BOSE QC2's - First Use
 

With so many posting on the QC 2's I don't recall one where someone talked about their first use after buying a pair, I could be wrong but for anyone thinking about buying a pair - they are worth the cost. I traveled from ORD - MIA on UA this week and bought my pair the day before my departue.

I purchased them from a local BOSE store, the staff were friendly and explained everything about them, I had done my homework, mostly thanks to FT. Right now BOSE is running a promo so I got a free mini cd player (promo runs throught 1/31/05 I believe). The case holds them perfectly, is small enough to easily fit into any carry-on (they are not bulky at all),and you get a number of adapters included that should cover most any type of connection.

I am a UAL Channel 9 fan (live ATC) and the quality was unbelievable, crystal clear with no static or interference. I also experimented with the regular audio channels, as well as the audio from the movie channels, all come through with the same high quality.

The noise cancelling is by far the best feature, a simple click of a switch and all of the ambient noise inside the cabin was gone, I was seated in E+ and had to keep looking back every once in awhile to make sure there were still people behind me in the rest of the cabin! From engine noise to babies crying to FA's serving beverages, all was gone.

The comfort factor is superior, I didn't think I'd be able to make it (even on this short 3 hr. flight to MIA) with the phones on the whole time but they are extremely comfortable and easy to adjust as well.

Well - that's my two cents if anyone else is looking to buy - I did and am very happy and would definately recommend these to anyone.

Thanks!

I just had my first experience with my QC2's....amazing! I bought them on impulse last week in Aruba and flew the following day.

As soon as I got to my seat, I fired up the jazz channel on the aircraft's audio channel and found it to be fairly high fidelity. The headphones have a great dynamic range and sound wonderful. After a while I unplugged it from the audio to check the noise surpression. It was very quiet, but I could still hear just a slight sound of the jets. Then I turned off the headphones....WOW! What a difference!

I will never fly without them again. I have to take a few flights on American Eagle this week. The ATRs are extremely noisy. I can't wait to kill that sound!

I've owned the QC2s for over a year now, and they've been great, though I do take them for granted. On a recent trip, I completely dozed off right after putting them on. It's amazing how much noise these babies block out.

aloha

Or how many babies the QC2's block out

Do any of the QC owners wear glasses? I'm wondering if the earpieces will interfere with the "seal".

I'm an eyeglass wearer, and the seal is just fine. If you want that true "hermetic" seal, though, you'll need to get rid of the glasses, shave your head, and apply a liberal coating of silicone lubricant to the earcups :D

I had my first experience with BOSE while flying on AA in business to Tokyo several years ago. I bought the QC2 shortly after they came out last year. A nice improvement over the old ones. I was on a flight to HNL last year in BF, and the couple sitting across from us were unpacking two new sets. I was watching them trying to figure out how to get them to work. After what seemed like 30 minutes, they put them back in their cases stowed them. After meal service, I went over and asked how they liked them. The wife (assuming) seemed upset at her husband as she said he had to buy these d*?!m things and they don't even work. I asked if I could see one to see if I could figure them out. Well, they didn't have batteries in them. Seems they didn't see the battery in the package. I placed the battery in them and showed them how they worked. They were both appreciative and thanked me again at the baggage claim area after the flight.

I would guess about 2/3 of the flyers in BF had either BOSE or another type of noise cancelling headsets.

I wear glasses and have no problem with the seal at all. In fact, my usual in-flight attire is the Bose and a pair of sunglasses -- ah, it's the only way to fly!

Now that sounds like a party! ;)

I forget that I am on a plane and think that I am in a movie theater with surround sound when I watch a DVD in flight (even wearing glasses so I can see the screen!)

I am a believer!!! I don't leave home without my Bose NC 2 headset.

I got mine in August this year and used them for the first time on LHR-SFO on BA J upstairs. I was quite amazed and liked the way announcements over the PA became clearer ^ I kept them on the whole flight even when not listening to music/IFE and found them comfortable to sleep in too.

I don't travel that much but for anyone who does travel frequently whether by train or airplane get these, they may be expensive but you won't regret it ^

I purchased a pair of QC2's last week along with an iPOD. Had them on my MSP-SFO flight last week and they worked great! They really do block out a lot of the background noise.

Although there are somewhat differing opinions, I really think that this is one of those things that you don't know how you lived without. I've thoroughly enjoyed mine, and have used it quite a bit. I love how I feel relaxed and like I'm in my own little world during a flight. I can shut out everything and either sleep/rest, read, or watch a movie I love it.

Isn't it interesting that this seems to be the one topic that everyone on FT can agree about? As I posted earlier, I'm a happy QC2 owner as well.

How nice to find a product that actually delivers what it promises!

QC2 Reservations
 

Maybe I'm the only person on flyer talk that has some reservations regarding the headphones. I find myself sweating after wearing these headphones for about an hour. They are great for cancelling much of the ambient noise, but they DO NOT get completely rid of the noise coming from the two people sitting next to you.

For short periods of time, as well as movies on my laptop, these headphones are superb. For me they are definitely not wearable for an extended period of time without some physical discomfort in my ears.

I don't think anyone ever suggested that they would. They're designed to eliminate the whoosh and roar that accompanies air travel. In that regard, they're superb. Interestingly, I notice that, even if I don't listen to music, removing that background white noise roar makes a huge difference in how rested and relaxed I am when I arrive.

Which ones do you have? The QC1s used to bother me a bit after serveral hours. I can wear the new QC2s, though, throughout the longest flight without discomfort.

I, too, bought the QC2's earlier this year. They are good. But big and there is something better for both sound isolation and acoustical quality. And a far better value.

My QC2's are for sale now, no regrets.

The better,IMO, product is the Shure earphones. I have the E2c's ($99.00) and just got the E5c's ($499.00) I will return the E5c's - they are just not that much better. Purchased on the Shure web site, they can be returned within 30 days "no questions asked."

The E2c's DO block out conversations as well as engine rumble. I just retuned MXP -ZRH - DFW -SFO yesterday. Arrived rested and having enjoyed two movies and hours of music from the iPod as though I was sitting in my living room.

Best wishes,

Teacher49

I guess I'm one of the non-believers. I have tried the QC2's on several occasions. I will note that they ARE very comfortable. The noise-cancelling is acceptable, but not anything special IMO - I never claim to be H :-). I have taken my $50 targus NC headphones into a bose store and up to a bose kiosk and let them try to sell me. Each time my cheap targus set cancels the noise better than the Bose. I even handed it to the girl at the bose kiosk at PIT and she was just dumbfounded. In any case, I walked away without a set of QC2, but with $250 in my pocket.

When my targus headphones broke and I couldn't find them anymore (stupid me - I sat on them) I evaluated the field all over again. I was so dissatisfied with what I found that I drove 75 miles to a compusa that still had two pairs.

My targus set cancels up to 16db. I can't say how it compares because Bose does not publish specs - a carryover from the fact that they don't publish specs for their speakers due to their poor midrange performance. I would strongly suspect that they are right around the 10db-12db camp.

The short of it: I wouldn't buy a set of headphones without listening to the competition. My requirements may vary from yours since I prefer use a seperate set of high-end headphones for non-NC use, but if NC capbility is your primary requirement then I don't think the QC2's are a no brainer.

Bose claims 30db.

I'm unfamiliar with the Targus phones you're referring to. However, NC phones need to be tested under conditions similar to where they'll be used. A kiosk in a mall is not going to present the same aural environment as an airplane in flight. The Bose do an amazing job of reducing the whoosh and roar of the noise generated by the engines and airstream.

I have compared NC phones, and find the Bose to be the clear leader, both in terms of cancellation and in terms of audio quality. You might want to try them in-flight. As I recall, Bose has a 30-day money back guarantee, no questions asked.

They do? You do know that 30db is the attenuation provided by most foam earplugs, right? The Bose are good, but they're not that good . . .

I have borrowed a pair in flight, by the way.

Could you provide a source for 30db? I am skeptical. Would love to see credible sources.

Edited to add: IIRC, each 10db reduction is roughly equivelant to a 50% drop in the percieved sound level. For example, to the average person, 60db sounds twice as loud as 50db. 110db sounds roughly twice as loud as 100db. Therefore a 30db reduction would result in a sound level roughtly 1/8 of the percieved sound level before reduction.

The human perception of volume does not follow a linear relationship like the db level.

A couple of days ago I just took my first flight with the Shure E3cs (which are priced slightly higher than the E2cs but still much lower than the E5cs), which cost me around $130 on sale at ECost.com. Anyway, it was a wonderful experience to insert the earphones and instantly remove about 80 to 90% of the ambient sound without even turning on my mp3 player. Then with the music turned on as you say, it was like being in one's living room and not on a plane. There could have been a screaming baby in the next row and it wouldn't have bothered me.

Only problem is you have to be good at lip reading and learn to control the volume of your own voice without the normal auditory feedback.

Any doubts I may have had about the purchase were erased by that first flight experience with the headphones. To me these in the ear canal ear buds were worth the hassle of learning how to properly insert them and getting used to wearing them.

I can't find a reference, except for Bose' aviation headsets. Perhaps I'm remembering it wrong.

I carry both the QC2s and the Shure E2c's
 

Use either or both depending on the aircraft and what/whether I'm listening to.

On RJs, the noise is an order of magnitude (10dB) louder than mainline a/c, so I'll typically use both - E2c's plugged into my audio source (MP3 player or laptop) and QC2's over the ears, with the cord removed.

On international flights I'll usually just use the QC2s, with foam earplugs for sleep periods.

Audio on the QC2s is very good, and the ANR is adequate for most flights - on 777s they're all you need. The QC2s alone allow one to converse with others (FAs etc.) while the "double-bag" of EC2's in-ear plus the QC2s on ANR mode pretty much blocks ALL sound, inhibiting normal conversation.

Any way to get miles for the purchase of these headphones or are they only available directly from BOSE?

Link to Hammacher-Schlemmer from something like Mileageplusmall.com.

And use a mileage earning credit card.

I finally gave in a week ago and bought the QC2s (here at Bose in SIN: S$90 off, a free CD player--which I don't need but which will make a nice Xmas present--and a promotion with Citibank credit cards for up to 36 months interest-free installments). Have used them for my two short flights since then, and already loved them. Am actually looking forward to SIN-LAX in a couple of weeks... :D

I got mine from Crutchfield, free shipping and the bonus CD player. I think it was 299, but worth the price to me. Not only for the airplane, I even use them around the wife and kids at home when I'm trying to work. :D

I used the CO chase MC. Or you can go through skymall but they kill you on shipping charges and probably won't give you the cd player but I'm not positive on that.

To the people who own or use the bose queit comfort 2-

Would you recommend the produce?
Does it elimiate all sound?
Does it eliminate the sound of other people talking?
Is it worth it?
Does it really work ?
And what is it really good for?
Thanks

I'd recommend the QC2 to people, with light sound playing in the headphones they do not cancel out all sound but a lot of it (for me), without sound playing it does deaden the sound but not elimite it totally. Cancels enough noise out without music for ME to sleep. It is worth it to me (I would buy them again or buy them for gift for others). As I mentioned earlier, I use them at home and office as well as travel. I have tried the E2C's but did not like them in the ear. It was just not comfortable to me. Everyone is different, E2C's are a nice product, some people prefer in the ear headphones and others do not.

I recommend you do a search in this forum using topics like "noise cancel", "BOSE" and "QC2" to start with, for information on what people think of this product and what the noise cancelling headphones are used for.

As you can see from this thread, the BOSE are either loved or there is a preferred alternative. I am a BOSE QC2 user and use them religiously during long flights. They do not cancel out voices/conversation just the background drone of the engine noise.

Dont Leave Home Without Them!
 

I was traveling ord-fll in fc and there were at least 5 add'l pax that were using them. Talk about a great restimonial.

Worth every penny for the nc feature and excellent audio quality.

Sound investment
 

The QC2 are great, but I've gone through two pairs of them where there is a clicking sound every now and then. It is annoying when the clicking sounds are more frequent because I often just wear the QCs without listening to music.

Bose should just sell these things at the gates or rent them. Paint them Green and Orange and rent them for $25. ....Now there's an idea.

Are the in-ear Shure NC headphones comfortable for long periods of time? Other ear-bud headphones I've had for my cd player, etc hurt my ears after a whiel and weren't comfortable to sleep in, but I always had pretty cheap ones. Since I like to sleep with my head to the side sometimes, I can't imagine being comfortable with big over-ear QC2s on.. Anyone?

Right now what I do if I want to sleep is inflate my neck pillow, put in fifty cent foam earplugs, and take two benadryl. That system works great, but since I've been thinking of getting new headphones for general use anyway, I might as well get NCs. ;)

peace,
~Ben~

QC2 and Sleep
 

It's hard to sleep with the QC2s if you want to lean against the side of the plane. You really have to just keep your head back. One improvement the QCs could go in is to make them like the Sony headphones that wrap around the back of the neck. But then again, Sony should probably work on making their noise-cancelling algorithm work better than the QCs!

I find the ones that wrap around the back of the head aren't as comfortable for me. Maybe because I wear glasses.

Never mind listening to music, the drowning of baby sounds is worthwhile enough!

Seriously, I'm travelling to the US in January from UK..can anyone give me a rough price for these headphones when bought in an electronics store etc.

$299 a pair unless you can find a special at ecost.com -- also there are sometimes discounts when you buy 2 sets at once.

I haven't seen them in an "electronics" store, per se. The headphones are available from Bose booths in most major airports, Bose stores in a lot of malls in major areas via the web.

No NC headphone is going to help with crying babies. They are only effective for constant low-frequency sounds like the drone of jet engines and air conditioning.

This week I have my first opportunity to do a side-by-side test in-flight between Bose QC2 and Shure E3. This was on an AA 777 flight ORD to NRT, so plenty of time to test and compare. I have been using my Shure E3's for some time now and have only used the Bose on a few AA international J flights. This was my first with the QC2's.

The bose certainly work well for descreasing the low-frequency sounds. But they do add a significant amount of higher frequency noise (hiss). They are comfortable when sitting, but don't try to lie with your head sideways on a pillow. The 30dB noise reduction claim in a previous post is an exageration. They can be worn while holding a conversation with the FA or a seat partner.

The Shure E3's are a lot more sensitive (at least 6dB if not more like 10-12dB), so the audio source can be operated a lower level reducing the noise of the amplifier itself. The isolation from the E3's cuts out the low frequency drones (engines, air conditioning etc) at least as well as the Bose, without the addition of the hiss. They are also easier for sleeping. They most definately must be removed to hold a conversation with the FA or a seat partner.

However, some poeple find wearing in-ear phones uncomfortable, even with the fit-kit provided with the Shures (various size and flexibility sleeves).

For the price (US$137 delivered, less than half the Bose QC2), and the very small package to carry around, I will be sticking with my E3's.

As an owner of the Bose QC2s (and having used canalphones in the past), I'd agree with the above with the caveat that they don't really add hiss . . . they just don't attenuate it as much as the lower frequencies. Eliminating higher frequency background noise with noise cancellation technology is nearly impossible outside of a carefully controlled environment.

The actual attenuation at the lower frequencies is more like 15-17dB.

I'm one of those that find canalphones uncomfortable, and dislike having to remove them to talk to a seat-mate or FA. Getting them reseated properly and quickly takes practice, too.