I fly over 350hrs a year, I have had a Bose-X for the last thousand hours, prior to that I tried every type and the market and have a graveyard of them to attest. The bose have been superb, never missed a beat and look as good now as day one. I changed the cable to the new AA battery version when it came out and get around 40hrs use from a set of batteries.
The intercom in my aircraft is a Garmin 340 and is wired in stereo so even the iPod sounds great!
If you are a regular flyer with a bit of spare cash they are worth every penny. If you are a shoestring flyer then they are a lot of money. You takes your choices and get what you pay for.