[wind016]

LOL  I wish i could just plug in Stax into a regular amp with an adapter...
 
Anyways, I tried the Digital noise cancelling headphone from Sony in the Sony store, but there is simply no comparison to the NC on the QC15. Also, sound quality seems better on the Bose making the Bose look like the better bargain of the two...
 
Crossing Sony off the list...
 
Now: Denon, Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Goldring, Able Planets, JVC, AKG, Bose, Phiaton
 
 
Quote:

I purchased the QC15 a couple of months ago after trying a number of diffent makes.
As far as noise cancellation goes you can't go past the QC15's and the sound is quite reasonable.
They are not in the same park as my Stax 404 but I couldn’t find a stax plane adaptor.
 

 

[Zida]

 
Alright, So I briefly tried out my friends QC15 to contrast with my ANC7. As far as comfort they felt more like a higher end pair of headphones. That was nice. Their noise cancelling may have also been better, but I wasn't actively analyzing that.
 
Their sound. Hmph. The first song I heard them with was Swap Meet by Nirvana and I was impressed, though in retrospect it was for bad reasons. The QC15 are quite bass heavy. Maybe even more so than the DT990, but I didn't have a direct compare. Their bass can make well mixed rock tracks sound fun, but on already bass heavy songs (Queens of the Stone Age, Death From Above 1979... electronic music) their bass just gets so bloated it just kills everything. I should have spent a bit longer with the headphones, but I suspect they have a fair bit of scooped mids. When I loaded up a metal song (Divinity Within by Protest the Hero) I was appalled by the sound I heard. Everything just devolved into noise. The already scooped tone of the track coupled with the sound sig of the QC15 was just noise. I went back to some more normal mixed albums with some Bowie and Pearl Jam, but the damage was done. I had never heard a semi-decent pair of headphones just devolve like that. I even heard some treble clipping/distortion on Hail Hail by Pearl Jam.
 
They were semi-decent, though. I found that despite their heavy colour they were a bit clearer than my ANC7 and maybe even had a bit of a better punch... but ONLY with decently balanced sounding music. I found they had an ability to play semi low-fi music nicely (again, referencing early Nirvana). Their heavily coloured sound somehow smoothed it out. That being said, their complete inability to play so much music is just a massive turn off. If you're willing to throw out half your music collection and are willing to look past some heavy coloration (so basically don't make these your only phones), these can sound better than the ANC7. Overall though between the two I have to give the recommend to Audio Technica. Those aren't exactly superb but at least they can play whatever you want to listen to and sound decent at it.
 
Try again, Bose. At least you're improving.
 
 
*** Update Febuary 2012 : ****
I have to apologize for part of my review. It's true that they have an unnaturally heavy bass response, but that clipping I was hearing was actually curable by the gain switch conveniently hidden on the removable cable. When these guys aren't clipping they sound decent. Whether they're worth the price to the user depends on the importance of getting every last ounce of ANC and absolute comfort you can (ATH-ANC7 are pretty close). Call it diminishing returns on the more superficial features.
 
Their sound is no disgrace. Soundstaging, clarity and imaging are all pretty decent. I now *can* recommend these headphones.

 

[wind016]

Very helpful write up Zida! You mentioned that the headphones sounded terrible with some music and impressive with others due to the increased bass. Can you improve the situation by increasing the mids with an equalizer and maybe lowering the bass? Also what source are you using? I would most likely be using the headphones through my Cowon J3, which IMO has an outstanding EQ.

 

[Banko]

Well, I am one of those that own a pair of Bose QC 15 (getting laughed at by you head fi'ers on my plane rides).
In my view the QC 15 are better than IEM when on a plane because of the low rumbling noice there is on a plane, this is better dealt with by the QC 15 than for example my Shure SE 530 IEM.
 
If you can afford them they are great and really comfortable. I do not think they are over priced.
Oh - and the fact that it is running on a AAA battery instead of a Li-Ion one is a plus for me. I just make sure I pack an extra battery and I can always get AAA batteries, no matter I am travelling.
 
As mentioned by Zida, they are a bit bass heavy. I do not find a problem with that though and would compare that with e.g. Senheiser IE8.
 
In my honest opinion this is the best travel companion you can get....
Quote:

Very helpful write up Zida! You mentioned that the headphones sounded terrible with some music and impressive with others due to the increased bass. Can you improve the situation by increasing the mids with an equalizer and maybe lowering the bass? Also what source are you using? I would most likely be using the headphones through my Cowon J3, which IMO has an outstanding EQ.

 

[Zida]

 
Quote:

Very helpful write up Zida! You mentioned that the headphones sounded terrible with some music and impressive with others due to the increased bass. Can you improve the situation by increasing the mids with an equalizer and maybe lowering the bass? Also what source are you using? I would most likely be using the headphones through my Cowon J3, which IMO has an outstanding EQ.

 
It's true, I was at the very beginning impressed by QC15 as I found that they helped to smooth out the sound of that well recorded but low-fi-ish sound of early nirvana (really... grunge tone. ) while adding in some punch  from the added bass. I did however find that it overdid it with actually well balanced music (Pearl Jam) and began to distort on cymbals (like clipping... not good), and sounded atrocious with music already coloured in a similar way to the QC15 (bass up mids down, perhaps? maybe just a simple scooped mids... I'd need to spend more time with them).

I personally have never before had much particular luck in EQing flaws out of headphones, but if you're interested I can certainly try next time im hanging out with the owner, which is likely to happen before too long. My source was a Creative Zen Vision:M. It has, in my opinion, a passable 5-band EQ. I'm not sure I'd be able to EQ out all that bass bloat, though.
 
If you have anything in particular you'd like me to test out with em let me know.
 
 
Quote:

If you can afford them they are great and really comfortable. I do not think they are over priced.
 
As mentioned by Zida, they are a bit bass heavy. I do not find a problem with that though and would compare that with e.g. Senheiser IE8.

 
They certainly are comfortable, and if your primary concerns are comfort and top of the line active noise cancelling regardless of price then I do agree, they are the way to go. If however you intend for these to be your day to day headphones like I use my ANC7 (busses and subways) then I think you need to opt for a more generally usable sound. It really is a shame about the coloration of the phones because I thought that, apart from that one huge drawback, they actually sounded like an upgrade over the ANC7.

Out of curiosity Banko, what type of music do you primary listen to on your QC15 that sounds alright? I ask because I only really listened to two tones of music yesterday.

 

[Banko]

Okay, I hope this post doesn't get to boring as it will be detailing my music taste and listening habits.
 
In general, my listening habbits can be described as following (with % of total time in brackets), the ones in bold are sounding okay/good on the Bose:
 
Rock (35 %) - Jeff Buckley, Kings of Leon, Vaselines, Arcade Fire, Band of Horses, Gil Scott-Heron, Wolfmother, Them Crooked Vultures, The Strokes, The Sons
Indie (15 %) - Owen Pallet, The Roumor Said Fire, Magic Kids, Frightened Rabbit, Vampire Weekend, Tunng, Whitest boy alive
Electronic (30 %)- Jatoma, crap Robot, Ratatat, The Chemical Brothers, Justice
Pop (10 %) - Robyn, LCD Soundsystem, Lady Gaga
HipHop (10 %) - Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Timbaland
 
I think in general the ones that doesnt sound to good are the ones with a high focus on the mids/highs, while if it is with focus on low/mids it is okay.
If that makes any sense?
 
Quote:

Out of curiosity Banko, what type of music do you primary listen to on your QC15 that sounds alright? I ask because I only really listened to two tones of music yesterday.

 

[BluFalcon]

I received the Bose QC 15 in the mail today.  My previous ordered was canceled by the retailer for some reason.  I went back to re-order and the price was marked down to $229 shipped.  Probably a Black Friday deal or something.  Anyway, I just plugged them in and gave them a quick listen (Bob Marley - Africa Unite).  Sounded pretty decent off the bat.  As Zida previously mentioned it was a bit heavy on the bass, but still sounded pretty good.  Noise canceling was great.  Blocked out a lot of noise in the house (running water in the kitchen, washer and dryer downstairs where I was, etc.)  So initial impression was that SQ was decent and NC was excellent.  I'll also add that they are very lightweight and comfortable to wear.  I plugged in my 225i that was nearby to just give it a quick sound comparison.  I'm no audiophile, so I probably have a higher tolerance for what some of you would consider "noise".  No question the Grados killed the Bose in SQ, with the Bose sounding muddy after switching back.  However, I did not find the SQ to be so frightfully distasteful to completely rule them out as a travel companion.  I do a lot of traveling at times (planes, trains and automobiles), so the NC is a big plus for me.  I can tolerate the mediocre sound as I suspected it would not be up to snuff with what I was used to listening to anyway.  It simply was not purchased for that purpose.  The Bose have been put away until its time for me to make my next trip (don't forget to remove the battery).  I figure if I stop moving around as often as I do I can always put them up for sale on ebay and probably make back most of what I paid for them.  Overall, not disappointed about this purchase and I'll be keeping them for as long as I need them.  Now back to jamming out with my Grados...

 

[wind016]

WOW BluFalcon, where did you get it for that price???! That's cheaper than Ebay and I couldn't find any black friday deals on it
 
Zida, just try some Eqing and see how it goes for you. Whatever you do will be greatly appreciated.
 
Banko, if they sound good on some music, then they certainly got potential haha.
 
I might just buy the QC 15s, but I need to save up more money. I have other headphones with higher priority right now too... Tax season's coming=more money haha

 

[BluFalcon]

Quote:

WOW BluFalcon, where did you get it for that price???! That's cheaper than Ebay and I couldn't find any black friday deals on it
 

That was the on-line AAFES (Army Air Force Exchange Service) price last week.  Military members and their families can access the web site and shop there.  

 

[Banko]

Sure is a nice price you got there BluFalcon,
A friend of mine bought mine in the US and took them back to Europe for me. Believe I paid 300 dollars or so (list price).
 
wind016 - don't get me wrong, they sound "good" as in "okay" with some music. I prefer my SE530 SQ wise any day! Problem is, the Bose is my only proper non-IEM headphone, and it can get tirring to sit with IEM in for more than a few hours (in my view).
Looking to get either a pair of Denon (2000?), Senn HD650 or Grado (RS-2i?) within the next few months, just to be sure I got a good pair of full size cans to use at home. My Bose would still be used when out travelling (or if the house is noisy), as this is where these really excel!
 
Quote:

WOW BluFalcon, where did you get it for that price???! That's cheaper than Ebay and I couldn't find any black friday deals on it
 
Banko, if they sound good on some music, then they certainly got potential haha.
 

 

[wind016]

http://www.phiaton.com/products/phiaton/HEADPHONES/PS_300_NC/?cat=1&id=12 
 
any impressions?
 
phiaton ps300nc

 

[wind016]

I was doing a quick search n found this,
This site reviews the Phiatons.
 
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mp3-player-reviews/phiaton-ps-300-nc/
 
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mp3-player-reviews/bose-quietcomfort-15-review/
 
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mp3-player-reviews/audio-technica-ath-anc7b-review/
 
They prefered the QC15 and pretty much hated the Phiatons. Other reviews like the Phiatons... ionno... They also list Grado GR8s and Monster Beats as part of their "BEST HEADPHONES" list, so I don't know whether to take them seriously

 

[JonC]

I've been following this thread closely because my IEM's have been irritating my ears lately and I'm wondering if I need ANC headphones for when I fly.  I've read many comparisons and a common theme is that the Bose QC15's don't sound quite as good as Brand X, but they're SQ is adequate and their noise cancelling is far superior to Brand X.  I'd love to get something like a Sennheiser PCX 450, but almost all comparisons state they don't isolate as well.  

 

[Banko]

If you need them purely for flying I would not hesitate in recommending the QC15 - as in my view a lot of the extra SQ is lost on the plane due to the noise, vibrations, air pressure, etc.
I do not know if the cabin pressaure really effects the listening experience or if its placebo, but I certainly feel so.
 
If you need them for more than flying I would suggest you evaluate the advantages based on their perceived value (as perceived by you).
Questions to ask yourself would be:
How much of the time will I use them when flying/travelling?
How much do I value peace and quiet when flying/travelling?
How much of the time will I use them at home in a nice and quiet environment?
How much do I value a better SQ (in this nice and quiet environment)?
 
And then of course look at price, etc. One option might be to buy the ATH ANC7 as a "pure flying headphone" (I have not tried it, but a lot of people mentioned it as a good alternative to the QC15) and then save a lot of money you can spend on a "pure at home headphone".
 
Only you can decide - depends on how you value the various advantages, and of course how much cash you can spend on it.

 
Quote:

 I'm wondering if I need ANC headphones for when I fly.  

 

[stokitw]

First of all, none of the ANC phones is good for serious listening, period.
It is the limitation of the ANC technology, no one can get rid of it.
For those phones can still work without turning on ANC, they are overpriced no matter which brand you're talking about.
ANC phones typically stress on comfort, therefore they won't provide good isolation without ANC.
 
The best solution is to get an ANC phone just for where ANC is needed (traveling), and get another phone for serious listening.
 
 
Quote:

I've been following this thread closely because my IEM's have been irritating my ears lately and I'm wondering if I need ANC headphones for when I fly.  I've read many comparisons and a common theme is that the Bose QC15's don't sound quite as good as Brand X, but they're SQ is adequate and their noise cancelling is far superior to Brand X.  I'd love to get something like a Sennheiser PCX 450, but almost all comparisons state they don't isolate as well.