QuietComfort® 20i Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones vs B&O earphones
May 18, 2014, 7:45 am
#226
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: NY Metro Area
Programs: AA 2MM Yay!, UA MM, Costco General Member
Posts: 49,038
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 7_1_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/537.51.2 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0 Mobile/11D201 Safari/9537.53)
Sound quality my Shure 425 that I use for general at home listening and in ear monitoring when I am playing beats the QC20i.
Long wearing comfort (I sleep on my side)and NC is where the BOSE excel.
I use the QC20i for flights.
Thanks. I should have been more specific. I am thinking specifically for flights. I have full size over the ear Sennheisers for at home use.
Originally Posted by tentseller
Long wearing comfort (I sleep on my side)and NC is where the BOSE excel.
I use the QC20i for flights.
May 18, 2014, 2:01 pm
#227
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Earth. Residency:HKG formerly:YYZ
Programs: CX, DL, Nexus/GE, APEC
Posts: 10,688
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 7_1_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/537.51.2 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.0 Mobile/11D201 Safari/9537.53)
Thanks. I should have been more specific. I am thinking specifically for flights. I have full size over the ear Sennheisers for at home use.
Thanks. I should have been more specific. I am thinking specifically for flights. I have full size over the ear Sennheisers for at home use.
The in ear design of the QC20 enable me to use them for sleep which over their ear would not work.
During in-flight sleeping I am listening to relax tunes which are not taxing the audio quality of the QC20i.
I still have my old trusty Sennheiser in my home by the OSIM massage chair, Shure in my gig kit bag, BOSE in my flight kit.
May 18, 2014, 2:30 pm
#228
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: DFW, DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat, SWA A-list +
Posts: 1,007
Hey everyone
So after thinking about it for a few weeks now and spending yesterday reading all types of reviews and this entire thread i thought i would try them out.
The store i went to was out of stock unfortunately
Take about 3-4 days to get them in
But while i was there i was able to sample the QC3's & QF15's
A few things i noted with these ones. With no music or anything playing all the background noise was gone but i could clearly hear conversations going on around me (some sales guy telling some dude to buy a lenovo tablet rather than a samsung).
Another thing i noted was that the sound wasnt that great. I plugged them into my phone and turned the volume right up but it wasnt all that loud.
What are peoples experiences with the above with the QC20's?
ie sound volume and still hearing conversations clear as day.
So after thinking about it for a few weeks now and spending yesterday reading all types of reviews and this entire thread i thought i would try them out.
The store i went to was out of stock unfortunately
Take about 3-4 days to get them inBut while i was there i was able to sample the QC3's & QF15's
A few things i noted with these ones. With no music or anything playing all the background noise was gone but i could clearly hear conversations going on around me (some sales guy telling some dude to buy a lenovo tablet rather than a samsung).
Another thing i noted was that the sound wasnt that great. I plugged them into my phone and turned the volume right up but it wasnt all that loud.
What are peoples experiences with the above with the QC20's?
ie sound volume and still hearing conversations clear as day.
May 18, 2014, 2:55 pm
#229
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Northern Italian Lakes
Programs: BA, *A, Hertz Goldstar, Mucci wannabee, Waitrose, safari Oleg
Posts: 1,545
QC20's made all the difference on BA's noisy old planes to and especially from SFO earlier this month. Don't think I've been on any aircraft so noisy for about 20 years. Due to their positioning almost inside the ear they're the only Bose NC's I've managed to sleep in on a plane.
For overall noise cancellation, though, I still prefer the QC15's. I've kept mine as well as the QC20's as they have different uses.
And I'm sure the Shure 525 or other Shure is probably the way to go if sound quality is more important for you than NC.
For overall noise cancellation, though, I still prefer the QC15's. I've kept mine as well as the QC20's as they have different uses.
And I'm sure the Shure 525 or other Shure is probably the way to go if sound quality is more important for you than NC.
May 20, 2014, 7:55 am
#231
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Somewhere between here and there...
Programs: WWF, Appalachian Mountain Club
Posts: 11,595
The Bose 20's grew on me a little the past couple flights. Still returning them, but just to try the Shure 415's (the dual driver ones). Same price and I'll decide which ones I like better and go with it.
May 21, 2014, 4:18 pm
#232
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHL / NYC / PSA-BLQ
Programs: AA PPRO, Marriott/Hilton Gold, AMX-Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 3,109
May 21, 2014, 5:23 pm
#233
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHL / NYC / PSA-BLQ
Programs: AA PPRO, Marriott/Hilton Gold, AMX-Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 3,109
I just had to add an illustrative story. I just got off the plane in MIA and went to La Carreta for a bite. Great food but busy and noisy. I faintly heard a song in the background I couldn't make out so I put on my QC20's, it knocked out the din and I could clearly hear Anita Baker singing "Sweet Love" and the AA FA's at the next table discussing their bid sheets.
May 21, 2014, 7:37 pm
#234
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Vancouver
Programs: Amex Centurion
Posts: 150
These are indeed great headphones the QC20i. The only 'issue' I have with them is the excessive white noise it pumps out compared to my QC3 especially when you are in a relatively quiet place. But if you have nothing to compare the qc20's with, you may not notice the white noise I am referring to.
May 24, 2014, 3:33 pm
#235
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: SFO, SJC
Programs: Restarting life as UA newb; AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 914
Follow up: I bought my QC20 back at the end of August. Absolutely noise cancellation-wise as it performed fantastically on a handful of 5+ hour flights, a 6 hour bus ride, and occasional use at Sbux (they're really noisy!)
Downside: One of the cables is already frayed inside the sheathing. If I wiggle the shorter cable from the device to the plug, the audio in the left earbud cuts in and out.
I guess I'll be learning about Bose's warranty handling process as soon as I have some free time...
Downside: One of the cables is already frayed inside the sheathing. If I wiggle the shorter cable from the device to the plug, the audio in the left earbud cuts in and out.
I guess I'll be learning about Bose's warranty handling process as soon as I have some free time...
May 25, 2014, 1:27 am
#236
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Vancouver
Programs: Amex Centurion
Posts: 150
Follow up: I bought my QC20 back at the end of August. Absolutely noise cancellation-wise as it performed fantastically on a handful of 5+ hour flights, a 6 hour bus ride, and occasional use at Sbux (they're really noisy!)
Downside: One of the cables is already frayed inside the sheathing. If I wiggle the shorter cable from the device to the plug, the audio in the left earbud cuts in and out.
I guess I'll be learning about Bose's warranty handling process as soon as I have some free time...
Downside: One of the cables is already frayed inside the sheathing. If I wiggle the shorter cable from the device to the plug, the audio in the left earbud cuts in and out.
I guess I'll be learning about Bose's warranty handling process as soon as I have some free time...
May 31, 2014, 5:08 pm
#238
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 239
Based in the UK and looking at picking these up - the wife has the QC15 and I use these often when travelling (plane/train). The OHs parents are out in the US now and plan to pick up the QC15 and I've got an order in for the QC20i - fairly big saving even if just shopping at BestBuy.
May 31, 2014, 9:29 pm
#239
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHL / NYC / PSA-BLQ
Programs: AA PPRO, Marriott/Hilton Gold, AMX-Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 3,109
They only started shipping them late last July/early August so all are in warranty. I called warranty on a pair with fraying wires and they said send them in. I asked if a store would do the exchange (so I wouldn't have to do without) and they said check. Called the NY Soho store, the manager said yes, I went straight there before they closed and they swapped them out - no receipt (I'd used Amex MR points for them) as the manager said they had to be in warranty.
Jun 14, 2014, 3:31 pm
#240
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 239
My QC20i's arrived today - thanks to the in-laws returning back from their vacation. Picked them up cheaply compared to buying here in the UK. I will have to wait until Monday to test them during travel (train) but so far i've found them to be much better than expected (and i had high expectations).
Getting the correct fit is critical - an important point to note if trying them out in-store.
I was expecting the soft travel case to be smaller based on some concerns mentioned here but it seems fine. I am pleased to see a charge cable included - the smaller size mean it will replace my usual ones given it will also charge the blackberry and Kindle.
Getting the correct fit is critical - an important point to note if trying them out in-store.
I was expecting the soft travel case to be smaller based on some concerns mentioned here but it seems fine. I am pleased to see a charge cable included - the smaller size mean it will replace my usual ones given it will also charge the blackberry and Kindle.