Bose QuietComfort 20’s vs. Sennheiser Momentums?! Noise-Canceling vs. Noise-Isolating: FINAL WARS.
Dec 19, 2013 at 9:29 PM Post #49 of 57
I agree that it's kind of wrong headed to compare active noise cancelling to passive. And it's not like Sennheiser doesn't already make some noise cancelling ear buds to compare to, the cxc 700s. Would love to read a head to head review of these two.
 
Dec 25, 2013 at 8:34 PM Post #50 of 57
jazzman7 said:
  The positive reviews above raise my interest in these again.  I have a pair of Sony in-ear NC models -- MDR-NC100 -- that I use on flights.  I live near a dedicated Bose store where I'm sure they have these.  I wonder if they would let me try them?  That way I could listen for hiss.  To be fair, it seems to be hard to make NC headphones that don't hiss to some degree, as most of the ones I've tried seem to.  
 
I'm also curious if any of the Comply tips would fit them.  
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Bose stores almost always have demo units for people to try out, and I'm saying "almost" just to be polite and cover all the bases - I have not seen any official Bose store that doesn't offer this.
 
I searched Japanese discussion forums (2ch) and someone has reported that you can use Comply tips on a QC20. The person says to use the 500 size. As a QC20 owner I'd say that's accurate because the smaller 400 Complys most definitely won't fit - you'll want the 500s to even have a chance of the tips going on. I'll report back if I do try them out myself.
 
Dec 27, 2013 at 9:19 AM Post #51 of 57
Not sure if I saw every post here, but I went from Bose QC15's to Denon Noise Canceling,and settled on my 535's with comply tips to get the best travel set-up.  For sound quality, I would go with noise isolation over noise canceling without reservation.  I have not heard the QC20's, but my experience with other Bose products tells me that there are compromises in SQ to achieve maximum noise cancellation.
 
Dec 27, 2013 at 11:38 AM Post #52 of 57
You are correct in your observation but the QC20 has the least amount of compromise in SQ I have heard. I have been using IEM's for many years and can attest to everything you have said. But also have come to the realization that isolating IEM's have their own compromises in comfort, micro phonics, and ear pressure sound, all which also affect the listening experience. So in the end it boils down to which poison you wish the live with. For me the QC20 works well on the train and downtown and I have settled on using a portable full size headphone (K545) for the rest of the time as it offers me the best SQ and comfort option. I still have the pull to buy IEM's but that desire is becoming less as time goes by.
 
Dec 27, 2013 at 12:12 PM Post #53 of 57
dweaver said:
You are correct in your observation but the QC20 has the least amount of compromise in SQ I have heard. I have been using IEM's for many years and can attest to everything you have said. But also have come to the realization that isolating IEM's have their own compromises in comfort, micro phonics, and ear pressure sound, all which also affect the listening experience. So in the end it boils down to which poison you wish the live with. For me the QC20 works well on the train and downtown and I have settled on using a portable full size headphone (K545) for the rest of the time as it offers me the best SQ and comfort option. I still have the pull to buy IEM's but that desire is becoming less as time goes by.
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No argument here.  Each of us has different ears, and different needs.  Thankfully there are plenty of choices, and opportunities to try new gear.  Not having tied the QC20 model, I would not condemn it out of hand.  My previous experience with Bose products just makes me a bit more skeptical regarding the SQ.  I will demo the next time I visit my local mall.
 
Jan 23, 2014 at 6:00 AM Post #54 of 57
Just came back to post an update re: using the Complys with the QC20.
 
I got some T500s today and couldn't put them onto the QC20 directly. I had to make a small incision in the core/tubing of the tips. Which is probably not a good idea, because if you cut too far in (or if the incision deepens on its own), it becomes too loose around the QC20's stems and you lose all isolation.
 
If you've got the QC20 and want to try Comply, I guess there's no real off-the-shelf solution. De-coring a version of Comply/Shure Olive with a smaller core, then stretch that over the stem? That might work, but I haven't attempted that yet, so I can't tell you what would work... probably not the T-100s. Sorry for rambling, heh.
 
The story has a happy ending for me though, because I finally figured out how deep the QC20s are meant to be inserted - Bose's got a video on YouTube - hint hint, it's the same as many other IEMs, not shallower as I'd mistakenly thought - so I'm finally getting the full isolation out of them.
 
Mar 21, 2014 at 2:07 AM Post #55 of 57
One thing that I didn't notice on this thread was how well the Momentum's perform on an airplane. I'm sure people have used them on a plane, so what did you think? How was the sound level? How well did they block the background noise (and I understand they're not NC)?
 
Mar 21, 2014 at 8:11 AM Post #56 of 57
I've been using the qc20 for the past couple of days. I haven't taken them on a plane yet (will do so pretty soon) but so far the noise-cancelling and comfort are just as good as all the reviews say they are.
 
My impression of the sound quality is that it is very good with NC turned on. They are not very good with NC off. Comparing them to Shure SE215 it is close.  I can't actually say one or the other is clearly better but the qc20 is more comfortable (not that the Shure is uncomfortable) and easier/faster to put in the ears.  On the other hand, the SE215 does not have a battery/NC module dangling 2 inches from the end of the cord and will never have a dead battery.
 
I was convinced by all the reviews that the noise cancelling would be top notch and they would be comfortable.  I took a gamble that the sound quality would be OK (I could return them within 15 days so not really a gamble) and they exceeded my expectations for sound quality, in my opinion it's really quite good.  The only downside is the price, but if you need the noise cancelling and don't want to carry full size phones they may be worth it,
 
Mar 21, 2014 at 2:00 PM Post #57 of 57
I saw these on sale at either NCIX or Newegg Canada for about $40 off retail.
 
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