Hacker News Reader

Comment by eikenberry | Hacker News Reader

I would. At least not as good as their price point would indicate. In general you can get superior products for less money for most of what they sell.

View on HN

Could you please list those better quality and less expensive alternatives for my edification? :) Especially active noise-cancelling headphones that are better quality and cheaper than QuietComfort. The Audio Technica ATH-M50s mentioned in this thread look like a pretty good less expensive alternative if you don't need low-frequency cancellation, but I'd love an affordable pair of active cancellors for flights.

They're not cheaper, but I think the PSB M4U2 ($400) sounds much better than the QuietComfort 15. The noise cancellation isn't quite as good, though.

The PSB is nicely designed, too -- for instance, the cord unplugs at both ends, and can be plugged into either side of the headphone.

Corrective upvote since you answered half the question. XD But yeah, I wonder if Bose's consumer-level reputation of having no competitors that are both better and cheaper is deserved. Hopefully Eikenberry can answer that.

Heheh, thanks.

I've never liked the Bose sound, but I recognize that they do some things well; those just aren't the things I care about the most. I wouldn't say they're overpriced, though -- it's hard to argue that when their products sell so well. Maybe some of the others are underpriced ;-}

I have a pair of on-ear Bose headphones that I bought when I didn't know any better. In hind sight they don't sound great.

BUT, they are the most comfortable on-ears I have ever owned and possibly the most durable headphones I've owned. The model was recently updated, and I think the changes are improvements.

In that light, if you want a really comfortable, quite durable pair of portables, They are a reasonable choice.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com