Simson Garfinkel, "Gadget Master" for the MIT Technology Review, says the new Bose QuietComfort 2 headsets are so superior in noise cancellation that they are worth their US $299 price.
But until now, all headsets with active noise reduction have shared a common problem: in the process of erasing the background noise, they added their own unmistakable hiss. These new Bose headsets are the first on the market to eliminate that audible artifact.
Shoshana Berger is also suitably impressed with the QC2.
Don't expect these headphones to eliminate all sound -- they're not designed for that. You'll still hear someone talking to you directly, but the plane's engine noise now sounds like an ebbing tide -- a soft white noise that's almost comforting.
You can plug the thing into a Walkman and listen to music even as surrounding sounds are cancelled out. Though the sound quality is not as good as that from a top-of-the-line regular audio headset.
CNet has reviews of the Bose QC2 along with Koss, Sennheiser, Panasonic, and Sony competitors. Also, check out Bose's web page on the QC2.
A good noise cancelling headset would be very useful in a lot of work situations. I'm continually struck by how much employers fail to appreciate how the noise in cubicle land is a frequent distraction and obstacle to getting real work done. In one job as a computer programmer I was placed next to a machine shop. Back before the era of electronic noise cancelling headsets I went by a gun shop and bought a noise muffling headset that is sold for gun range use. It is also a useful device for signalling to people that you do not want to be interrupted.
Anyway, this Bose QC2 sounds useful. I want one.
Posted by Randall Parker at July 11, 2003 01:17 PMThere aren't many reviews available for this shouldn't-its-technology-already-be-amortized?-very-expensive brand of headphones, and NONE of them offer offer NR benchmarking [dB ratings].
Your register-first review dangled no such bait before our impatient-for-hard-data eyes, so i've
no intention of signing up.
Bose: they're much like Sony. Twenty percent more quality and features, 50% more cost. You notice that Consumers Report comparison of Bose's Wave Radio to its nearest competitor? The other was as good or better, and far cheaper. And reviewers like you help Bose get away with their greed [by not actually measuring noise reduction, etc.!].
M. Lutz
The reason why there are no dB ratings because there is no benchmark. The methods of measuring cancellation are not standard and downright inaccurate.
Posted by: Skully on September 22, 2003 06:17 PMAfter an impressive Bose QCII demo at the Bose store, I was ready to take them, but I couldn't help choking on the cost. So, I bought a pair of Sony MDR NC11's, thinking I would get the same sound quality at 1/2 the cost.
Result? The Sony's sucked!!! They were aweful, wouldn't stay in my ears, no bass response.
I'm going back to Bose and prying open my wallet!
Posted by: Mark on October 16, 2003 01:07 AMI was using a Bose QC2 for a year for all my flights (I take nearly 100 flights a year which are more than 5 hours duration each). In Dec 2007, one of my Korean clients broke a headset cup while trying on the phones. I approached Bose service for repairs/ replacement and was denied because it was out of warranty. While I was displeased with their service, I could not bear the thought of travelling without them and actually ended up buying two more sets (one as a stand-by for such situations in future). Later I had the original (broken) one replaced at reduced cost from another (non-Bose) vendor. So, now I own three QC2s and every member of my family is able to enjoy the superior sound quality.
If you want noise canellation, just go for Bose (my favourite is still QC2, not QC3). Those with no requirement of noise canellation, stick to Grado.
Posted by: DB on June 5, 2008 10:38 PM