Could some of you who have tried or have the Bose QC2 or QC3 let me know your experience with them and basically is it worth the dollars. My trips are getting longer so I am considering one of them.

Thanks for everyones input in advance.

Jim

We don't have your ears.

Audition as many brands and models as you can get your hands on (always using the same program material as a baseline).

You may find that Bose are very good, but not as good as some others that sell for half as much.

Fact: Bose do not publish frequency response specifications; others do.
Fact: Bose spends millions on TV advertising; others don't.

Your call.

I have used both Bose QC2 and Etymotic ER4p. I thought they are both effective in different ways. I now take the Etymotic as it is so much smaller, less thing to manage in the tight space, and interferes less when I want to go to sleep.

My husband purchased that particular Bose headset. It was so great, that I ended up buying one too. We used them on our last trip and thoroughly enjoyed them. I believe they are worth the dollars.

walkteach

Mine are from Radio Shack.Cost about $50. I love them. They make an AMAZING difference.

I have not tried the Bose but they're..what?...$300? I cannot imagine they'd be 6 times better than the Radio Shack ones. If anyone SWEARS they are, I'll try a set!

I am among those who get 80% functionality at a third of the price with NC headphones from Sharper Image. My wife has NC headphones from Sony that have the same price-value ratio and are made better than mine.

That said, the advice to try lots of different brands under as many conditions as you can WITH EXACTLY THE SAME MUSIC SOURCE is important. As we head toward Christmas, I am going to audition another round of these. I listen only to classical music, and the quality of my present set isn't good enough for me, though they were great for listening to air traffic control on United yesterday. I cannot wear any of the ear buds, so those are all out.

I bought two pairs of the JVC NC-100 (now possibly the HA-NC100) 'phones last year for RTW travel after comparing them and numerous other 'phones against the Bose. For $49 each, they smoked the $300 Boses, and had better ear coverage than the Sony or Sennheiser phones. Really like the folding shape and the retracting cord. Highly recommended.

Here is a very good review of NC headphones:

http://www.thetravelinsider.info/roa...honesindex.htm

Fodorites come through as usual. Great info. and input. Thanks for the review link, great. I'm sure I will be enjoying one of them on my next 17 1/2 hour flight in just over 2 weeks. Maybe I might even get some real sleep for a change.
Thanks again,

Jim

http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/

Check out Sennheiser before you decide on the Bose. They are consistently rated the best by audio mags. I have a pair and they are excellent and much smaller than the Bose.

regards Ger

I have the Bose QC2 and while they weren't quite as amazing as I expected for that price, they really are a lot better than the cheaper brand I bought first (Aiwa for about $50). I still take the cheaper ones on shorter trips because they are smaller (collapse more).

Part of what makes the Bose superior, for me, is not just the sound, but the design and comfort. They are vastly superior to the cheaper ones I had in that regard (the fact that the cup surrounds the ear improves the sound, also, as well as the comfort). ON long flights, that is important when you may have them on 5 hours or so. The Aiwa ones I had make me uncomfortable after a couple hours.

Now Bose has the QC3 I've seen advertised which are smaller ear pads, so take up less room, I guess. I don't see how they can work as well myself, as that was part of their design superiority and why they were quieter than the others I had.

I think any of these are better than nothing, probably. The Bose aren't really too risky a purchase as they do have some 30-day money-back guarantee, as I recall.