Bose noise canceling headphones

[rwsaunders]

Worth the $? Opinions appreciated.

[dave thompson]

IMO? Anything Bose is good quality but very overpriced.

[steve575]

They are nice on flights, if you fly much. They seemed to be geared towards that frequency. Recently I have been using mine on my indoor trainer. They work great for that, if you don't mind getting them sweaty. They come with a cord extension. I plug them into a little tv/dvd combo and it makes indoor riding a little less painful.

[pjm]

No highs, no lows....must be Bose.

Seriously though, if you're interested in sound quality for music, I'd go Grado or AKG.

[IFRider]

www.headphone.com. They are great and carry a lot of head phones. Not Bose, but in general you will find Bose over priced.

My personal recommendation is for ear canal phones if you can handle things in your ears. I use Etymotic ER-4p and they cut about 23db of ambient noise. Sound amazing. I use them when mowing the lawn, snow blowing the drive and thos horrible turbo-prop small commuters. They can be found here; http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/in-ear-monitor/etymotic-er-4p.php but you might find them cheaper elsewhere.

Cycling content; I use them on the rollers (Krietler with Headwind) in the basement next to the furnace. I never hear the furnace turn on nor any noise from the fan.

[Hardlyrob]

I fly all the time (3 days a week) and the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones paid for themselves in the first week. The sound quality is really good, and the noise canceling is awesome - Boston to San Fran is much less stressful without all the engine and wind noise. They are permanently in my briefcase.

If you use them on a plane, the strange thing is you will hear other people's conversations for a few rows around you.

They also work great on the trainer.

Cheers!

Rob

[smudgecycles]

...
My personal recommendation is for ear canal phones if you can handle things in your ears. I use Etymotic ER-4p and they cut about 23db of ambient noise. Sound amazing. I use them when mowing the lawn, snow blowing the drive and thos horrible turbo-prop small commuters. They can be found here; http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/in-ear-monitor/etymotic-er-4p.php but you might find them cheaper elsewhere.

Cycling content; I use them on the rollers (Krietler with Headwind) in the basement next to the furnace. I never hear the furnace turn on nor any noise from the fan.

I have the same and even went to the extent of having custom ear molds made for them (which only held up for a year...waste of money). I can't say enough good things The ER-4p ear phones. Worth every penny and are MUCH smaller than the Bose which I'm sure you'll appreciate on flights. Be prepared to miss the drink service.

[bocarider]

Desperate for a birthday present last year, I got my wife a set as we were leaving on a trip the next week. She hates flying, so to keep her distracted we watch movies on the laptop. Halfway through the flight, when I was changing dvds she took the bose off and said they were one of the best birthday presents I ever got her. From a non-tech geek like my wife that is high praise.

I love mine too. However, I find that they get way to sweaty the few times I tried them on a trainer.

[pdbrye]

The new smaller version Bose QC noise canceling headphones are really nice and very comfortable. Expensive but well worth it when flying. Much better then lesser quality/priced competitors.

[regularguy412]

I've owned a pair since the first iteration (ca. 2001). They've since come out with the QCII and QCIII versions. I'm with many of the other posters in that: they work really well. They cancel airplane engine rumble VERY well. If you want a little test before you buy, try taking a pair next to a running refrigerator and flip on the switch. The motor noise disappears. I'll agree that it's strange that even with them on, you can still hear some voice conversations, but they, too, are muffled. For complete annoying sound removal, just plug into a CD/DVD source and keep the volume low. You'll only hear the desired sounds. Definitely worth it if you fly a lot or need to concentrate in a noisy environment. I used to have to fly into Dallas several times a year on a little puddle-jumper airline with LOUD engines. I was able to sleep on the flight.

Mike in AR

[mosca]

Check out Sennheiser also. I've got the PXC300 on-ear headphones and I've been very happy with them. Cheaper than the Bose and very good sound quality imho. Sennheiser also has a really nice over-ear headphone, the PXC450 - spendy but may be worth it.

[wooly]

I've got a pair of the QC 2's and agree with most here. If you fly frequently they are great. I fly a bit and frequently take the red eye from the West to East Coast. Couldn't do it without them (and a neck pillow or whatever they're called).

[IFRider]

I have the same and even went to the extent of having custom ear molds made for them (which only held up for a year...waste of money). I can't say enough good things The ER-4p ear phones. Worth every penny and are MUCH smaller than the Bose which I'm sure you'll appreciate on flights. Be prepared to miss the drink service.

You can buy an inline switch/microphone from Shure that you can push and it will mute the headphones a bit and feed in ambient sounds. So exit row announcements and last call won't be missed ...

[saab2000]

I fly with a Sennheiser noise cancelling headset everytime I fly and it is worth it. When in the cabin I don't worry about it, but in front I only use the noise cancelling headsets.

I don't know if the Bose ones cancel out noise other than the white noise roar of the wind (though that is 90% of the battle, the other 10% being screaming babies and businessmen) or if they cancel out everything.

My inclination would be that they are probably worth it to a frequent flyer. Flying is stressful and the lower noise level lowers stress.

[Avispa]

IMO? Anything Bose is good quality but very overpriced.

+1

I just purchased the QC3's on a recent trip and I like them a lot, especially the ear pads... Very comfortable. Another advantage of the QC3s is that they use a rechargeable battery that lasts for a good 20 hours.

However, I also have an older pair of Sony NC earphones, which my wife now uses. They have also been great for a few years and use one single AAA battery, which has only gone bad on me a couple of times (not during use). The quality of the ear pads is not as good as comfortable as the Bose.

If money is not a problem, go with the Bose. They have great warranty, etc. But there are many cheaper alternatives out there.

..A..

[m_moses]

IMO? Anything Bose is good quality but very overpriced.

I agree with Dave. The way Bose markets its products irks me. (It's worth it because it costs more!) There are lots of good alternatives for much less money. There is good information on many other brands of noise cancelling headphones here (http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roadwarriorcontent/noisecancellingheadphonesindex.htm) .

[PacNW2Ford]

I have had the first generation Bose headphones for several years. They work fine for middle-aged ears. I doubt that a product exists that can "deliver concert quality sound" or other marketing speak in a jet plane or subway. I find a sealing in-ear design like the Ultimate Ears to offer more convenience, high-quality sound and they don't make your ears sweat on long flights.

[Spinner]

i too have used the 1st generation set since 2001 and i wouldn't think of taking a long flight without them, particulary in combination with my ipod.

cheers!

[victoryfactory]

Funny how different segments of the public have totally different opinions
of Bose. The "audiophiles" wouldn't be caught dead with Bose and deride
everything they do whereas the general public think of Bose as the High end.

Having said that, and having revealed my "high end" leanings, I must say I
would not fly without my QCII's It is amazing how much less stressful a long
flight can be with noise cancelling! You can still hear the babies screaming, but the
level is below the annoyance threshold. As for the sound quality.. adequate
at best, nowhere near a real good pair of 'phones.. but combined with the
noise cancellation, a great improvement.
I would be curious to compare them to some other brands, but I haven't
got the chance yet. These are "active" noise cancelling which means done by
an electronic circuit, rather than "passive" noise cancelling which means they
just plug up your ear to eliminate extranious noise from entering.
Note that the main difference between the QCII and QCIII is the II's are
larger around the ear where the III's are smaller on the ear.
They also come with an adapter for the airplane sound jacks and are a
revelation compared to the usual supplied craap from the airlines.
I can actually hear the soundtracks of the craappy movies now. And that
may or may not be an advantage on those 5-movie Asia flights.

vf, "high end" monkey

Krell
Sonus Faber
Esoteric
etc

[palincss]

IMO? Anything Bose is good quality but very overpriced.

IMO anything that's advertised in a way that only tells you what the monthly payment is, but doesn't give a total price, is definitely very overpriced.

What do those headphones cost, anyway? I've been wondering for quite some time now...

[JonathanB]

I just got the audio-techinica AH-ANC7 for $125 at JR.com (I am a psychologist, not affiliated with the store). They price-matched amazon's listing, and are easy to deal with for returns if its not right. I use the headphones on my rollers and STRONGLY recommend getting a noise cancelling set of headphones. I can now listen on my ipod at level 3 instead of 9.5; it significantly, though not completely, muffles the fan and roller sound. You probably know the research on hearing loss; I am embarressed that I didn't do this sooner. They work well. Yesterday I was coming up from my basement and only when I took them off did I hear a loud steam pipe hissing that I didn't even know was letting off steam. The NY Times David Pogue has a nice review of different headphone options; fit (like with your bike) is important. These are good, I didn't want to spring for the Bose, but even at that price, it is worth it. Good luck, Jonathan

[Hardlyrob]

What do those headphones cost, anyway? I've been wondering for quite some time now...

The Quiet Comfort II (over ear) and QCIII (on ear) are $350. The new in-ear versions are a little less I think.

Rob

[chrisroph]

bose is overpriced overmarketed junk

noise canceling technology is good for flying

there is not nearly enough noise on rollers, on a trainer, on your elliptical, with a fan to need nc

if you are using an ipod without additional amplification and want headphones as opposed to buds--and headphones are a lot more comfortable--i highly recommend grado sr-60 for about $69. they are easily driven by low power ipods and sound fantastic

[rsl]

I'm going to have to spend a lot of time flying this summer and am considering buying some noise-cancelling headphones. I don't want to pay the $ for bose, and was looking to spend about 50-75$.

seems like the grado sr-60 aren't noise-cancelling?

Any suggestions for noise-cancelling models in the above price range?

Thanks!

[Pete Serotta]

Worth the $? Opinions appreciated.


If you fly alot they are wonderful....best I have used.

If not flying and trying to get the noise out and chill - than there are many other choices....Best to try them on at Best Buy, Boise store/outlet, or even call (and visit their web) Crutchfield and get another opinion>...


Trying is best for many of the sets out there. The Boise sit on ear and thus fit very well for most follks. The ones that fit in ear and alot like saddles - "personal fit"

[catulle]

Noise cancelling = About 20-25% of surrounding sounds. Not too hot, atmo. I expected 70-80% (?) noise cancelling. I find Bose noise cancelling ear-phones no better than Sony's. Bose seems to be another "more expensive is better" product.

[Pete Serotta]

Just tried the noise canceling ear pods that got from COSTCO for $35. Used them at the gym.... Definitely not a option in place of BOSE on plane BUT With my years most anything works including two used corks :beer:

[Bart001]

My son gives high marks to the Audio Technica's but he uses them in an office environment, and I don't think he's ever flown with them.

I had QCII's for several years and loved them. I seem to have left them on a plane recently :crap: and so I bought some QCIII's which I like even more. They actually do acoustically seal the ear pretty well, and their noise canceling technology seems improved over the II's.

[BumpyintheBurgh]

Help me understand this...you're paying good money for a device that transmits noise into your ear to cancel other noise? Replace the bad noise with the good noise. Will it work on tinnitus?

[djg21]

Worth the $? Opinions appreciated.

Skip it. If you need cans that isolate from ambient sound, go to Headroom (http://www.headphone.com) and take a look at the Etymotics ER4s (http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/sealed-and-noise-canceling/etymotic-er-4s.php) or, if you want to spend more, any of the Ultimate Ears.

With either, you'd probably want to use an amp (Headroom's Total Airhead (http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/the-mobile-line/headroom-total-airhead.php) works really nicely with an IPod or similar portable device). If you don't want to use an amp, take a look at the Etymotics ER4P.

Headroom is a fantastic company to deal with!

[pdmtong]

I am not a BOSE fan. Personal reasons. I don't care for the sound curve they use. I dont like something cupping or sitting on my ear. I don't want yet another large item to lug around in my laptop bag. I have the shure E4c's...no battery, small case, BUT you need to be able to tolerate the IN THE EAR feeling. It's personal. One thing is certain either way...once you get used to less noise on a plane you'll wonder how you survived all these years.

[fishbolish]

try ultimate ears IEMs 3,5pros,5pro EB(too much bass for me),they work great on flights for me,I own the 5pros & love them ,have owned denons,atrio,vmoda. look on headfi.org ,great site for info for portable audio (spent a bunch there myself)