Hacker News Reader

>That's something I've always wondered about. It seems like at some point it became trendy to hate on Bose - hence almost every online discussion about them having a dozen people show up to say they're overpriced and sound like crap, yet I don't think I've ever seen one of those threads where someone actually names speakers that are better AND cheaper.

In my experience every thread which criticizes Bose offers better alternatives. This is true at least for reddit's r/audiophile.

I would not say they sound like crap, but they do not possess a 'transparent' sound or offer a flat audio response curve that most audiophiles love. Also, the use of noise canceling technology does degrade sound quality to some extent.

Of course, these are all audiophile nitpickings that a casual user would almost never consider.

> Also, the use of noise canceling technology does degrade sound quality to some extent.

So does the use of a jet engine a few meters away. ;)

I don't use headphones with noise canceling but I semi-regularly wish I did.

The obvious solution here is to just spend so much on the best available audio gear that you can no longer afford to fly.

My mom got a wave radio several years ago and honestly I was really underwhelmed by the sound quality given the price of the device. She liked it though so whatever.