Review: Bose TriPort IE inner-ear headphones

by Bob Crabtree on 13 April 2007, 09:06

Tags: Bose

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qaifg

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Final thoughts, where2buy, right2reply


Pros


* Sound great
* Look cool (and they're not mugger-attracting white)
* Three sizes of interchangeable earpieces provided
* More comfortable than other earphones I've tried
* Carry case also supplied
* Money-back, no-quibble 30-day guarantee if buying direct from Bose (but delivery adds £7.50 to the cost!)

Cons

* Kept slipping out even while doing nothing more vigorous than walking around
* Not as comfortable as I wanted and hoped they would be
* Not white - so people won't know if you're a cool, iPod-listening dude
* That price tag! £65 is a lot to pay for earphones

To my ears, the Bose TriPort IEs sound great. They're also stylish and well made. Heck, they even come with a natty little black carry case. But, sadly, my search for a comfortable pair of earphones goes on.

TriPort IE and case (Bose PR shot)


It might seem strange for a reviewer to say this but, ultimately, it doesn't matter what I think.

That's because, if you buy direct from Bose, all products come with a no-quibble, 30-day money-back guarantee - so you can find out for yourself if the sound quality is good enough and whether, unlike for me, the earphones are sufficiently comfortable for long listening sessions and will stay in place.

A trial will also help you decide whether the TriPort IEs deserve their £69 price tag. But - even putting aside comfort and rejection issues - I don't think they're that good.

HEXUS.certification

The Bose TriPort IEs sounded great. Although we have concerns about them slipping out even while doing nothing more vigorous than walking, we do know people who use them without this problem so, given the money-back guarantee if you buy direct from Bose, we think that they do merit HEXUS.certification.



Bose TriPort IE

HEXUS Awards

This is the first set of earphones we've tested for review and, consequently, don't feel it appropriate to give the Bose TriPort IE an award - but we may revisit that decision after we've tested further products.

Still at a loss as to what earphones to buy? So are we. But keep an eye on the HEXUS.lifestyle front page for up-coming reviews of other earphones and headphones - as well as a bunch of iPod accessories.

And don't forget to share your thoughts, questions and comments about the Bose TriPort IE and other headsets in this thread in the HEXUS.lifestyle.community.

HEXUS.links

HEXUS.community :: discussion thread about this article

External.links

Bose UK - TriPort IE buying page
Bose UK - home page
HiFix - TriPort IE buying page

Bose USA - TriPort IE buying page
Bose USA - home page

Day Trips to Europe - home page

HEXUS Where2Buy

Bose UK's own online store sells the TriPort IE for £69 inc VAT but adds a whopping £7.50 for delivery to bring the total to £76.50.

HiFix, though, sells for the same price but delivers for free, so is a money-saving bet if you know for sure that you don't need to take Bose up on its no-quibble, 30-day try out.

Bose in the USA charges $100 and adds just $5 added for delivery - and most US dealers appear to stick to the same price.

HEXUS Right2Reply

At HEXUS.net, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If Bose's representatives choose to do so, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.

About John Hill

John Hill created the UK’s first web site dedicated to day trips to Europe, perversely-named DayTripsToEurope.co.uk.

This, in one of his more modest moods, he described as "Utterly brilliant and completely without equal".

John is also a technology journalist and comedy writer and has been for over 20 years. He's earned a decent living as a journo but sadly hasn't yet made it big on the comedy scene (nor, in some people's opinions, is he ever likely to!).


HEXUS Forums :: 22 Comments

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I've found that looping the cable up and behind my ear helps to hold in slippery earphones, as then it isn't trying to support the weight of the cable in you ear. Only really works if the cable is long enough to do it though, so only useful on Y-split earphones.

Granted, it does look a little unconventional…
I thought High independance in headphones = lower current draw and thus less power consumption.

Volume being a direct relation to voltage rather than current.

Therefore Being of higher resistance = less current draw and thus less current drain on batt's.

I could be wrong but feel the article is incorrect in that respect.
Wait a minute… £65 is a lot to spend on headphones?

*looks at his Bose QuietComfort 3s (this is quite a feat, as they're currently on my head and I don't have a mirror handy)*

*looks at his wallet, bereft of £275*

I do admittedly listen to headphones for between 4 and 12 hours a day at work, but I wouldn't say £65 is a lot of money for a decent pair of headphones.

Nor would I say my QC3s are necessarily good value. I like ‘em though ;)

Another point, slightly more serious - if you don’t like/don't get on well with earphones, why not look at getting something else? Sennheiser do some nice noise-reducing, lightweight, over-the-ear headphones that work pretty well, for example.
I love my Shure E2c pair. I run them at lower volume than my old Sennheiser MX500s, but the sound (especially bass compared to ordinary 'phones) is awesome. Cost me about £60 though :(
i have similar issues with comfort and keeping the damn things in my ears but i went a brought some sennheiser cx300's for just under £30 pound and there great! very comfortable over long periods and have tried them while running and they didnt even think about falling out.

sounds really good too although the bass is a little weaker then i was expecting but now im used to it i dont even notice anymore