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Product Specifications
Brand NameBose
Color NameSilver
Technical Details
- On-ear fit: Earcups rest gently on your ears
- Bose noise reduction and quality sound for travel, work and home
- Comfortable, lightweight design with an on-ear fit: headphones rest gently on your ears
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery: 25 hours average use per charge
- Fold-flat earcups for easy storage in slim carrying case
Product Details
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Product Description
From the Manufacturer
Bose® QuietComfort® 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones
- High-performing noise reduction headphones for travel, work and home
- Enjoy your music and movies even more, with clear and lifelike sound
- Comfortable and lightweight on-ear fit
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery and charger included
- Ear cups fold flat in slim carrying case for easy storage
Welcome to a quieter world
Compact, on-ear QuietComfort 3 headphones offer a proven combination of Bose® noise reduction, audio performance and comfortable fit. Proprietary Bose technologies deliver quality sound from these award-winning headphones - and make listening a pleasure just about anywhere.
Hear the difference for yourself
Advanced noise reduction and a comfortable fit let you enjoy hours of easy listening.
Wear QC®3 headphones when you fly, and you'll notice a dramatic reduction in engine noise the moment you turn them on. For quality audio, simply plug the cable into your portable player or the in-flight entertainment system.
Use QC3 headphones at home or at work, and distractions fade softly into the background. Of course, no headphones will eliminate all noise. But Bose technologies in QuietComfort 3 headphones work together to make almost any listening experience more rewarding.
Proven performance
QC3 headphones feature Bose Acoustic Noise Cancelling technology that electronically identifies, and then dramatically reduces, the noise around you, while preserving the audio or tranquility you desire. Proprietary signal processing and audio reproduction technology also provide lifelike audio across the full range of sound - including deep low tones - from relatively small and lightweight headphones.
With ambient noise reduced, the high quality sound these headphones provide becomes even more apparent. You may hear nuances in your favorite tracks that you've never noticed before. And the soft-cushioned, easy-on-the-ears fit lets you listen comfortably for hours.
Fine traveling companions
QC3 headphones come with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and convenient wall charger. You can expect 25 hours of use from a fully charged battery, with a lifespan of approximately 500 charging cycles. An airline adapter plug and protective carrying case are also included. Earcups fold flat for easy storage in the slim case.
- Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphone technology, a proprietary Bose innovation, electronically identifies and reduces noise while faithfully preserving the audio or tranquility you desire.
- Compact on-ear design with proprietary soft cushions that establish a critical acoustical seal - helping to further reduce noise while providing a comfortable fit.
- TriPort® acoustic headphone structure, another Bose exclusive, features tiny vents in the earcups to enable a tonally-balanced audio performance - including reproduction of deep, low notes?from relatively small and lightweight headphones
- Active equalization electronically tunes the headphones' frequency response, enabling outstanding audio performance.
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides an average of 25 hours of reliable use per charge. Small wall-socket charger also included.
- Single, detachable audio cable offers greater convenience than standard Y-cables.
- Fold-flat earcups rotate 90 degrees for easy storage and portability in the included case.
- Slim carrying case helps protect headphones and accessories during travel.
QC3 headphones make an ideal travel companion, effectively reducing the noise around you to create a more tranquil environment.
Product Details
| Overall headphone dimensions | 7.38"H x 5.25"W ( 19 cm x 13.5 cm ) |
| Ear cushion outside dimensions | 2.88"H x 2.25"W ( 7.5 cm x 6 cm ) |
| Weight with cable | 5.1 oz (145 g) |
| Battery output power | 3.7VDC, 200mAh |
| Battery life | Approximately 25 hours per charge; 500 charging cycles |
What's in the box
- QuietComfort 3 headphones
- Rechargeable lithium-ion battery
- Battery charger
- Detachable audio cable
- Airline adapter
- Carrying case
Similar Bose Products to Consider
Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphones --The best QuietComfort headphones from Bose reduce even more noise across a wider range of frequencies - using advanced electronics and newly developed ear cushions. They're quieter than ever before, with Bose quality sound and a fit that stays comfortable for hours.
Product Description
Compact, on-ear QuietComfort 3 headphones offer a proven combination of Bose noise reduction, audio performance and comfortable fit. Proprietary Bose technologies deliver quality sound from these award-winning headphones - and make listening a pleasure just about anywhere.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1,608 of 1,621 people found the following review helpful
I have used the Bose QuietComfort QC-2 headphones for about a year, and have traveled to Asia over 5 times with them, and domestic travel as well. About 120 hours of air time. Never took them off. Vastly reduces my jetlag. A pleasure to own and use.
On an impulse buy, I bought the QC-3's after a demo at the local Bose store. 30-day return policy. Compared them side-by-side... both on the airplane, home, with and without sound.
My impressions (your mileage may vary :-)
Noise Cancellation:
The QC-3 has impressive noise cancellation, I think it's incrementally better than the QC-2. Perhaps it's a little too 'aggressive'. Let me explain. I feel a little uncomfortable from a (perceived) pressure on my ear. Note: this is not physical pressure from the ear-pieces, nor is it air-pressure, but rather a physco-acoustic result of noise cancellation. I felt this only slightly with the QC-2's. Bose did an amazing job of noise cancellation given the challenges of an "on-the-ear" design which offers less physical noise isolation due to lack of cups. Everyone has a different tolerance to this pressure, the only way to tell is to try them out. Vote: QC-3 for noise cancellation, QC-2 for comfort (again, will vary from person to person).
Audio Quality:
Using MP3's encoded at 192 kbps, and CD audio, the difference in the two headphones is clear (excuse the pun). The QC-2's are brighter sounding with adequate bass. The QC-3's are a little heavy on the low-end, to the point of sounding muddy. Vote: QC-2.
Construction:
Some have complained about the QC-2's breaking at the stem that attaches each earpiece. I never had this problem, but I am also very careful, especially given their cost. I did notice a person break a QC-2 on the plane trying to turn the earpieces to hard. The build quality of the QC-3 is about the same, the stem may be somewhat narrower, so they could be more prone to breaking, however I do not think it's an issue if you treat them with respect. Vote: equal.
Comfort:
The QC-3's are lighter, but I still prefer the "over-the-ear" type of headphone. They feel like they stay in place better. I would be upset if the QC-3's fell off my head while loading luggage in the overhead bin, only to have someone step on them. I never felt that could happen with the QC-2's. I also would rather have a little physical pressure around my ear, instead of on my ear. Vote: QC-2.
Accessories:
The QC-3 has a less complicated jack that attaches to the headphone (it's detachable, just like the QC-2's). The QC-2 has a hi/low volume control on the jack stem, while the QC-3 has no adjustment and is adjusted somewhere in between (which is why they are not quite as loud as the QC-2's, given the same volume setting from your MP3, DVD, computer, or stereo). The airplance adapter does serve to attenuate the audio further, if needed. The QC-3 carrying case is a little smaller than the QC-2, but not a significant difference. The covering on the QC-3 case is smooth, which I prefer over the QC-2 case. I do not like the way the QC-3's fit in the case, the ear-pieces do not sit firmly where they are supposed to go. With the QC-2, you know exactly how they fit in the case, it just seems like a better fit. Vote: averages to equal.
I hope this quick review is helpful. I elected to stay with the QC-2. Rgds,
On an impulse buy, I bought the QC-3's after a demo at the local Bose store. 30-day return policy. Compared them side-by-side... both on the airplane, home, with and without sound.
My impressions (your mileage may vary :-)
Noise Cancellation:
The QC-3 has impressive noise cancellation, I think it's incrementally better than the QC-2. Perhaps it's a little too 'aggressive'. Let me explain. I feel a little uncomfortable from a (perceived) pressure on my ear. Note: this is not physical pressure from the ear-pieces, nor is it air-pressure, but rather a physco-acoustic result of noise cancellation. I felt this only slightly with the QC-2's. Bose did an amazing job of noise cancellation given the challenges of an "on-the-ear" design which offers less physical noise isolation due to lack of cups. Everyone has a different tolerance to this pressure, the only way to tell is to try them out. Vote: QC-3 for noise cancellation, QC-2 for comfort (again, will vary from person to person).
Audio Quality:
Using MP3's encoded at 192 kbps, and CD audio, the difference in the two headphones is clear (excuse the pun). The QC-2's are brighter sounding with adequate bass. The QC-3's are a little heavy on the low-end, to the point of sounding muddy. Vote: QC-2.
Construction:
Some have complained about the QC-2's breaking at the stem that attaches each earpiece. I never had this problem, but I am also very careful, especially given their cost. I did notice a person break a QC-2 on the plane trying to turn the earpieces to hard. The build quality of the QC-3 is about the same, the stem may be somewhat narrower, so they could be more prone to breaking, however I do not think it's an issue if you treat them with respect. Vote: equal.
Comfort:
The QC-3's are lighter, but I still prefer the "over-the-ear" type of headphone. They feel like they stay in place better. I would be upset if the QC-3's fell off my head while loading luggage in the overhead bin, only to have someone step on them. I never felt that could happen with the QC-2's. I also would rather have a little physical pressure around my ear, instead of on my ear. Vote: QC-2.
Accessories:
The QC-3 has a less complicated jack that attaches to the headphone (it's detachable, just like the QC-2's). The QC-2 has a hi/low volume control on the jack stem, while the QC-3 has no adjustment and is adjusted somewhere in between (which is why they are not quite as loud as the QC-2's, given the same volume setting from your MP3, DVD, computer, or stereo). The airplance adapter does serve to attenuate the audio further, if needed. The QC-3 carrying case is a little smaller than the QC-2, but not a significant difference. The covering on the QC-3 case is smooth, which I prefer over the QC-2 case. I do not like the way the QC-3's fit in the case, the ear-pieces do not sit firmly where they are supposed to go. With the QC-2, you know exactly how they fit in the case, it just seems like a better fit. Vote: averages to equal.
I hope this quick review is helpful. I elected to stay with the QC-2. Rgds,
654 of 663 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I was preparing for a long trip to Ukraine. This involved both a very long initial flight, then a flight from Kiev to Lviv, plus many 3+ hr long van rides to various destinations and an overnight train trip between the main cities. I knew I would really need a noise cancelling headphone. With the Bose QuietComfort 3 just coming on the market, I was willing to pay the top dollar in order to maintain my sanity.
When I first received my headphone set - only days after it was released - I was thrilled. It was small, easy to carry in its slim case, and it had a rechargeable battery. This seemed like the perfect headphone for travel. I already had my 60 gig iPod ready with "sleep music". Now all I had to do was plug it in, and encounter pure bliss.
The headphones were really comfortable to "put on" - they fit on top of the ears rather than "around the ears" like the previous model. They were very light and non-intrusive. Lying sideways on a pillow didn't pose much of a problem. I waited the proper time to charge up the battery, and then I put them on and turned them on.
WHOMP. It wasn't a *physical* sensation. It's not that the foamy earcups pressed against my ears strongly. It was an INTERNAL sensation - the pressure of the waves of the speaker against my eardrums. It actually hurt. I turned it off. The sensation went away. I turned them on again and WHOMP, there was that pressure again.
This intrigued me so much that I did research and made a specific playlist of songs on my iPod that involved left-right sounds, i.e. songs like We Love You, Lightning Crashes etc. where songs only play out of one speaker or the other (left or right). The pain would definitely come more strongly out of the speaker that was not playing music. Whenever there was "silence" or soft levels of sound, the pressure of the "anti noise generators" would hurt my ears.
My boyfriend thought I was insane :) He did sense it when I played the left-right song set. We went into a local outlet where they had the demos set up of the QuietComfort 3 and the QuietComfort 2 (the older over-ear model). Both are rather good at blocking sound, to pretty much an equivalent degree. However even with their store models I could feel that same pain when the QuietComfort 3 headphone was turned in without a strong sound signal coming through. Of course their sample sounds are all loud, throbbing music, perhaps for this very reason. It's easier to mask an "airplane engine simulation" if you're listening to Santana blasting away on Smooth. I mentioned my ear pressure issue to the clerk, and he said he found the exact same thing.
Finally after about 30 days of testing, I called up Bose and asked to exchange this in for the QuietComfort 2. I would much rather have the around-ear headphone (which really, the case is about exactly the same size and the headphone itself is just as comfortable for me) and have far less pain. My thought is that with the around-ear shape they didn't need to blast directly towards your ear as much with the noise cancelling waves in order to counterbalance the ambient noise.
If you're looking at these, I would really compare the two side by side in a store. I tried my very, very best to stick with the QuietComfort 3 since I already had them in my house and they were smaller. I just couldn't do it - they bothered me too much to imagine using them for 2 weeks straight.
When I first received my headphone set - only days after it was released - I was thrilled. It was small, easy to carry in its slim case, and it had a rechargeable battery. This seemed like the perfect headphone for travel. I already had my 60 gig iPod ready with "sleep music". Now all I had to do was plug it in, and encounter pure bliss.
The headphones were really comfortable to "put on" - they fit on top of the ears rather than "around the ears" like the previous model. They were very light and non-intrusive. Lying sideways on a pillow didn't pose much of a problem. I waited the proper time to charge up the battery, and then I put them on and turned them on.
WHOMP. It wasn't a *physical* sensation. It's not that the foamy earcups pressed against my ears strongly. It was an INTERNAL sensation - the pressure of the waves of the speaker against my eardrums. It actually hurt. I turned it off. The sensation went away. I turned them on again and WHOMP, there was that pressure again.
This intrigued me so much that I did research and made a specific playlist of songs on my iPod that involved left-right sounds, i.e. songs like We Love You, Lightning Crashes etc. where songs only play out of one speaker or the other (left or right). The pain would definitely come more strongly out of the speaker that was not playing music. Whenever there was "silence" or soft levels of sound, the pressure of the "anti noise generators" would hurt my ears.
My boyfriend thought I was insane :) He did sense it when I played the left-right song set. We went into a local outlet where they had the demos set up of the QuietComfort 3 and the QuietComfort 2 (the older over-ear model). Both are rather good at blocking sound, to pretty much an equivalent degree. However even with their store models I could feel that same pain when the QuietComfort 3 headphone was turned in without a strong sound signal coming through. Of course their sample sounds are all loud, throbbing music, perhaps for this very reason. It's easier to mask an "airplane engine simulation" if you're listening to Santana blasting away on Smooth. I mentioned my ear pressure issue to the clerk, and he said he found the exact same thing.
Finally after about 30 days of testing, I called up Bose and asked to exchange this in for the QuietComfort 2. I would much rather have the around-ear headphone (which really, the case is about exactly the same size and the headphone itself is just as comfortable for me) and have far less pain. My thought is that with the around-ear shape they didn't need to blast directly towards your ear as much with the noise cancelling waves in order to counterbalance the ambient noise.
If you're looking at these, I would really compare the two side by side in a store. I tried my very, very best to stick with the QuietComfort 3 since I already had them in my house and they were smaller. I just couldn't do it - they bothered me too much to imagine using them for 2 weeks straight.
629 of 646 people found the following review helpful
I did a fairly comprehensive A/B test this evening at our local Bose store (their first stock arrived today).
I had given my QC-2s to my wife and bought ER 6i's because of the bulk of the QC-2 case when travelling, but have never been wholly comfortable with the ER 6i's stuffed in my ear canals.
I saw the QC-3 ads and since I am travelling to Europe next week I hoped to secure a pair before leaving.
What I found physically: QC-3s are for me less comfortable with the required pressure on the ear. The QC-2s feel 'lighter' to wear, though they are actually around 20% heavier. The QC-3 case is slightly smaller and thinner, but not significantly, and with the battery charger, if anything slightly heavier.
A small, but potentially critical design flaw: the QC-3 'on' light is incorporated into the switch, rather dull and much easier to miss, certainly under store lighting. But if you leave them on from your last use, since they use a rechargeable battery requiring a mains charger, you will be out of luck on that long flight! With the QC-2, the risk is far less and the remedy a single spare AA battery (30 hours of use with the QC-2s v 20 hours per charge with the QC-3 rechargeable battery).
What I found aurally: to my ears, and those of a Bose staff member who joined me in the test, the QC-2's are slightly more detailed, with slightly more depth. This is in a quiet store, not an airplane, mind you, and listening to a CD not (a compressed) iPod source. I would guess that any aural difference would be much harder to hear on a plane.
Fact is, in a store one has no way of knowing just what the acoustic differences will be on a plane. Evidently the QC-3s have stronger noice cancellation to compensate for their open design. What is the net effect of this?
I was tempted to purchase the QC-3's to allow an on flight comparison with my wife's QC-2's (and of course to be the 'first kid on the block'!)
But just on a comfort level alone, for me, the QC-2's win out and I purchased another pair (albeit the recently updated version).
So why didn't I buy them on Amazon? If it hadn't been for the 4-5 day initial shipment delay and my imminent departure for Europe, I would have One-Clicked my way to the QC-3's but in this case I'm glad I didn't!
I had given my QC-2s to my wife and bought ER 6i's because of the bulk of the QC-2 case when travelling, but have never been wholly comfortable with the ER 6i's stuffed in my ear canals.
I saw the QC-3 ads and since I am travelling to Europe next week I hoped to secure a pair before leaving.
What I found physically: QC-3s are for me less comfortable with the required pressure on the ear. The QC-2s feel 'lighter' to wear, though they are actually around 20% heavier. The QC-3 case is slightly smaller and thinner, but not significantly, and with the battery charger, if anything slightly heavier.
A small, but potentially critical design flaw: the QC-3 'on' light is incorporated into the switch, rather dull and much easier to miss, certainly under store lighting. But if you leave them on from your last use, since they use a rechargeable battery requiring a mains charger, you will be out of luck on that long flight! With the QC-2, the risk is far less and the remedy a single spare AA battery (30 hours of use with the QC-2s v 20 hours per charge with the QC-3 rechargeable battery).
What I found aurally: to my ears, and those of a Bose staff member who joined me in the test, the QC-2's are slightly more detailed, with slightly more depth. This is in a quiet store, not an airplane, mind you, and listening to a CD not (a compressed) iPod source. I would guess that any aural difference would be much harder to hear on a plane.
Fact is, in a store one has no way of knowing just what the acoustic differences will be on a plane. Evidently the QC-3s have stronger noice cancellation to compensate for their open design. What is the net effect of this?
I was tempted to purchase the QC-3's to allow an on flight comparison with my wife's QC-2's (and of course to be the 'first kid on the block'!)
But just on a comfort level alone, for me, the QC-2's win out and I purchased another pair (albeit the recently updated version).
So why didn't I buy them on Amazon? If it hadn't been for the 4-5 day initial shipment delay and my imminent departure for Europe, I would have One-Clicked my way to the QC-3's but in this case I'm glad I didn't!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Just great - as simple as that!
My Bose QuietComfort 3 is just the best headphones I ever tried. Sound is great and the noice cancelling system is worth every dime - back ground noise is just gone when flying.
Published 3 hours ago by Jesper
QC3 noise cancelling marginal
I fly frequently and wanted quality headphones with noise cancellation. At $350, these are very expensive but I have always trusted the Bose name and assumed they would perform... Read more
Published 12 days ago by Patrick
Good product and excellent service
Over 5 years ago I bought a pair of QC3 headphones. I travel about 8 or more times a year and cover about 100,000 miles and with each flight my QC3's are with me. Read more
Published 26 days ago by tatlflier2012
Great headphones
Everyone knows BOSE has the best sound quality when it comes to audio devices, holds true for these headphones. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Susy
Better than expected
I bought these headphones mostly for their noise reduction capabilities. By reading previous reviews, I was expecting they would be useful mostly for flying, but not much in daily... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Arturo Camacho L.
1st one, awful; 2nd one, perfect
Bought these before my long flight last month, however when playing music, the sound only came from one side. For $350 headphones it's unforgivable. Read more
Published 2 months ago by VictorL
Noise cancellation Great, Durability Mediocre
I've always worked in enclosed office, but I took my first job in a cubed environment 4.5 years ago. I find the background noise distracting, so I bought these headphones. Read more
Published 2 months ago by swengineer
great toy
Great head phones great sound, expected bit more of the noise cancelling in the plane but very happy with them.
So I gave them to my girlfriend :)
So I gave them to my girlfriend :)
Published 2 months ago by Jaap
Expensive but Amazing
I bought those headphone about a month ago and I wanted to expose my personal experience by using them. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Juan Andrés Muńoz
cheap hardware
The audio cables for these headphones are not as durable as they should be, given what I paid. After a year of heavy use, the copper wire became exposed at the joint where it plugs... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Erik Thompson
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