I thought all headphones were the same and no headphone could deliver sound comparable to a home system. Bose has proved both these assumptions wrong with their QuiteComfort Headset.

I tried the set on in a Bose showroom. Rather than unhook their display set, I was given a brand new pair to try with my current portable CD player. This player is about as generic as you can get. I am pointing this out only to reinforce what happened next. I had a CD I had burned with some of my typical musical tastes: Tracey Chapman, India.Arie, Dead Can Dance and Kitaro. Your taste may differ, but I doubt you experience will: I was transported to bliss. I could hear Tracey’s fingers sliding along the strings of her acoustic guitar as clearly as if I were playing it myself. The Kitaro test track feature some nature sounds and they cam across as if I were standing in a forest with birds calling in the background.

At home, I compared another group of selections listening through my home speakers, an excellent set in their own right, and the QuietComfort Headset. For this listening, I chose Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Big Notes” from Flim and the BB’s. I chose both because of their dynamic range. While my home speakers gave a little better bass, I greatly preferred the overall sound through the QuietComfort Headset. I could distinctly hear the first rumble of the clarinet and the crescendo was astounding.

There are some drawbacks to these headphones, however. First is they will spoil you for listening to your music through anything else. Second, they are not meant for use in you car if you are driving. The noise canceling effect is subtle, but at the same time, it is amazing. You will hear loud sounds, such as a car horn, but all road noise is deadened. It was also strange t see my blinker light on the dash winking, but not hearing the click! When I was done listening and took the headset off, I was almost overcome with the interior sounds: my A/C blowing, tires over the pavement and my power converter fan blowing. None of these were audible with the headset on, and my music was at a low level.

The final drawback is the price. At US$300 MSRP, they are indeed pricey. Before you buy them, ask how often you will use them. They are quite bulky and are not suited (in my opinion) for aerobic activity. You won’t be able to wear a helmet with them and serious off road trail work of any kind is out of the question. If you will be doing a treadmill at home or using them while traveling, they are outstanding. Speaking of travel, a selection of input jacks to match all the major airlines seatrest outputs is provided, so you don't need any music source while flying. For static uses, they may be connected to any portable playback device: CD player, cassette player or even your laptop and you will be in audio bliss for the rest of your trip.




Recommended: Yes