Noise Cancelling headphones

[HardieBoys]

Has anyone who has used the Bose QC2 headphones switched over to the new QC3 ones? I'm still loving my QC2 pair, and find them very comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The 'on ear' design of the QC3 look great, but I'm not sure about the comfort factor over many hours of continuous use. I have seen the carry case the QC3 headphones come in, and they're no smaller than the QC2.

 

[alect]

Has anyone who has used the Bose QC2 headphones switched over to the new QC3 ones? I'm still loving my QC2 pair, and find them very comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The 'on ear' design of the QC3 look great, but I'm not sure about the comfort factor over many hours of continuous use. I have seen the carry case the QC3 headphones come in, and they're no smaller than the QC2.

I have never owned a pair of Bose (I have Etys), but have used them both plenty of times on AA. Although the carry case is about the same, the QC3s are materially smaller than the QC2s. QC2s are over ear, while the QC3s are on-ear (ie they don't surround your ear love but sit atop it). I personally prefer the QC3s due to their smaller size and no noticeable decrease in NC effectiveness over the QC2s. YMMV.

 

[NM]

The audio quality and noise cancelling capabilities are basically the same for the QC2 and QC3 models. The only difference is the over-ear vs on-ear. This difference does result in a small variation in overall size as noted.

So it really comes down to personal preference for over-ear vs on-ear. Different people will have different preferences for that.

 

[browski]

The on-the-ear QC3s were developed primarily for people who wear glasses. The "Active" noise cancellation component of QC3's is slightly greater than the QC2s - and it has to be because the "Passive" cancellation of QC3s can only ever be at a minimum.

Bose replaced my QC2's in November when they were out of warranty. The arm had a crack in it. They gave me a new set of QC2's, a lexar mp3 player and 2 x Bose t-shirts. The turn-around was 4 days.

Could not be more impressed.

 

[Commuter]

There are 3 basic types of personal audio devices, being:

• Headphones - over-the-ear speakers held in place with some form of band. The Bose Quiet Comfort noise cancelling headphones fall into this category.
• Earbud Earphones - these are the type most devices like iPods come with. They sit in the outer ear. An example is the earphones supplied by Apple when you buy an iPod and the Bang & Olufsen earphones sold by Qantas in-flight duty free. These are also known as ear buds.
• In-ear earphones are designed to sit inside the ear canal. The make an acoustic seal with the ear canal. The insert has to be shaped in such a manner as to get right inside the ear and not just sit on the outside of the ear. Examples are the Shure E series and the Etymotic earphones.

Thanks NM, so I did get it right. I had discomfort in using the word 'ear' twice in a row It's definitely the in-ear earphones that I was talking about.

 

[sambo]

I went through the process of choosing NC headphones a few years back, andended up getting the Plane Quiet type. I think they were about $79, and worked tremendously well, but my goodness are they poorly made. They still work, but the inner headband has long since departed making them none too comfortable anymore. Only 1 year warranty on them unfortunately.

For those reading these posts and considering buying a pair for flying, some things to consider are:

* Wearing any headphones for an extended period, such as when flying, tends to make your ears uncomfortably hot.
* I thought they'd be good to aid sleeping, but it is very uncomfortable leaning your head against something while wearing headphones.

Having tried quite a few brands out recently, I would certainly lean towards the QCIIs overall. And given the customer service and support, it makes the price a bit easier to swallow.

 

[wandering_fred]

Anyone on the list use AltecLansing 712i headphones?

I can get more than 2 sets for the price of one of the "name" brands.....


Happy (quietly) wandering

Fred

 

[BJReplay]

Anyone on the list use AltecLansing 712i headphones?

No, but I used the 716s up until a week ago when I lost them and my Sony NW005 when they fell out of my bag (I think) getting into a taxi at BNE.

My ears are still ringing after two flights without the benefit of no noise.

Loved them. Only thing I found was that they were a very tight fit - when I first used them I thought I'd made a bad purchase, and they'd be too uncomfortable. Once I got used to them (about the second flight), fantastic.

Got them here: Altec Lansing iM716 Noise Isolation Headphones

Back here looking for opinions again, but thinking that the 716s are worth getting again. Where can you get the 712s, and at what price?

 

[dasher2]

I have had a pair of Sony Noise Cancelling headphones (MDRNC50
) for about 2 years and they have been great, however while in Denver last week I tried out the QC2 and QC3 headphones (airport promo). They are pretty impressive. From using an over the ear type for so long the QC2 were more appealing. I was meeting someone who had a pair and ran a comparison between the Sony and Bose.

The Bose head phones defiantly have much better sound, more depth. It was really noticeable which surprised me. However the Sonys do have a couple of features, like a microphone button located on the side of the ear phone which you can press to hear when people are talking to you or when an announcement is being made. In saying that, pulling one ear off isn't that hard. The other feature the Sony has over the Bose, is the fact that once the battery runs dead, they still act as earphones, the Bose don't. Both have good cases, the Bose has better storage inside the pouch.

I purchased the QC2 based on the sound quality over the Sonys (much better), they are also slightly smaller and I just had them on for 8 hours of a LAX - BNE flight and slept with them on no problems. The QC3 uses a battery charger, not std batteries, (sony uses batt too) I know I always forget to me mobile so that was a worry that I would get on a flight and find them dead. (I carry an extra battery for the QC2 and previously Sony). The two other things that leant me towards the QC2s over QC3 was that the QC3 we on the ear, and easily pushed off if you wanted to sleep in them, and the pouch is tiny, and doesn't really lend itself to carry things like Ipods. The Bose shop recommended I purchase a 2nd rechargeable battery, which to me indicated that the battery life could be an issue, the QC2 has a longer life. In saying that, if you remembered to charge the QC3s, there wouldn’t be too much of an issue. Oh one other thing, the Sonys with no audio, just noise cancelling seem to be clearer then the QC2s that had a slight hissing noise, not annoying, just a slight noise. But the QC2 does have much better sound with audio.

I did also try the in-ear bose earphones, there where great, fit well and sound great, but I wasn't looking for that type but if you like that type, they are great.

So anyway, that’s my opinion, I am sure there is a degree of personal preference here, but I hope this helps if you wondering which way to go. But before you buy, be sure to try them on, even take you our ipod with your own music and give it a try. Once you do have a good set, you will use them over and over!!!