Review: Bose QuietComfort 2® Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones (QC2)

Bose is known for high class audio products. They have an unparalleled offering of audio solutions ranging from personal audio systems to home and professional audio solutions. Their USP is the technology they have developed after doing solid research in the field of sound. Almost all of their products have a Bose patented technology inside. Hence the steep price.

The Bose QuietComfort 2® Acoustic Noise Cancelling® Headphones aka QC2 are built on TriPort acoustic headphone structure – a Bose exclusive technology which features tiny ports in the earcups to produce a rich audio performance. The headphones also sport the patented Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphone technology which electronically identifies and reduces unwanted noise while preserving the audio.

So, are these headphones worth the premium price? Let’s find out.

Package Contents:

- 1 pair of headphones - 5-foot detachable audio cable - 5-foot extension cord - ¼-inch stereo-plug adapter - Dual-plug adapter - 1 AAA battery - Carrying case

Noise Cancellation:

These headphones feature the patented Acoustic Noise Cancelling® headphone technology. This technology uses a microphone to receive (read hear) the ambient noise and then adds a negative frequency of the same value to the audio. This way, the noise is negated and you hear pure audio. This technology is far more superior to the other noise isolating technologies used in many headphones and earbuds. The headphones use one AAA sized battery to power the noise cancelling system.

The Bose QC2 perform a pretty good job at identifying and cancelling the ambient noises. When you are listening to music, you won’t even hear the persons standing next to you even if they are yelling. The headphones are optimized for in flight usage. They do a pretty good job in cancelling the loud roar of the airplane engine. They work equally well at beaches, in trains or buses, or even when your boss comes around and asks you for the report he asked you to prepare .

Score: 4.5

Audio Quality:

Despite the complex circuitry involving a microphone to detect and cancel ambient noise, the headphones do not miss a single note or beat of your music. In fact, you will get to hear more, thanks to the TriPort acoustic headphone structure. This structure reproduces every detail in the audio you are listening to.   Be it those little background instruments in the mid – high frequency range or those low frequency bass in your music. You will be surprised to hear more instruments and voices in the same song when heard through these headphones.

The sound equalization is great. All the 7 band frequencies in your audio are reproduced properly. The earcups vibrate when you have an ultra low frequency sound playing. This adds to the listening pleasure.

Score: 4.5

Features:

The headphones are pretty simple to use with just a single switch to turn them on or off. The detachable audio cable has a switch to select the input source type.  You can choose either low amplified source (such as iPod) or a high amplified source (such as in-flight entertainment system).

Sadly, the headphones cannot be used while switched off. It would have been good to provide an option to use them with the noise cancellation switched off. This is helpful when you are sitting in an already quiet location or are running low on batteries.

Score: 3.5

Ergonomics:

The headphones have an adjustable band. They fit well on almost all standard head sizes. The earcup foam is very soft and comfortable and is in no way irritable or itchy. The earcups are molded from inside according to left and right human ears. They fit perfectly on both your ears. Thanks to the light weight, you won’t feel anything even if you wear them for hours on those long international flights.

The build quality of the headphones is excellent. The supplied case comes in handy to carry them around. It is big enough to slip in an iPod 160GB. it also has a zipped pouch to store an extra AAA battery for emergencies. The cable and the pins are made of good quality durable material.

However, if these headphones were foldable, they could have fit into an almost half sized case just like their successors, QC3.

Score: 4

Conclusion:

The headphones are priced at $299 in the US and approx 14500 INR in India. At a lower price you can get a lot of other headphones which offer the same set of features. However, Bose QC2 stand apart in terms of excellent audio quality and ergonomics. The noise cancellation offered is above par and the headphones do great with iPod. Plus you get the snob value of the Bose brand .

With an overall score* of little over 4, woikr recommends these headphones to audiophiles, frequent flyers and avid music listeners.

* value for money criteria was not considered for this product as it is not applicable on any of the Bose products (no offense).

QuietComfort 2, Acoustic Noise Canceling are registered trademarks of Bose Corporation.

Review: Compaq Presario V3780TU Notebook

The Compaq Presario V3780TU Notebook is a well balanced mid range laptop aimed at home users and students. The configuration is more than enough for basic home usage and most students needs. Here is the detailed configuration:

The laptop fits well in the mid range section of the notebook market. I ran various applications ranging from different web browsers, media players, development tools etc. and they all worked pretty well. The laptop might not have the fastest processor, but the configuration is balanced enough to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.

There are a plethora of wired and wireless connectivity options. A 250 GB hard drive gives enough space for storing movies and songs. 2 GB of RAM (and scope for expansion up to 4 GB) provides enough juice for memory intensive applications. The 5 in 1 card reader comes in handy when you have to transfer pictures from your phone’s or digital camera’s memory card. The laptop looks great, thanks to the 14.1” screen. This is probably one of the cheapest 14.1” laptops available in the market.

The only setbacks I could notice were that of weight (2.5 kgs) and the basic version of Windows Vista.

Price:
The laptop can be easily purchased for approx 43500 INR at most Compaq and HP dealers. However, you can get it for as low as 42000 INR (with free HP bag) at some shops in Nehru Place, Delhi. At this price, it is a great choice for college students and average home users.

Pros:

- 14.1” screen
- 250 GB HDD
- Number of connectivity options
- Good looks

Cons:

- Heavy at 2.5 kgs
- Basic version of Windows Vista bundled

Here is how I rate it:

Performance: 4
Features: 4
Value for money: 3.5
Build quality: 4
Looks: 4

Overall: 4

Note: In case your budget is tight, you can go for a lighter version – Compaq Presario C752TU available for approx 34000 INR. However, If you are an advanced user and can shell out some more cash, go for Sony Vaio CR35G, now available for approx 51000 INR.