[miko]

Hello, I am studying in a room. Inside the room is quiet but I hear constant noise from outside traffic and singing birds. Any headphone can remove these kind of sounds completely? I know that the Bose QC-20i cannot remove human voice. How about noise from traffic and birds? If I could eliminate those two noise sources, my room could be complete silent. Thanks.

 

[dweaver]

The QC20 doesn't remove every sound period but it would make a huge difference for you. I am to the point where I don't like anything else for transit and walking around downtown (except for when there is strong wind which messes with the noise cancelling system).

 

[Law336]

get some IEM that fit well they block out the noise, but be careful when you cross the road lol

 

[miko]

I have the Shure 115 but after using it for about an hour (don't recall), I felt comfortable with my ears. Some sort of pain. It has happened many times. Do IEM products have this issue of making the users' ears discomfort or painful?

 

[Law336]

I had that occur the very first time i used IEM but later on there were no more problem, I'm not too sure but they should not be painful at all, that my opinion wait and see what others have to say.

 

[kmhaynes]

I suggest you look at the Etymotic line (such as the HF5).  They have a deep insertion eartip, and most importantly for noise isolation, they have no port.  BA phones do not necessarily have to be vented like dynamic phones, so you can insulate yourself from outside noise with a good seal.

 

[Erukian]

If you don't like having IEMs in your ears and want something very comfortable with okay sound quality and great noise canceling. Get the Bose QC20.
 
The aware mode button is not a gimmick, it's pretty amazing if you need to quickly let noise in to talk to someone and you don't have to deal with reinserting your IEM's.

 

[miko]

Thanks. I have tried the QC20 many times in different stores. I am not satisfied with the noise cancellation. I could hear people talking near me. I think if they make a headphone version of the QC20, the sound isolation will be better. Heard anything about such possible device?

 

[Erukian]

I think if they make a headphone version of the QC20, the sound isolation will be better.

Try the QC15?
 
FYI, Tyll at innerfidelity said that the QC20 had the most isolation that he's ever tested, so good luck finding better. If you do, let us know.

 

[miko]

I was surprised when I read reviews by some users. Perhaps I set a too high standard. The QC20 is good at removing certain types of noises. However, it is not good at removing human voice which is my main purpose of buying a new earphone.

 

[miko]

Can anybody please test  the QC20 in Starbucks for me? Do you hear the background music? Do you hear people talking? Do you hear sounds from the iPad? People in my city likes to turn their iPad to very high volume and watch movies/play games. Thanks.

 

[ryanjsoo]

I have tried the qc20`s in very noisy areas and they don`t cancel as much as people are saying, they are definitely good, but i`ve only had well isolating earphones like the klipsch x10`s and etymotic er4`s. The etymotics do block more noise than the qc20`s, especially with foam tips, they are not as comfortable however due to their long stems and deep insertion. For voices, silicon tends to isolate better however foam also isolates great and blocks out more of those low frequency traffic noises.

 

[miko]

Thanks for sharing your experience.  I am also considering the Etymotic ER4-PT and HF. Since there is no perfect solution to blocking human voice and music, I guess I should buy the Etymotic first. When the around-ear version of the QC20 comes out, wear it with the Etymotic. That way, I get both sound isolation and noise cancellation. Any thought on this plan?
 
I tested the QC20i many times in different Bose's showrooms. I recall that in two instances, the device was able to block the background music in the stores. (Of course when people talked, I could hear their conversations.) Could anybody please confirm such capability of blocking background music?

 

[ryanjsoo]

Although it might be different for others,when I had my er4's they protruded from my ears quite a bit, they might not work with Bose headphones since the tend to be on ear not over ear, you can try buying those industrial noise blocking over ears from a hardware store, not the most aesthetic option though.