Please disregard the sliders on the left hand side, as they are broken.
Prefatory Notes:
I purchased this product and am therefore not so easily oblivious to the effects of buyer’s remorse potentially inflicted upon me, unlike those who received free review units and are more liable to completely fall prey to the novelty of new gear. I say this so that prospective readers looking to find out if the QC20/QC20i is a worthy purchase can read about it from someone in a more relatable position, which is invariably less in those who received free review units. I have nothing against reviewers who receive free review units, except that I can't help but feel the need to scale their findings down a bit due to the inherent bias in avoiding the route of purchase.
Lastly, this is my first Bose product purchase (and noise cancelling headphone purchase), which precludes me from being a Bose fan-boy. My impression/expectations going into this purchase was that the noise cancellation would be far above average with excellent comfort at the justified expense of some sound quality. In addition, I purchased the QC20 which is the android/blackberry/windows friendly version. The only difference between the version I purchased and the QC20i is the application of the play/pause/volume adjusting remote buttons and in-line mic, which I didn't use.
I don't consider myself an audiophile, but I do share a great appreciation for music and our various means of listening to it. What I regularly listen to consists of my Spotify account with the highest available download quality, as well as various MP3/flac/wav files. This is my first written review, so feel free to provide comments/criticism regarding the format of my review and how I can make it better.
So far, I have spent about a couple months with these headphones, and I will detail what I’ve found while using them as coherently as I possibly can.
Introduction:
Unless you’re a news reporter or an audio engineer, you probably want headphones more than you actually need them. I draw the distinction between needing and wanting headphones because if you're among those of us who purchase them out of want, the QC20/QC20i is likely going to be the most practical choice.
The reason, in short, is that the QC20/QC20i has the capacity to be less isolating than an earbud, yet as isolating as a well-fitting silicone tip In-Ear-Monitor (via switchable modes at the press of a button), all with nearly as much comfort as an earbud, and with nearly as much stability as an over-ear worn IEM due to Bose’s proprietary eartips. To my ears, they’re not quite at the sound quality provided by the JVC FX850 (in my opinion one of the best IEMs in the price bracket for those who like an incredibly natural and tastefully bass-emphasized sound signature), but I didn’t expect them to be, and the differences are not as apparent in noisy environments. They are easily drivable from a smartphone/tablet, which goes almost without saying considering the target market.
What comes with the package is a series of small, medium and large ear tips (medium is attached by default), an instructional booklet, soft case (probably better suited to be a coin purse) and a registration manual in the event that a warranty needs to be activated. Last but not least, the earphones are included as well.
Notes on the comfort/materials:
The cable consists of a thick and durable (so far, anyway) gray/white swirl pattern coming from the ear pieces and into the plastic y-split remote, followed by another length of cable into a wafer-sized rectangle that houses the rechargeable battery and on/off toggle switch. The remaining length of cable ends at diminutive 90 degree angled plug that doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence. However, for people who plan on using the QC20 with a smartphone, the plug will fit the vast majority of smartphone cases. As far as cable microphonics is concerned, it isn't completely absent, but it isn't painfully distracting either. I would advise using the included shirt clip to further reduce the incidence of microphonics.
At this price point, the current standard would warrant the implementation of detachable cables. However, I think it’s forgivable that they’re not available in this package due to the complications provided by the noise cancelling circuitry. In addition, the cable seems durable enough for long term usage due to the cable quality and thickness. While it’s a soft and flexible rubber material, it’s prone to somewhat annoying levels of cable memory. This means that in order to maintain an ideal fit, one would have to rotate the ear pieces one way or another with each use.
The control module that houses the battery and on/off switch can be a bit cumbersome to use at first, but some very inexpensive dual-locking Velcro solves the problem rather handily. Even with the fix, there’s still enough cable for the average person to use comfortably without any discernible pulling (I’m 5’11 for reference).
The proprietary ear tips take a bit of getting used to. They’re a bit less comfortable than typical earbuds, but they feel substantially more forgettable than the typical universal IEM. I have no problems using either, but when it comes to wearing to sleep, the QC20/QC20i is far more comfortable than IEMs. I was most comfortable with the medium size winged tips and as much as I would swing my head/neck from side to side, they wouldn’t pop out. At first, I did experience some soreness after about 3 hours, but after repeated sessions my ears grew used to the winged tips.
I’m not sure if the QC20/QC20i would necessarily hold up for long in the rigor of a workout, but they do seem handle my daily pedestrian commute quite capably. Overall, I found the QC20/QC20i are very light and comfortable enough for long-term use. They might not be the be-all end-all of earphone comfort, but they're certainly closer to that end of the spectrum than not.
Sound Quality/Noise Cancellation/Aware Mode:
I have to admit, I’m not very good at describing what it is I hear, but I’ll try my best. Given that the QC20/QC20i more closely resembles an earbud than an IEM in terms of comfort, ergonomics and passive isolation, I wasn’t expecting a great deal of bass extension. However, with the noise cancellation activated, I was surprised to hear how deep the bass extended, which lends itself to having a rather expansive soundstage. There isn’t a great deal of bass quantity, which means that bassheads (I don’t use the term pejoratively) most likely won’t be satisfied without some software equalization, but it reaches way deeper than I anticipated. Upon closer examination, I didn’t feel that any of the frequencies were competing against each other for dominion, leading me to think that the headphone is closer to neutral than focusing on any particular frequency range, and I’m confident that there were no issues with the seal (or else the sound would have become noticeably tinny and diffuse). To my ears, they sound balanced and devoid of sibilance, although they aren’t quite as detailed as the FX850, my similarly priced comparison. I hesitate to say that trebleheads (I don’t use this term pejoratively either) won’t be 100% satisfied either, but they disappoint far less than I think most would expect, given the reputation that the predecessor Bose noise cancelers have projected towards their reproduction of the upper frequency. Also, I think it's important to note that despite my earlier mention that the QC20/QC20i more closely resemble earbuds in terms of passive isolation, they leak practically no sound except at levels exceeding safe listening volumes.
As a side note, you’ll get approximately 14-16 hours of usage on a full battery (taking into consideration how many hours are used consecutively as well as the slow passive drain that happens when not in use). I charge it around once every 4 days to a week, and a flashing indicator will let you know that a charge will be soon required. Also, the battery pack is not replaceable, which means that after approximately 500 charges the maximum capacity of the lithium ion battery will unfortunately begin to decrease. However, with a semiweekly charge, the battery will not degrade until nearly five years of use. In my opinion, that's a fair amount of longevity for something of this price and utility.
The noise cancellation to my ears is about as good as a properly fitted universal silicone IEM tip on a non-vented IEM, although it leaves the higher frequency more untouched than the lower frequency environmental noise. Considering that the QC20/QC20i by its very nature is closer to an earbud than it is an IEM, that level of cancellation is quite remarkable. There is a minor hiss with the noise cancellation activated, but it's capable of eliminating far more than the hiss adds, and is incidentally pleasant enough (in my opinion) to drown out most external noises that may interrupt sleep. Granted, this isn’t isolation on the level of Custom IEMs or Etymotic triple-flange, but it’s quite good and absent the hassle of customization (for CIEMS) or the feeling of corking your ears, thereby turning your IEMs into a stethoscope for microphonics (an issue with Etymotics triple-flange ear tips). To put the level of noise cancellation into perspective, I can still hear my music mostly unaffected and with very mild distraction in the event of an approaching train. For all of the noise that it's not able to block, it will sound very distant due to the missing lower frequency noise and is thus easy to selectively disregard.
I’ve read elsewhere in the forums that these aren’t isolating enough for the intensity of New-York train commutes, but for everything else they should get the job done. One thing to note is that in pressure variable areas like being inside of a car as the doors are closing causes an odd and unexpected pop when the noise cancellation is already activated.
The aware mode is probably the most unique feature about this headphone that you won’t get in any other within the noise cancelling realm or otherwise (at least to my knowledge). The side button on the y-split remote, when pressed, will cause the noise cancellation microphones to instead become open windows into the surrounding environment. The music or whichever media will still be playing as is, but will be noticeably more subdued (unless the outside environment is already relatively quiet) due to the re-entrance of the environmental noise. This makes conversational interactions less cumbersome because you won’t be needing to reinsert the earphones in order to respond (a huge bonus for me considering how finicky the cable can sometimes be), and the split second reaction time that conversation requires will benefit from this convenience, at least in my experience. It's also a great benefit to have in the midst of traffic-intensive pedestrian commutes when situational awareness is paramount. The environmental noise filtering in won’t sound especially natural, but it's close enough without having to sacrifice one's music entirely.
With the noise cancelling off, the sound quality is without question diminished, but the availability of use in the event of a rundown battery is nice, as it’s not a readily available feature in a lot of noise cancelers. The listening experience is not terrible, but it's not nearly as good as with the noise cancellation activated.
Final Notes:
All of that said, if you’re looking to purchase a pair of earbuds/IEMs/headphones purely for sound quality and little else, this is not the best purchase for your money. However, if you’re looking the full package of having great isolation and comfort with decent sound quality, the surprisingly less than gimmicky aware mode, along with a company that stands behind its products (or so I’ve heard but haven’t yet needed to test), I do recommend this product as it succeeds in those criteria. As of this review, you’ll be able to purchase the QC20/QC20i for about a hundred dollars less than retail on E-bay, but reserve some caution for the possibility of fakes. Try to avoid buying used (unless you want to try your luck), because one surefire way to detect a fake from a genuine product is the presence/absence of the plastic outer-wrapping.
Also, I neglected to go over the features offered by the non-aware-mode remote buttons and the in-line microphone because I used the QC20/20i out of a portable dac/amp rig (Smartphone, Pico Slim, HIFIMEDIY Sabre Dac). Based on the feel of the switches, I imagine it’s very standard fare and nothing to really write home about, though they are nice features to have. I'll continually add more to this review the more I use them.
UPDATE:
I've started using the microphone and play/pause buttons and they've become so convenient that I've ditched the bulk of the microUSB dac and Pico Slim in order to wear these out and about. The increase in overall convenience is amazing and the detraction in sound quality when listening to them amidst environmental noise is practically indistinguishable.
UPDATE #2:
Clocked in several hundred hours of usage and they're still holding strong. I haven't been doing anything super taxing, just walking commutes, but they've exceeded my expectations.
These are my recommendation for anyone who wants a headphone/iem for flights/long travel commutes... unless they are really really picky about audio quality. The comfort, small footprint in your bag, and ease of use are top notch.