Bose QuietComfort 2 Headphones
- Design: Over the Head
- Usage: Consumer
- Sound Mode: Stereo
- Connectivity: Cable
- Compatibility: Home Audio Personal Audio
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Active noise cancellation has a long way to go...
Pros
Comfortable, pretty good sound quality, great to use on jets with no extraneous noises
Cons
Cost, lackluster sound for price, poor noise cancellation in many situations
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Try other brands. The average sound quality, noise cancellation, and convenience do not justify the price with so many competitive products available.
Let me preface this review with the facts that I worked for Bose for a long time (great experience, but not the subject of this review) and that I got to compare the QC2 side by side with offerings from Sony, Aiwa, Sennheiser, Etymotic, and Shure. The judgement criteria were quality of noise reduction, sound quality, comfort, portability, and value. Unfortunately, I can't recommend Bose's offering based on most of the above criteria.
What comes with the QC2's: a good accessory package is supplied, including detachable headphone cord (for noise cancellation only option), 5' extension cord (in addition to the cord that attaches directly to the 'phones), airplane adapter, 1/4" adapter, reinforces nylon carrying case, shoulder strap, battery, and courtesy cards.
The good: the QC2's are very comfortable, and the sound quality is decent. They fold for storage and come with a pretty nice carrying case. The noise cancellation can be quite good, but only in very specific cases. The drone inside large jets is mitigated quite well, but crying babies, conversations, and materials subject to engine resonant frequencies come through loud and clear.
The bad: the QC2's are close to worthless in many situations. Bose isn't completely at fault, since all active noise cancelling headphones I tried disappointed. These were the best at active noise cancellation that I tried, but fell short of physical isolation offered by other brands. Mind you, the sound quality is pretty good, and they're comfortable, but in most situations, you'd be just as well off wearing much cheaper enclosed headphones. Even though the sound quality is pretty good, though, it is not up to snuff with other headphones of comparable price. The active noise cancellation seems to make mud out of low to mid frequencies, and these headphones are subject to the famous Bose boom, wherein synthetic frequency boosts to mid-ranged bass trick you into ignoring the lack of low-range bass.
For the price, comparable products from Shure and Etymotic made me smile much more often. Especially with the Etymotics, sounds in the middle and high ranges were cancelled much more effectively, and this has to do with their in-the-ear design. While not quite as comfortable as the QC2's, these earphones can still be work for hours with no discomfort. The sound quality was better as well, with much better clarity and instrument separation.
Once again, Bose created a good product, but active noise cancellation is not yet up to par for applications outside standard air travel, and the product does not seem to justify the price. My Etymotic ER6's block out more noise, and they were obtained for $65.
I may be more sensitive to noise levels than most, and I understand that plenty of people are very happy with the QC2's. I invite you to take advantage of Bose's 30 day guarantee to see for yourself. Oh yeah, if you demand free 3 day shipping and free return shipping, they will oblige. This makes the entire process very easy on the consumer.
Long story short, I won't purchase another pair, unless their QC3's revolutionize active noise cancellation.
What comes with the QC2's: a good accessory package is supplied, including detachable headphone cord (for noise cancellation only option), 5' extension cord (in addition to the cord that attaches directly to the 'phones), airplane adapter, 1/4" adapter, reinforces nylon carrying case, shoulder strap, battery, and courtesy cards.
The good: the QC2's are very comfortable, and the sound quality is decent. They fold for storage and come with a pretty nice carrying case. The noise cancellation can be quite good, but only in very specific cases. The drone inside large jets is mitigated quite well, but crying babies, conversations, and materials subject to engine resonant frequencies come through loud and clear.
The bad: the QC2's are close to worthless in many situations. Bose isn't completely at fault, since all active noise cancelling headphones I tried disappointed. These were the best at active noise cancellation that I tried, but fell short of physical isolation offered by other brands. Mind you, the sound quality is pretty good, and they're comfortable, but in most situations, you'd be just as well off wearing much cheaper enclosed headphones. Even though the sound quality is pretty good, though, it is not up to snuff with other headphones of comparable price. The active noise cancellation seems to make mud out of low to mid frequencies, and these headphones are subject to the famous Bose boom, wherein synthetic frequency boosts to mid-ranged bass trick you into ignoring the lack of low-range bass.
For the price, comparable products from Shure and Etymotic made me smile much more often. Especially with the Etymotics, sounds in the middle and high ranges were cancelled much more effectively, and this has to do with their in-the-ear design. While not quite as comfortable as the QC2's, these earphones can still be work for hours with no discomfort. The sound quality was better as well, with much better clarity and instrument separation.
Once again, Bose created a good product, but active noise cancellation is not yet up to par for applications outside standard air travel, and the product does not seem to justify the price. My Etymotic ER6's block out more noise, and they were obtained for $65.
I may be more sensitive to noise levels than most, and I understand that plenty of people are very happy with the QC2's. I invite you to take advantage of Bose's 30 day guarantee to see for yourself. Oh yeah, if you demand free 3 day shipping and free return shipping, they will oblige. This makes the entire process very easy on the consumer.
Long story short, I won't purchase another pair, unless their QC3's revolutionize active noise cancellation.
