[whsbuss]

I see Bose has released a "New Design" on the QC20 and QC20i. Looks like its only cosmetic as black and white housings and blue accent on the cord. And now they raised their sale price back to $299 - really Bose? How about something wireless in our ears!

 

[TheGrave]

I wanted to check with Bose support what would they do with a dead battery unit and here is what I've got:
 

We are sorry to hear that you are experiencing technical difficulties with your Bose product. So we can advise the exact procedure we have to follow, could I ask you to please kindly contact a member of our Technical Support Team on 0808 1688 582 and we will then be able to resolve the issue you’re currently experiencing.  
When calling please provide your serial number which will be located on the headphones.
 
We look forward to hearing from you.
 
If you have any questions or need any further assistance, please call our Priority Customer Service Line on 08081688572. Our opening hours are weekdays 09:00 – 18:30 and weekends/bank holidays 09:00 – 17:00. This is a free phone number so you will not be charged for this call.

 
This is in the UK. Can somebody PM me a serial of a unit that is out-of-warranty to play this till the end? I'll report the results afterwards. Or if anyone is willing to spend 5 mins on the phone with them - be my guest

 

[TheGrave]

I finished my little social engineering project with the help of some unsuspecting eBay sellers The story is like this:
 
1) In EU, unlike the rest of the world, you get a 2-year warranty. Thank you useless EU politicians
2) Your battery dies within the first year - they replace the unit for free with pre-paid shipping on their side. Nice
3) Your battery dies within the second year - same story but you get 1 year warranty from the date of replacement on the new ones. Mucho nice
4) Your battery dies outside the warranty - you get a new pair for 99GBP. Having in mind a new pair is 259GBP I'd say this is quite a deal! If you purchase from Amazon.de I guess it will be the same numbers but in Euro.
 
Another customer agent tried to convince me before this that you need to purchase your Bose phones from an "authorized dealer" - Amazon (but not MarketPlace), Bose.com, various UK retailers, etc. Turns out when you need to file your headphones for repair they don't even ask for the serial number - they ask for the 4-digit code behind the left earbud. This tells them where the headphones were manufactured and which month (e.g. this way they validate your warranty). Not necessary to submit a proof of purchase document, warranty card or whatever.
 
On the other hand it's useful to ask for the serial number from eBay sellers in order to validate it on Bose's website:
 
http://worldwide.bose.com/productsupport/en_us/web/home/page.html
 
If I was a US buyer I'd look into a EU unit and ship it via Shipito to the states. An extra year of warranty is worth the few extra bucks IMHO.

 

[VIad]

Hi guys! I'm going to buy these IEM, but not sure which one to choose. Is there any real improvement in a newer model (black&blue, $299 on Amazon) vs old one (black and grey, $249 there)? Does anybody know? I read a lot of tests and reviews, but have not found the answer. Pretty many people report original NC20i has poor durability (issues with buttons, mic...). Any ideas?

 

[ashish519]

Hi. Ive been using qc20 from past 1 week and when I recently travelled in cab I noticed some noice from the earphones whenever the cab goes through a rough road. After that I checked that on tapping the earphonesI could hear speaker membranemaking noise.
Is there any way to fix this or is this a problem with all qc20s?

 

[whsbuss]

Hi. Ive been using qc20 from past 1 week and when I recently travelled in cab I noticed some noice from the earphones whenever the cab goes through a rough road. After that I checked that on tapping the earphonesI could hear speaker membranemaking noise.
Is there any way to fix this or is this a problem with all qc20s?

I would return them. Doesn't sound right.

 

[whsbuss]

   
Actually the bass/sub-bass is about the same on both the QC20i and QC25 from when I had both at the same time. I still have the QC25s though as I prefer their more open sound:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/BoseQuietComfort20.pdf
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/BoseQuietComfort25.pdf
 
Actually, there's a smidge more sub-bass on the QC25s. 

I find that to be somewhat true. I did return the QC20i set I had because of the annoying module. I picked up the new SoundLink around-ear wireless headphones. And although I originally gave them a somewhat thumbs-down, I can say after 2 days they are very good. Your source determines how good they sound for bass/sub-bass. I do find that input volume needs to be a bit higher than most (similar to the QC25 which this model was based on). Being wireless the freedom of no-wires is so wonderful. And even without the NC of the QC25's these have very good isolation because of their around ear design. Don't discount giving them a try.

 

[Audiowood]

Hi guys! I'm going to buy these IEM, but not sure which one to choose. Is there any real improvement in a newer model (black&blue, $299 on Amazon) vs old one (black and grey, $249 there)? Does anybody know? I read a lot of tests and reviews, but have not found the answer. Pretty many people report original NC20i has poor durability (issues with buttons, mic...). Any ideas?

I have bought the latest qc20 black and blue ribbon for $299. I also have the older version (black and grey cable). I want to report that the sound quality on the latest sound much better.

1) the sound is much more richer, with slightly better mid range than the old version.
2) there are an increase in overall bass level .. Up to double that amount. The most noticeable is the sub bass, the bass sound like their speaker system. It goes much more deeper than the old version.
3) treble is slightly more smoother. The older version might have a little more treble as it sound thinner.

Overall, the sound quality differences is not small, this is no cable change type of small differences, it's like another headphone with more bass. The new one still has that Bose house sound but it's really way better than the old version. For $50 more, I urge everyone to get the new version.

The sub bass sound similar to se846 type. Of course, this is no se846 sound level.. Not even close. But I am saying their quantity is similar not quality. I compared to my jh Angie, and I was pretty taken aback that the bass level of Bose is around 2pm on my Angie bass dial.. The Bose has more sub bass presence. Of course, the Angie is at another level, just using another example.

To be honest, when up in the air, the Bose sound really good..

 

[VIad]

I have bought the latest qc20 black and blue ribbon for $299. I also have the older version (black and grey cable). I want to report that the sound quality on the latest sound much better.

1) the sound is much more richer, with slightly better mid range than the old version.
2) there are an increase in overall bass level .. Up to double that amount. The most noticeable is the sub bass, the bass sound like their speaker system. It goes much more deeper than the old version.
3) treble is slightly more smoother. The older version might have a little more treble as it sound thinner.

Overall, the sound quality differences is not small, this is no cable change type of small differences, it's like another headphone with more bass. The new one still has that Bose house sound but it's really way better than the old version. For $50 more, I urge everyone to get the new version.

The sub bass sound similar to se846 type. Of course, this is no se846 sound level.. Not even close. But I am saying their quantity is similar not quality. I compared to my jh Angie, and I was pretty taken aback that the bass level of Bose is around 2pm on my Angie bass dial.. The Bose has more sub bass presence. Of course, the Angie is at another level, just using another example.

To be honest, when up in the air, the Bose sound really good..

Hi Audiowood! Your opinion is really significant for me. I've seen a lot of reviews that states there are no difference but color and a new case (that IMO isn't enough for $50). Now I think it's reasonable to buy a new QC20. Thank you so much for your detailed explanation.

 

[whsbuss]

I have bought the latest qc20 black and blue ribbon for $299. I also have the older version (black and grey cable). I want to report that the sound quality on the latest sound much better.

1) the sound is much more richer, with slightly better mid range than the old version.
2) there are an increase in overall bass level .. Up to double that amount. The most noticeable is the sub bass, the bass sound like their speaker system. It goes much more deeper than the old version.
3) treble is slightly more smoother. The older version might have a little more treble as it sound thinner.

Overall, the sound quality differences is not small, this is no cable change type of small differences, it's like another headphone with more bass. The new one still has that Bose house sound but it's really way better than the old version. For $50 more, I urge everyone to get the new version.

The sub bass sound similar to se846 type. Of course, this is no se846 sound level.. Not even close. But I am saying their quantity is similar not quality. I compared to my jh Angie, and I was pretty taken aback that the bass level of Bose is around 2pm on my Angie bass dial.. The Bose has more sub bass presence. Of course, the Angie is at another level, just using another example.

To be honest, when up in the air, the Bose sound really good..

Its so good to see someone actually give a review on the new QC20s. I don't understand why Bose doesn't mention anything about updates/changes/improvements when they release a newer model. I would have never tried the new ones since the originals are $50 cheaper in the USA. Thanks Audiowood !!

 

[Audiowood]

You re welcome folks, I have found the new version works very well with movies due to its strong sub bass presence. EDM fans would surely love it.

 

[whsbuss]

You re welcome folks, I have found the new version works very well with movies due to its strong sub bass presence. EDM fans would surely love it.

And I'm sure for the genre I like, smooth jazz and r&b, they should be better than their predecessor.

 

[whsbuss]

You re welcome folks, I have found the new version works very well with movies due to its strong sub bass presence. EDM fans would surely love it.

I had a chance to stop by the Bose store in the mall today. Plugged my iPhone into the new QC20i display and I totally agree with Audiowood. First thing I noticed is the more aggressive/forward sound. Most noticeable is the sub-bass being more prominent. Quality wise they seem to be equal to the originals; but I do like the blue accents.
 
Will definitely grab a pair next week.

 

[ryanjsoo]

Do the new models have a different texture on the earphones themselves, like a rubberized finish similar to the battery box instead of matte?, or the same as before? Thanks.

 

[whsbuss]

  Do the new models have a different texture on the earphones themselves, like a rubberized finish similar to the battery box instead of matte?, or the same as before? Thanks.

No they do not have a rubbery feel - only the NC module like before. They are a matte finished plastic ( even for the white set). The mic grill on both models are a dull darker gray. And the cord feels the same as the originals. When I was in the Bose store, the sales person asked if I was interested in the original set as they had some in stock for $250. I said no thanks b/c others had mentioned wire breakdown and fraying. For what its worth, he said they had exchanged about a 1/2 dozen in their store over the past 2 years for just that issue. He didn't have an answer when I asked if this new design addressed that issue.