B is for the strong Bass sound that is a signature of Bose.
O is for overpriced for the overall listening experience.
S is for Simplicity of construction and use.
E is for Excellent direct sales service and guarantees.
Or let's try this: But Other Sets Exceed.

Read my other review, when I took the Bose Quiet Comfort Headset head-to-head, so to speak, against the Etymotic ER-4P earphones.

In searching for what I want to be the best personal listening speakers for my purposes, I had 3 criteria:

1) Minimize external noise (personal privacy)
2) Minimize sound leak (not to disturb others)
3) Compatibility with a variety of sources (low impedance so I can use it with personal players as well as with powered sources)

With those guidelines in mind, I began my search--actually, I wasn't planning on searching but rather just planned on buying the Bose headset because it was a brand and sound that I knew and offered the noise canceling feature I was seeking; however, when researching epinions, I came across a couple passionate Etymotic reviews and thought (besides, "Who/What the heck is Etymotic?") I ought to check them out as well. With further research, I concluded that, along with the Bose, the Etymotic met my requirements. But WHICH was best for me???

Here's my experience with the Bose Quiet Comfort Headset (Ratings: 10 is excellent, 1 is lousy):

Price: (4) $300 list and I found nobody other than Bose selling these on-line. I paid $30 for two-day UPS so I'd have them to test on my next flight. I paid $4 for delivery of the ER-4Ps (the only shipping choice offered by customearsets.com) and they arrived just as quickly. Oh, well.

Packaging: (10) Bose sends a semi-rigid vinyl bag with a shoulder strap and various internal and external pockets along with soft, drawstring pouch.

Portability: (4) VERY bulky--comes with its own shoulder strap; 'nuf said?

Durability: (9) Hard shell headphones. Should be able to take a beating.

Accessories: (9) Extra 5 feet of cable, double plug and stereo adapter plugs.

Comfort: (9) Light pair of headphones. Very easy on the ears, head and neck.

Maintenance: (9) Keep the noise canceling ports clear (hard not to, unless you drop the set in your cheese dip or something), and replace the two AAA batteries (supplied) whenever.

Buying Experience: (9) Besides only having the single option (sic) of dealing directly with Bose (and thus having to pay list price), they made the experience easy and smooth. AND they didn't even charge me immediately, AND, when I returned the headset, they refunded the two-day UPS shipping cost as well.

Sound/listening experience: (6) I was convinced I was going to go with the Bose, but after listening to the ER-4Ps, side-by-side, CD for CD, the Bose conveyed too much bass and not enough high end separation.

Public Service Announcement: I would warn everyone not to wear these while outside running, operating machinery, or driving--they remove many audio cues and may not permit quick reactions that you will put yourself and others at risk.

Unless you really have difficulties using earplug-style earphones, for the same money, I'd go for the Etymotics instead of the Bose.

Recommended: No