I would like to start off by saying that I am no audiophile. I am an unapologetic bass head and I don’t give a rat’s ass about frequency curves, headphone specs or “natural, balanced sound.” In other words, I’m ignorant, but I know what sound I like.
I think this is an important thing to note, as your mileage with the Bose On-Ear TriPort will likely vary depending on your position on the audiophile ladder (I have found that audiophiles almost unanimously hate Bose). I will say, however, that my personal taste probably pre-qualifies me to become a Bose OE lover.
I managed to grab my pair of OE TriPorts for roughly $160 USD and today I’m going to a review them in a way that avoids jargon and numbers as much as possible. If you’ve been looking for a “plain English” review for these headphones, you’ve come to the right place.
Sound quality
These headphones have a very warm, full-bodied sound. To explain better what I mean by that, imagine that you’re holding a metal can to your ear: Any sound heard through this ear would come with a sharp, metallic tone. Now imagine instead that you have a wooden cup to your ear: The sound will now be softer and smoother around the edges. That is the kind of sound you can expect from these phones. The Bose On-Ear TriPorts seem to embrace you in an earthy feeling and leave a nice thump in your chest.
I will also say that I greatly enjoyed the TriPort’s bass reproduction. Some people complain that it’s overwhelming, but I don’t feel that way. Again, recall that your tastes may differ from mine as a bass-head. Even so, I always felt that the rest of the sounds (vocals, high hats, steel strings, etc.) were clearly presented. The bass felt like a separate layer on a fringe beneath the other sounds, as though all tones were give equal presence. If the bass really is too much for you, however, most devices have an equalizer that can do quite a bit to mellow any given tonality.
During my testing, I also found that changing the position of the OEs on your head can dramatically alter the sound signature. Moving the headphones towards the back of my ears empowered the bass, while moving forward them weakened the bass, though the crispness of the sound also suffered. Different heads will yield different results, so be sure to experiment with the position of these cans to achieve the best sound.
Each earpiece is configured with a port designed to forcefully move air, and we can presume that this mechanism inspired the name for these headphones. Covering one these holes with your finger immediately muted the bass response of the OEs. Whatever it is that Bose is doing with their TriPort technology, it is clearly working. The effect was more pronounced than on its sister product—the In-Ear TriPort—where covering the sound holes did not significantly reduce the bass response.
Physical qualities
Aside from the sound, the OEs look very tasteful and classy. The pseudo-retro Skullcandy aesthetics have taken the market by storm, but I prefer the minimalist appearance of the TriPorts. I think they look classy, and I don’t think many people would mind being seen with them in public.
The design lets the earphones rest on your ears (what is known as supraaural) rather than cupping them (circumaural), hence the name On Ears. They are an open set, meaning they are not meant to isolate your ears from outside noise. If this is what you’re looking for, Bose has some rather expensive headphones under the Quiet Comfort moniker for that purpose.
In terms of comfort, the OEs are perhaps the most comfortable supraaural headphones I have ever tried. The set I bought seems to clamp a little tighter on my ears than the pairs I tried at various retailers, but that’s quibbling with a design that is otherwise very light on the ears and head. I’m sure I can loosen the clamp by placing them on a soccer ball for a while or something.
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