Bose QuietComfort 2 Consumer Headphones

Pros: comfortable ear pad; some noise reduction
Cons: limited durability - will break after 300 hours.

I totally bought 3 QC-2 2 years ago; one for myself, two for my brother and his friend. In 2 years, 2 of the three have had the same problem - the plastic structure connecting the sliding metal piece and the ear pad got broken. When my brother first complained that to me, I thought he must have unknowingly sitting on the headset. 6 months later, when my own headset's plastic started to show cracks, I realize it is not my brother to blame - it is the poor materials used by Bose to blame. I have used for the QC-2 for a total of fewer than 300 hours; similar usage on my brother's QC-2.

It is a shame that Bose saves money on the wrong ends! I will never buy Bose products again.

Pros: Excellent sound quality
Cons: Price and durability

They do exactly what they say, very comfortable and the sound quality is fantastic, however I must admit the frame is rather shoddy. After 6 months of use, the plastic covers just above each ear piece has completely broken
away.

Pros: Very light and comfortable
Cons: Super pricey - **no audio unless you have battery-draining noise canceling turned on**

I bought these headphone and was immediately impressed by their light and compact design. However, about a half hour later, I was boxing them back and preparing to return them, and here's why: in order to listen to audio, you have to have the noise canceling turned on. This is like designing a car such that you require the air conditioning to be running in order to be able to drive the car(!) - and ironically, the headphones are so well insulated that you find that the noise cancelling actually sometimes closes out too much noise. The bottom line is this: there is no reason for noise canceling to have be turned on for the audio to be working. This was a very bad design decision by Bose, and possibly a remnant of the legacy design for these headphones, which were military issue headsets for helicopter pilots, and where the everything was likely drawing power from the same source.

I decided to instead purchase the slightly less expensive Bose Triport headphones, which have been outstanding.

Pros: You do not hear a buzz like other noise cancelling headphones I've tried or bought
Cons: The annoying red light flashes saying low batteries

Price:
The price of the product was a big initial hurdle. I justified the expense by telling myself that I travel internationally a lot, travelling a lot I was able to claim it as a tax deduction.

Cancelling Noise:
On the aeroplane the QQ2 eliminates the lower end noises. You still hear the background noise such as the high pitch hissing of the ventilation system. You will have trouble hearing the air stewards talking to you.

Music:
While listening to music you find that you don't need to turn the volume up really high as you normally would. The clarity is better than anything I've ever heard before, in headphones or hifi systems.

Negatives:
I hate that the red light starts flashing when the battery is supposed to run low. It starts flashing even when there's 4 hours of use left. It attracts unnecessary attention.

Pros: Noise Cancellation, Can unhook the audio cable
Cons: Super pricey - **no audio unless you have battery-draining noise canceling turned on**

Great pair of headphone, YOu can unhook them if you do not want to listen to music and just want to take advantage of the noise cacellation feature. I fly alot and this system is used by my airline but I use my own. By far one of the best on the market but could be improved by adding more noise cancellation and better battery life. I would purchase these again.

Pros: Comfortable fit; interest free financing; return policy; replaceable cord; able to listen at lower volumes.
Cons: A little pricey.

I went from working alone in my own home office to a distractingly loud office shared by 15 people and noisy office equipment. I purchased the Bose QC2 headphones hoping to reduce the chronic noise fatigue I was experiencing. While certain voices, and other higher pitched noises still come through, I found that the QC2 headphones have nice isolation particularly when used with environmental nature CD's. I wasn't really sure they were helping until I took them off and noticed how loud my surroundings really were.
With the noise cancellation feature I am able to listen to CD's at a much lower volume, thus preserving my hearing.
At $299, if the cord is damaged it can be replaced without suffering a total loss.
Interest free financing and return policy made me a buyer.

Pros: Much-improved sound quality, very comfortable, good battery life, nice case
Cons: Cost (though I got mine free through AMEX Rewards)

Many of the more negative reviews listed for the QuietComfort 2 are actually for the original QuietComfort model. The QC2 is head and shoulders above the original QC, especially in sound quality. I think that Bose heard the masses and did their homework on the newer model.

I'm a bit of a headphone hog and I have dozens of headphones, plus at least eight different types of portable headphone amps. One of the noise-cancelling headphones that is constantly compared with the QC2 is the Sennheiser PCX-250. The PCX-250 is a good set of noise-canceling cans, but they are and entirely different style of headphone. They are supraural (on the ears) as opposed to circumaural (around the ears) like the Bose. Many people find that supraural headphones are too finicky re position and band tension, mainly because the cushions rest on your ear. The QC2 cushions rest on the area around your ear (unless you have pretty large ears).

Try them both out before you buy either one, but don't skip the QC2 because you read a review here that actually references the original QCs.

Pros: Super quiet, great case, perfect acoustics
Cons: Not cheap - but worth it. Must be powered on.

I have owned other headphones that had noise canceling capabilities but none came any where close to this sweet unit. Plug them in or just use them on their own to kill the sounds of the jet engines. You'll want to travel with a spare AAA battery though as these must be powered on in order for any audio to come through. Battery dies and you are out of luck. On the good side, I find the battery life exceeds three round trips across the US. There's a convenient pouch inside the case that holds several extra batteries. When used to view on board movies (comes with multiple adapter plugs also store in the case) you can actually enjoy the show!

There's room in the case too for my iPod Nano too!

If you are like me you'll just be disappointed to hear the cabin crew tell you to stow your electronic devices as suddenly you are reminded of just how noisy the cabin has been during your trip.

Pros: Great sound, comfortable, nice case and extras.
Cons: Pricey, not all that compact

I was looking for a good set of headphones to use with an iPod, particularly at the office and traveling. Sound quality was a must, portability somewhat important (but I HATE earbuds), and noise reduction a nice to have feature since I do fly cross-country several times a year. Since I have always liked the Bose speakers I own, I decided to give these a try.

These headphones and not as compact as some, but do fold flat and come with a hardshell carrying case. The sound quality, however, is spectacular: great bass response and very crisp highs, even at lower volumes. They are also very comfortable. The noise reduction is much more efficient with steady noise sources, such as jet engines, than with random noise sources, but overall pretty good. At $299 they are pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

Pros: Sound. AAA Battery. Noise Canceling. Over ear comfort
Cons: Bulky, feedback howl at times and very poor build quality

I am just about to start my third pair of QC2 headphones in 3 years. I use them on flights quite frequently. The sound quality is very acceptable for in flight as well as MP3/4 and Computer/DVD. There is a thoughtful impedance switch to alter input setting for airline use which some others do not have. The noise canceling is very effective with bass roar from engines but less with middle frequency air noise. They do provide a welcome relief from annoying children and babies though. The unit runs on AAA battery so you cannot get caught with no power as on QC3's. The units has three downsides for me, in ascending order of importance: Bulky in case, they howl with feedback if you accidentally fall asleep and cover one earpiece by putting your ear to a pillow, they fall apart. I have had two units fail now. The original problem they said was a design flaw, now it looks like a plastic weakness. Both times, I picked them out of the case and they fell apart in my hands. Never had this with the Sony's but prefer Bose sound so now going to try Sennheiser PXC-350.

Pros: Runs good for about 2 years.
Cons: Earphones pad come apart after 2 years with glue sticking to your ears.

Yes the earpads are very soft and comfortable
BUT they start coming apart in less then two years.
Apparently they use a glue that moisture causes them to come apart.
You would think Bose for the huge price would do a better manufacturing effort.
Plan obsoletion must be their game.
I have search high and low for replacement parts from them and can't find anything.

Pros: Great sound, noise cancelling, very comfortable.
Cons: PRICE! They HAVE to be on to hear anything.

I waited three years too long to purchase a pair of the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headphones but now that I have them, everything will be ok. I have to travel a LOT for work and now that I have a pair of these, my travel days don't seem as bad. The long flights between Vancouver and Chicago *4 hours) used to be a killer, but now it's almost enjoyable. The "ambient noise cancelling" is great and I say that because it doesn't take out true noise (like babies crying) but it's great for that annoying hum of planes and fans.

This is the third pair of noise cancelling headphones I've had (Aiwa were first, then Philips HN110) and it's not that they wear out, but your ears can only be uncomfortable for so long before you have to move onto the Bose which I could easily sleep in or wear for hours in comfort.

Summary: It's debatable if they're worth the $299 USD price tag, but they are great to travel with. If you're main use will be at home, forget it and look at other less expensive pairs that have a wider range of sound.

Pros: Not any really.  A major disapointment.
Cons: Battery must be on to use, poor sound quality, way overpriced.

I received these for Christmas from my wife.  As soon as I tried these, I was suspect of the audio quality.  I have a fairly high-end system, which includes both analog and digital.  I tried these headphones for several hours with both sources and was unimpressed.  I then decided to compare them to ear-buds I had accumulated over the years from various MP3 player purchases.  In every case, the "free" ear-buds provided FAR superior audio playback.  The Bose have virtually no bass (what is does have is completely muddied) and the highs had no "depth".  I tried several different ear-buds/phones and they were all superior.  OK then, maybe the product's forte' is the noise-cancelling technolgy.  I won't dispute they reduce noise, but after 20-30 minutes of having the headphones on, my head would start to "fatique" as I felt a building pressure inside my head, as if I had a head-cold.  I believe this is being caused by sounds not perceptible to us, but still "loud" enough to cause pressure on the ear-drum and eventually (quickly) causes fatique. 

Pros: NONE
Cons: Bulky, expensive, do not work well

Don't waist your money in this product. Ear plugs are more effective in noise canceling and cost almost nothing. Most of the BOSE noise cancelling is achieved through the large size of headphones that cover your ears.

Pros: Adequate sound cancelling
Cons: Absolute the worst workmanship

Overall the worst workmanship I have ever seen. The top (over the head) split is several places and has been held together by tape. The ear pads (both) separated from the body and were held back in place by superglue. The sound kept cutting out of the left side and needs a good slap to get it to work again. You should expect better at these prices.