All about Headphones
PRODUCT REVIEW
The Good / The Bose QuietComfort 20 and 20i are compact in-ear headphones that sound good, are very comfortable to wear, and offer surprisingly impressive noise cancellation. The noise cancellation is powered by an integrated rechargeable lithium battery that delivers up to 16 hours of battery life.
The Bad/ Expensive; they don’t sound as good as many competing in-ear headphones in this price range; rechargeable battery isn’t replaceable.
The Bottom Line/ Despite some downsides, including a high price, the Bose QuietComfort 20 offers the best noise-canceling in an in-ear headphone and should tempt frequent travelers looking for a more compact alternative to a full-size NC headphone, such as the Bose QuietComfort 15.
Bose has been a go-to choice for noise-canceling headphones since the company’s original QuietComfort headphones debuted in 2000. The line has been updated over the years with an on-ear model (the QC15s) and new over-the-ear models (the QC3s), but the QuietComfort 20 you see here is the company’s first in-ear headphone with active noise cancellation. It actually comes in two versions — the standard QC20 is for non-Apple products, and the QC20i is designed for use with Apple products. Both cost a lofty $299.95.
Why would you want to spend that kind of dough on a headphone like this? Well, there are some good reasons, which I’ll run through first. Then I’ll point out a few downsides to the product, which may or may not be deal breakers for you.
The pros
For starters, the QC20s fit securely in your ears and are very comfortable to wear. They weigh a mere 1.5 ounces and come with a zippered cloth carrying case that’s a fraction of the size of the case that comes with the over-the-ear QC 15s. That makes them very travel-friendly.
Their design is very similar to Bose’s MIE2i headphones, which you don’t jam into your ear like many in-ear models. Rather, they rest more loosely in your ears, which is what makes them so comfortable to wear.
The headphones themselves follow the company’s TriPort design, carving out some extra space to maximize Bose’s proprietary acoustic voodoo, and adding two microphones to monitor external noise. As with all such active noise-canceling ‘phones, that external din — the drone of a jet engine, the crowd at the train station — is countered by a mirror soundwave, allowing you to enjoy your music in relative peace. The processing chip used in the QC20 is a new model that’s exclusive to Bose.
The QC20s are similar to Bose’s MIE2i headphones and come with the same eartips. Sarah Tew/CNET
The QC20s come with three sizes of flexible “StayHear+” eartips, each of which has wings to brace itself against the cup of the outer ear. I went with the largest eartip, which offered me a bit of a snugger fit, which helps with the noise isolation, and, in turn, makes the noise cancellation a bit more effective.
The lithium ion battery pack is embedded in a control pod on the cord. It’s rechargeable via a standard Micro-USB cable, and Bose pledges 16-hour battery life. Unlike the QC15s, however, the QC20s will continue to produce sound — sans noise cancellation, of course — if the battery dies. (That sound is good in passive mode; everything just sounds boosted and a little more dynamic when you turn on the NC.)
Of course, whenever you introduce active noise canceling to a headphone — and all the digital processing it brings with it — you tend to lose a little bit of sound quality. Noise-canceling headphones usually don’t sound as clean or clear as “passive” headphones, and some introduce a faint hiss (though with the QC20s that hiss is very minimal). In other words, if you value sound quality above anything else, you probably shouldn’t get a pair of noise-canceling headphones, and from a sound quality standpoint, the QC20s don’t measure up to many in-ear models in the $300 price range. This just isn’t a headphone that’s so good that you’d want to go back and listen to your whole music collection just to experience how it sounds with all your favorite tunes.
But even though I have other, better-sounding headphones at my disposal, I still found myself gravitating toward using the QC20 as an everyday headphone because of how comfortable it was and how it managed to muffle a lot of the New York street noise.
I also tested it on a plane ride to Seattle, and while I thought the overall noise reduction on the QC15 was slightly better, the QC20 was more comfortable, and its in-ear, earbud-style design is good for sleeping because you can rest your head against a pillow or headrest without having your headphones getting in the way. However, you could argue that going smaller has one potential drawback: you may be more likely to lose the QC20s than a full-size pair. Then again, I have known people who’ve left plenty of larger items in seat pockets on planes, including iPads and QC15s.
Some cons
OK, now for the downsides, and they all involve the battery pack and control pod on the cord. First off, it’s a little awkward to have the battery pack dangling from your headphone. It’s also worth noting that the battery isn’t replaceable, so once it peters out — and someday it will — you’re basically left with an MIE2i headphone with a dongle attached to it. When I asked Bose about that, I got this detailed answer:
The lithium ion battery is not replaceable. The battery is expected to maintain its full capacity (16 hours of customer use per charge) through 500 charging cycles. For a heavy user who charges roughly every 2-3 days, this would be equal to about 3 years of use. After 500 charging cycles, the battery will continue to recharge and operate the headphone, but the capacity would be reduced. This deterioration in capacity is common to all lithium ion batteries.
Lastly, if you forget to turn off the noise cancellation, which I did a few times, you’ll end up with a dead battery overnight. For this price, there would ideally be some sort of automatic shut-off feature when the headphones aren’t in use.
Conclusion
Despite those drawbacks, I liked the Bose QC20s a lot. Their sound may not measure up to what you get from competing $300 in-ear headphones, but they sound good, are very comfortable to wear, and offer excellent noise cancellation. They also take up very little room in your bag.
A lot of people will think they’re overpriced, and they’d be right to think that. But for a certain subset of the headphone-buying population, the QC20s are an excellent product that’s strongly worth considering.
For instance, if you’re a frequent traveler who doesn’t want to carry around a larger over-the-ear model like the QuietComfort 15 or Beats Studio 2013 (which sounds better than the QC15, but the noise-canceling isn’t as good), the QC20 is a tempting alternative. It’s also a good choice for someone who’s looking for a strong noise-canceling headphone but doesn’t like wearing full-size headphones.
Just be aware that because of the lifespan of the integrated lithium ion battery, that noise cancellation won’t work forever. If you’re OK with that and don’t mind their hefty price tag, I have no problem recommending the QC20s.
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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Offering a powerful, bass-driven stereo sound with greater clarity and improved dynamics over standard earbuds are the Sennheiser CX 300-II in-ear headphones. The various sizes of ear adapters (S/M/L sizes) provided in the package allow for a customized fit as well as exceptional noise blocking capability. A convenient carrying pouch is also included for easy storage.
The CX 300-II features an asymetrical cable which the longer end goes behind the neck and into the opposite ear. This mimics a single sided cable and reduces the amount of cable in front of the wearer during physical activity. This is a safety and ergonomic feature.
For over 60 years every Sennheiser mic or headphone comes with a built-in mission: to stay true to the sound and soul the music was given by its artist. From the fragile intimacy of a whispered word to the deep and dark punch of an attacking bassline. Sennheiser delivers pure emotion and excitement. A quality that has convinced a broad spectrum of artists and of course music lovers all over the world. Sennheiser offers a great experience for everyone who really wants to hear.
The GoodExtra-comfortable design; clearer, more dynamic sound; highly effective noise-canceling circuitry that’s been slightly improved; new folding design allows the headphones to fit in a smaller carrying case; if the battery dies, the music now doesn’t die; 21- to 30-day risk-free home trial.
The Bad Fairly pricey.
The Bottom LineThe QuietComfort 25 model takes Bose’s already stellar noise-canceling headphones and levels them up to new heights.
There are two big metrics for this type of headphone: overall sound quality and noise cancellation performance. Let’s start with the latter. We played a recording of some airplane cabin noise in our audio room and alternated between the QC25 and QC15. Neither completely shut out the drone but the QC25 did a bit of a better job. That said, I did notice a touch more more pressure on my ears, which may bother some people more than others. For me, the pressure is only really noticeable when you don’t have any music playing. If you have sensitive eardrums, it may be a deal breaker — but that will apply to any active noise-canceling headphones, not just the Bose.
Here’s the deal on the sound. The QC25 definitely has more exciting sound than the QC 15. It’s brighter and clearer and the bass is tighter, which makes it a pretty zippy pair of headphones with faster, more forward sound than its predecessor.
The QC15 has a “High-Low” switch on the headphone cord that allows you to limit the volume. That’s missing from the QC25, so you’re essentially locked into the high setting. For some people not having ability to choose the lower setting may be an issue, but it didn’t bother me at all because I always listened to the QC15 in the high setting.
With certain tracks you feel the sound approaching the edge of harshness but stopping just short. For instance, listening to The Orwells’ “Who Needs You” track, it’s right at the border of being a little too bright. The same is true of Spoon’s “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” which has a tambourine running through it that’s right at the edge of being accentuated too much and overtaking the song.
Also, with the increased edginess in the treble, badly recorded tracks and poorer MP3 files will end up sounding worse, whereas the older QC15 was better at smoothing over some of those flaws.
I think most people will like the new sound, but there will be those people who may prefer the more laid-back, “warmer” sound of the QC 15. Personally, I prefer a more exciting, zippier headphone, and props to Bose for breaking out of its “safe” sound profile. Some may say it went a little too far, but the QC25 sounds better with most genres, particularly with rock music and more complicated tracks that have a lot of instruments playing at the same time.
If you’re an audiophile, well, you probably shouldn’t get noise-canceling headphones, for the fact is that really good passive over-ear headphones in this price range, such as the Sennheiser Momentum, are going to sound more natural and refined.
I have yet to come across noise-canceling headphones that do the noise-canceling component as well as a Bose model. Its options were also hard to beat for comfort. Sound quality was good but not great.
Now Bose has upped the audio performance in the QuietComfort 25. While it still may not be stellar, you’ll be hard-pressed to find superior sound in another noise-canceling model. Yes, it’s fairly pricey, but for those seeking premium noise-canceling headphones for travel or just shutting out everyday ambient noise while listening to music or watching video, these QuietComfort headphones are easy to recommend.
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