dtc

Question: How to remove the silicone ear piece? I wanted to try the large, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to do it without stretching the heck out of the medium one! Any pointers or a video?


Also to follow up: the mic works on both my iPhone and my Lumia - hurray!

bill12

Here's a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB5GqD-RfUU

Roger

I have the QC20i as a birthday present (for me ).

They're still in the box as I see a prominent message 'Made for iPod iPhone iPad'. Does this mean they are suitable only for these products?

Online I see: I want them primarily for inflight use. We have various pieces of equipment but are an Apple-free zone. Should I try to return them for the QC20?

Grateful for your advice.

dtc

Yes - you will need to return them.

I tried the QC20i and the QC20 on a iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920.

QC20i: microphone works on iPhone, microphone does not work on Lumia 920

QC20: microphone works on both.

This is a common problem with any headset that has multiple buttons - they work on iPhone and not non-iPhones. From my hardware engineering friends tell me, Apple created a new standard to get those extra buttons to work - but this changes the impedance of the microphone.

I have to use a mix of phones regularly (not as much fun as it sounds) and I got the QC20 for lowest common denominator purposes.

farulg

I had the same issue with the QC15. It sounded superb in the Apple store, but one day was all I could take with it after riding around the NYC subway so it went straight back. I guess my ears are far more sensitive to this "pressure" sensation with active noise cancelling headphones in general.

Still a bit hesitant to try the 20i for the same reason.

Roger

Thanks, dtc, for the quick response.

Yes, I'll return them and will rely on my old Sony for my TATL next week (unlikely to get the QC20 in time).

jcornwall

Haha, these are awesome.

I use QC15s, mostly, with Sony MDR NC-300s for sleeping. The QC20s cancel stable noise better than both, and variable noise considerably better. If you stand in the wind they turn it into a peaceful soft whoosh.

We'll see how long the battery lasts, but can't really put a price on a good night's sleep.

dcmidnight

Having had two flights with them now wanted to follow up on my post from a couple weeks ago.

Well the bottom line is that the QC20s are absolutely amazing in the air. If I did nothing else with them I would be happy to just turn them on and close my eyes for a while. But I got the QC20i version because I use it with an iPad and the controls are fantastic. Its so nice to be able to play/pause/control volume with the control because its just a few less fingerprints on the screen. Seems like a small thing I know. The 'alert' feature or whatever you want to call it was also great. Its not *perfect* but it shuts the NC off to enough of a degree that you can talk in your normal voice. There are a number of other playback controls available by doing a variety of button presses - the manual lists them all - but I dont have it in front of me to copy down.

So me personally I did not notice any of the pressure issues that I had with my old NC headphones (previously owned the AT ANC7s for almost two years). Those definitely got uncomfortable after a while but because the QC20s are so small/light I just didnt notice anything.

Ease of use/travel - no comparison, they fit in a tiny case vs having a giant zip up thing to carry with you.

And again, not to rail on Bose, but come on for $300 you could stand to throw in a decent hard shell case. The flimsy little thing you put in there looks like an afterthought and for those that travel sometimes we pack other stuff around them. I bought a small somewhat hardshell Lowepro camera case that fits them OK. Its not perfect though, I'm going to keep loooking.

WilcoRoger

I guess it's noise-isolation for you then. I personally very much like my Etymotic ioslation monitors - perfect sound (no bass heavy thud), excellent isolation, no "sound-pressure"

yokozuma

Thanks for the reviews, certainly gonna pick some up soon.

Incidently I went to try them at the Bose store on Regents Street, London and on both occasions the battery was dead so I couldn't test them out

Professor Yaffle

Any tips on getting these discounted in the UK - £260 is a bit steep for my tastes

Are they properly discounted in duty free (ie under £220?)

Any other offers out there?

xenole

QC15s are around £260 in Dixons at LHR.
Seen them at Amsterdam Schiphol (sp?) and in Jersey for about £20-£30 cheaper.
Best bet is to get a pair from the US for £180-200 (depending on exchange rate).
Added: Seem to be $269 at amazon at present which is around £169.

That said, amazon.co.uk have had the QC15s for less than £240 a few times recently.

mikem132

I have been using the Audio Technica AN-23 for maybe 18 months. I think they are decent for sound cancellation, but not as complete as Bose (over the ear, anyway). I don't like big headphones as they are hot, interfere with sleep, and are more of a problem packing. I suspect Bose does what it usually does with headphones---makes them sound great to the average person while getting ridicule from audiophiles because it is not a perfect, flat response along all frequencies. I could care less.
I like my Audio Technica mainly because they cost under 50 bucks, the use a AAA battery (which lasts a LONG time), they work without power (something Bose just figured out was a good idea), and they are decent at noise suppression of lower/mid frequencies (engine drone, lawn mower, etc.). You still hear muted high frequencies of engines, etc, though---not silence) Spikes in sound get past the sound suppression (like a rap on a tray table). Are they as good as the Bose system---no, in my opinion. However, I can buy 7 pairs of these for the price of the Bose earbuds.

imincontrol

Has anyone tried the QC20 or 20i on the IFE? Air Canada maybe? I have the QC15 with the iphone compatible cable but it doesn't work on Air Canada's IFE. I always need to change the cable to get some sound out of the IFE.

Thank you.

mg10461

I must be missing something, but I have never had (or tried) active noise canceling ear buds that work as well as over the ear headphones.

For long flights (or long continuous use in general) I think that the comfort outweighs the small differences in sound quality.

I have a pair of sony MDR nC60

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-NC60-...hones+MDR+MC60

I got them on sale in some airport shop - they are the most comfortable by far of any I have tried (but I have a very small head).

Before dropping that kind of money, I would really try them on, or be sure you can return them. What is comfortable for the shape of one person's hears and head is not good for another.