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What? Bose QuietComfort 35s aren't even in the mix? Seriously?
if if you got Seinnheiser 800s, the QC 35s need to be there too.
I used them in the past and I've yet to find anything better for long term usage. If this is for wired only, I retract my suggestion.
pratyay
6
Jul 15, 2017
ImperatorMorsusIf QC35 gets in the list, VE Monk+, a $5 earbud with better sound quality, deserves to be included ;)
ImperatorMorsus
13
Jul 15, 2017
pratyayWe are talking flagship headphones. qC35 is Bose's.
pratyay
6
Jul 15, 2017
ImperatorMorsusI thought we were talking comfy noise cancelling earmuffs that have a throw away feature of (highly distorted and colored) sound playback capability. I prefer the memory foam shape adjusting pilliows with built in speakers/ear buds.
ImperatorMorsus
13
Jul 15, 2017
pratyayI have the Bose Soundlink 2 headsets. I have no issues with them. I've used the QC35s, and I've never had distortion unless you are blasting them full tilt, and even so very little.
No headset I know of, even $1500 headsets work without distortion at its loudest. (and I've used the Avaitor and the NFL headsets too)
Which either way should not be played, since too loud causes hearing damage anyway.
pratyay
6
Jul 15, 2017
ImperatorMorsusI'm not talking 'at its loudest', rather an above average playing volume with fast drum transients... Lack of bass or treble, changing the audio spectrum from what the sound engineer intended to fit the 'bose' sound is one thing and I'm sure, just like beats, it appeals to the masses who doesn't care about music and values added clarity in the newscaster's vocal frequencies more, but not being able to handle fast paced bass rich music without audible distortion at moderately high (90 dB or so) in a 'flagship' is not acceptable.
On that note, Bose doesn't need/care about Massdrops as they sell their products by the bucket loads to the masses looking to get 'high end (read: Bose)' sound.
I am yet to meet a single person who knows anything about sound quality and cares about it liking a single Bose product for the premium price they sell for.
Bose is like 'butter chicken' - those who doesn't know Indian food will rave about how good it tastes and how authentic the experience is.
prestidigitator
77
Jul 16, 2017
ImperatorMorsusI don't consider Bose a serious audiophile brand. Saying their top of the line is a flagship is like saying the nicest KIA should stand shoulder to shoulder with Ferrari's top car. Philosophers call that a category error.
ImperatorMorsus
13
Jul 16, 2017
prestidigitatorAhh, but are we talking flagship of a company or flagship of a type? For either way this list of headsets fail that requirement.
One headset per brand, you can't have multiple headsets from the same company be on a flagship list, only one of them can be a flagship.
prestidigitator
77
Jul 17, 2017
ImperatorMorsusOne flagship headphone per company would seem to be a tautology not worth mentioning, and yet here we are! By definition, there can only ever be one flagship from any company at any given time.
Since the community is audiophile, a flagship poll should stick to audiophile brands. Bose is strictly consumer these days, hasn't been an audiophile brand since the days of the 901 speakers and their wierd room correction box. No one's saying you can't have a poll about noise cancelling salaryman cans, but that's a different poll altogether.
ImperatorMorsus
13
Jul 17, 2017
prestidigitatorThen the definition of flagship headphones needs to be defined better, Sony, Bose, Harman Kardon, Sonos, Audiotechnica, Sennheiser and others are all concidered "audiophile headsets" to the majority of people out there.
Look at Amazon's top 10 list... none are on that list.
Audiophiles go for quality over price 9 times out of 10, but the fact is the human ear can only diffirentiate a level of Mhz for sound to begin with, going all high and mighty on "Bose isn't top of the line" means squat. Now if you have an issue with base quality, or treble, that's fine... but don't complain about a level of sound no human can hear.
Also, it's not your place to say that Bose QC35 headsets aren't Bose's flagship headset, because they are. So we either are talking about flagship headsets that are beyond the price range of the average person, or flagship overall. Because I can spend $300 on a good pair of headsets and get the same quality over a $1500 pair. In a lot of cases you are only paying for the name. The sooner you realize that the better... for marketing, and bias makes the headset sound better... when in reality there is no difference.
VinceP
13
Jul 17, 2017
ImperatorMorsusThe Bose is not included because most of the items in these Massdtop deals are considered "audiophile" grade equipment. I've never met an audiophile (one who considers bonafide fidelity the primary qualifier) who considers Bose an audiophile level brand.
ImperatorMorsus
13
Jul 17, 2017
VincePIf Sony MDR-Z1R are in that mix, Bose QC35s are qualified Examples of "Flagship Headsets".
ImperatorMorsus
13
Jul 17, 2017
VincePAlso, people are voting for the Bose headset on another poll. So I'd say you are wrong there.
prestidigitator
77
Jul 17, 2017
ImperatorMorsusYou have appealed to populism twice now to establish what you say qualifies as an audiophile headphone. Amazon Top 10 lists and Massdrop polls inform us what is popular, not what is good. All of the brands that you mention have both consumer and audiophile grade headsets except for Harmon Kardon and Bose. Does Sonos even make a headphone?
I have never run across a Bose headphone that attempted to recreate a realistic soundstage with any sort of transparency. Audiophiles are concerned with realistic sound reproduction; nothing more, nothing less.
ImperatorMorsus
13
Jul 17, 2017
prestidigitatorIf you are so concerned, then you wouldn't be overpaying for overpriced fluff. The human ear can hear from 20Hz to 20kHz on average.
Anything under and over is added features no one requires.
the other features such as sound stabilization, equalization, etc. all things software is designed to do, we should not pay extra for "ultra special" rare earth magnets.
How what, those in themselves are a scam. The ones they put in headsets aren't high quality.
So please, don't call yourself an audiophile when you are defending overpriced garbage.
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