Similar to Bose QC15?

 Good news, bad news.

 The good is that something like this AKG Quincy Jones Q701 fits any head in existence.

 Bad news is that if you're a basshead who listens to top 40 then you're not going to like

 their bass lean presentation. Sound stage, imaging and airiness though is top notch, they are

 fully open headphones that excel with chill, ambient, classical, jazz but can be

 used for most genres. They will need some sort of amplifier, at worst, a decent

 soundcard.

 Not really portable ~ insanely comfortable.

These are open headphones with almost no passive isolation and no active isolation. Were you looking for a noise cancelling headphone?
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gwarmi 

 

 Good news, bad news.

 

 The good is that something like this AKG Quincy Jones Q701 fits any head in existence.

 

 

 

 Bad news is that if you're a basshead who listens to top 40 then you're not going to like

 their bass lean presentation. Sound stage, imaging and airiness though is top notch, they are

 fully open headphones that excel with chill, ambient, classical, jazz but can be

 used for most genres. They will need some sort of amplifier, at worst, a decent

 soundcard.

 

 Not really portable ~ insanely comfortable.

Woops, scratch that big AKG then 

Sennheiser PXC310?

Quote:

Originally Posted by imkenny 

Is it possible to use the bose ear pads on another set of headphones?

Not that I know of, Bose (and most companies) use proprietary kit.

Do you want active noise canceling, or is passive alright? Passive would be the better option if you're okay with it.

Active noise canceling has a microphone that takes in the noise, and plays back the opposite frequencies (which cancel it out), while passive simply uses isolation to block out sound.

I've done some testing with active. I've also got a big head and wear glasses

Bose QC 15: Comfy, if you can used to the pressure on the ears caused by the system. Pretty nice in the lows and mids but horrible in the highs.Quite pricy.

Sennheiser PXC 310/360bt. More or less the same device except the 310 is on ear, the 360 is over ear, earcups are a bit on the shallow side though. 360 has Ridiculous high impedance of 100 ohm with the electronics off and 590 with them on which means you need to use either BT or you need a ridiculously high powered device or an amp.  Sound is OK for top 40 , pop/rock.

panasonic RP-HC700E-S: Surprisingly cheap and not at all bad sounding. Size was ok but the earcups didn't fit me properly. NC was pretty decent too, about on par with the Sennheisers perhaps a bit better.

In the end I gave up and started looking towards closes studio cans. Isolation can be quite good, they don't need batteries and the sound quality can beat most if not all active NC systems.

Try the Klipsch Mode M40, if you go to your local Brookstone they should have a pair on the stands. They are aesthetically better looking then the beats, have active noise canceling, and sound pretty good for closed noise canceling headphones. While portable they are a little heavy, but I enjoyed them more then my Bose QC15 and ordered a pair. Might have to wait till Feb because they havent been released yet. 

If you have your heart set on Bose, so be it. However, do the the constant hype and advertising that they give, their products are overpriced and slightly underperforming. I understand your need for comfort and Bose does do that well, but I'm sure Head-Fi can find something better for you.

Sincerely,

Quote:

Originally Posted by imkenny 

I think I'm going to settle for non nc. I'm looking at purchasing the bose ae's as they fit pretty well.

Well... try to have a good listen before you buy. They have a sound profile that does not suite every kind of music.

I wear glasses, and I use both AKG K702 and Sennheiser HD 650.  The glass frame fits fine in both cases.

You say that noise cancelers usually sound better to you, but this shouldn't really be the case considering that the NC circuitry usually adds distortion.  Unless you're using them in a noisy environment (like on an airplane), you should be able to find better SQ out of an ordinary headphone.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phos 

You say that noise cancelers usually sound better to you, but this shouldn't really be the case considering that the NC circuitry usually adds distortion.  Unless you're using them in a noisy environment (like on an airplane), you should be able to find better SQ out of an ordinary headphone.  

Yeah, I can concur here. I borrowed a friend's Panasonic RP-HC300 noise-cancelling cans for a week, and they murdered my music in a hissy fit. While the Bose QC15 isn't as bad, they still introduce unwanted sounds into your music that skew the music (vocals are especially "skewed" on active NC headphones). They work nice on planes, but most people won't find themselves on planes all the time.