Bose QuietComfort 3
With a price approaching £300, Bose’s QuietComfort 3 headphones are very much aimed at jet-setting international business travellers. Yet we have to admit that they work damn hard to justify that price. The sound is a delight – very full and warm across the entire frequency range. Some people might find the bass a little heavy, but that’s how our philistine ears like it. Bose also deserves brownie points for the accessories it throws in. You get two rechargeable batteries that are good for about 20 hours each, and an extensive set of international mains adaptors for when you need to recharge. It’s just a shame that you need to have an MP’s expense account in order to afford them.
Reg Rating 85%
Price £299
More Info Bose
JVC HA-NC250
JVC’s HA-NC250 headphones are compact and light, so they’re a good option if you want a set of headphones that are easy to carry around when travelling. They’re reasonably priced too, although the sound quality wasn’t quite as good as we had hoped for. Lower frequencies work well, producing a nice warm sound, but higher frequencies sometimes have a slightly shrill edge that’s a bit harsh on the ear. It’s not a major flaw, but means that the HA-NC250 will probably work best with more laid-back sounds that won’t jar too much.
Reg Rating 70%
Price £150 Click for the best online price
More Info JVC
Next page: Sennheiser PXC 450
COMMENTS
Nokia BH-905
Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset BH-905, altough a lot pricier (?), would seem still to be the pair for me. It works with cable also. Shame you didn't review them here as well. They seem to beat all of your choices.. Atleast in pr-speek.. :P
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/9812_Nokia_BH-905-noise_cancellatio.php
http://europe.nokia.com/find-products/accessories/all-accessories/headsets/bluetooth-headsets/nokia-bluetooth-stereo-headset-bh-905
Poor Quality Bose
If you go out and spend all that money on the Bose product, don't expect them to last. I spent the money on some Bose QC2s which fell apart at the cheap plastic part joining the headband to the cups. I'm not alone. See here http://getsatisfaction.com/bose/topics/warning_bose_will_not_repair_or_replace_broken_qc2_headphones. Bose will tell you that they have improved the design in this area - they won't repair my pair because they are the improved design!
Beware.
How about passive cancelling?
Etymotic ER4p FTW.
Although, not everyone gets on with the inner-ear headphones.
But, amazing sound reproduction. Top-notch noise-cancelling. No bulky ear-pieces. And no batteries required.
The last round-up failed to consider...
...the more bearable over-ear types. And this one doesn't make it clear if these active ones perform any better at noise reduction, nor whether a single-cell MP3 player then has enough power to drive them.
Or why it's worth spending any more than some regular ear buds with a £10 pair of B&Q (or even cheaper Wickes) ear defenders over the top. Unless they're hugely effective at noise cancellation on an aircraft then sound reproduction quality is hardly an issue; you might as well use the free ones.
Various questions... and answers
A question to The Reg: Why not add the Bose QC2 headset? They are different to the QC3 in size and powering method.
Those asking about carrying cases, Bose ships a semi-rigid case for theirs that fits the QC2 and QC3 perfectly.
And the customer service you get from them is definitely worth the money... And yes, their headphones ARE worth that much for the quality of sound and quality of noise cancelling.
