Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones

by Bose

Product Features

• The best Bose® headphones reduce noise across a wide range of frequencies
• Enjoy music and movies with clear and lifelike sound
• Comfortable, around-the-ear fit; ideal for frequent flyers
• Includes cable with remote for iPhone®/iPod® control, mic for hands-free iPhone calling
• AAA battery: 35 hours average life

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 3 x 6.5 inches ; 7.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0054JJ0QW
• Item model number: 48595
• Batteries 1 AAA batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (998 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #5 in Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Audio & Video Accessories > Headphones
  • #14 in Electronics > Portable Audio & Video > MP3 Players & Accessories > MP3 Player Accessories
  • #41 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 6, 2011

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones

• The Bose® best headphones reduce noise across a wide range of frequencies
• Enjoy music and movies with clear and lifelike sound
• Comfortable, around-the-ear fit
• Includes cable with remote for iPhone®/iPod® control, mic for hands-free iPhone calling
• AAA battery: 35 hours average life
• Ideal for frequent flyers

Full Spectrum Noise Reduction

They're the best Bose headphones, period. QuietComfort 15 headphones feature exclusive Bose advancements in noise reduction technology. You hear less noise and more of your music and movies-with quality sound and a long-lasting comfortable fit. You won't find this combination of benefits in any other headphone.

Bose technology at work

Engine roar fades to a whisper

Within every pair of QC®15 headphones, advanced electronics use microphones inside and outside each earcup to sense the sounds around you-and reduce the noise. Proprietary ear cushion technology blocks some of the noise before it even reaches your ears. Together, these Bose innovations add up to a more enjoyable listening experience.

Relax with music - or without it

QC15 headphones also feature proprietary signal processing and TriPort® acoustic headphone structure for more lifelike sound-including deep low notes-from small, lightweight earcups. And when you'd rather relax without music, switch on QC headphones to simply reduce the noise around you, wherever you are.

Take calls. Take control

QC15 headphones come with a cable customized for select Apple® products. A three-button remote and microphone let you take calls on your iPhone and control music functions on other Apple devices. You can also purchase a mobile kit that lets your QC headphones work with other cell phones, too.

Welcome to a better-sounding world

Switch between calls and music with a press of a button

When you fly with QC15 headphones, engine roar fades to a whisper. When you listen at home or at work, fewer distractions get in the way of your music. And when you want to stay connected, calls are just a button-press away. QC15 headphones continue to give you more of what you want to hear, and less of what you don't.

QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones Highlights

• Significant noise reduction across a wider range of frequencies. Proprietary Bose innovations use microphones both inside and outside each earcup to sense and reduce the sounds around you.
• 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.
• Interchangeable audio cables, one for general use, and one just for select Apple products, offer greater convenience than permanently connected Y-cables.

The inline remote puts control right at your fingertips
• Inline microphone allows for hands-free iPhone conversation and access to certain voice applications, such as VoiceOver and Voice Control, in other Apple products.
• Inline three-button remote switches between calls and music, and controls volume, track selection and voice applications on select Apple products.
• Advanced ear cushions use new materials in a proprietary design to establish a critical acoustical seal-helping to further reduce noise while providing a comfortable fit.
• 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.

Apple cable compatibility

The QuietComfort 15 inline remote and microphone cable is compatible with iPod nano (4th, 5th and 6th generation), iPod classic (120GB, 160GB only), iPod touch (2nd, 3rd and 4th generation), iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad and iPad 2, and Macbook (unibody) and Macbook Pro. The remote is supported by iPod shuffle (3rd generation). Audio is supported by all iPod models. Requires latest iPod software.

Product Details

Overall headphone dimensions	7.5"H x 6"W x 1.5"D ( 19.1 cm x 15.2 cm x 3.8 cm )
Ear cushion outside dimensions	3.8"H x 2.9"W ( 9.6 cm x 7.4 cm )
Weight with cables	4.9 oz (140 g)

What's in the box

• QuietComfort 15 headphones
• QuietComfort 15 inline remote and microphone cable (detachable)
• Standard audio cable (detachable)
• AAA battery
• Carrying case
• Airline adapter

Similar Bose Products to Consider

Bose® QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones --For those who prefer a compact on-ear design and a rechargeable battery, QuietComfort 3 headphones offer a proven combination of Bose noise reduction, audio performance and comfortable fit. Enjoy full-spectrum noise reduction that dramatically reduces engine roar--and fades background distractions at work and at home, too. Bose quality sound reveals nuances in your music you might have missed. And the soft-cushioned headphones stay comfortable for hours. Earcups fold flat for easy storage in included case.

 

Product Description

QuietComfort 15 headphones feature exclusive Bose advancements in noise reduction technology. You hear less noise and more of your music and movies-with quality sound and a long-lasting comfortable fit. You won't find this combination of benefits in any other headphone.Connectivity Technology: Wired,Jack Type: Angled(3.5 mm) and One (1) Year Warranty.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2,465 of 2,522 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Bose QC15 vs. Sennheiser PXC 450 vs. Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b August 23, 2011

By Joshua Brooks

Bose QC15 vs. Sennheiser PXC 450 vs. Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b

Disclosure: I have tried all these on an airplane. I am not an audiophile. Noise Cancelation is the most important attribute to me.

The Carrying Case: All three are quite durable and stiff.
1.) Bose- the smallest, a low profile, room for an Ipod, accessories too.
2.) Sennheiser- Square shape, low profile, however not a lot of room for anything else in case.
3.) Audio Technica- Nice big case if you want to carry extra stuff (Nintendo DS, ipod, etc).

Build Quality:
1.) Sennheiser- you can tell this is built VERY well. Strong plastics, good components, thick cord. Top notch. You feel like you are getting something really high quality.
2.) Audio Technica- Nice solid construction, appears durable.
3.) Bose- If this had a Sanyo logo on the side, I would not have flinched. How can something $300 be so incredibly cheaply made.

Size:
1.) Bose- as far as over the ears go, these are pretty small.
2.) Audio-Technica- mid-sized.
3.) Sennheiser- These are big. No question, but they store flat.

Comfort:
1.) Sennheiser- Very comfortable, will fit almost any size ears. Keep on for hours.
2.) Bose- Also comfortable. I did not experience "highs" discomfort.
3.) Audio-Technica- Perfectly satisfactory. Larger opening than previous AT model.

Sound:
1.) Sennheiser- I actually wore these at home too, simply to hear parts of songs I had never heard before. Astounding. My 10yr old music collection sounded totally NEW.
2.) Audio-Technica- Well balanced, good sound.
3.) Bose- Great sound, but very heavy on the bass. I listen to a lot of rap and pop, so it was mildly annoying.... I ultimately had to turn my treble settings up on my ipod to balance the sound.

Features:
1.) Sennheiser- nice cord, push to talk button (temporarily mutes NC and sound which is great for interruptions on airplanes).
2.) Bose/Audio Technica- just the basics. Bose simply an on/off switch.

Price:
1.) Audio Technica- $150 to $225 depending on how you shop.
2.) Sennheiser- $200 to $275
3.) Bose- Hard to find below $300+.

Noise Cancelation:
1.) Bose- No question here, far surpassed the other two. Best Noise Cancelation.
2.) Audio-Technica- Good Noise Cancelation.
3.) Sennheiser- Not sure what happened here. Incredible sound, satisfactory noise cancelation.

Summary:

I ultimately kept the Bose because I was only using these for flying and the Sennheiser's (as much as I loved them) let me down in the Noise Cancelation department. The Sennheiser's had by far the most superior sound, but the Bose Noise Cancelation was night and day. The Bose are made very poorly for a $300+ product, it was disappointing.

Final assessment:

Audio-Technica- best balance of value for money
Sennheiser- Best sound and comfort
Bose- Best Noise Cancelation Read more ›

541 of 578 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST NR headsets - period September 27, 2011

By FreeSpirit TOP 100 REVIEWER

I decided to cheap out earlier and bought a pair of Sony NR headsets for $30 and change. They seemed pretty good but on flights, the NR wasn't good enough - way too much background noise. Finally I decided to man up and get the real deal. And boy, what a change (for the better)!

With the Bose headsets, NR means NR, they ain't kidding about when they say NR, absolutely no background noise on the flight. My quick thoughts on this so far:

- You haven't heard true HD sound if you haven't heard it on this headset. And the sound is not like bass or treble heavy, it's just crisp and you can hear every water drop and every single instrument being played. And NR works great both ways on this headset - the surrounding noise is almost cancelled out completely for you when you're using the headsets, and the sound of the sound from the headset doesn't carry out of the headsets either. I can listen to music or movies at a fairly high volume and the person sitting next to me won't hear a thing.

- The leather trim around the headsets makes them extremely comfortable to wear. I wear them on 15-hour flights and don't feel any strain by the end of the flight. My ears or head don't hurt because of the headsets and the plastic strap. They truly are made for comfort.

- It comes with airplane adapter so you can turn it from a single 3.5mm audio cable into one that fits in the airplane sockets. The cable is also detachable completely from the headset, which I actually find very useful when I want to doze off and not be bothered by surrounding noise. You don't realize how effective the headsets are till you take them off and realize how much of background noise they were eliminating!

- The only one downside of this headset is that it runs on a AAA battery.... So I always need to make sure I have fully charged batteries with me at all times. I carry rechargeable batteries (Sanyo Eneloop are the BEST) with a charger. So if I do run out of battery, I can always charge it on the flight itself. ON a full charge of the Eneloop AAA, I am yet to run out of battery on a 15-hour flight.

Yes, these headsets aren't cheap but they are worth every penny. Bose puts so much research and effort into developing their products, I have absolutely no reason to complain! Read more ›

110 of 116 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bose Doesn't Disappoint July 11, 2011

By C. J. Healey

A few years ago flying on a cross country trip I was fortunate enough to be bumped to first class. I sat next to a rich dude who subtly bragged about his material possessions and owned property during take off and landing. One of the items he bragged about was his new Bose headphones, and he insisted I listen to them. Sure enough, they were outstanding, but I didn't travel often enough to justify the price tag.

Well fast forward a few years and I now have a job that requires me to fly a few times a month. So I took the plunge and used my hotel loyalty points to get me a free set of these Bose headphones.

They impressed me out of the box as much as the very first time I listened to them (or the equivalent I had tried a few years back). The noise just melts away into the background so that it is hardly noticeable at all. I took my first flight with them today and tried them in a very busy crowded airport terminal. My music sounded wonderful, and the cacophony of random people and machine noise all but vanished. And that was quite a challenging test, the noise levels were pretty high in a fairly confined round terminal hub. The music source was simply my phone, a Samsung Infuse, not a dedicated music player.

Next I wore them on a plane for a short 80 minute jet flight. It's like being in a different world. The music from my android phone sounded awesome, the noise practically vanished. Somehow without the constant racket of the plane the time seemed to just go by quicker too.

The headphones were extremely comfortable, and the excessively hot day didn't add any problems either.

To me Bose are a company I have a lot of respect for. They always seem to innovate and amaze.... As an audiologist I am well versed in acoustics and the physics of sound, and to create this level of noise reduction so seamlessly is very impressive, especially if their claims of battery life are close to accurate.

The headphones fit in a very attractive slim case. There is even a little space in there for a couple of spare batteries if you wanted. This model ships with a standard headphone cord and also an iPod/iPad/iPhone version which has a microphone on the wire. I question how useful that would be simply because when you wear these headphones it is hard to tell how loud your own voice is to some extent, so I'd be worried about shouting to the person on the other end of the phone, and also if it is noisy enough to wear them, I wonder how well the person being called would hear anyway. In any case, I replaced my iPhone with an Android based phone recently so I've not tested that feature.

The bottom line is these are expensive headphones. Truth be told if you go to Best Buy and listen to some other headphones at half the price, you'd probably get better or similar sound quality. What you won't get though is the incredible noise reduction system that Bose has been working on for many years. That combination of a great sound AND the noise reduction is what makes this product work. If your life involves plenty of air travel, or other similar travel that includes background noise, then these will really improve that journey for you. Music sounds great, audio books are far easier to hear, even Angry Birds is more enjoyable without all that background noise. In fact when you put these on in almost any environment, it makes you realize how much ambient noise there is in so many places.

I think the only real issue is if your budget and lifestyle justifies the price tag.

***

Update: Since writing this I have also tried watching a DVD on my laptop in my hotel room. Again these headphones eat through noise like the air conditioning, ventilation in the bathroom, noises from other guests, the whir of the DVD drive, the refrigerator etc. The sound quality off my laptop was just exceptional too, rich bass, clear treble, good mid tones. I can already see myself using these for more than just plane rides. Read more ›