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"Disappointing." on by snsonin
Pros: Low frequency noises are somewhat reduced.
Cons: Low ambient noise reduction, poor mid-range to high frequency noise reduction, noise cancellation interferes with music, uncomfortable.
Summary: Having owned Bose products before, including the excellent quality Lifestyle home entertainment system, I was looking forward to using the QuietComfort2 on my flight to Tokyo. I was looking for an over-the-ear headset to cut down or eliminate ambient noise so I could rest on the flight. The QC2 did not deliver what I was looking for. The QC2 passive noise attenuation is inferior to other products. The QC2 active noise cancelling only works with the lowest of frequencies. When flying the noise has a "rumbling" component produced by the engines, and a "whistling" component produced by the rush of the air over the aircraft. The QC2 only reduced the rumbling somewhat and did not reduce the higher pitched whistling at all. Nor was the noise of cabin conversation reduced. In addition the headset has a high spring tension in the head band and limited adjustment so that I had to remove it periodically to relieve the pressure on my head. To try and block out the ambient noise I turned on my MP3 player and found yet another flaw. When I listened to Mozart or Beethoven the QC2 noise cancellation algorithm seemed to respond to the amplitude variations of the pieces being played. During quiet passages there was an audible hiss in the ear pieces. When the volume suddenly increased the ANC reduced the total volume. Overall I found the QC2 disappointing. It does not live up the standards of Bose's other products. Bose makes an excellent aviation acoustic noise cancelling product called Aviation Headset X. This is definitely NOT what you are getting with the QC2. Instead the QC2 is a typical "made in China" low quality product, but with a high quality price tag.
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"Worthless and VASTLY OVERPRICED stay away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!" on by charesr22
Pros: Clever marketing will make you think they're good
Cons: Overpriced, pathetic midrange, huge and bulky
Summary: Without a doubt the worst headphones money can buy. The folks at Bose should be truly embarassed to charge 300 dollars for headphones that produce lower quality sound than models other companies sell for 100 dollars. The only reason people buy these headphones is because they're suckered in by Bose marketing. These headphones are no more portable than a small stereo either. They are big and ugly, and will make you sweat.
Now, on to their sound quality. When I read the comments of people on here who say these are the best headphones ever, I don't know whether to laugh or vomit. People who say that fit into one of two categories:
1. People who have never listened to headphones costing more than twenty bucks before and therefore have absolutely no idea what good headphones are.
2. Employees of Bose
Yes, the bose headphones do produce sound that is better than the two dollar throw away headphones that come with an ipod. However, their bass is overstated and boomy, not in any way natural. The treble on the Bose headphones is also seriously lacking, there is little or no natural decay. If you like classical music, orchestra, or multi instrument latin music, forget about it, the Bose phones lack the precision to give you any sense of placement.
I now have a sad confession to make - a year ago, I was taken in by the Bose marketing, and without doing my research, wasted $300 dollars on these mobile pieces of dung.
As the owner of some electrostatic phones with a preamp, I was looking for something I could travel with. I quickly realized my error, and fortunately I was able to sell my crappy Bose phones to some moron on Ebay for about what I paid for them.
I then made the best decision I have made in a while. I got a pair of Shure e5c earbud phones, which provide a level of sound isolation equal to the noise canceling of the bose phones. They also don't have the sound distortion produced by the noise cancelling in the bose phones. Most importantly, they are actually studio quality, and while they can't match my $1500 electrostatic rig, they are really impressive, with dual drivers (a bass and a treble driver) somehow minaturized enough to fit into a little earbud thing.
Sensaphonics and ultimate ears also make good heaphones that are actually worth the money the cost. To repeat, if you are willing to spend a few hundred dollars on headphones, the absolute worst choice you can make is Bose. -
"For this price, give me a titanium headband, not plastic" on
Pros: Good for a trying out in a shop - not for buying! SERIOUS.
Cons: I bought this with so much aspiration and I am so unhappy that the plastic used for the headband is so fragile and it is breaking into pieces. $300 down the drain. Will never again buy a Bose product.
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"Piece of CRAP! Stay away!" on by speed1961
Pros: Nice carrying case
Cons: Poor quality; expensive; over-hyped
Summary: I worked for Bose from '04 t '06 up on 'The Mountain' in Framingham, MA. I can tell you that these headphones are way over-hyped and they under-deliver. The bass is boomy and the highs are crap. The casing is poorly-constructed and subject to very easy breakage. For much less money, you'd be far better off with Sony's offerings. "No highs, no lows...I worked for Amar and it must be Bose."
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"It is like buying an A/C without knowing the BTU capacity" on
Pros: Beautiful, comfortable. The kind of thing that ipod users would buy right away
Cons: The company is not serious when they never specify the expected attenuation. The science behind those headphone is Bose's maketing department. it even makes one to feel stupid if he/she doens't notice Bose's attenuation. Just like the tale "the Emperor's
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