[ZMU817]

So, I've gotten tired of sticking the Shures into my ears, and my Grados are out on loan.

I've borrowed my dad's QC2s and just wanted to share a few points:

They're very comfortable, and the sound is definitely not fatiguing. Wearable for hours. Leather pads may get warm in the summer, but cozy for the winter.

Vocals sound very sweet and natural. Contra bass sounds better on these than a lot I've heard. Detail is there on low strings, etc. However, on most songs bass is very boomy, and I have to turn down lower freq. via equalizer.

Guitars aren't too energized, although acoustic guitar is also very pleasant.

I'd take Grados over these anyday if I have the option of an open headphone. For the comfort and the closed-design, however, these are very good headphones.

Few extra points: Very good build quality. These have been around for years and are still like-new.

A feature that some may not know about: there is a "Hi / Lo" switch on the headphone chord that plugs into the headphone. This, I assume, changes the independence. If the power source is struggling to push these cans, switching it to Hi makes a big difference, and Lo sounds less muddy and more precise if there's plenty of power to go around.

There you are.

 

[kevg73]

i have not tried the qc2's. they from what you've said they are much better than the qc3's that i tried... they were muddy, almost no detail, and very boomy. but very comfortable

 

[ZMU817]

Are the qc3's the on-the-ear?

I didn't know how those would work out.

(with QC2) Just about any rock song the bass is muddy, but certainly not devoid of detail.

 

[kevg73]

the qc3 is the over ear one. it lacks detail imho. very muddy would be the worst thing about them

 

[ZMU817]

Something I forgot to mention: QC2 is great for electronica music a la "Postal Service".

 

[Nepenthe]

I use QC2s basically every day at work (I have a bucket of AAAs in a cabinet). The comfort is great, and I love the fit and the lack of chassis noises. Build quality has been perfect for me, they still look brand new.

I EQ the bass frequencies well down to flatten the response, and I find the muddiness is not a big factor.

I think they're just about ideal for work. They provide a nice audio sanctuary that cradles my ears and provides decent-sounding (but not extremely detailed or involving) music.

 

[The Actual]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZMU817 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are the qc3's the on-the-ear? I didn't know how those would work out. (with QC2) Just about any rock song the bass is muddy, but certainly not devoid of detail.

Muddy with detail

?


Interesting comments, thanks.

 

[ZMU817]

I'm not perfect in terminolgy, but the best I can explain it is that contra bass sounds really good, but electric bass guitar sounded kinda jumbled together.

and it's just the lows.

cymbols sound "crisp". they don't sound perfect or really how cymbols should, but they don't just sound like high pitched static like some headphones.

Another big advantage over Grados: these things really stay planted on your head, allowing pretty free movement as far as rocking it out goes.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZMU817 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Another big advantage over Grados: these things really stay planted on your head, allowing pretty free movement as far as rocking it out goes.

You rock out with Bose cans?

 

[Denver Max]

I found the "noise canceling" sound to be audible and very annoying to my ears. It really bothered me. Almost like a high pitched noise, or that's the same way it felt to my ears at least.

 

[Bazile]

I work for an airline that offers Bose Qc2's to their passengers. I got tired of hearing from my co-workers how good they sounded. The last four that suggested how good Bose sounded when music came up, I let listen to music they knew with my E4-c's...3 bought Shure's...1 ask for alternative's and bought a non Bose brand. I'm not a music expert by any means, but I do travel for a living, and I take my liking for music with me. Bose markets very well, but good IEM's reduce noise as well or better than Bose phones, and the Bose sound...let me just say that Bose markets very well.

Bazile

 

[A3C]

I've listened to almost all the headphones in Bose showroom with my iPod and Zen. Muddy is the exact word to describe the sound. Personally, I don't think they're best at any music genre.

 

[slwiser]

I preferred my ATH-ANC7s when I compared the two.

 

[Nepenthe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denver Max /img/forum/go_quote.gif I found the "noise canceling" sound to be audible and very annoying to my ears. It really bothered me. Almost like a high pitched noise, or that's the same way it felt to my ears at least.

I don't have a clue what you're talking about here. Hundreds of hours of listening time and never a "high pitched noise."

 

[Nepenthe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by A3C /img/forum/go_quote.gif Muddy is the exact word to describe the sound. Personally, I don't think they're best at any music genre.

The Bose veil.

In "stock form" they emphasize frequencies from 400 Hz down (see response graph at headphone.com), no idea why; tame this range with generous EQ and a pleasing, reasonably balanced, non-fatiguing sound emerges.

Not worth $300, but I paid zero, and they've definitely found their niche in my listening environment.