[Bombarde]

Bose's new QC30 wireless in-ear noise canceling headphones officially went on sale today. I was able to pick up a pair at my local Bose store, and I'm pretty happy with them so far.
 
I never owned the QC20s, so I can't make any comparisons in terms of sound quality to those, but I think in some respects, the noise canceling on these is even more effective than on my QC35s, at least in the upper frequency ranges.
 
One feature of these that I really like is the variable noise canceling. You have a 12 step control from fully on to fully off. You can control this on the little control pod on the right cable, or from the Connect app on a mobile phone. I really like this for use on walks where you might not want to shut out all outside noise for safety reasons in some environments.
 
So, I've only had these for a few hours, but just from casual listening to a variety of music, I'm pretty happy with the sound quality. They seem to have some really nice, deep bass, which was especially nice for some of my classical organ music - especially Jean Guillou's organ transcription of Pictures at an Exhibition. But I like the upper ranges very well also, and they have a nice sense of space.
 
I don't have a lot of experience with in ear phones - prior to these I mainly used Bose MIE2i phones for walking outside when I don't want to wear full size phones. My main motivation for getting these was that I wanted some decent wireless in-ear phones, which I haven't had. The ANC was a nice benefit, especially since I can modulate it or turn it off.
 
As for the ANC, I think it works very well, in typical Bose fashion. But unlike the QC35s which seem to rely primarily on passive reduction for higher frequencies, these seem to suppress the highs actively as well. You can really hear this when you dial back the ANC while wearing them.
 
The only thing I was a little disappointed in was their ability to suppress wind noise. I thought that being sealed noise cancelers, they'd be much better at that than my MIE2is. But walking into a headwind today, I was just about as bothered by it in my ears as I normally am. Maybe as the weather cools and I start wearing a hat over my ears, that will improve.
 
So that's my impression out of the gate. Has anyone else picked these up yet?

 

[bubsdaddy]

I'll be picking up a set tomorrow.

 

[bubsdaddy]

Part 1 of my Amazon review:

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

I purchased these this morning at a large retail chain. I wanted to give my initial impressions but I don't want to short-change any information a prospective buyer might want so I plan on doing this review in 3 parts.

Part 1:

Package: The Bose QC30 comes in a very nice premium package. I don't normally care about such things but I am sure there will be several unboxing videos you can watch on YouTube shortly. The package contains the headphones, a case, two extra sets of earbud covers (large and small, medium comes already installed) a short micro USB cable, and the instruction manual. The case is quite nice and has a stretchy fabric interior pocket similar to the QC35.

 

Comfort: These are quite simply the most comfortable in ear buds I have ever tried with the possible exception of the original Bose IE. These are much more comfortable than the Bose SOundsport Wireless or the Bose QC20. I am satisfied with the fit of the medium tips and I haven't felt the need to try the others yet. The tips are smaller and the bulkiness of the prior modes I just mentioned is gone - probably due to the neckband. The neckband adds almost no weight.

Controls: The standard on/off/pairing button found on most Bluetooth headphones is located on the inside of the band. On the right cable, there is a small control module that contains the standard 3 button configuration that handles volume up and down, play/pause, next/previous track and fast forward/rewind. These controls work the same as almost all Bluetooth earphones so you should have no trouble learning the system. This set has a very unique feature and a real departure from prior NC headphones. There is an additional set of up/down controls on the right earbud cable that allows the ability to vary the degree of noise cancellation -the iPhone app has a much better method. You can go from no cancellation to full NC using either method. I was in a crowded restaurant using this feature. I played around with this feature and determined that there is a big "jump" in NC at a little more than the halfway mark. Which brings us to:

 

Noise Cancellation: Again, this is a very unique system that Bose has employed. Because of the variable control of the NC and the smaller buds, the NC doesn't cancel noise in the same way the QC35 or even the QC20 do. Both of those rely on a degree of blockage of sound coming in and the QC30 does not. It relies completely on the electronics to provide NC. Although I find this method way more comfortable than the QC20, I don't think it provides as much noise cancellation. The lower registers are still cancelled quite well but the mid to higher registers (talking, clicking, etc.) are not cancelled as well. With music playing, this isn't really an issue but if you plan to use these without music or for audiobooks or podcasts, you might not achieve the same level of NC that the prior mentioned Bose NC headphones achieve. Feel free to ask me more questions about this. Also, I have a flight coming up soon so I plan on covering this more in a future part of the review.

 

Sound: The sound is quite good for the size of the bud and for not requiring deep in-ear insertion. However, because of those things, you will not get the lowest register of bass with the same authority as the QC35. The bass does not break up and hits clean, but is not quite as good as the QC35. I used a test track - Hooverphonic - Inhaler. It is very deep bass and the QC30 reproduced it well without driver rattle or break up. That is pretty impressive for a bud this small.

I then listed to the entire Zero 7 - Simple Things album. It was smooth and detailed sound at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had the NC turned all the way up and didn't need a lot of volume for the music to be very engaging. I'll have more impressions on sound later.

 

That is it for the first part of the review. I know these are new and will generate interest so I hope this helps for now. More to come.......

 

[Bombarde]

Nice review, bubsdaddy. I look forward to the other parts. I'll also be interested in your results after trying the other sizes of the tips. In my case, I first tried the smalls, because that's what I use on the MIE2i's. but the mediums produced much better NC and bass do to a much better seal. So those are what I've been using.

You sound more familiar with the QC20s than I am. Are the tips on them much different than the QC30s?

 

[dweaver]

Stopped by the Bose store for a quick listen. 20 minutes later I left impressed and wishing I had waited until these were released. The stepped ANC works brilliantly. The QC20 always sounded funny when you turned off the ANC, I really like how these always have a bit of ANC getting rid of the background buzz even when the AnC is turned way down.

I thought while the bass is not super authoritative it was better than the QC20 and they seemed to have more detail (this is from memory). I got rid of the QC20 because it played it to safe music wise always leaving me wanting more. These seem to improve this area which is important. If anyone owns the QC20 please feel free to comment on the difference music wise between these and the QC20.

These are way less clunky than the QC20 as well.

Compared to my 100ABN these have better ANC and noise reduction but slightly less detail (I think). I am very tempted to buy a pair...

 

[Jaunty]

I have a pair. They are good apart from the Bluetooth connectivity. They cut out every minute or so walking through the City of London. IPhone 5s in suit breast pocket, so can't get much closer to the headset. May have to send them back.

 

[dweaver]

Try restarting your phone and see if that helps connectivity. I get your frustration though, I had a similar issue with the H7 and switched to the Sony 100ABN. The 100ABN is a lot better but even it has the occasional blip.

If I buy a pair I will be getting it from a place with a return policy though just in case I have the same issue. I also am concerned about wind noise so 2 good reasons to make sure I can return them if needed.

 

[bubsdaddy]

I had a 2.5 hour flight yesterday. I took my QC20, QC35 and the new QC30. I listened to each of them with NC only - nothing actually playing through them. I was quite surprised to find that the QC30 seems to eliminate noise at least on par with and better in some respects than it's siblings. I noticed the mid to higher frequency range sounds - talking, etc - were mitigated better by the QC30. I did not expect that result. 

 

[pkshiu]

just ordered me. I really like the bluetooth implementation on my soundSport wireless. It switches between three of my devices (two visible at any time) smoothly. The QC30 should be same and bigger battery and ANC. Will report back once I get them.

 

[Robertpetry]

So far my experience with the QC30 has been pretty good as well.  Noise cancelation is very good when the earpieces are properly fitted in my ear - better than my QC20i.  The sound with music is definitely better than my QC20i's.  
 
The mic on calls does pick up too much outside noise and transmit that to callers.  But no one has complained about not hearing me yet.  I have had one person comment that there must have been a number of pot holes as I was driving over some rough pavement.  But that is it.  
 
I have noticed some quirkiness.  The headphones do cut out some with BT, which is not unusual really.  But they seem to lose connection occasionally and sometimes my music pauses out of nowhere and I have to hit the button to restart it.  Also, once I had them just shut down for no reason (with full battery).  I turned them back on and 10 seconds later they shut off again.  I put them down and picked them up a few hours later and they worked for 3.5 hours straight with no issues at all.  So I don't know what that was about.  
 
Hopefully these are early days issues and firmware will help over time.  Suggestions from me to Bose:
 
-  I wish they would learn my preference for a bit more noise cancelling during calls.  I have to repeatedly increase the settings on every call.  Let me set it or remember last setting.
-  I should be able to hold the up or down noise cancelation button and in 2 seconds have it jump to max or minimum respectively.  Why do I have to repeatedly push the stupid button?  
-  Use software and make the mic more noise canceling for the person on the other line.  I know this can be done well as my QC20i is amazing at it.  Also my Plantronics Edge headset is phenomenal.  This headset should be just as good as the QC20i and it clearly is not.  
 
Still, my primary use case is listening to music or watching Netflix in noisy environments and the QC 30 is very good for this.  

 

[dweaver]

Well I caved...

So far I have to say they really do have good ANC and really do like the variable control. I also think they sound a lot more detailed than the QC20 so don't get people's comments about the QC20 sounding better. I actually think the comments come from bias because these are Bluetooth versus the QC20 being wired or people are letting signature preference influence their judgement.

I also like how these don't seem to have to much of the pressure sensation other BT headphones have.

I have a Kickstarter ANC IEM coming in next month and think it will be an interesting comparison between the two. I also will likely do a comparison to my Sony MDR100ABN and may be doing a review of the Sennheiser MCX550 as well...

 

[rbc3585]

I'm planning on investing in some headphones with anc. Right now I'm tossing up between the QC30 and Plantronics backbeat Pro 2; would've gone with the QC35s but not having the option to turn the anc off is a bit of a dealbreaker for me. Can anyone comment on the physical comfort of the QC30s (I've never used neckband headphones before) and the pressure from the nc? Thanks!

 

[pkshiu]

  I'm planning on investing in some headphones with anc. Right now I'm tossing up between the QC30 and Plantronics backbeat Pro 2; would've gone with the QC35s but not having the option to turn the anc off is a bit of a dealbreaker for me. Can anyone comment on the physical comfort of the QC30s (I've never used neckband headphones before) and the pressure from the nc? Thanks!

Hi,
 
I find the QC30 (just got it this weekend) extremely comfortable. The neck band has a matt/rubbery feel to it that feels good and not very heavy. This is the first time I tried a neckband style as well, and I like it that there are no dangling wires behind my head between the earpieces.

 

[rbc3585]

Thanks for the feedback!

Weirdly the QC30 seems to have a lot of negative Amazon reviews criticising the anc. I guess it's early days though so it's a small sample size, and a lot of Amazon reviewers are punters.

 

[dweaver]

the ANC is different than the QC20, in some ways it's not as noise cancelling but in other ways it's more noise cancelling. But unlike the QC20 which is either on or off the stepped QC30 does work as advertised unlike what some of the Amazon reviewers would have you think. I think the slightly more balanced signature is throwing some people off. They are just to used to the QC20 so think the QC30 is worse when in fact it is a bit more nuanced and detailed (not a ton better but still improved in my opinion). Having had more time to listen I do prefer my MDR-100ABN more I am still enjoying the QC30.
 
But I tried something today that might make me keep the QC30. I decided to see if the QC30 could act as a headset on my Surface Pro 3 at work and I'll be darned if it didn't work! I am going to try the Sony tomorrow and see if I can get it working. If the Sony doesn't work the Bose will be the first BT headset I have tried on the Surface 3 that worked without any hassle. This feature might be worth keeping them by itself.