Bose QuietComfort 15 on rechargeable batteries?

i think just buying bose in general is a huge waste. there are way better headphone options for that price range.

What do you plan on using them for? In all likelihood, you won't need the noise cancellation unless you spend most of your listening time in noisy environments. Standard headphones will do just fine.

 

With that, Bose products are generally overpriced, and with some searching you'll be able to find some headphones that cost significantly less with better sound quality.

Yes, a lot of rechargeable batteries are 1.2V; there are batteries that are likely to be suitable though. Look for parts designed for cameras. Even saying that, I'm not a big fan of anything that eats batteries. If you don't need the ANC, I'd look at something else (and this isn't even getting into "should you buy Bose products"). The Bose AE2 isn't a terrible part, provides some isolation, and doesn't eat batteries (if you want a Bose product). Otherwise, there are other options from $0 to around the $300 mark that the QC15 sits at. I'd look at Sennheiser and Sony; maybe Audio-Technica as well. Kenwood if you don't mind spending a bit more and waiting a few weeks for shipping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You're not going to find many, if any at all, Quietcomfort owners here. They're generally considered terrible headphones.

 

You should probably look at getting a sealed headphone, which will block out audio decently. Try the Sennheiser HD25-1 ii, or the BW P5. The Audio Technica M50 will also do the job, though maybe not block out quite as much sound.
 

 

A decent pair of in-ears might also be a good consideration; they'll block quite a bit of noise. 

 

What Sennheiser headphones do you already have?

 

I just put my rechargeable battery in my QC15 and it works fine....

Can't talk about the battery life for using rechargeable though.

 

I use QC15 mainly on flights, the 40hrs battery life using regular battery is good enough for me.

 

 

 

 

Bose lacks "audiophile cred" - so it gets targeted on any enthusiast or techie forum. Most people have never owned/heard/used the products, they just re-hash the same tired arguments that they've picked up from somewhere (or they'll insist that because one Bose product is bad, they're all bad). Now, I'm not saying Bose makes the best products ever and represents the best value ever; but I don't think the blind hatred is deserved either. The AE and AE2 weren't bad headphones, I'm unfamiliar with the QC line though. From what I have read though, they're still the standard in terms of ANC - given that that's what you want, I'd give them a go. If they work, great!

 

At $300 I think most of the complaints about price are valid; there's a lot of very nice products for $300. However, almost none of them have ANC. There's some competition from Audio-Technica and Denon, although I think in all cases their parts cost more, or are JDM only. There's the Beats, but let's not go there. I'd give the Bose a shot; if they don't work, you have a trial period to take them back and then pursue other options. I've been told that Etymotic produces some exceptionally well isolating parts, and I can attest to the closed-back Beyerdynamics (the T70 particularly) providing very good isolation (I assume the DT770 is similar in terms of isolation; they look nearly identical). 

 

I heard the QC15s at Best Buy the other day. They sound good and the noise cancellation is amazing, much better than the more expensive yet outdated QC3s. Best Buy was very busy and the noise level was high. As I slipped them on I was transported out of the store to a very quiet, mellow place. If they were $150 I'd buy them in a second and use them as my travel phone. They are large over the ear phones but they are shockingly light. Bose got it right this time.

 

As for the AAA battery power, I think that's a good thing. I have a Skype headset that has a NLA rechargeable battery that I might as well toss. Just use good rechargeables and carry a few spares.

Edited by audiomagnate - 2/22/12 at 11:21am

Hi. Let me just add that people who criticize Bose QC15 most probably have never been in an airplane because even the most expensive headphones sound terrible due to the engines noise. So in these case nothing can really compare to a good nc headphone. As for the batteries there isn't really a problem since the duration is quite long and at the end of the day my MP3 also runs on batteries. As for the IEM they could have been a good alternative if you can stand having something in your ear canals. Personally I can't.

Hi. When you have the Bose on and you click play for the first time do you hear a click sound from the left speaker where the cable is located? This sound disappears as you click next etc but when you pause the song for a long time and then play it again the click sound reappears.

Nope, Never.
 

 

 

I have tested the Bose again with my Philips MP3 player and laptop instead of my phone and there is no click sound so the issue seems to be phone rather than headphone related.