Bose QuietComfort 2

Pros: great noise reduction, good sound with dynamic bass comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. long battery life

Cons: expensive and a little bulky for travel

Summary: Bit the bullet and decided to try the Bose QC2 headphones for an upcoming European Biz trip. Lots of time in planes, trains and automotbiles was spent. Besides if they did not perform as advertised I could return them within 30 days.

Well, I'm back now, but these headphones will not be returning to Bose. I cannot imagine how I have been traveling without them. My world is a quieter place. $300 is a bit steep, but worth it for me.

I have used other NR headphones and earphones. (Sennheiser, Sony, Shure and Plane Quiet) all reduced noice to some degree, but none were close to the QC2 performance IMHO. The Bose are just superior for combination of sound quality and noise reduction. Here is my observation for each use situation.

Plane ride: immediate and significant reduction of engine and wind noise to less than half the the level. airline movies and music sound quality was the best I have ever experienced. Human voices and baby crying nearby very muffled and hardly noticeable.

High speed train: totally quieted the noice to low levels. if it was not for the vibrations you would not know you were moving. MP3 player sound was great.

Auto: stopped nearly all wind and outside rumble from road. Sound quality was again great on MP3 player.

Street noice: while sitting outside in street cafe, most auto and other street noices greatly reduced. Sirens and horns were muffled ( by ear cups mostly) but very low level to still enjoy music play.

Yes the Bose QC2's are high priced and other models are much cheaper, but you should still try them to judge yourself. The 30 day money back guaranted makes this possible to use in your real-life situation. You may decide to return them, but I am keeping mine.