Bose QuietComfort 2 Headphones
- Design: Over the Head
- Usage: Consumer
- Sound Mode: Stereo
- Connectivity: Cable
- Compatibility: Home Audio Personal Audio
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Don't expect too much noise reduction.
Pros
Comfortable. Relatively lightweight. Slight noise reduction. Good sound.
Cons
Only slight noise reduction. Hissing sound. Have to carry a small battery pack.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
Noise cancelling performance is over hyped. Way overpriced for its functionality. Wouldn't use them even if they were free.
[update Dec 31, 06]
It's been years since I first wrote this review. I needed a headset to block out sound and be able to listen to recordings. For less than the newest Bose QuietComfort headphones, I bought the SENNHEISER HD650. Unbelievably great quality. Less than $300 including S&H.
Did you ever notice the huge amounts of Bose advertising? I get junk mail from them all the time. They have full page ads in what seems like every magazine.
--------------------------------------------------
I bought the Bose QC primarily for noise reduction.
I returned the first Bose QC headphone since I didn't notice any noise reduction at all. Thinking it was just me, I asked my wife to try them out. She didn't notice any noise reduction either. I then asked her to try out two other passive earmuffs, a Peltor earmuff with a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) of 28 db and a Leightning with a NRR of 31 db (the highest NRR in the industry). She noticed a dramatic noise/sound reduction with both of these passive earmuffs.
My son is home visiting. He was using our computer in a common area of the house and between the noise of the shop tools from the basement and other household sounds he asked for some hearing protection so that he could concentrate. Without thinking, I gave him the $20 Peltor earmuffs. About an hour later, I realized that we own the Bose QC and I asked him if would like to use the Bose QC instead. He took the Bose QC off a short time later. He said that the Bose weigh less but provide much less sound protection.
I spoke to Bose and told them I was unhappy with them as the headphones didn't seem to offer any more noise reduction then putting my hands over my ears. They thought that the unit was defective and I received another.
This second unit didn't reduce sounds any better than the first. As it turns out, the noise reduction is functioning but it's subtle.
My non-scientific observations of the Bose QC at various frequencies with the unit turned on and off.
500 hertz - significant sound reduction
1000 hertz - some sound reduction
2000 hertz - noise is increased!
3150 hertz - no difference
4000 hertz - no difference
6300 hertz - no difference
8000 hertz - no difference
Either some people's hearing isn't all too great and they should get them tested or they're prone to hyperbole like in these statements:
"You will hear loud sounds, such as a car horn, but all road noise is deadened. It was also strange to see my blinker light on the dash winking, but not hearing the click!"
I tried the Bose QC in a car. I could clearly hear the blinker and the tires. Somewhat quieter? Yes. Deadened? Absolutely rubbish.
"Every noise from the plane's engines to screaming children across the aisle is almost muted from just turning the switch on."
Not a chance. I read the above statement to Bose and they said that was impossible. ANR's (Active Noise Reduction) headphones do not cut sound out in that part of the sound spectrum; the headphones are designed to cut out low frequencies such as motors, not voices. In addition, manufacturers of pilot's ANR headsets have told me that ANR headsets cannot eliminate human voices since voices have too high of a frequency and ANR's cannot cancel out these sounds.
I walked around the house with the Bose QC headphones on. It did significantly reduce the screaming noise of the Hoover Floormate vacuum cleaner. It did take the sharp edge off the electric coffee grinder. On the other hand, the Bose QC actually seems to make the HEPA room air cleaners noisier.
I observed no appreciable noise reduction with shop tools such as saws, shop vacs, big dust collection units, etc. When I mentioned this to Bose, Bose said to use passive earmuffs for hearing protection in a noisy environment; the QC's are not designed for hearing protection in a shop environment.
The hissing sound (which Bose claims doesn't exist) annoyed me to no end. I'm guessing that the hissing is added as a white noise to mask out subtle background sounds.
I found the battery pack to be cumbersome. While an external battery pack does reduce the weight of the headset, I had to put the battery pack and wires in a pocket. Bose should have offered a model with the batteries located in the headset making it far more convenient. Yes, the lack of a battery pack and wires would have precluded attaching the unit to a sound source, but Bose is very heavily advertising the quiet aspect of the headset.
I compared the Bose QC to 3 other noise reduction products, a Peltor ear muff (NRR of 28), a Leightning ear muff (NRR of 31) and a Leightning ear plug (NRR of 33). Each has their own advantages and disadvantages.
http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/html/leight_hearing.htm#max30
At the moment when the Leightning earplugs expand to meet the contours within the ear canal, the dramatic noise reduction is incredible. One second my noisy HEPA room filter is annoying, the next moment it's barely making any sound. For 24 cents (in bulk), one can't go wrong for maximum noise reduction. I haven't tried these earplugs on a plane yet so I don't know how the earplugs will affect the ears with changes in cabin pressure. See update at bottom of review The problem with earplugs is that they work so well, that you can't hear other people unless they're screaming at you so you might wind up taking them out fairly frequently in a household or office environment. The Leightning earplugs are reusable and washable (put them in a pants pocket and throw them in the washing machine).
As an aside, I'm investigating a $300 custom molded earplug
that has a small hole, presumably for changes in air pressure.
If you want to absolutely eliminate all outside sounds, use good earplugs (properly inserted) in conjunction with the Bose QC playing music. While you won't get great music quality with the ear plugs inserted, the world will cease to exist. So if are on a plane filled with screaming children, this combination will definitely save your ears, and your sanity.
Not all earplugs are the same. I found that some ache after awhile or are difficult to insert or get easily dirty and yucky. Some people hate anything in their ears. To date, I have had the best overall results with the Leightning earplugs. I'm even able to sleep with them. According to Bose, one should not sleep with the Bose QC's on (but some advertisements suggest it anyway).
By the way, adding earmuffs on top of earplugs do not result in an additive sound reduction. That is, using ear plugs with a NRR of 33 and an earmuff with a NRR of 31 will *not* result in a total NRR of 64 or even close. However, the combination of earplugs and earmuffs will reduce sound in both the upper and lower frequencies. There is only a slight additional sound reduction with earmuffs on top of earplugs because sound still travels through the bones in the skull.
The $22 Leightning earmuffs with a NRR of 31 are the best in the industry. You can work with the noisiest equipment for long periods of time. However, after awhile they're like a vise on your head and they ache. In warmer weather, your ears get hot and sweaty. Although earmuffs are not as effective as good earplugs, earmuffs are easier to take on and off.
I believe that Bose tech support said the Bose QC had a NRR of 24, which is a long, long way from 31.
If you serious about learning about noise and hearing protection but don't want to be overwhelmed by too much technical detail, this link provides an excellent tutorial and a chart where you can you change alter frequency and decibels with your mouse:
http://www.howardleight.com/Industrial/education/education.html
Who is the $300 Bose QC marketed/designed for? They emphasize the quiet aspects of the product ("you'll gain dramatic relief from jet drone (or any background noise!)", "personal oasis of quiet", "sanctuary of serenity") but they don't reduce noise nearly as much as devices costing a 1/10th or 1/100th of the Bose. The Bose QC does have good sound quality (maybe they're excellent but I'm not an audiophile so I can't give constructive feedback) but one has to carry around the battery pack and a portable CD or tape unit.
The Bose QC does take the sharp edge off of a variety of appliances and motors but allows for normal conversation (so it obviously can't cancel out screaming children).
Despite what a Bose customer representative stated, the Bose QC *cannot* eliminate tinnitus (a ringing from within the ear). See http://www.tinnitus.org.uk/information/what is tinnitus.htm for more information on tinnnitus.
The Bose QC are much more comfortable then true hearing protection earmuffs but at nearly 15x the price.
The Bose QC are probably ideal if you're doing some mundane task such as house cleaning and you want to reduce (NOT eliminate) the noise of the appliances and listen to music to relieve the tedium.
Update: Nov 19, 02
I returned the second set of Bose QC since they didn't meet the noise reducing needs of anyone in my family in any situation. Therefore, I will not be able to review them on a plane.
Update: Aug 3, 03
In the number of times I flown after I bought (and returned) the Bose Headphones, I have never seen a single passenger wearing a Bose Headphone.
On almost every flight I have been on since I initially wrote this review, I have sat next to one or more crying infants. I have used the Leightning earplugs (described above) and have been able to sleep through the cacophony of the children and airplane noise. I have also found the Leightning earplugs very helpful during layovers in noisy terminals.
I have not experienced a negative reaction to changes in cabin pressure when wearing earplugs.
It's been years since I first wrote this review. I needed a headset to block out sound and be able to listen to recordings. For less than the newest Bose QuietComfort headphones, I bought the SENNHEISER HD650. Unbelievably great quality. Less than $300 including S&H.
Did you ever notice the huge amounts of Bose advertising? I get junk mail from them all the time. They have full page ads in what seems like every magazine.
--------------------------------------------------
I bought the Bose QC primarily for noise reduction.
I returned the first Bose QC headphone since I didn't notice any noise reduction at all. Thinking it was just me, I asked my wife to try them out. She didn't notice any noise reduction either. I then asked her to try out two other passive earmuffs, a Peltor earmuff with a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) of 28 db and a Leightning with a NRR of 31 db (the highest NRR in the industry). She noticed a dramatic noise/sound reduction with both of these passive earmuffs.
My son is home visiting. He was using our computer in a common area of the house and between the noise of the shop tools from the basement and other household sounds he asked for some hearing protection so that he could concentrate. Without thinking, I gave him the $20 Peltor earmuffs. About an hour later, I realized that we own the Bose QC and I asked him if would like to use the Bose QC instead. He took the Bose QC off a short time later. He said that the Bose weigh less but provide much less sound protection.
I spoke to Bose and told them I was unhappy with them as the headphones didn't seem to offer any more noise reduction then putting my hands over my ears. They thought that the unit was defective and I received another.
This second unit didn't reduce sounds any better than the first. As it turns out, the noise reduction is functioning but it's subtle.
My non-scientific observations of the Bose QC at various frequencies with the unit turned on and off.
500 hertz - significant sound reduction
1000 hertz - some sound reduction
2000 hertz - noise is increased!
3150 hertz - no difference
4000 hertz - no difference
6300 hertz - no difference
8000 hertz - no difference
Either some people's hearing isn't all too great and they should get them tested or they're prone to hyperbole like in these statements:
"You will hear loud sounds, such as a car horn, but all road noise is deadened. It was also strange to see my blinker light on the dash winking, but not hearing the click!"
I tried the Bose QC in a car. I could clearly hear the blinker and the tires. Somewhat quieter? Yes. Deadened? Absolutely rubbish.
"Every noise from the plane's engines to screaming children across the aisle is almost muted from just turning the switch on."
Not a chance. I read the above statement to Bose and they said that was impossible. ANR's (Active Noise Reduction) headphones do not cut sound out in that part of the sound spectrum; the headphones are designed to cut out low frequencies such as motors, not voices. In addition, manufacturers of pilot's ANR headsets have told me that ANR headsets cannot eliminate human voices since voices have too high of a frequency and ANR's cannot cancel out these sounds.
I walked around the house with the Bose QC headphones on. It did significantly reduce the screaming noise of the Hoover Floormate vacuum cleaner. It did take the sharp edge off the electric coffee grinder. On the other hand, the Bose QC actually seems to make the HEPA room air cleaners noisier.
I observed no appreciable noise reduction with shop tools such as saws, shop vacs, big dust collection units, etc. When I mentioned this to Bose, Bose said to use passive earmuffs for hearing protection in a noisy environment; the QC's are not designed for hearing protection in a shop environment.
The hissing sound (which Bose claims doesn't exist) annoyed me to no end. I'm guessing that the hissing is added as a white noise to mask out subtle background sounds.
I found the battery pack to be cumbersome. While an external battery pack does reduce the weight of the headset, I had to put the battery pack and wires in a pocket. Bose should have offered a model with the batteries located in the headset making it far more convenient. Yes, the lack of a battery pack and wires would have precluded attaching the unit to a sound source, but Bose is very heavily advertising the quiet aspect of the headset.
I compared the Bose QC to 3 other noise reduction products, a Peltor ear muff (NRR of 28), a Leightning ear muff (NRR of 31) and a Leightning ear plug (NRR of 33). Each has their own advantages and disadvantages.
http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/html/leight_hearing.htm#max30
At the moment when the Leightning earplugs expand to meet the contours within the ear canal, the dramatic noise reduction is incredible. One second my noisy HEPA room filter is annoying, the next moment it's barely making any sound. For 24 cents (in bulk), one can't go wrong for maximum noise reduction. I haven't tried these earplugs on a plane yet so I don't know how the earplugs will affect the ears with changes in cabin pressure. See update at bottom of review The problem with earplugs is that they work so well, that you can't hear other people unless they're screaming at you so you might wind up taking them out fairly frequently in a household or office environment. The Leightning earplugs are reusable and washable (put them in a pants pocket and throw them in the washing machine).
As an aside, I'm investigating a $300 custom molded earplug
that has a small hole, presumably for changes in air pressure.
If you want to absolutely eliminate all outside sounds, use good earplugs (properly inserted) in conjunction with the Bose QC playing music. While you won't get great music quality with the ear plugs inserted, the world will cease to exist. So if are on a plane filled with screaming children, this combination will definitely save your ears, and your sanity.
Not all earplugs are the same. I found that some ache after awhile or are difficult to insert or get easily dirty and yucky. Some people hate anything in their ears. To date, I have had the best overall results with the Leightning earplugs. I'm even able to sleep with them. According to Bose, one should not sleep with the Bose QC's on (but some advertisements suggest it anyway).
By the way, adding earmuffs on top of earplugs do not result in an additive sound reduction. That is, using ear plugs with a NRR of 33 and an earmuff with a NRR of 31 will *not* result in a total NRR of 64 or even close. However, the combination of earplugs and earmuffs will reduce sound in both the upper and lower frequencies. There is only a slight additional sound reduction with earmuffs on top of earplugs because sound still travels through the bones in the skull.
The $22 Leightning earmuffs with a NRR of 31 are the best in the industry. You can work with the noisiest equipment for long periods of time. However, after awhile they're like a vise on your head and they ache. In warmer weather, your ears get hot and sweaty. Although earmuffs are not as effective as good earplugs, earmuffs are easier to take on and off.
I believe that Bose tech support said the Bose QC had a NRR of 24, which is a long, long way from 31.
If you serious about learning about noise and hearing protection but don't want to be overwhelmed by too much technical detail, this link provides an excellent tutorial and a chart where you can you change alter frequency and decibels with your mouse:
http://www.howardleight.com/Industrial/education/education.html
Who is the $300 Bose QC marketed/designed for? They emphasize the quiet aspects of the product ("you'll gain dramatic relief from jet drone (or any background noise!)", "personal oasis of quiet", "sanctuary of serenity") but they don't reduce noise nearly as much as devices costing a 1/10th or 1/100th of the Bose. The Bose QC does have good sound quality (maybe they're excellent but I'm not an audiophile so I can't give constructive feedback) but one has to carry around the battery pack and a portable CD or tape unit.
The Bose QC does take the sharp edge off of a variety of appliances and motors but allows for normal conversation (so it obviously can't cancel out screaming children).
Despite what a Bose customer representative stated, the Bose QC *cannot* eliminate tinnitus (a ringing from within the ear). See http://www.tinnitus.org.uk/information/what is tinnitus.htm for more information on tinnnitus.
The Bose QC are much more comfortable then true hearing protection earmuffs but at nearly 15x the price.
The Bose QC are probably ideal if you're doing some mundane task such as house cleaning and you want to reduce (NOT eliminate) the noise of the appliances and listen to music to relieve the tedium.
Update: Nov 19, 02
I returned the second set of Bose QC since they didn't meet the noise reducing needs of anyone in my family in any situation. Therefore, I will not be able to review them on a plane.
Update: Aug 3, 03
In the number of times I flown after I bought (and returned) the Bose Headphones, I have never seen a single passenger wearing a Bose Headphone.
On almost every flight I have been on since I initially wrote this review, I have sat next to one or more crying infants. I have used the Leightning earplugs (described above) and have been able to sleep through the cacophony of the children and airplane noise. I have also found the Leightning earplugs very helpful during layovers in noisy terminals.
I have not experienced a negative reaction to changes in cabin pressure when wearing earplugs.
