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

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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.