very tightly--you're virtually guaranteed to lose them, and you only get one set each of small, medium, and large tips. (Replacements cost around $5 per set.) Of course, as one user recommended, you can always superglue the tips to the earphones. Bose also includes a padded leather case that has an integrated cable winder and magnetic flaps. It's a must if you want to avoid having to wash the silicone tips constantly, since they pick up every last bit of lint and dirt in your pocket.

Compared with canalphones, the Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones feel very unstable--they won't fall out easily (provided you've got the correct size tips on), but they feel as if they might. On the other hand, they feel significantly more secure than most stock earbuds, such as those that come with the iPod. Since they don't form a true seal with your ear, they don't block out enough noise to make a noticeable difference. And although they're better for running than stock 'buds, they tend to slip part-way out, reducing sound quality.

In the company's ads, Bose calls the sound "lifelike," but that's a bit misleading, since it implies sonic accuracy. The headphones are very heavy on the bass--comparable to the Sennheiser CX-300--which some listeners will like. But the bass tends to overwhelm the midrange, creating a somewhat boomy overall sound on first listen. After spending some time with them, you can hear that the highs extend nicely, despite taking a backseat to the bottom end. Since there's no seal in your ear, the bass actually needs to be quite powerful, but Bose overdid it a little in that regard. You also have to turn your portable player up quite far to get decent volume, which will drain your player's battery faster than with more efficient models.

At nearly $100, the Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones cater to a very niche market. If you're a die-hard Bose fan, you've probably already bought them, but if you're looking for something in between canalphones and standard earbuds, these are a viable option. With a few design tweaks like more secure attachment for the tips and perhaps extralarge tips for listeners who actually do want to block out some noise, these could be even better. The overall sound quality is good but not as well balanced as that of similarly priced in-ear 'phones, such as the Creative Zen Aurvana.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 196 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 196

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3 stars

Great Concept, Poor Execution

by wilmi10 on December 28, 2006

Pros: Great Return Policy

Cons: Sound Quality, fit/comfort, Ruggedness

Summary: I spend a lot of time on the Railroad and subway in and out of NYC. Since the original IPOD headphones have poor sound quality, no noise reduction to the ...

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Summary: I spend a lot of time on the Railroad and subway in and out of NYC. Since the original IPOD headphones have poor sound quality, no noise reduction to the outside world, and have a hard time staying in my ears, I decided it was time for an after-market ear-bud headset.

My first attempt was a Christmas gift from my wife of the NEW Bose in-ear headphones. I have used Bose technology in the past and have typically never been disappointed with the sound quality. Suffice to say, these things didn't cut the mustard on fit, comfort, quality and most-importantly sound. They provide 3 different size earbuds (Small, Medium & Large) of which none of them felt comfortable or fit properly. The wire on the headset is extremely thin and frail in comparison to other manufacturers, and definitely has the potential to wear with frequent use. I was impressed with the amount of bass these little guys kick off, but the acoustics didn't live up to the standards of what I would expect from a $99 Bose Headset. (I must admit they did put a ton of money into marketing these earphones, which would have probably been better spent on engineering a better product)One of my colleagues received the same gift from his wife and had all the same complaints that I had.

While discussing my dilemma with a co-worker (Not much to do at work Christmas week, so headphones seemed like a logical topic of discussion), he broke out his Shure e2c earphones. After disinfecting the silicone eargels, I placed them in my ear and plugged them into the IPOD. I was extremely impressed with the comfort, design and durability. When it comes to sound-quality, the acoustics were awesome, but the bass was near non-existent. Shure¡¦s website claims the e4c has much improved bass, however street price is $260 bucks. My co-worker agreed that the e2c¡¦s were a bit week on bass, but a cheaper alternative to his original headphones which were stolen, the Super.fi 5 Pro. He mentioned how much he loved his Super.fi¡¦s and should have purchased another pair.

After reading a ton of reviews on the Super.fi 5 Pro by Ultimate Ears, It was a toss-up between the 5pro and 5EB (Extended Bass) version for improved bass response. The true test came when I visited the local electronics store. They had both headphones on display, and made the disposable foam ear-tips available to try them out. The minute I plugged the 5pro into my ipod and powered it up, I was immediately sold. These were comfortable, durable, and sound quality was amazing for low¡¦s and hi¡¦s. Found the bass to be more than sufficient on several different music types. I tried the 5EB and felt the bass was even more powerful, but acoustics/sound quality seemed to suffer minimally. I enjoy clean sounding music with a comfortable amount of bass to complement the entire listening experience (I should get a job with CNET with my descriptions ?º ) The fit was amazing, and these truly blocked out almost all outside noise. This made it much easier to listen to music at a volume that won¡¦t kill my hearing as quickly. Several options of ear-tip included. At a cost of $189 plus tax, they dropped them in the bag and I went on my merry way. The only reason I didn¡¦t rate them a 10 was because of cost, but hey, you get what you pay for..

The Bose headphones are now in a UPS box awaiting delivery back to South Carolina.

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18 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

One Word "BOSE"

by kermichael on November 27, 2006

Pros: Excellent sound, rich deep base, light, comfortable, and nice case

Cons: lacks the noise isolation features.

Summary:
Updated
I was going to buy the E2C Shure headphones, then I saw the bose. I don't regret it! I'm a sound freak, I had many other name
...

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Summary:
Updated
I was going to buy the E2C Shure headphones, then I saw the bose. I don't regret it! I'm a sound freak, I had many other name brand headphones but these are by far the best I ever heard!! I'm a runner and these bose are so good. It's actually good that it doesn't isolate noise, because it allowes me to hear cars and other background noise during night running without decreasing sound quality.

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17 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Woth Every Penny

by JMS502 on November 25, 2006

Pros: Excellent all round sound

Cons: Not sure there are any cons

Summary: I have had these ear buds for a couple of days now, about 10 hours listening so far. Have to say they are comfortable in the ear, while just sitting ...

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Summary: I have had these ear buds for a couple of days now, about 10 hours listening so far. Have to say they are comfortable in the ear, while just sitting or working out, along with excellent sound. My ipod, palm lifedrive and desktop stereo powers these just fine.

I am constantly looking for headphones/ear buds that provide excellent all round quality sound. I have a pair of sony ear buds, grado headphones, sennhieser, koss headphones. Returned the eshures and sony noise cancelling headphones.

I did read a reveiw on the Bose in ears of having too much bass and no much on low end. I disagree with that, the music I listen to ranges from Gladiator soundtrack, Eric Clapton, country and alot in between, and found them to be well balanced.

Highly recommend these to anyone looking for an excellent set of ear buds, will be the best $99 spent.

Hope this helps to make a decision.

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12 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 stars

Why you should disregard everything we say about this product

by mcdevin on April 11, 2007

Pros: you MIGHT like these

Cons: you MIGHT hate these

Summary: This is my first post on CNET. I usually don't post my opinions on websites but the nature of this debate begged my participation.

I want to start off

...

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Summary: This is my first post on CNET. I usually don't post my opinions on websites but the nature of this debate begged my participation.

I want to start off by saying that you as the reader should be very suspicious of a group of reviews which for all purposes is sharply split between those who rate this product between 8 and 10, and those who rate it at 1 and 2. Now at this point I want to be clear that I believe everybody here wrote valid reviews with regard to their personal impressions. I don't think anyone here, the CNET editor included, is "crazy" or "doesn't have discerning ears" as some the posters seem to believe.

Now moving on to the product, I am here to tell you that you MIGHT like these and you MIGHT hate these. I personally LIKE them and my ears do not have problems discerning anything. I am a musician. I have my degree in music with an emphasis in performance. I have a degree that corroborates my capability of aural discernment and take offense to any accusations to the contrary. So I hardly believe that I was somehow "tricked into thinking the sound was good." I appreciate Bose products for their type of type of audio reproduction just as much as I appreciate the Shures for their type of sound reproduction.

In fact, prior to owning these, I owned a pair of Shure e3c's which I loved for the most part because of their clarity. What I didn't like was the complete lack of fullness to the overall sound which was due in part to that particular model's lack of good bass response (though I understand that the new models have remedied this somewhat). I also didn't like the that fact that I could only wear them for 20 minutes at a time before my ears started throbbing. I personally feel that no set of headphones should be painful.

Motivated by these concerns, I set out for a new pair of buds which had a fuller sound and more comfort. I think these headphones do a good job on both fronts. I concede that Bose doesn't reproduce sound "accurately" as that term seems to be understood by self proclaimed audiophiles--but that's not what Bose is trying to. I believe Bose's goal is "lifelike sound reproduction" which is a wholly different concept. I personally prefer "lifelike" over "accurate" in this case. I will not say that these phones sound BETTER than my shures in a technical sense with reference to accuracy, but I enjoy the sound from the Bose and the heightened sense of comfort more than I ever did the e3cs.

This brings me to the whole point of this review. Don't trust me and don't trust anyone else here. Go out and buy a pair. Try them out yourself with YOUR music and with YOUR likes and dislikes. If you don't like them, take them back--understanding that you negative reaction by no means speaks to the quality of this product, but instead speaks to the compatibility of this product to your personal tastes and needs. And if you like them, does anything else really matter? Enjoy them. Know that you bought a quality product with good customer support and a great warranty. And finally, don't let anyone tell you your headphones are "crap" or that if you like them, there must be something wrong with you.

(NOTE: the only reason I gave these a numerical rating was because I had to)

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9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Finally, a good ear-bud style phone!

by BetterthanurX on November 28, 2006

Pros: Sleek case, Hugely comfortable, Great sound

Cons: No noise cancellation, wish it had an L shaped connector

Summary: Just got these today and was a bit skeptical as no one seems to be able to get a good ear-bud style headphone into the market. Bose seem to have ...

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Summary: Just got these today and was a bit skeptical as no one seems to be able to get a good ear-bud style headphone into the market. Bose seem to have set the bar.

These things sound great and are soooooo comfortable once you get them in your ears. Case is really cool looking and functional as well and the buds are sleek looking.

That said i found it a little *different* when putting these on but got used to it. Also i wish its connecting jack was L shaped, bass could have been toned down just a little but its not bad at all. These are minor niggles however.

Overall, very pleased and happy i finally found a great replacement to Apple's ear-buds.

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8 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Mixed bag, overall very nice.

by SMConnekt on February 27, 2007

Pros: Secure, Nice range in sound, Comfortable for hours

Cons: Requires burn-in as well as some play with positioning.

Summary: Despite what others have said about these headphones I decided to give them a chance. I was very weary of shures due to the fact that they don't have ...

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Summary: Despite what others have said about these headphones I decided to give them a chance. I was very weary of shures due to the fact that they don't have much bass. I also was afraid that they would sound like my Medusa 5.1's, which are very bright. I knew about the burn-in time, so I gave them about 3 full days to do so (so far). I realized the other day that if you have the ear piece too far into your canal the bass can be very overwhelming, but noticed (by trying the large set) that the slight adjustment evens out the range a LOT. No more over powering bass, but enough for the music to feel rich. I rather enjoy the quality of sound that comes from these headphones.

Now heres the part that really deviates from cnet's review. The tips are really stable. It might seem like they have a loose fit due to the soft silicone, but they have to be pulled from the base to take them off. The only time i ever had a problem with that is when i tried straight up yanking them out of my ears (which is a stupid idea in the first place).

The headphones do NOT come out easily. the base of the tip should be cradled by the back of your inner ear, and fits rather nicely.

All in all this is a great buy, I still have yet to get "dust and debris" stuck by the tips, so I feel that Cnet's review is rather biased.

This might just be one of those products you have to try for yourself to see if you like.

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6 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

Really Comfortable, Great Sound.. Much Better Then Shure E2C's

by odonovan2k5 on December 24, 2006

Pros: Comfy Fit. Good Sound, Very nice Travel Case

Cons: Lack of L shaped headphone jack, Awkward for Some MP3 Player Cases

Summary: This has been the third pair of headphones that I have purchased since getting my 80 gig Ipod and I have to say that I think I finnaly found the ...

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Summary: This has been the third pair of headphones that I have purchased since getting my 80 gig Ipod and I have to say that I think I finnaly found the best deal.. I started off wanting to spend less then $50 and got some Sony premium IE phones that after 5 minutes of listening to I realized that the quality was nowhere near what I wanted. The second pair was the Shure E2C's for $100. I had read so many great reviews about them and was REALLY shocked at how muffled the bass was, and how uncomfortable and painful the removable ear pieces were. SO I returned those and purchased the Bose IE Headphones for the same price of $100. Everything that the previous headphones were lacking in has been renewed and redeemed in these pieces.. You definitly arent just paying for the brand name in these phones but for real quality. I'd also reccomend not using the Equalizer on your ipod and just leaving it how it is.. That leads to better overall sound for every type of music.

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5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great Ear buds, but dont be misinformed

by killfox on December 4, 2006

Pros: Sound quality, comfortable, range, sleek design

Cons: no noise cancelling but who cares

Summary: I pretty much wanted to just inform a lot if people about buying headphones. Dont worry I do have these headphones I just feel that people need to know this. ...

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Summary: I pretty much wanted to just inform a lot if people about buying headphones. Dont worry I do have these headphones I just feel that people need to know this. This is to the people that didnt give the headphones a chance. For you to actually experience the full potential of headphones you need to do one thing. Connect them to an ipod or stereo or whatever and thet it play for about atleast 100 hours. That way the head phones are already broken in before you use them. This is the same deal with my sennheiser 550HD. I listened to them in the beginning and I was like yeah there ok. Then I read somewhere that to get the full experience you need to do what I just told you. After I did this my sennheisers sounded so much better. Just thought I would put that out there.

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5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Worth the Cash

by nmathe1 on November 22, 2006

Pros: Deep Bass (maybe too deep), Very Comfortable, Clean Sound, Stylish Case

Cons: No Low Profile Jack, Silicone Buds Come off too easy

Summary: Ive used these IE buds for a couple of days now and have to say that they were worth the cash. I have never been one to spend that much ...

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Summary: Ive used these IE buds for a couple of days now and have to say that they were worth the cash. I have never been one to spend that much money on headphones because I seem to break and or lose them fairly often. That being said I went out and took the plunge on these. I listen to music ~4-5 hours a day and so I am happy for the comfort factor. The sound is amazing, though the bass may need to be tweaked with an EQ, but otherwise these are by far the best IE buds I have used. It was a toss up betwen a pair of Shures and these, but Im not returning the Bose. Absolutely no complaints.

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3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Sickest pair of buds on the planet right now...

by ajf1582 on December 11, 2006

Pros: Comfortable, clear highs, deep lows

Cons: none found yet

Summary: I just got these today, and I'm not one dissapointed. I am astounded at the level of bass that these guys put out. Everything is so tight, with an ...

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Bose TriPort In-Ear Headphones (black)

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