Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones(Old Version)
by Bose
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones(Old Version)
Customer Review: Five Stars for Noise Reduction and Comfort
Summary: 5 Stars
I own very high end audiophile headphones, so my interest in the QuietComfort 15 phones really is in their noise reduction/cancellation capabilities and comfort, rather than their audio performance. For this reason, the five stars I have given relates to those features, and not to the QC15's audio playback capability. Even though I am a rather picky consumer, I am completely satisfied with this product. I have not used these headphones to listen to music or other audio, so I would turn to other folks' reviews for that.
In the interest of full disclosure, I did not pay full price for the QC15s. Rather, I traded-in my old set of QuietComfort 2 phones (bought around five years ago or longer) for the QC15 under Bose's trade-in program, so I got these for half price. While I'm not sure I would have paid full price for the QC15s, I think (of course, that's easy for me to say) that they are worth their high price, at least with respect to the features I was looking for. Again, I can't comment on their audio capabilities.
Comparing the QC15 to the QC2s, there is no doubt in my mind that the QC15 are a much, much better set of noise reducing phones. I barely used the QC2s due to their lack of comfort. In particular, right out of the box, I felt quite a bit of pressure on my ears wearing them, and I was not overly impressed by their noise reduction/cancellation. (I was also not very impressed by their audio playback capability.) Also, and this may just have been me, but I experienced vertigo at times with the QC2s, so they essentially just sat on my shelf unused. The QC2s also gave off a slight high pitch sound when the noise reduction feature was on.
I have not had any problems like that (knock wood) with the QC15. I've worn the QC15 for a couple of full business days straight on through (with occasional breaks) and I do not find them to be fatiguing at all. From a comfort standpoint, the QC15 seem to use a different, softer type of material for their padding. They feel more lightweight, and I also don't really experience the "sweaty ear" syndrome that I did with the QC2s. The real test, of course, is whether they really reduce ambient sounds. Well, I work in a very loud area in NYC, and the phones reduce external sounds immensely, without (and I think this is a big plus) completing eliminating them. For example, as I'm typing this, there are three extremely loud jackhammers outside my window. With the QC15s on, I barely hear them at all, although I am still aware of my surroundings. In fact, to me, complete external sound cancellation would be disconcerting - I want to know what's out there, I just don't want to be bothered by it. With the QC15, I'm still able to hear the phone or doorbell ring, etc.
While I haven't taken them on the plane with me yet, I think they would work similarly well. The carrying case is not tiny, but it will pack very nicely in your take-on baggage. The phones run stock on a single nonrechargeable AAA battery, and the case can hold a couple of spares (and an i-phone or similar device).
While I will try them out sometime down the road on music (they can plug into iphones and other mobile devices), I don't think I'd be able to provide a fair review, given my other headphones, so I'll leave reviewing their audio qualities to others.
Customer Review: A Very Good Headphones Set
Summary: 4 Stars
For those who really want to enjoy their music without the disturbance of the environment, this is a very good choice. The noise cancellation isn't an impervious wall against outside noisy interruptions, but it removes almost entirely even very loud bass sounds. Noises like air-conditioning, engines, traffic swooshes and chattering are almost entirely gone just by flipping on the headphones. The headphones are on only with the Noise Cancellation feature.
The Noise Cancellation feature alone is not optional and cannot be turned off. It would have been nice if you could hear with the headphones without the noise cancellation, as they are very good headphones, and in quiet environments I wouldn't want to waste my battery for nothing. But that's a very small thing to complain about. Given the fact that since they can do the Noise Cancellation without playing music, but just being on, they can function as very expensive (and cushioned) earplugs for flights, and other earthly commutes. I was riding a bus once and had them on, played a bit of music, and it felt like I had my own soundtrack, no noise was sipping through. Amazing sensation (and the volume was even at the max).
And one very big virtue of Noise Cancellation in general and not just in the case of these phones, is that it allows you to hear your music at a much lower volume. Usually you max your music's volume to compensate for the environmental noise, and the result is great damage to your ears when doing it for a long time. I use to hear my music with normal (even higher quality) phones at almost the top of my iPod Classic volume, and now I barely scratch the %70 mark. The relief to my ears was felt on the first day of usage, as my ears just felt relaxed. I think that this is a killer health feature not taken into account so much when buying such phones, but is totally worth it in the long run.
And just as a small disclaimer for comments to come: No, the Noise Canceling sounds don't do the same damage as high volume music, because after the destroying waves have met the regular noise sound waves the effect your ears feel us just slightly more pressurized air, which is equivalent to just taking an elevator to a lower floor or taking a dive in the sea.
A slight bummer about the Noise Cancellation as a glasses wearing person: The Noise Cancellation is built in these headphones (as opposed to the QC3) is working on the assumption that the headphones fully cover your ears - something that doesn't happen when you are wearing glasses. Although the foam helps wrapping your ears very tightly even with the glasses on, the best Noise Cancellation experience is with my glasses off.
By the way a small rant about the accessories coming with these phones - it's very nice being able to detach the cord so that I'll have just the Noise Canceling effect when I just want to relax from the surrounding nice (let's say in an airplane), and don't want to find myself all tide up a few minutes later, but I would have liked the option to buy a spare cable (even at the same overpriced cost) somewhere else than Bose's store, or at least somewhere that does worldwide shipping. Because right now I'm very scared damaging or losing the cord I have, because it will require me an oversea travel to fix the phones in such a case.
Customer Review: Shut off the World
Summary: 5 Stars
Frankly, I think these new Bose headphones put the QC-2 to shame!
I've owned both QC-2 and QC-3 headphones for for a couple years, and their predecessor before that. My home is in a rural area that over time has become increasingly noisy with automobile traffic, chain saws, weed whackers, air travel, boats, etc, so have become a great fan of noise-cancelling headphones, which for me provide respite against all this sonic assault.
When I read the specs of the QC-15, I thought, if these are an improvement over the QC-2, I'll have to try them. This in the face of feeling sheepish about blowing another $300 for what I feared might be a trivial difference in quality.
I needn't have worried. When I turned on the QC-15, it was like shutting off the world. The loud rushing sound emitted by the air filter running 15 feet away became nearly inaudible, the low rumble of distant boat, air, and automobile traffic disappeared altogether. The background hiss generated by the QC-15 is noticeably quieter than the QC-2, and the noise cancellation, as Bose advertises, covers much more of the audio range. My QC-2 headset doesn't do nearly as good job at cancelling the white noise from the air filter as the QC-15, for example.
As for sound quality, the QC-15, to my ear, has better response in the deep bass, from 25-35 hz, and les resonance in the 80-150 hz range. The bass is generally tighter as well. If you're used to the mild boominess of the QC-2, as I was, it might take you a bit of listening to appreciate the difference. In higher frequency ranges, the QC-15 seems comparable to the QC-2. My 64 year-old ears cut off arount 8 khz, so I'd defer to the judgement of younger listeners in this area.
All-in-all, I'm very happy with the improvements manifest in this new version of the Bose headphones and feel that even at $300 they're well worth it.
The only negative criticism I can make so-far is that the headphones emit a rather loud click when you turn them on, compared to the QC-2. This is not a big deal- I just make sure to throw the ON switch before putting the phones on my head.
By the way, many users of Bose (and other) noise-cancelling headphones complain , sometimes bitterly, about he sensation of "ear pressure" when the noise-cancelletion is activated. This is an illusion that arises because actual pressure on un-equalized eardrums (as when climbing or descending in an aircraft) has the effect of reducing the low frequency response of the eardrums. That loss of low-frequency sensitivity is read by the brain as pressure, which, in the case of altitude change, it actually is. Noise cancelling headphones drastically attenuate ambient low frequency sounds, many of which we register unconsciously. The brain interprets this as pressure on the eardrum, even though this is not actually the case. The sensation of pressure produced by noise cancellation is actually an indication of just how much very low frequency background sound we tolerate under normal circumstances. Research indicates that such low-frequency sounds can actually be a source of low-grade anxiety. Hence you may find that these headphones attenuate your nagging anxiety along with the background rumble generated by the pervasive combustion of fossil fuel all around us.
Customer Review: Bose Q15 Vs. Audio Technicia ANC 27
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased both the Bose Q15 and the Audio Technica ANC 27. Lets get the obvious over with. I paid 321 dollars for the bose(tax). I paid 47 dollars for the ANC 27 from amazon. Basically meaning i could have purchased 6 ANC 27 sets for 1 Bose. That in itself might make one shy away from the Bose
Noise Canceling
The 2nd most obvious feat is Noise Canceling. ANC 27 claims a 95% reduction in sound. Bose claims the same. To be honest.. They're not really 95%. Its only in ideal conditions. I've worn both while comparing the noise reduced (construction with jackhammers outside my building) Lets just say i'm happy with both. It reduces that throbbing ear hurting noise to background noise. In fact, Most of the noise was being transmitting through the floor to my ears through my body, which neither NC headphones can cancel out. Please note that neither eliminated the noise. Higher pitched noise. roughly talking noises remained, but if you could imagine if someone were to remove the base, Thats the same effect.
Comfort.
Lets put it this way. Bose wins, but for 2 basic reasons. Bose is over ear. ANC 27 is around the ear.
The Bose has a very very soft cushion that I can wear forever. Its like wearing satin cotton balls on your ear. The ANC 27 however, as an around the ear, the padding is a little stiffer, but the real problem is the size of the cups. Its 3 by 1.5 inches. Which basically means, anyone with larger than average ears will get squished ears. My ears fit perfectly inside, so for me, comfort is still very good for the ANC 27, but still less than the Bose.
Sound Quality.
Unless your an audiophile, or love to share your headphones music with the entire plane by blasting it, Both have the same sound quality. Please note that if you don't twist the Detachable cable on the ANC 27 to lock it in the jack(its supposed to do this, the cable is removable and replaceable so you never end up with a headphones with a broken wire that ends up useless), you lose the base sound. I would put the ANC 27 slightly higher in sound quality.
Oh, one important thing to note. If you don't have a AAA battery, or it runs out of juice. The Bose become, rather useless. You need power for the sound. The ANC 27 can manage without AAA power.
Build Quality, and accessories
The ANC 27 is quite sturdy, and very well made. It feels very durable. The rotating earcups feel very steady, and don't feel like i might accidently twist them off. It comes with a nice semi hard case, double airplane adaptor. The Bose is more fragile. The earcups do feel more fragile. The Bose also comes with basically the same semi hard case, and double airplane adaptor.
Verdict.
If you have copious amounts of money to spend, Purchase the Bose. It may break on you. but there's a 1 year warranty on it, and you can replace it at any Bose store. It will be very comfy, and you will be satisified.
However, if you are like me, and feel that the 300 dollars might be better spent on something else, like perhaps a flight to the Grand Canyon, ANC 27 is a better choice(if you have medium to small ears, otherwise seek something else)
Customer Review: Sweeps the Field in Noise Cancellation
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the second generation Quiet Comfort 2 headphones when they came out over 5 years ago. While excellent, I never thought the Noise Reduction effect, was more than good. So about 2 years ago I switched to the Sennheiser 450 Noise Guard. While I thought the Sennheiser audio quality was a bit better than the Bose; the noise reduction was about the same or slightly not as good as the Bose. I recently started WEEKLY air travel again in January, after 2 years of driving to a client. I became intrigued when I heard Bose had a new version of Quiet Comfort. I purchased the QC 15 on Tuesday Sept 14th & received the QC 15 Wed Sept 15th . I tried them for about 2 hours comparing them to my Sennheiser 450s; and then Thursday wore them from 6 PM - 3 AM Friday during a Flight on a 757 from Philly, and while being marooned at Atlanta's airport due to weather. The QC 15 are ASTOUNDING! I was watching a movie at Midnight on my PC; and was totally unaware, that a Gate Change was announced, and luckily during a moment when I looked around, realized everyone was gone, and the area I was in was deserted! On both my flights, the QC 15 reduced the noise, to a faint sound; and once I put music on, the background noise was 100% GONE! I read numerous reviews about the "Bose" sound, that there's slight Base and High Distortion at very high personal listening levels, with the QC 15 headphones, and that they are average audio quality. For my general purposes, I noticed NO distortion, and really enjoyed the bright, large Bose soundstage, the really great high end, pleasant audio in my opinoin; very clear track separation, no muddiness of sound. I also noticed I had to keep the volume 1 to 2 notches below any other headphones, because Bose sounded equally as loud as other headphones at a lower volume. After more in-depth reading, I discovered that the Bose warranty Department would let me trade up my 5 year old QC 2s, due to a crack in the right plastic joint of that model which was a known issue. I also learned that while the QC 15s look essentially the same as the original QC 2s; there has been iterative model changes to the material and reinforcement, over the last 5 years, that make the QC 15s a quality construction, for truly lasting enjoyment. Bose stands behind their products ANYTIME there is a failure. Bose is not perfect, nor are their products perfect, but they strive for PERFECT customer satisfaction. Despite all you read in any review, I truly believe the QC 15s are a solid product; that anyone would be happy to own; and are a near flawless implementation of Noise Cancelling technology; when compared to Sennheiser, Shure, Sony and Panasonic. I own or have extensively used all of the competing products, and with each of the other brands, I am comparing the high end models of the Sony NC 500 at $399. and the Shure 530 at originally $500. There is no white noise, no pops, great sound, light weight, secure fit, comfort with longtime wearing of the Bose headphones, when compared to the other brands. You would save money when compared to all other brands, even at the $299 price. You do get what you pay for! Enjoy!