mulderxcoltrane

Hi everyone,

I'm very interested in purchasing some Bose noise cancelling headphones for some long overseas flights this Fall.

I'd been hearing rave reviews about the Bose QuietComfort 25 headphones, but read a couple of reviews that suggest those who wear eyeglasses may notice the earcups cannot "seal" correctly due to the glasses frames. Since these headphones are VERY expensive, I don't want to buy a pair and then find out on my plane ride that they don't work well for my "head" situation.

Can anyone that both has glasses AND uses the Bose QC25 offer any thoughts on this?

I have looked into the QC20 in-ear models as well, but they're not as affordable on the secondary market.

gobluetwo

I have glasses and QC25. There is a difference between wearing glasses and contacts, in my experience. However, I find that the pads are soft enough that they do a decent job of sealing. Maybe you can try them on at a store with and without glasses and try playing some loud plane or train noise on your phone at a high volume to compare the difference. I find the difference acceptable, although it does work better without.

This would affect any over-ear headphone, not just the Bose QC25.

bhomburg

This indeed can be an issue depending on your ears and the type of glasses you wear. Also, wearing them for an extended period of time may get uncomfortable due to the earpieces putting pressure on the part of your glasses that sits behind your ears.
I had them but switched to the in-ear QC-20s as soon as those became available so I can sleep well while wearing them on airplanes - something that is impossible with the QC-25s when you're a side sleeper like me. Totally worth the money IMHO.

If you want to buy used, go to a BOSE store or a retail outlet that has BOSE products with demo units and try them before committing. Leave them on for awhile!

Also, when you're planning to buy used and want as cheap as possible, also consider the older QC-15 models - the QC-25 is basically a minor evolution of these with only slight improvements in NC technology and sound. QC-15s typically go for less than $100 on ebay these days in used condition.
The only real disadvantage of the older design: They don't work at all should the battery be dead, whereas the -25s can still be used as regular headphones - a dead battery only affects the noise canceling here.

mulderxcoltrane

Thanks for the info. I live in the sticks, so there's not many places other than a Best Buy that sells them, and I don't know if they'll let me try them on. And, I rarely wear anything other than earbuds when I use headphones, so I don't know how over the ear phones would feel. Crud.

When it comes to sleeping on a plane; I'll be in economy on the aisle, so sleeping on my side probably isn't likely.

tomjtx

Consider a passive In Ear Monitor. IEMs generally give better noise isolation than active over ear phones.

The Klipsch X11i is currently on Amazon for under 200.00. They are the most comfortable IEM I've ever used. Even on a 10 hour flight.

Their sound quality far surpasses anything made by Bose, IMO.

superangrypenguin

Depends on the length of the glasses that go over your ear. On one frame that I have, no issues. On another, big issue (too long so it breaks the seal).

StuckInYYZ

I have to agree. It depends on how your glasses are designed and how your head is shaped (not kidding here). The thinner the arms, the better the seal.

That said, just like having to break in the speaker part of the earphones, you also need to break in the earpads as well. It may take a while for the earpads to fully (and comfortably) mold to the shape of the side of your head

Not sure where you are located, but the Bestbuys around here have demo units you can try.

superangrypenguin

I have found that the earpads never have broken in to accommodate my frame.

That being said the arms on my glasses are thin (buffalo horn) so it's not bad when it comes to sealing issues. The other set have thicker arms that are longer and it breaks the seal at two points, which render the QC's useless.

That being said, BestBuy's or Bose stores are great.

StuckInYYZ

Actually I just got a new pair of glasses with thicker arms and it seems to work fine with those as well. At least for me the noise ratio was about the same. There is a bit more leakage, but I suspect that will change as time goes on.