Travel Technology - Is my new Bose QC2 defective?

I recently bought a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headphones largely on the rave reviews I read in this forum. I had the opportunity to "test drive" it last week on a trans-Pacific flight while watching DVD on my PowerBook and listening to music on my iPod. I also brought along my trusty Sony NC11 in-ear noise reduction headphone set as well as the generic white earphone set that came with the iPod.

Here's what I found: For the same volume setting, the QC2 "loudness" was considerably lower. Yes, it did reduce ambient noise signifiantly. But in order to get the same perceived "loudness" as the other two I had to crank up the volume setting on the iPod or PowerBook.

Is this normal for the QC2 or did I get a defective unit?

Did you try to switch the "lo/hi" switch to "hi"? It's on the plug that fits into the left earphone. That's supposed to increase the volume for battery-driven devices (versus AC powered ones or IFE systems).

I recently bought a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headphones largely on the rave reviews I read in this forum. I had the opportunity to "test drive" it last week on a trans-Pacific flight while watching DVD on my PowerBook and listening to music on my iPod. I also brought along my trusty Sony NC11 in-ear noise reduction headphone set as well as the generic white earphone set that came with the iPod.

Here's what I found: For the same volume setting, the QC2 "loudness" was considerably lower. Yes, it did reduce ambient noise signifiantly. But in order to get the same perceived "loudness" as the other two I had to crank up the volume setting on the iPod or PowerBook.

Is this normal for the QC2 or did I get a defective unit?

bp888 I've just posted something along a similar vein, I hadn't read your post first. I didn't have to crank up the volume when using my laptop although it was operating under AC power at the time (maybe this makes a difference). Thanks to MovieMan's response - I'm going to try switching to 'Hi' when I get home - seem to recall reading it in the instructions but never really pay much attention to those! Presumably 'lo' can be used to reduce battery drain on the QC2 when being used with an AC power input device like laptop/airline etc.

I feel sure this will solve the problem but if you manage to twiddle with the settings before I get home, please post back here...I'm an impatient person!!

They are truly magnificent though aren't they - it's amazing how flicking the power switch drowns out everything around you.

The "low" setting is for when you jack into the aircrafts sound system.

Use the "high" setting for everything else. (basically for non-amplified sources).

-David

Yup, it works now. :o Thank you so much. Duh! I should have read the instructions.