t325

I was at Costco today and noticed they had QC15s for $239.99. I have a 16+ hour jaunt on QF8 later this summer and was looking to get a pair of NC headphones because my in-ear buds just aren't cutting out sound well enough for me to sleep on planes.

I tried on the demo pair they had and was impressed. It completely blocked out the sound of the HVAC system humming at Costco. Without music playing, all I could hear was one of the demo TVs behind me - barely. Once I played music, that was all I heard and they sounded great. I almost purchased them but figured I'd do some research on them first, and have a few questions.

1: It seems like the QC15s have been discontinued (at least no one else sells them) and have been replaced by QC25s which run $300. Are they worth an extra 60 bucks? Normally, I'd be concerned about buying a discontinued model of something, but with Costco's amazing return policy, it's not as big of a concern.
2: I was looking on Amazon for other NC headphones and found the AudioTechnica ATH-ANC70 for $180. How do these compare to the QC15s? Would they be just as good for less money?
3: Is $240 a good price for QC15s? Normally, I'd compare Costco's price to Amazon, Best Buy, etc. But with no one else selling new QC15s, I have nothing to compare to.

I have no flights planned between now and my flight to SYD, so I'm in no particular rush to buy NC headphones. If the QC15s are an amazing deal, I'll buy them this week before they sell out. If not, I can wait and see if a better deal on QC25s or other headphones come along

gfunkdave

The QC15s have been discontinued.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...headphone.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...mfort-2-a.html

t325

That's what I thought too, but Costco had a huge display of them. Granted, they only had those cards that you take up front to get them so I don't know if they're actually in stock, but I couldn't imagine them having a massive display if they weren't in stock.

boberonicus

I can't answer any of your excellent questions, but I can say that I have a pair of QC-15s that have I've used for years, flying over 100k miles a year, and I have no plans to upgrade them to the current model.

Unless they break! Bose has historically had a generous replacement / upgrade policy for out-of-warranty equipment. I had to replace the QC-15s once and it was a very painless in-store replacement. I think they charged me $100 which seems very reasonable to me.

Mikity

I personally didn't like the Bose "over ear" models such as QC-15 etc. since I felt a subtle suction effect once noise cancellation was switched on (seems like I'm not the only one) - ended up going for the less awkward (but also less isolating) QC3s.

gobluetwo

In addition to the "on-ear" versions, Bose also has the in-ear QC20 / QC20i.

Mikity

That's true!
Although frankly, I find those even more uncomfortable - sticking in your ear canal all the time. Different strokes, I guess

DMSFCA

Left a longer post that was deleted:

I have several different models of Bose headphones that I really want to like but my ears get so darn hot when I use them for extended flights, even the on-ear ones.

I switched to some Shure e3c 'phones that I've been using for the last few years and they have been great.

Unable to give up, I picked up some Bose QC20i in-ears a few weeks back. I used them on a round-the-world travel bender with lots of long 10+ hours flights and after about 5 hours the QC20i would irritate my inner ear canal, don't know if it's the way the fit or what. The Shure headphones are not the same thing, but using the yellow foam inserts I could ear those things for days without pain.

More traveling coming up in a week with lots of long trips so will try to the QC20i again to see how it goes. Does anyone make different ear pieces? The mediums fit fine but something about them digs into my ears over time.

swanscn

Like others I have the QC-15's, but have also owned the QC3's and QC2's. The one thing in the original post was you mentioned sleeping with them on. Since I sleep on my side this is not a option for me and even if you sleep on your back it may be a issue if you move around a bit. I have never liked the in-ear products from any manufacturer they just never seem to fit and want to fall out.

tentseller

If they are discontinued by Bose and marked down at Costco it is Bose clearing out remaining inventory.