[tremendo]

I have several headphones with good physical seals that block sound such as the Shure audiologist molded SE425's, a several Bose & Beats over ear headphones.  I also just got Bluetooth PowerBeats2, that are fun with Bluetooth and heavy base, but no seal and poor sound quality, but OK for the gym with the benefit of bluebooth.
 
I've never enjoyed any ANC buds of phones I've tried, because I always felt like something was shooting through my head.  I felt that again the other day with the Bose QC20's, but another day I was able to try the B&O BeoPlay H3 ANC's, and they were the 1st pair to seem to not bother me with the ANC on.  But I haven't been able to compare nor try again, and I can't find specs on the noise cancelling that give me any functional information.  They seemed very comfortable and might be what I need and I'm borderline to order a pair.
 
Any experience with the B&O H3 ANC's compared to Bose QC20's and their noise cancelling differences?  I've researched here, and the Bose are covered well, but not the B&O H3 ANC's.  thanks!

 

[tremendo]

Well I bought them anyway and they sound great for what they are.  The Noise Cancelling is a little more subtle than the Bose's, but unlike the Bose, these do no bother me at all.  Less of a physical seal than my Shure SE425 with black foamies, but pretty close.  And with the active cancellation, perfect for what I wanted.
 
Quality: More rich clear bass than my Shure SE425's, but a little less clarity in the high mids and less separation of frequencies (these are single driver and that's where the SE425's excel).  But they sound better overall than my Shure E4's and better than I thought they would.  And I bought them for the Active Noise Cancelling, so these are great for $250 for me.

 

[XDT]

Thanks for the info tremendo, by more subtle, would you say the NC on the H3s are better or worse than the QC20s? I'm looking for a pair for the aeroplane.

 

[tremendo]

The noise cancellation is smoother and probably a little less than the Bose, but much cleaner. For me, way better.

 

[4soundadvice]

I tried both at "In Motion" in the DFW airport B terminal for about 45 minutes with varied different music to test the sound clarity and noise cancelling. The pure musicality and clarity of the B&O H3ANC was superior. Saxophone was so real, the reed breath and feel was like the player was in the room. The Bose QC20 was a little quieter, but a had slight pressure feel in my ears feeling like a headache and the sound was muffled and not as clear. The B&O H3 ANC was a clear winner of this competition in my humble opinion. The cancellation is subtle, agreed, but effective. The Jack is a right angle too for less strain on the cable. One other note is the H3's have in-ear sonic isolation through foam eartips that expand and isolate sound before the ANC kicks in to actively listen and provide the active noise cancellation. Plus, B&O is solid metal ear buds that are precision machined of a lightweight alloy for high durability. Hope this is helpful. They also gave a 10% discount.

 

[audiosplitz]

I was lucky enough to try both. Let me attempt to break it down
 
Bose QC20 - it's fantastic in terms of noise cancelation. It's drowns out ambient sounds really effectively. The compromise is the sound quality is bassy and detail is not at a sparkling level.
 
B&O H3 ANC - the emphasis is more on the sound quality and there's a good balance between bass and treble. Noise cancelation is subtle such that ambient sound still seeps through. 
 
The nutshell is both are good in different areas. It really depends what you want. Personally, I'd take the Bose on the plane.