I have been traveling a lot for the past 2 years and its literally been that long that I have been agonizing over this purchase. If you are reading reviews you are probably in the same boat I was. $300 for head phones?? Its a tough one for sure. Let me put it this way, even if you travel once a year its worth it. Most trips I have taken I want to strangle someone, not sure why people are such retards when traveling, but I am just trying to get from point A to Point B. The more you travel the more it gets amplified. I could see where someone that can use these at work would be very happy with these too. Bottom line is I wish I had bought these 2 years ago.
I bought some cheaper noise canceling headphones from Sony (MDR-NC7) and I have some decent in ear headphones from Sony also. The in ear block out as much noise as the noise canceling ones so the noise canceling ones from Sony where a waste of money. Not only do they not perform the noise canceling function very well they also sound very weak. Now keep in mind that I am comparing $40 headphones with $300 ones. I never expected the $40 ones to do as good as the Bose but seriously, if you just get some cheap in ear head phones you would be just as well off.
Noise Cancelation:
The test at Best Buy with specific noise (Jet noise simulated) at the Bose display is astounding to say the least. I agree with several other reviews that the Bose head phones seem to pick particularly easy frequencies to block and it is most certainly aimed at lower range. I first tried these while watching a rather loud movie and I felt that gave me a much better representation of what to expect in an airport or airplane while traveling. Most noise was blocked and the voices where lowered a great deal, with music at medium levels most of the noise was blocked out. From what I read on the Bose website there is a Mic on the outside AND the inside of each cup. You can read up on the specifics, I can tell you that it does a very good job.
Sound Quality:
I saw several complaints in reviews about the sound and all I can say is its Bose. I have a Bose stereo in my car and immediately had to replace the speakers. I totally expected the same mediocre sound quality with the headphones. Decent sound that is brought to you from the cheapest drivers they could get away with. Profit driven? You bet. Unfortunately with headphones there is not a darn thing you can do about it. Personally I am happy with the sound but know I should be getting a "Little more" for my $300. Because of the noise canceling you don't have to cut the volume up as high as you would without to hear details as clearly. For me the overall sound is very good but its no Dr. Dre's either.
Construction Quality: ****Update below \/ \/ \/ *****
I have not had these long enough to know about defects or short comings. I appreciate the fact that the head phones come with a decent case and I think the overall feel is ok. I have seen a few people ram these into the seat back while on a plane and a back pack before, I suppose these are the people complaining about the head phones falling apart.....imagine that. I understand how someone paying $300 for head phones and having it break right away could be frustrated but take that with a grain of salt.
Package includes:
Head Phones (Can be used without a wire for just noise cancelation)
Semi-hard Shell case
Wire for regular mini plug connection wth High/Low settings for Airplane adapter use
Wire for Iphone/Ipod/Itouch use (Has same features as OEM Apple ear phones, i.e. volume up, down, pause buttons and built in mic)
2 prong to 1 Airplane Adapter
1XAAA Battery (MAKE SURE YOU PACK A SPARE AAA) you can not use the headphones to listen to music with out a battery
Warranty book
Instructions in many languages
UPDATE ###### 07-05-2012 I have had these headphones long enough to add additional comments on the construction quality. I strongly urge people to use the semi-hard shell case to carry your headphones. I took one trip that I had very limited room to carry my case so I left it in my luggage. I will never do that again. I see clearly now how people break these while traveling. Its not practical to wear these the entire trip especially when its 100 degrees outside and parked in a plane for an hour on the ground, this exact situation happened to me so I put them as gently as I could in the seat pocket but I almost broke them taking them out. Just bring the case and deal with it. Keep in mind you are buying cutting edge technology headphones that sounds decent and cancel a majority of outside noise....not indestructible headphones. They are not butterfly wing fragile but I could not see a single failure point either that would have me overly concerned.
Since my purchase Dr. Dre has come out with noise canceling headphones for about the same price. Personally I would buy those instead after listening to them but all in all I am still happy with my purchase. By far the best money I ever spent for traveling. My last trip there was a totally annoying child screaming his lungs out and all I could do is put my headphones on before take off and cut them on (I could care less when the flight attendant said) I played music at the highest clear volume and was smiling away as I looked around and saw one after another passenger's face filled with disgust and aggravation. The trick is to point the LED AWAY from the flight attendant side and just tell them it is off and they will leave you alone. To be clear, the highest undistorted volume on this headset is probably 60-70% of the Dr Dre's. Good thing is it can drown out pretty much anything. Another good thing is you did not have to have it at unsafe levels for total sound blockage.
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This Item  Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones (Discontinued by Manufacturer) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $103.84 | $244.36 | -20% $278.00 List: $348.00 | -17% $49.99 List: $59.99 | $69.99 | -14% $188.25 Typical price: $219.44 |
| Delivery | Get it Feb 14 - 20 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Feb 14 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Feb 13 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Feb 13 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Feb 15 | Get it Feb 22 - 23 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Noise cancellation | ||||||
| Bass quality | ||||||
| Volume control | ||||||
| Sold By | Renovar Tech | Planet Open Box | Amazon.com | AnkerDirect | Whatsupstairs | WirelessWorld18 |
| connectivity tech | Wired | Wireless | Bluetooth 5.0, Bluetooth | Wireless | Wired | Wireless |
| headphones form factor | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear |
| connector type | 3.5mm Jack | wireless | USB Type C | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | wireless |
| noise control | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation | active noise cancellation |
| headphones jack | 3.5 mm Jack | — | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | — | USB |
| cable feature | Detachable | Without Cable | Detachable, Without Cable | Without Cable | Retractable | Without Cable |
Reviews with images
Amazing product, worth breaking open the piggy bank
I purchased my Bose headphone from a Bose store more than 3 years ago.I was working in an open space at that time. People were picking up their phones, talking, having a break, eating something, opening a can, eating chips, leaking an ice cream, mumbling, etc.Staying focused was somewhat tough (i.e.: I was going crazy).Before buying this headphone, I had been using my in-ear earbuds for years or just soft foam earplugs to reduce the noise around me (you could call this "passive noise canceling" I guess).First, I tried the Bose headphone of a colleague, OFF then ON. I just couldn’t believe it. Most of the noise around got canceled or softened. Of course, you can still hear people talking, but most of the annoying sounds are diminished.Frustration Alert: You may find yourself hearing even more annoying noises after pulling off the headphone (for example, the A/C being as loud as a truck for a few minutes).Pros: - Reduce the noise around drastically, but not entirely. Ain't no magic. - AAA battery, not proprietary batteries. You can change them as much as you want. I always carry 4 batteries in my bag. I charge them as soon 2 of them are empty. - The microphone is at the upper end of the wire, right next to the mouth. Avoid speaking alone for a few minutes before realizing that nobody can hear you. - The jack connector is not sealed into the headphone. You have a spare cable that you can use if the first one has a defect (also a 3-pole). - The cable is not bolted into the headphone. This means that if you listen to music on your laptop, forget that you have the headset on your ear and start to walk, the cable will pop off without splitting. This happened to me countless times! - Case. Very good quality, hard and sturdy with an extra pocket to tuck in other stuff.Cons: - No volume control on the cable.Notes: - After all this time of being used every day, the "gum" inside of the headphone starts to peel off. This doesn't prevent me from using the headphone though. See my picture.- Also, worth mentioning that the lid protecting the battery is harder to open over time. I have always struggled with it anyway.
Top reviews from other countries
Roberto G.
Ottime cuffie dalla buona resa e ottima qualità audio
Reviewed in Italy on October 2, 2015#TorontoHipster
These headphones are exactly what I expected
Reviewed in Canada on December 3, 2013
Tobias
Rezension zum Bose QuietComfort 15, Audio Technica ATH ANC9 und Sennheiser PXC 450
Reviewed in Germany on August 13, 2014