Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Canceling Headphones (Old Version)

by Bose

• Noise reduction for travel, work and home
• Powered by: AAA battery
• Total weight with cable: 6.9 oz (196 g)

Product Details

• Item Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• ASIN: B000AP05BO
• Item model number: qc2
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (429 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 28, 2006

Product Description

Slip on a pair of QuietComfort 2 headphones and hear your music come alive. Decades of Bose research combine with their Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphone technology to deliver the ultimate in audio performance. This award-winning technology electronically identifies and reduces the unwanted noise around you (on buses or trains, in the office, even at home). So you hear more of what you want to hear ? and less of the tiresome sounds that have so often distracted you. Proprietary TriPort headphone technology also helps give you incredible headphone audio performance while keeping the design compact and streamlined. QuietComfort 2 headphones are lightweight and comfortable, and whether you take them on a trip or to the office, they will fold flat to store easily in a bag or briefcase. A single detachable audio cable gives you easy access to portable players, home stereos and in-flight entertainment systems, all with less tangling than two-cable designs. That same cable can be removed so your headphones can go cordless when you simply want the benefits of noise reduction Features: Bose Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphone technology. These patented technologies electronically identify and reduce unwanted noise while faithfully preserving the music, speech or silence that you desire. Bose Acoustic structure of the TriPort headphone. This proprietary system utilizes three small ports in the earcups to produce a rich audio performance that?s remarkable for headphones this small. QuietComfort ear cushions. Proprietary cushion design establishes a critical acoustical seal between the headphones and your head, enhancing noise reduction and helping to maximize sound quality.    

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

268 of 272 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing product if you are a business traveler... May 21, 2004

By P. Summersgill

First of all, let me say that I resisted buying the Bose QuiteComfort 2 headphones for a long, long time. I travel a fair amount for business, and had been looking for a pair of noise cancelling headphones for those long plane rides, but I didn't like the $300 price tag. I bought and returned a number of the cheaper Sony alternatives after finding them dramatically inferior. A business colleague had the Bose headphones, and I borrowed them for a test drive. There really isn't a comparison. Turn on the power and the ambient noise really does melt away, whether you have music playing or not. I now use them to review and edit audio files on my laptop when I'm flying, watching DVDs, as well as mowing the lawn while listening to my iPod. I never noticed the pressure that an earlier reviewer mentioned, but after reading their reviews it is there. However, it's never caused me any discomfort. Really, I have nothing bad to say about these headphones.

177 of 179 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great noise cancellation, very comfortable August 1, 2006

By Lisa Shea HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Ironically, while most people buy a version 2 before they buy a version 3, I bought the Bose QuietComfort 2 *after* I had purchased the Bose QuietComfort 3 newer headphone set.

Here's the issue. The QuietComfort 3 are the brand new version, they cost more, and they are "smaller and lighter". They offer pretty much the exact same noise cancelling quality, but they fit on top of your ear vs being a larger, bulky around the ear style like the QuietComfort 2.

However, when I tested out the QuietComfort 3 for a month, I found them to be quiet painful. Not in a "pressure on the ear" sense - they were quite comfortable to wear. Rather, when you turned them on, the pressure they exerted on the actual eardrum in order to "cancel noise" hurt. It was a physical sensation, when you turned them on and felt that WHOMP of wave energy pressing against your eardrum. Anybody who thinks the QuietComfort 2 is uncomfortable in that sense hasn't tried the QuietComfort 3 yet.

Yes, I realize that in order to cancel out ambient sound waves, there has to be an opposite sound wave to cancel them out. It's simple physics. However, because the QuietComfort 2 is an around-the-ear design, it doesn't have to blast that cancelling wave right at your eardrum. The larger "air area" being encapsulated by the ear cups gives you more area to work with, and you can block out the sounds without bombarding the ear canal with signals. I did numerous tests with the QuietComfort 2, with my set of iPod playlists that had left-only and right-only sounds, and even during the quiet parts, it was quite comfortable.

Also, as much as people might say that the QuietComfort 2 has "large" ear pods, I really didn't find them bad at all. I was able to sleep with them, wear them without feeling silly at all. The case, in fact, is about the exact same size as the QuietComfort 3 case.

In all, I am EXTREMELY happy that I traded in my QuietComfort 3 headphones for the larger but "kinder" QuietComfort 2 set. The noise cancelling ability is pretty much exactly the same, and the long term comfort is FAR superior. Plus, since the QuietComfort 2 takes batteries vs rechargeable plug-in items, it means if I drain the battery, I simply plunk in new ones. With the QC3 I'd have to wait for a recharge, assuming of course I had the appropriate charger (and outlet access) for whatever airport or country I'm in.

372 of 392 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent sound as expected from Bose.. bulky August 12, 2005

By Ron Kel

I have owned a pai of the Quietcomfort headphones for more than a year now. They are absolutely great on intercontinental flights.

Pros:

- The sound is fabulous, bass reproduction is great.

- Needs one AAA battery, but it goes for between 24 - 30 hrs of use so this is great.

- Noise cancellation works great, great cushioning.

Cons:

- Pricey

- bulky to transport, cant be substituted for "workout" phones.

- Too much insulation on the earpiece. My ears start to sweat if i wear constantly for more than a couple of hrs.

- Not great to sleep in (on flights) as you tend to block the noise cancellation ports.