Bose QuietComfort 2 user reviews

4.5 stars

"For a music lover with hearing defacits, all i can say is, thank you Bose." on December 23, 2005 by jtope

Pros: sound quality, top notch noise cancelling, great for people with hearing defacits

Cons: cost, no way to use without a battery

Summary: OK, after reading a lot of reviews that griped incessantly about quality issues, I can see how damage might occur, but at the same time, i offer a bit of advice. Don't let your kid near them, treat them like you would the money spent on them. So far, I have found that with a little care, nothing has broken yet.

Most importantly for me, the noise cancelling feature works extremely well. Two factors lead me to that opinion. First, I live very close to an AFB, and the sound of jets is almost constant. Secondly, I have a severe hearing defacit, but I still love music. I always have, but since I put these cans on my ears, I have gotten a completely new appreciation. I can hear ALL of the music now, even notes that I would miss with a cheap set of headphones.

I do not claim to be a scientist, or a sound engineer, so the technical aspects are not my forte. Be that as it may, for my purposes, these are awesome, and would gladly pay more for them.

Lastly, IF these do break, Bose warranty service (from past experience) is excellent.

3.0 stars

"I Found Them Uncomfortable" on December 1, 2006 by ssif21

Pros: Well Designed

Cons: Uncomfortable

Summary: Let me start by saying that Bose noise reduction headphones save lives. There are several babies (and their inept parents) who are alive today because my first generation Bose noise reduction headphones muted their screaming just enough on long flights to keep me from having to kill them.

But my old ones recently disintegrated on a flight to Singapore, so I had to look for replacements. I did extensive Internet research to compare the other brands that have come out in recent years. I also tried a set by Sony that a friend had. The overwhelming consensus seemed to be that the Bose models, which the most expensive, were the best of the lot.

So I ordered the QuietComfort 2. I primarily use them for noise reduction on flights and in my office, so I wasn’t looking for audiophile level sound reproduction. I found them perfectly acceptable on that count. I wouldn’t recommend them for someone who was primarily interested in the audio quality, but it was certainly good enough for casual use.

I found the noise reduction excellent—on a par with or perhaps a bit better than my first generation ones. As other reviewers have noted, they do not (and are not intended to) quell all sound, but are most effective at the background roar of an airplane or ventilation system. They don’t actually cut out baby screams, but do reduce them to the survival level.

The new design was exception. The big flaws with the first generation ones were that the noise reduction mechanism was external, meaning that there was a box and cord that always dangled. That was really a pain when getting out of my seat on an airplane. In the new ones, the cord is removable so you can do without it when you’re using them strictly for noise reduction.

The new models also fold flat which makes them easier to carry. And they come with a very nice hard case which should prevent tearing them up by pulling them out of a briefcase as I did with my old ones.

Overall, the QC 2 was smaller and lighter than my first generation set.

But now the bad news. I found them so uncomfortable that I returned them to exchange for QC 3s. The ear compartment was so small that it crumpled my ear, and the pressure on the temple of my eyeglasses caused discomfort after a short time. There was a pair of QC 3s in my office so I was able to spend a day switching back and forth. I found the noise reduction slightly better with the QC 2s, but the QC3s were significantly more comfortable. I couldn’t imagine wearing the QC 2s on a long flight to Asia or Africa, but could the QC 3s. The QC 3s are also slightly smaller and have a rechargeable battery (which may or may not be an advantage). They do cost $50 more.

Bose, of course, has a thirty day, no questions asked return or exchange policy. Given all the pluses of the QC 2s, I can recommend that people try them. It may be that the discomfort issue is particular to my funky head. But if they do cause problems, swapping for QC 3s is an excellent option.

1.5 stars

"I was very happy until the cheap plastic broke" on January 17, 2006 by mse102950

Pros: Excellent comfort and great audio, until ...

Cons: Flimsy plastic on headband breaks!

Summary: After 14 months of occasional and careful use, the plastic on the inside of the headband on both sides has broken. Now there is no resistance to the length adjustment mechanism. This happened to another guy where I work. For a $300 investment, I'm quite disappointed.

1.5 stars

"Won't lost long" on January 14, 2005

Pros: Simple design and good noise cancellation. Requires a single AAA size battery that lasts for long. Comes with a nice bag to take it around.

Cons: I get a pain whenever I use it for long. Doesn't cancel the sound of loud talk (makes noise cancellation pointless at times since loud talk is noise too). The plastic used is so weak that it breaks often. Certainly not worth the price since it won't lo