[candurin]

These headphones are probably the least comfortable headphones I've ever used. They squeeze your head so hard you can't even imagine. I tried to stretch the headband for days, with no luck. I seriously wanted to love them but I simply can't, they hurt so much! The sound is great, the Noise Cancelling is too. However, I'm baffled because I don't understand how these are considered one of the most comfortable headphones on the market. It is not true. If you are consider buying these, please try them on for atleast 30 minutes not for a sound quality check, but for a comfort quality check!

That is unfortunate, but, I hope no one else is dissuaded from trying these headphones.

I just wore mine from philly to Sweden and again from philly to Taiwan last month (lots of flight time!). I had no issues at all with comfort and managed plenty of sleep while wearing them.

Really found the wearability and comfort to be rather enjoyable.

 

[ctempa]

   
This one will work: http://www.amazon.com/Shure-HPACA1-Replacement-Headphone-Headphones/dp/B002Z9JWYO

I bought these, shaved off the 2.5mm end so that it would fit, shoved it into the QC25 -- and it only works in the right ear.  Any idea why this is happening and is there something I can do about it?

 

[Music Alchemist]

Since to my knowledge there isn't a popular QC15 thread, I will share my latest update here.
 
I got the V-MODA Audio Only Cable and love it so much with the QC15 that I decided to publish a full-length review. No clue when it will be finished. I will actually be selling the headphones soon to upgrade my system. The condensed version is that it has made the QC15 sound better than I thought it ever could. This was also true to an extent for my Belkin cable, but believe it or not, the V-MODA cable's sound quality is far beyond the other three headphone cables I've used with the QC15. (Think physically painful to listen to versus very enjoyable. It's that big of a difference.) The fact that it's durable, light, ergonomic, and dirt cheap (costs less than stock cable replacements) is a nice bonus.
 
With the right adapter, standard 3.5mm single-ended headphone cables should be able to be used with the QC25.
 

  I bought these, shaved off the 2.5mm end so that it would fit, shoved it into the QC25 -- and it only works in the right ear.  Any idea why this is happening and is there something I can do about it?

 
It's possible that you inadvertently damaged the cable, though I can't say for sure.
 
Perhaps if you elaborate upon what "shaved off the 2.5mm end" entailed, I could provide further insights.

 

[blueangel2323]

  I bought these, shaved off the 2.5mm end so that it would fit, shoved it into the QC25 -- and it only works in the right ear.  Any idea why this is happening and is there something I can do about it?

 Possibly needs more shaving so that the plug goes in deeper

 

[kooshmoosh]

This replacement cable would certainly not work for the QC 25 . The 2.5mm stereo plug's design would not go all the way through to the QC's hole. Do not buy !

 

[ctempa]

   
With the right adapter, standard 3.5mm single-ended headphone cables should be able to be used with the QC25.
 
 
It's possible that you inadvertently damaged the cable, though I can't say for sure.
 
Perhaps if you elaborate upon what "shaved off the 2.5mm end" entailed, I could provide further insights.

 
 

   Possibly needs more shaving so that the plug goes in deeper

 
Okay, a couple things -- I used a box cutter to shave off the rubber.  There's actually a harder casing below the soft rubber which seems to be thin enough for the headphones.  The very end before the 2.5mm plug has a hard plastic square ring that I had to saw off around the sides with the razor to remove.
I noticed that with one of my cuts on the soft subber, I very slightly exposed a copper wire-like color, only the size of the sharp end of a needle, and it just seems to be exposed, not cut or punctured.  I made sure to not cut that deeply around the other sides as I stripped the soft rubber.  It's possible this is the problem but it's so slight that I don't feel like the wire is damaged.
 
I will try to shave further down the cable - I'm able to basically get it to plug in, and then there's a small click that seems to be the final distance needed.  The normal audio and noise-cancelling audio both work perfectly in the right ear.  The left ear is the only problem.  I'll post again after shaving it further down the cable.

 

[ctempa]

Also here's a picture: http://imgur.com/d2mURhi

 

[pietcux]

I don't think that you will achieve a result similar to replacing the QC 15 cable. The cable that the QC 25 uses has no electronics but the microphone, no High/low gain switch like the QC 15. You will probably hear a difference, but not as large as with the QC 15 though. But any way, please keep us updated on your DIY mod, even a little bit better sound is welcome. What about some pics?
 

 

 

[Music Alchemist]

 
If you have other headphones and adapters lying around, you could see if it functions on both channels with them.

 

[blueangel2323]

  I don't think that you will achieve a result similar to replacing the QC 15 cable. The cable that the QC 25 uses has no electronics but the microphone, no High/low gain switch like the QC 15. You will probably hear a difference, but not as large as with the QC 15 though. But any way, please keep us updated on your DIY mod, even a little bit better sound is welcome. What about some pics?
 

 

 
For those of you who haven't figured it out, the high/low gain function has been moved to the airline adaptor. As you can see, the first plug is stereo and the second plug is mono. To use just as a low-gain resistor for a normal stereo mini jack, you fold the mono plug out of the way. The stereo plug is fixed and doesn't move. To use as a normal dual-mono to stereo adaptor, just snap the mono plug back into place.
 
 

 

[Music Alchemist]

Now that I am selling my QC15, I guess the QC25 would be the only noise cancelling headphone I consider in the future - only if I actually need the NC for certain situations, though. I don't recall anything drowning out music too much when using cheap normal headphones on the only flight I ever went on.
 
Does anyone have insights on which situations actually require noise cancelling instead of the passive isolation offered by many conventional headphones?

 

[Pass]

  Now that I am selling my QC15, I guess the QC25 would be the only noise cancelling headphone I consider in the future - only if I actually need the NC for certain situations, though. I don't recall anything drowning out music too much when using cheap normal headphones on the only flight I ever went on.
 
Does anyone have insights on which situations actually require noise cancelling instead of the passive isolation offered by many conventional headphones?

Anything that produce a continuous hum or whir, like a plane's or bus' engine, A/C at home or office's ventilation system, background noise in public places.
Remember that it won't cancel keyboard's clicks nor human voices (except for the lower frequency of male vocals). Voices will be attenuated, not cancelled.
 
So, you need an NC set if you travel a lot. If you don't, any in-ear will get the job done for your needs, I think.
 
BTW, QC25 is a better NC than QC15, only by a very little margin, so if you plan to need an NC headphone again… well, in your case, I would keep the QC15, and save future $$.

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Anything that produce a continuous hum or whir, like a plane's or bus' engine, A/C at home or office's ventilation system, background noise in public places.
Remember that it won't cancel keyboard's clicks nor human voices (except for the lower frequency of male vocals). Voices will be attenuated, not cancelled.
 
So, you need an NC set if you travel a lot. If you don't, any in-ear will get the job done for your needs, I think.
 
BTW, QC25 is a better NC than QC15, only by a very little margin, so if you plan to need an NC headphone again… well, in your case, I would keep the QC15, and save future $$.

 
Well, I'm selling the QC15 because I currently only listen to music in my bedroom and may actually get speakers next instead of more headphones.
 
If I do change my lifestyle and travel a lot in the future, I may want noise cancelling...but whenever I was on planes or buses in the past with normal headphones, I don't recall any difficulty listening to music. That's why I was trying to figure out when I would need NC instead of merely benefiting from it.

 

[Pass]

   
Well, I'm selling the QC15 because I currently only listen to music in my bedroom and may actually get speakers next instead of more headphones.
 
If I do change my lifestyle and travel a lot in the future, I may want noise cancelling...but whenever I was on planes or buses in the past with normal headphones, I don't recall any difficulty listening to music. That's why I was trying to figure out when I would need NC instead of merely benefiting from it.

Good move to sell them then… except if your bed partner snores a lot!

 

[pietcux]

Well, I'm selling the QC15 because I currently only listen to music in my bedroom and may actually get speakers next instead of more headphones.

If I do change my lifestyle and travel a lot in the future, I may want noise cancelling...but whenever I was on planes or buses in the past with normal headphones, I don't recall any difficulty listening to music. That's why I was trying to figure out when I would need NC instead of merely benefiting from it.

What kind of music do you listen to and at which levels? I listen to a lot instrumental and pop at lower level and here the QC25 helps nearly everywhere outdoors and in transportation like train, bus or plane. It can also block party noise from the neighbors.