Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Sennheiser HD238 vs. Bose On-Ear (for iPod/MBP)
- Thread starter Rob587
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
![HD238_ProductPrivate[1].jpg](/data/attachments/190/190778-c7ed2a4aa998e2e4b9657f948ede4c43.jpg)
![oe_headphones_bl_lg[1].jpg](/data/attachments/190/190779-6a19931fe1935b9215f9e00cb355619b.jpg)
Why is that? Ive seen that the Sennheisers are pretty popular, but I dont have any experiance with them. Just the Bose. Is it becuase most people feel Bose is a little overpriced becuase of the large brand recognition? I know Apple fans hate anything that resembles "the man." lol
I haven't heard the sound of the sennhiesers but i know that the bose sound awesome...
if you can go and try them out somewhere that would be awesome
sennhiesers are great headphones too
if you can go and try them out somewhere that would be awesome
sennhiesers are great headphones too
haha man your no help. your just like "everything is awesome"... thats why im choosing between those two lol jk
but yea I want to try the sennheisers, but I dont know where to find a demo pair. maybe ill check best buy. but i doubt theyl have them out if at all.
Your best bet for testing both would be a large Apple Store (the one in Raleigh, NC has both). I prefer the Bose personally...
Good luck choosing and keep us posted
Good luck choosing and keep us posted
I got a pair of Sennheiser PX100's on clearance for $19.96 from the base PX and they sound great for on ear, small sized headphones... I usually use in-ear phones but wanted to try these for the price I saw them at and I'm very happy I picked them up... I do have Panasonic HX-300, JVC BiMetal's, Apple dual driver in-ear's, Sony in-ear NC buds, Panasonic over-ear NC phones, JVC on-ear NC phones and a pair of sharper image NC phones... each sound different for different types of music that I like to listen to and depending on the activity I'm using the phones with... I had some bose in-ear phones and they were my least favorite of all the above.
Good luck with your decision!
Good luck with your decision!
Bose > Sennheiser. I have the same Bose (Triport On-Ear) headphones and one of my friend has the Sennheiser HD238. We both compared the two, with the same iPod. He's an audiophile nut and we did a double blind test for fun (we both are in the same AP Statistics class). Another friend blindfolded us, and let us listen to the same iPod, same song, same volume except we didn't know which headphones we were listening to. We both said the Bose.
There's no way that JVC, Panasonic, Sony, Apple headphones are better than any Bose headphones. Also, that particular Bose model doesn't have active noise-canceling while almost every headphone you mentioned does, including the Apple In-Ears.
I have been a happy user of Sennheiser HD238. You can buy it from amazon for less than 90. Though I'm not that picky, I am happy with the quality. If you wanna spend 150+ for Bose, sure, but I just couldn't justify that amount of money for a pair of headphones.
I quite dislike the Bose in-ear headphones actually (other Bose-phones are nice even if they are almost 1.5 times as expensive as they should be). They do not sound very good (at least compared to the apple in-ear, which does NOT have active noise canceling BTW).
When it comes to the two set's you're looking at, the Sennheiser's are much more accurate sounding. Most people like the sound of the Bose better though. The Bose are more fun to listen to than the Sennheiser's are. Also keep in mind the Sennheisers you are looking at are also open back, which means (minor) sound leakage.
Go on amazon and you can find both headphones for much cheaper also.
Sennheiser ~$80 new & ~$40 used
Bose ~ $150 new & ~$90 used
Interesting. What do you think makes them more "fun" to listen to? Is it the classic wave type style Bose usually does? Like really dynamic audio but not necessarily precise like your saying?
Bose are more dynamic than the Sennheisers for sure.
I do some part time recording, so I usually try to lean toward accurate sound more than dynamic sound. So for casual listening, which I believe is what you are going with, go with the Bose.
The 555's are a different class completely dude
I do some part time recording, so I usually try to lean toward accurate sound more than dynamic sound. So for casual listening, which I believe is what you are going with, go with the Bose.
I got a pair of Sennheiser HD 555 (i guess they're similar?) and they are fabulous
The 555's are a different class completely dude
I have the HD238 and they sound absolutely reasonable for that price, but what I really don't like about them is the way they are build.
It might be just me, but they easily fall of my head. If I lean back of look down, they are gone, which is kind of annoying.
I guess you'd need hair for those to stick to your head.
It might be just me, but they easily fall of my head. If I lean back of look down, they are gone, which is kind of annoying.
I guess you'd need hair for those to stick to your head.
...the JVC, Panasonic, Apple and Sennheiser phones have no NC at all - they are noise isolating though (except for the SH's)... you like Bose, I like the others... opinion's = a$$holes = every bodies got one
OP try them all out for yourself...
We rehash this discussion every time someone brings up Bose products, but in reality it is very simply explained.
Bose products are well marketed and overpriced. That isn't to say they sound bad or are uncomfortable. Bose products typically have fair to good (not great) sound for roughly 40% more than the competing brand's price.
I purchased Bose In-Ear headphones for roughly $109.90 at an airport (same price at Best Buy) when my other headphones broke. They're comfortable, but similar earphones from Sennheiser are roughly $49 and sound the same.
Compare the Bose On-Ear Headphones to proper earphones from Klipsch, Shure, Sennheiser, Koss, Ultimate Ears, Etymotic, and others. You'll find the others are 30 - 50% cheaper with similar or better quality.
Bose products are well marketed and overpriced. That isn't to say they sound bad or are uncomfortable. Bose products typically have fair to good (not great) sound for roughly 40% more than the competing brand's price.
I purchased Bose In-Ear headphones for roughly $109.90 at an airport (same price at Best Buy) when my other headphones broke. They're comfortable, but similar earphones from Sennheiser are roughly $49 and sound the same.
Compare the Bose On-Ear Headphones to proper earphones from Klipsch, Shure, Sennheiser, Koss, Ultimate Ears, Etymotic, and others. You'll find the others are 30 - 50% cheaper with similar or better quality.
don´t forget AKG
try also AKG headphones!
K 518DJ
K 450
a comment to the test sennheiser vs. bose:
same volume on the iPod does not necessarily mean same volume on the headphone (impedance!). in most cases, a slightly louder headphone seems to sound better - so be careful with that.
i personally would go for the sennheiser, if only sennheiser an bose are your options.
greetings,
martin
try also AKG headphones!
K 518DJ
K 450
a comment to the test sennheiser vs. bose:
same volume on the iPod does not necessarily mean same volume on the headphone (impedance!). in most cases, a slightly louder headphone seems to sound better - so be careful with that.
i personally would go for the sennheiser, if only sennheiser an bose are your options.
greetings,
martin
Thanks for the advice! Ive looked into reviews about the AKG's and I just stayed away from them because someone said they sound muddy. Do you like them the best for portable good headphones?
I think your pretty much right on with that; however, there is something to be said about the "fun" listening experience that Bose seems to provide. Whether its worth 40% more on average is another story. I guess thats what im trying to decide.