QuietComfort 25 headphones are re-engineered to sound better, be more comfortable and easier to take with you. Put them on, and suddenly everything changes. Your music is deep, powerful and balanced, and so quiet that every note sounds clearer. Even air travel becomes enjoyable, as engine roar gently fades away. No matter how noisy the world is, it's just you and your music-or simply peace and quiet. Bose completely redesigned their industry-leading headphones, with higher-quality materials and finishes. They're lightweight, and earcups rotate even more for a better fit. The headband sits closer to your head, with luxurious suede-like material underneath for extra comfort. If the AAA battery runs out, you can still enjoy music without noise reduction. And the earcups pivot to fit in a compact case that's easy to carry. QC25 headphones let you focus on what matters-your music, movies and videos. And block out what you don't want to hear. Like a crowded city street. Cabin noise inside an airplane. Or a busy office. Advanced noise reduction technology and unique electronics make it happen. Even the ear cushions give you an extra level of quiet by sealing out the world around you. Many Bose engineers are also musicians, with a passion for music. So when you wear these headphones, you'll hear ringing guitars. Soaring vocals as the chorus kicks in. Deep bass and crisp drums drive the beat forward. Bose Active EQ and TriPort technology deliver performance so compelling, you'll want to listen for hours. And the fit's designed so you can. Bose noise cancelling headphones are designed specifically for use with your iPhone and other Apple products, so the inline microphone/remote puts music and call controls at your fingertips. Many features are also compatible with today's most popular phones. Included: QuietComfort 25 headphones, 56 inch QC25 inline remote and microphone cable, Airline adapter, Carry case and a AAA battery.
TECHNICAL DETAIL AND
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
- Noise-Cancellation
- Microphone-Feature
FEATURES –
- Industry leading noise reduction for travel, work and anywhere in between.
- Best-in-class sound with lifelike performance for the music you love.
- Lightweight around-ear fit you can wear all day long.
- Control your music and calls with inline mic/remote.
SAMPLE CUSTOMER REVIEWS –
1) Best Bose Headset Yet (Comparison to QC15 and QC20) - The QC25 is Bose' best noise cancelling headphone to date. As someone who has been using Bose QC headphones daily for 3+ years now, I think I can give this a reasonably educated review. I have owned QC15 (predecessor to these headphones) for about 3 years now, and have owned QC20 (in-ear headphones) since they came out. My musical tastes are varied: everything from Yiruma to Taylor Swift to Childish Gambino to Zedd. I listen at my desk at home, in the office, and on public transportation.
Four things really mattered to me when I upgraded to the QC25: sound quality, noise cancelling, comfort, and the portability. So I'll skip aesthetics and the other features that you can easily read about. And I'll tackle each of those four critical points in this review, naming a winner in each category.
Sound Quality Winner: QC25
You do need to "burn-in" your Bose headphones. Play music through them for about 100 hours and you'll hear a difference—they'll sound much better than they did straight out of the box. After burn-in, indeed, the QC25 has a slightly superior sound to its predecessor. Also, the over-ear headphones have the easy sound-quality advantage on the QC20 earbuds because you get a wider sound stage and harder-hitting bass.
Noise Cancelling Winner: QC15/QC20/QC25 (3-way tie)
There's marketing hype about how the QC25 noise cancelling is superior. Honestly, I can't really tell. I could tell the difference between the QC20 and QC15 because the "StayHear tips" blocked the sound in a different way. But in every-day use, the QC25 noise cancelling is really about the same as that in the QC15—which is to say that it is excellent and industry-leading. Even at low volumes, you can block out most ambient noise and idle chatter: "quiet" indeed.
Comfort: QC15/QC20/QC25 (3-way tie)
The QC25s are just as comfortable as the QC15s: VERY comfortable. This is due to the light weight and light pressure on the ear cups. This is extra beneficial to people with wider skulls. They make Beats Studio/Pro headphones feel like strapping two conch shells to your skull. As a side note, the earbuds in the QC20 are also the most comfortable in-ear pieces that I have used—much more comfortable than they look. All three options live up to the "comfort" portion of their name.
Case/Portability Winner: QC20
The in-ear design of the QC20s makes it the easy winner. You can stuff them into their card-case sized pouch very easily and you can wear them in the office without looking too anti-social—not so, with the over-ear designs. The more-compact case for the QC25 is an upgrade, and folding the headphones is easy. In terms of storage, they did away with the card slot from the QC15 (seriously, that was a waste of space), and dropped the interior zippered pouch as well. In its place, there is a slot to store a single spare battery. I only ever stored one spare AAA battery in there anyway, so the QC25 case storage is sufficient for me. The back also features an elastic compartment like the QC15 case—never used it.
Other considerations:
Hi/Low switch: I honestly have not found the absence of this switch to be a problem. I checked my QC15, and saw that I had set it to "Hi." I hadn't changed it since I bought it and have never had any problems with getting a range of volumes. Similarly, the QC25 work fine for me too.
Ability to listen without battery: They introduced this feature in the QC20. Unless you're desperate, you do NOT want to use the headphones without the active preamp because without active equalization, these sound worse than $2 headphones. Nice-to-have feature, but just be sure to pack a spare battery.
Long-term foam pad wear: About 2 years into my QC15s, I needed to replace the ear cushions because the leatherette was starting to disintegrate. I suspect the same thing may happen to these QC25s. Expect to spend $15 to $30 on this maintenance depending on whether you go OEM or aftermarket.
No aware mode: The QC20 headphones had "aware mode" which was supposed to let you listen to your surroundings. This feature worked, but after a while, I stopped using it and just popped an earbud out as necessary. It isn't particularly missed on the QC25.
Batteries: The fact that they use a single AAA battery is perfect. Eneloops are your best friend. I am grateful that this doesn't have a proprietary battery like the QC20.
Overall Winner: QC25
The QC25 represents the best Bose noise cancelling headphones to date. If you are considering upgrading from the QC15, the improvements are incremental and I would think twice about parting with $300. If you're looking to supplement a set of QC20 earbuds, this is a great buy. If you have no Bose noise cancelling headphones, this is THE clear choice.
By Jake Flash on September 18, 2014
2) Bose QC25- Still the best in noise cancellation. Worthy upgrade to QC15, but not a reason to upgrade. - Bose QC25 vs. Bose QC15 vs. Sennheiser PXC 450 vs. Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7b
Disclosure: I have tried all these on an airplane. I am not an audiophile. Noise Cancelation is the most important attribute to me. I did not review Beats. I assume anyone buying Beats, wants Beats.
The Carrying Case: All four are quite durable and stiff.
1.) Bose QC25- Very small, compact, and just big enough. Does not really have room for anything else. Could fit in a briefcase.
2.) Bose- QC15- This case is bigger than the QC25 (Which could be a good thing. Doesn't feel much bigger, and still has room for ipod, Gameboy, batteries, whatever).
3.) Sennheiser- Square shape, low profile, however not a lot of room for anything else in case.
4.) Audio Technica- Nice big case if you want to carry extra stuff (Nintendo DS, ipod, etc).
Build Quality:
1.) Sennheiser- you can tell this is built VERY well. Strong plastics, good components, thick cord. Top notch. You feel like you are getting something really high quality.
2.) Bose25 is a step up here from the 15. Detachable cord. A little more substantial feeling. Touches of aluminum on the headphones, and some nicer quality padding. While not as substantial at the Sennheiser, they do feel more luxurious and a little more solidly built than the QC15.
3.) Audio Technica- Nice solid construction, appears durable. Mostly heavy duty plastic.
4.) Bose15- If this had a Sanyo logo on the side, I would not have flinched. How can something $300 be so incredibly cheaply made.
Size:
1.) Bose25- A step up from the Bose15. A little more sleek. Not as dorky looking. Fold flat.
2.) Bose15- as far as over the ears go, these are pretty small.
3.) Audio-Technica- mid-sized.
4.) Sennheiser- These are big. No question, but they store flat.
Comfort:
1.) Sennheiser- Very comfortable, will fit almost any size ears. Keep on for hours.
2.) Bose25- A stepup here. More comfortable than QC15, more flex, better padding. Less hot. Could be tight around some larger ears. Can press a little tight after some time, so test them. After a few hours, my ears hurt from the pressing, but some adjustments can be made.
3.) Bose15- Also comfortable. I did not experience "highs" discomfort.
4.) Audio-Technica- Perfectly satisfactory. Larger opening than previous AT model. Gets warm and tight on head on long flights.
Sound:
1.) Sennheiser- I actually wore these at home too, simply to hear parts of songs I had never heard before. Astounding. My 10yr old music collection sounded totally NEW.
2.) Bose25- A step up from the QC15. Music more evenly balanced. Bass is hard hitting, but not as annoying as in the QC15. Some break-in is required. A more 3D sound than QC15. The QC25 closes the Sennheiser gap much more than the QC15. Be aware, some mp3s might feel a little flat.
3.) Audio-Technica- Well balanced, good sound.
4.) Bose15- Great clear sound, but very heavy on the bass. I listen to a lot of rap and pop, so it was mildly annoying. I ultimately had to turn my treble settings up on my ipod to balance the sound.
Features:
1.) Bose25- Nice new case. Removeable cord (so it won't rip out if you jerk it accidently). Passive headphone (if battery dies, headphone still works - albeit without noise cancelation). Choice of white color.
2.) Sennheiser- nice cord, push to talk button (temporarily mutes NC and sound which is great for interruptions on airplanes).
3.) Bose/Audio Technica- just the basics. Bose simply an on/off switch.
Price:
1.) Audio Technica- $125 depending on how you shop.
2.) Bose QC15- $200-$250
3.) Bose QC25- $300 (hard to find discounted)
4.) Sennheiser- $200 to $400 (how are these going up in price- 5 yrs later)
Noise Cancelation:
1.) Bose- No question here, far surpassed the other two. Best Noise Cancelation. I did not notice a significant change in QC15- to QC25 on planes, however did notice a little difference in office.
2.) Audio-Technica- Good Noise Cancelation.
3.) Sennheiser- Not sure what happened here. Incredible sound, less than satisfactory noise cancelation.
Summary:
Please understand, noise cancellation will not drown out a crying baby, slamming doors, or people talking. They will help out with repetitive noises like airplanes, air-conditioners or soft noises. If you don't listen to music, these might isolate sounds even more and be counter-productive.
The QC25 are a nice step up from the QC15. I do not feel they are overwhelmingly better or worth an upgrade if you were happy with QC15 (but some people like the latest and greatest). If I were buying new and the price difference was only $50, go for the QC25, if you have QC15 and you like them, it's not a huge jump (or buy them and return if you don't like). The QC25 sound a little better, are better built, and a little more convenient. But not sure they are 5 years of R&D better. If the difference in price is >$100, QC15 looks more attractive.
Audio Technica and Sennheiser don't seem to have any new offerings either, so this segment has been kind of stagnant. I will say that Bose seems to have listened and addressed most of the complaints of the QC15. They've improved the size, sound, build quality, and maintained their quality Noise Cancelation.
The Sennheiser Noise Cancellation is a real disappointment. Great headphone, horrible noise cancelation headphone. The Audio Technica is a great entry price point-value item.
Final assessment:
Audio-Technica- best balance of value for money
Sennheiser- Best sound and comfort
Bose- By far Best Noise Cancelation. The white model has better sound than the black model, as an FYI....just kidding!
I use these for airplane travel only, so I ended up keeping the Bose.
By Joshua Brooks on September 24, 2014
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