I keep hearing about the "Beats Solo" as this abysmal headphone, and I've seen graphs on InnerFidelity that show like -40 dB from 1khz upwards. But apart from seeing a few random people on the street with them, I have no idea what they really are or sound like.
Also, what's that other Beats headphone, it's an on-ear model; I've never seen them outside of CG renders online. They look like the Beats Pro. Anyone ever tried or reviewed those? (I'm just curious, I know it's unrelated to the thread).
As far as ANC goes - here's roughly my take on it (and a bit on the QC15):
It's been like 100* F almost every day thus far this summer (it's almost 10 PM and it's 93* F outside right now); the aircon has been running 24x7 as a result. I'm going *mad* listening to it. So I was going to buy IEMs to deal with it, but figured, you know what, I'll give these a shot as a "last ditch" before I go that route. I've tried a number of "closed" headphones (most of which don't isolate worth anything) and apart from the Kenwood K1000 (which are super heavy), they all screw up the sound somehow (too bassy, too boomy, sibilant, slow, whatever - never heard one that's all of the above (thank god), but I'm sure it's out there). So I tried the QC15 out, and honestly I think they're worthy of their price tag (ANC or not); they're just as enjoyable/good as my MDR-F1, albeit fairly different in overall presentation. They aren't harsh or sibilant, they aren't overly boomy, and they sound fairly smooth. But they aren't slow/muddy. They're enjoyable. I would easily put them above or equal to a lot of "audiophile approved" suggestions both for mobile/transportable sets, and at-home sets. Especially because they also weigh about as much as the MDR-F1 (Bose claims 196g with the cord, but doesn't mention if that's with or without the battery; they're not quite as comfy as the MDR-F1, but they're the most comfortable closed headphone I've ever worn) - so they don't fatigue you to wear, physically. And then there's the ANC - and it absolute eats the aircon noise and leaves you with nothing. It's very relaxing (there's a slight hiss in the background, but I tried moving around in my house with them on (cordless) and it seems to change based on how much noise is around you (in other words I suspect if you sat in a very very quiet space, they would become equally quiet because there's less cancellation being applied).
None of the closed headphones I've tried (including the Beyer T70 which have a lot of passive isolation) accomplish that as completely (and if you've read my other posts, you know I *despised* the T70 - they're harsh, aggressive, fatiguing, clampy, and all of that for only $669.95 (curious why the price has dropped like a ROCK in the last few months?
). Was it a relatively frivolous purchase? Yeah, probably so. But they get used, and even when the ANC isn't needed, they're the bassiest headphones I own now, and they're lots of fun with videogames (but unlike a lot of other bassy headphones, they don't have a nasty punched up treble response; it's just a pleasing warm low end with reasonably good extension). And music.
I'll also agree on the accessories package - for the price, it was absolutely SURPRISING to have accessory after accessory in the box (and the batteries WERE included); most audiophile headphones you're lucky to get a box with your purchase. :rolleyes: The only set that surpasses the QC15 in both presentation and sound would be the ESP/950 (do a quick price search, I'll wait) - they include enough accessories to support any possible usage scenario that is outlined in the user's manual. And a *huge* bag/case. It's really over the top compared to a lot of what we're conditioned to accept out of audiophile headphones - honestly I'm kind of impressed with Bose in this regard, in that not only do they provide a good product, they provide all of the little bits that support it (except a 1/4" adapter, which is the weirdest exclusion - literally they include cables and plugs for anything else you could conceive to plug these into, but no 1/4" adapter). They also provide cheap replacement parts (not "Koss $5 earpads" cheap, but cheap enough - none of this $80-$160/set earpads and assorted madness). The only other headphones I've tried that approach this package are the Ultrasone PROline models - most of them cost a lot more than the QC15. And they still don't include as many toys. But compared to Denon, Audio-Technica, Sony, Grado (god :rolleyes
, etc it's just not even fair.
I can see other people/people in general liking the QC15 sound as well. Simply because it is so non-fatiguing and well extended. I don't think they're the best headphone ever made, but really who cares about that? They're pleasant sounding. They're comfortable (the pads don't seem to heat up and make you sweat, despite being not fabric (I have no idea what they're made of; it isn't leather, and it isn't any kind of pleather I've ever had before; it's not even quite the same as the TriPort)). You can enjoy the music, and they do what they claim to be able to do (nowhere in their literature does it say they're dead-on balls accurate and suitable for studio monitoring; it says they're designed for music enjoyment). They also aren't microphonic like the TriPort (which is my biggest complaint with those).
I will agree with Tyll though, that ANC seems to be thrown into a lot of products as a result of the QC15 and it's general mass appeal (a lot of people who maybe haven't spent as much time around audio equipment in general probably do regard them as one of the best headphones ever, simply because they might be one of the most expensive they've ever seen) - sort of a "they have this, so we have this" kind of game. But every non-Bose ANC set I've heard is just...bad (at ANC). Haven't tried the Beats (as I said above), but given that they seem to leak pretty bad if the kids I see (I should say "hear from across the car over the din and motor noise") on the train are any indication, I doubt they provide much isolation.
I'm not saying people need to run out and buy these, and I'm honestly doubting anyone will very seriously consider them (for the reasons outlined above), but I still figured I'd share FWIW.