Before I get into the rather subjective game of gear comparison, I will state for the record that it is my experience that people hear pretty differently. What sounds bright and musical to one set of ears sound harsh and shrill to another…and what sounds dark and smooth to one set sounds veiled and muddy to another. Once you reach a certain level of fidelity, qualitative assessments become almost entirely subjective.
Please don’t take personal offense to the Bose bashing - it’s all in good fun. Bose are reviled by the audiophile community and are the butt of a lot of jokes, but it hasn’t seemed to hurt their balance sheets too seriously.
Now, I actually have heard my buddy’s Bose Triports with some of Twisted’s catalog (I use Ott and Shpongle to audition gear). At best, I would describe the sound as ‘mid fi.’ The highs don’t extend very far or sparkle with micro-detail and the bass does not extend very deep or have much slam. I’d certainly rank them above iBuds and about on par with most decent DJ headphones. I used headphones of this caliber for all 4 years of school and was very happy with them.
However, to think that they offer the last word in sound quality would be a depressing thought. There are dozens of headphones, which do command a correspondingly higher price tag and require more ancillary gear, which simply leave them in the dust. It’s hard to describe really high-quality sound, but once you hear it…it’s hard to settle for anything less.
That is NOT to say that music cannot be ecstatically enjoyable unless it’s played on top-tier gear. Of course it can! I am pointing out that a LOT of enjoyment can be had by upgrading the playback rig and that some music, including some Twisted releases, will seriously seriously reward these upgrades. When you perform a good upgrade, you basically get to re-discover your entire music collection.
For what it’s worth, I don’t think I’ve yet heard Ott and Shpongle to their full potential. I think that Sony MDR-R10s, Stax 007s, AKG K1000, Audio Technica L3000s or possibly the about-to-be-released Sennheiser HD-800, with a good source and amp, would be a quantum step above anything I’ve heard (albeit a small one).
