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: Comparing Three Noise Canceling Headphones
Summary: 4 Stars
I own three sets of noise canceling/sound isolating headphones (Shure SE210, Sennheiser PXC 450, Bose QC 15) and I spend 10+ hours a week on airplanes.
Noise canceling/sound isolation (in order of preference):
1. Shure SE210 - when inserted correctly these do a great job of blocking all sorts of noise, even with the music at a low volume. They work for crying babies as well as airplane engines.
2. Bose QC 15 - I am very impressed with the vast improvement Bose has made in their noise canceling technology. I first tried these out in a crowded Apple store in NYC. Immediately the great din around me was silenced. I bought them and have since worn them for several hours in the air and they do a terrific job of canceling all noise, mechanical and people.
3. Sennheiser PXC 450 - I used these for the past six months in over 100 hours of flying and I was disappointed. They are so large that it is very difficult for the cups to form a seal. If I moved my jaw or head at all I would easily hear outside noise. Unlike the Bose, while on a plane I continually heard the engine noise. It was reduced but not eliminated. Whereas the engine noise is eliminated while listening to music on the Bose.
Comfort:
1. Bose QC 15 - very comfortable even for long hours of wear. I used Bose QC 2's in the past and was usually bothered by a pressure on my eardrums after a few hours. These headphones completely resolve that issue. I haven't noticed any issue with pressure on my eardrums from the noise cancellation.
2. Sennheiser PXC 450 - also very comfortable. I'd rate them below the Bose because they are heavier and tend to be more noticeable after hours of wear.
3. Shure SE210 - as with any earphones you insert in the ear canal, they can become uncomfortable after a few hours of use. This is my major misgiving with these headphones and tends to outweigh all of their good attributes.
Sound Quality - I am not an audiophile and really don't have a strong preference for any of the three headphones. The sound quality in each of them is great for me.
Other Factors in no particular order:
Bose QC 15 - much smaller than the Sennhesiers (always felt self-conscious with such large headphones on) and still fit very nicely over my ears.
Sennheiser PXC 450 - love the talk through button that allows me to speak with a flight attendant or seat mate without having to take the headphones off.
Shure SE210 - a pain to remove and reinsert every time someone speaks to you or there is an announcement on the plane. Obviously, much smaller and easier to carry.
Overall, I prefer the Bose QC 15 for their comfort and amazing noise canceling ability.
Customer Review: Watch out for the tax
Summary: 3 Stars
I guess because Bose has outlets in many states, you may find yourself paying tax. Bose, like Apple, moves to crush any discounting of its consumer products, so there is no advantage to buying from Amazon, unless you can't find, or don't have, a local Bose supplier. Yes I feel a complete idiot - what can I say?
In fairness, the headphones actually arrived OVERNIGHT rather than the projected date of one week hence. So that was a happy surprise.
Construction. I previously owned both JVC and Philips ANR headphones. They both cost less than a third of this headset. The construction of the QC15 is only marginally better than either - disturbing because the JVC lasted just two years and the Philips about six months. I am not gentle on my cars, headphones or indeed... anything.
Sound quality? Nowhere compared to my home headphones which are Sennheiser HD650. Mmmmm nice headphones! Well that should be no surprise. My Sennheisers certainly don't like to travel and are worthless on an aircraft. After several hours I would rate the QC15's as "acceptable". I stand by my initial assessment - sound quality is about equivalent to a typical fifty-buck set you might buy at your local audio store. Not terrible, not great, not memorable at all. There are two settings: hi and lo. Hi is good for aircraft apparently, providing volume boost and a pushy bass that would easily overwhelm most jet engine noise. Lo is easier on the ear (especially for older people) and yet I find myself strangely addicted to the unnatural bass... Accoustic feedback through the cheap casing material is probably to blame for much of the audio mediocrity.
So why did I buy at all? The answer is they simply provide the best noise reduction I have found to date. In particular they eliminate the noise from my desktop computers (three of them). Not reduce, eliminate. Voices, on the other hand, are still audible although at much reduced volume - or maybe those are the voices in my head? I haven't flown on an aircraft yet, but I'm looking forward to that experiences. My pilot-in-command headphones (also ANR) are better, but they cost three times as much!
The headphones are very comfortable - more or less comparable to my Sennheisers. Both are over-the-ear designs. I have large flappy ears so I am surprised they fit as well as they do.
In summary these are top rated ANR headphones if what you are looking for is ANR. Audiophiles will whine, but they always do, don't they? I just wish they were maybe a hundred bucks cheaper. I feel mildly outraged by the price but smug because most people in the adjacent cubes can't afford them. I am so shallow.
Customer Review: Great for air travel
Summary: 4 Stars
Pros:
Superb noise cancellation
Comfortable fit
Clear sound
Uses 1 AAA battery
Detachable cord when not listening to music
Cons:
Expensive
Bulky when stowing
Bass is lacking
No ventilation causes ears to get hot
Proprietary cord
No sound without battery
I travel quite a bit and was intrigued by noise canceling headphones. After trying several different brands at Best Buy, I pulled the trigger on the Bose QC15s, mostly due to the noise cancellation, as this was my top priority.
After several trips, including sitting in the rear behind the turbines, I am impressed with how well these block out the roar. The difference is nothing short of amazing. I no longer have to crank the volume as I did previously with my in-ear headphones. With these on, I actually feel more relaxed, something I wasn't expecting. The QC15s won't block out all of the sound of a jet engine, but it will reduce the noise to a quiet wind sound. It also will not completely block out voices, which is not its design. However, with music playing, I cannot hear people talking.
The audio quality is average. The music is clear and has good separation, however it does not produce substantial bass, despite its size. For bass lovers, I would check out the Monster Beats, however the noise cancellation is not nearly as good as the Bose.
One drawback of these is that my ears tend to get quite hot when wearing, sometimes to the point of sweating if the plane cabin is warm. It's a minor inconvenience compared to the benefit of silence. A tradeoff I'm willing to make.
Another drawback is their size when storing in your bag. Other than the cups turning in so they're flat, they do not collapse for fold to conserve space.
At $300, they're not cheap by any means. I bought these after winning a football pool, otherwise, I don't think I would spend that kind of money just for flying comfort. Prior to buying the Bose and when not flying, I use Sony Fontopias, the in-ear sound isolating ear buds. They're very convenient (ie small and don't cause my ears to sweat, a bonus I didn't know they had). They also provide a little more base than the Bose. I've heard of a trick of wearing these under the Bose to block out noise completely. I may try this next time I have a screaming baby next to me.
The QC15s are great for air travel. The sound quality is only average, but are superior at canceling noise. I would recommend these to anyone who flies frequently and can afford the hefty price tag.
Customer Review: Finally, Some Quiet Time
Summary: 4 Stars
I fell in love with the Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones as soon as I gave them a try. I was in a noisy retail store, and with one flick of the switch the din completely disappeared. I couldn't believe how effective they were, and I've continued enjoying using them for about two months now.
PROS:
-Does a superb job of cancelling out noise.
-Excellent sound quality. I listen to my music at a much lower volume setting and can hear more. No detectable white noise.
-Long battery life.
-Comfortable, even after extended use.
-Lightweight.
-Beautiful design.
-Nice carrying case.
CONS:
-Expensive. The good news (?) is that I have found them for pretty much the same price everywhere else--retail stores and Bose outlet stores sell them for around $299.
-Flimsy plastic. They lost a star in my review because of this. I think if we are paying this kind of money, then Bose can splurge on stronger plastic and or tougher materials.
-Large. They are portable, to be sure, but take up a lot more space in my bag than I would like.
-Hot. Because they cover the ears (providing that excellent noise cancellation!), your ears can get warm, and for me, if I am anyplace above about 77 degrees, they will make my head start sweating. I certainly could not conceive of working out with them.
COMPARABLE PRODUCTS:
-The Bose® QuietComfort® 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones are around $50 more and seem to be made out of sturdier material. However, I personally prefer a regular rechargeable AAA battery over proprietary ones and I find it more comfortable not to have the headphones resting on my ears. If you are more concerned about sturdiness and size than the battery or fit, the QC3 might be for you.
-The Sony MDR-NC500D Digital Noise Canceling Headphone (Black) is a little less expensive and actually seems a bit sturdier than the Bose. However, to my ears, it was clearly not as good at cancelling out the noise. I was a bit disappointed.
-I have owned the Sennheiser PXC 300 four a couple of years. In terms of engineering, it is more compact, and seems much sturdier. There is a constant low-level hiss, though, and I have never enjoyed using them for extended periods. They seem to make high-quality products, and if they solve the white noise issue for me in future models, I may give them a try again, because they are much more reasonably priced.
Customer Review: Considerably better than the QC2 and QC3
Summary: 5 Stars
These are fantastic headphones and are considerably better at reducing low frequency noises like jet engines, wind, and road noise than the prior version (The QC2). They are very comfortable, and like the QC2s before them, come with a nice carrying case that can also hold an Ipod or other MP3 player.
I've been using noise cancelling ("NC") headphones since I purchased my first pair of Bose Quiet Comfort 2's about 7 years ago. NC headphones are great for eliminating both road noise when going on long car trips and for eliminating engine and wind noise when flying on commercial airliners. None of the noise cancelling headphones on the market today are good at cancelling out noise from people talking, babies crying, etc., and so if you're looking for something to do that, you'll be unhappy with any NC headphone, including these.
After I owned the QC2 for a while, I compared them to comparable products from Sennheiser (PXC-250) and Sony. My verdict then was that the QC2's were better, but the Sennheisers (PXC-250) were also quite good, particularly considering the price difference (the Sennheiser model was about $100 back then). I found the Sony models to be way too heavy and too small for my head.
A few years later, Bose put out the QC3, which was as good as the QC2, but required you to use a proprietary rechargeable battery. The QC3 was also a bit smaller than the QC2 and did not completely cover year ear. I'm against proprietary rechargeables, because they are expensive, and you will often find yourself with a dead battery and no way to charge them. The QC2's used standard AAA batteries, which allows me to use standard alkaline or re-chargeable Nichel Metal Hydride batteries.
I'm pleased to see that the QC15's don't continue the trend towards expensive, proprietary batteries. Instead, they use standard AAA's, just like the QC2s. Even better, the QC15 is considerably better at noise reduction than the QC2. If you can spare $300, it's well worth the upgrade.
If you can't afford $300, the $100 Sennheiser PXC-250 is a very good second choice. The PXC-250 does not cover your ears, and so it won't really block out any external noise. In contrast, the QC15's do cover your ears and thus have some noise reduction just by virtue of the fact that they cover your ears.
In either case, I highly recommend that you purchase Eneloop rechargeable batteries, which keep their charge for up to a year when not used, and a La Crosse BC-900 charger, both of which you can buy at Amazon.com.