Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones(Old Version)
by Bose
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List Price: Our Price: $222.00 You Save: $77.95 (26%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones(Old Version)
Customer Review: Bose QC 15 Will Satisfy the Majority of Potential Users Out There
Summary: 4 Stars
I received the Bose QC 15 in the mail today. My previous ordered was canceled by the retailer for some reason. I went back to re-order and the price was marked down to $229 shipped. Probably a Black Friday deal or something. The headphones were well packaged and the box included a travel case, 1x AAA battery, detachable cable, headphone adapter for passenger airliners, operating instructions (many languages) and warranty registration card. Anyway, I just plugged them in and gave them a quick listen (Bob Marley - Africa Unite). Sounded pretty decent off the bat. It was a bit heavy on the bass, but still sounded pretty good. Noise canceling was great. Blocked out a lot of noise in the house (running water in the kitchen, washer and dryer downstairs where I was, etc.) So initial impression was that SQ was decent and NC was excellent. I'll also add that they are very lightweight and comfortable to wear. I plugged in my 225i that was nearby to just give it a quick sound comparison. I'm no audiophile, so I probably have a higher tolerance for what some of you would consider "noise". No question the Grados killed the Bose in SQ, with the Bose sounding muddy after switching back. However, I did not find the SQ to be so frightfully distasteful to completely rule them out as a travel companion. I do a lot of traveling at times (planes, trains and automobiles), so the NC is a big plus for me. I can tolerate the mediocre sound as I suspected it would not be up to snuff with what I was used to listening to anyway. It simply was not purchased for that purpose. Another thing I should mention is that these will not function as regular headphones without battery power, so you're SOL if your batteries go belly-up. Just be sure to pack spares in the handy travel case these cans come with (loses a star for design in that regard). The Bose have been put away until its time for me to make my next trip (don't forget to remove the battery). I figure if I stop moving around as often as I do I can always put them up for sale on ebay and probably make back most of what I paid for them. Overall, not disappointed about this purchase and I'll be keeping them for as long as I need them. Now back to jamming out with my Grados...Customer Review: Even better than I expected...
Summary: 5 Stars
For several years, I've used Etymotics ER-4P earphones. The Etymotics are in-ear phones (similar cost to the Bose) that do an outstanding job of isolating while providing superior sound quality. I often use them while walking on a loud treadmill to enable me to listen to music or podcasts at a low volume setting while blocking out the treadmill noise. The only drawbacks with the Etymotics are the occasional discomfort associated with having the earphones inside my ear canal as well as the near total isolation which prevents me from hearing anything else (such as a flight attendant).
So, I thought I would give these Bose Quiet Comfort15 earphones a try. I was aware of the liberal return policy that Bose offers, so I figured that it couldn't hurt to give them a try. I half expected to return the earphones--thinking that there was no way that the noise canceling feature would be adequate given my experiences with the Etymotics.
I was certainly surprised! Although the isolation isn't as complete as the Etymotics, it is certainly adequate and impressive. I think I prefer the extent of isolation offered by the Bose earphones as I can hear just enough (voices and so forth) to feel part of my environment without always having to pull the earphones out of my ears--and then have to reinsert them to get a good seal. Also, the Bose earphones are very, very comfortable and more portable than I imagined.
For the ultimate test, I've been using my Bose earphones while working out on a very loud treadmill. No problem. My workouts consist only of inclined walking. If you are running, the earphones might be a bit cumbersome. I'm pleasantly surprised at the performance of the Bose Quiet Comfort15 earphones while on the treadmill.
I don't like the idea of the Bose earphones relying on a battery to work at all. However, I keep a spare AAA battery or two in the case. And, each battery has provided at least 30 hours of listening time so far. The use of rechargeable batteries makes this cost a non-issue.
Granted, the Bose earphones are expensive. But, I suspect I'll get enough usage from them to justify the cost in the upcoming years.
Customer Review: WOW!
Summary: 4 Stars
After reading dozens of on-line reviews of the Bose QC 15 and less expensive alternatives from Sony, JVC, and Audio Technica, I took the plunge - with 3 business flights looming on the horizon - and bought the Bose QC 15's [...]. Paying $300 bucks (+NYC tax!!) for a set of headphones is daunting but my wife owed me some $$ for a birthday present.....
At home, I set them up and ran iTunes off of my laptop in my basement with the clothes dyer running 3 feet away. WOW!! I am not an audiophile but I was able to hear subtle elements of songs that I never heard in quiet areas with my cheap earphones or the even cheaper built-in laptop speakers. Most impressive.
On my flight the next day, I turned them on before takeoff and all conversation and background noise went away. The passenger next to me was rendered completely mute while conversing on her cell phone. Again, most impressive.
On take-off, background noise increased markedly and I was most disappointed - until I removed them from my ears and was assaulted by a ABSOLUTE TON OF NOISE. After a few seconds, I put them back on and reveled in the quiet. I was able to listen to music and watch movies on low volume settings with very little noise in the background. Why did I wait so many years before buying a NC headphone? These headphones are superb. After a while, my ears got a bit warm and there is some slight ear pressure but these were not issues for me.
If I could, I would have given these 4.5 stars but that's not possible on Amazon. Why 4.5?
PROS:
They work GREAT
They feel GREAT
Single audio cord makes life easy
Removable audio cord let's me easily sleep on the plane in silence.
AAA battery is convenient and easy to install
Case is large enough to store other items and extra batteries.
CONS (NOTE: There should not be any cons for $300 headphones)
They only work with the NC on. A battery drain when NC is not really needed.
Changing the High/Low input setting requires you to remove the cord from the headset
There is no volume control
There is no adapter for large stereos
Customer Review: Materials Engineering Disaster
Summary: 1 Stars
I have been very happy with my Bose earphones and I use them almost daily. For my listening style their sound reproduction is very good, the noise cancellation is adequate and they are extremely comfortable to wear. But, the plastic components that support the ear cup yokes become very brittle with age and begin to develop stress cracks in the areas near the ear cup yoke supports and eventually, as is the case with my headphones, fail and separate from the headphones headband leaving the ear cups dangling by their electrical wiring. Clearly this problem is a result of extremely poor materials engineering and most likely minimal life testing designed only to verify the earphones will outlive the manufacturer's warranty period.
Like many reviewers I am very careful with my audio/video equipment and I can truly say that the failure of my earphones plastic components did not result from mishandling. I have owned many Bose products that have performed flawlessly and without failure for years. Considering the reputation that Bose has and considering the price of these headphones this type of failure mode is unacceptable. I would not buy these headphones again.
On a good note, the failure of the earphones plastic components did not result in an electronic failure and here is where I have to give great kudos and 5 star ratings to both duct tape and tie-wraps as I was able to tie wrap and black duct tape the dangling ear cups back to the headband. As a result the earphones, although now looking a bit odd, continue to be usable with the one exception being the ear cups can no longer be folded for storage in the headphones case.
Bottom line for this review is these headphones are great performers electronically but are manufactured with extremely inferior plastic components that will fail even with the most cautious of handling. Consequently, my recommendation to anyone considering purchasing these earphones is to be aware that you may have to replace the headphones every two years, or, at the very least, have a good supply of tie-wraps and duct tape handy.
Customer Review: Like being in a desert
Summary: 5 Stars
I had been a longtime user of the original Bose QuietCofmort 1 headphones before I bought the QC 15. Granted, the QC 1 worked really well both in terms of noise reduction and music performance. Eventually its ear foams came off completely which led me into looking for a new headset. Although I had orginally planned to buy either a QC2 or QC3 last week, I learned during my research that Bose had just released a brand new headset, the QuietComfort 15, and was advertised as having a better noise canceling technology than all its previous headsets, including those of its competitors. I ordered them in a drop of a hat and here I have them today.
I am wearing my QC15 as I am writing this review and I feel that I am in the middle of a desert...all quiet, no urban sounds whatsoever, and you actually listen to silence itself as you would in the middle of nature. When I had the QC 1, it provided plenty of noise reduction, but it was not really the silence you get from being in the desert....rather, it was a very low "hissing" sound which shielded you from noise pollution... but with the QC15, there is not even a "hiss" anymore...it's just pure silence.
This headset is so good that at one point it fooled me into believing that the breeze from one of the house fans was a natural one from outside. As I was about to check if I had left any windows open, I came across to discover that it was only a fan blowing (duuuh). Wow! The noise of the fan did not exist with these headphones!
As for musical performance, what can I say? They provide the standard Bose sound to your ears. If you already own a previous Bose QC model, then the sound won't be anything significantly new to you (at least I haven't seen any major differnece from my QC 1). But if this will be your first Bose QuiectComfort headset, then by all means go to your nearest retailer that carries these and try them out. And even if you buy without trying them out, there is a very good chance you will be happy you bought them. Well worth the purchase and highly recommended!