The Bose QuietComfort (QC) 15 headphones are Bose's flagship noise cancelling headphones.
First look of these cans show a well constructed aesthetically pleasing set of headphones. The headphones are made of solid thick materials, which are likely to provide good durability with a reasonable amount of care. They look smart and feel expensive, although may be not £280 expensive. There is only a single cable connected to the cans, which looks neater and is less likely to become tangled than majority of headphones which have a cable connected to each earcup. The cable is detachable which is a great feature if you want to use them purely for noise isolation. A detachable cable also means the cans are less likely to become damaged, because if the cable gets caught on something or pulled it detaches from the earcup instead of possibly damging the source's (Ipod, laptop, etc) socket or the cable connection to the earcup, which can frequently happen with non-detachable cables. The earcups can rotate up to 90 degrees allowing them to folded away into a smart compact carrying case.
QuietComfort is certainly a well descriptive name. The noise isolation the QC 15's provide is fantastic. I have used these headphones frequently on planes and trains and have been amazed how they can reduce the noise of a roaring jet engine right down. Testament to this was when I watching a film with a friend using a portable DVD player on a flight to Barcelona. My friend was wearing the Bose around the ear headphones and required the volume to fairly loud in order to hear the film, whereas even at a relatively low volume I could hear the film without a problem. I also use them at work and background noise just seems to disappear. I would point out that these headphones do not block out the mid-high frequency (vocal) noise nearly as well as the low frequency( engines, air conditioning units, etc). This is not really a problem, because if you are listening to a film or music it is very difficult to hear background talking even using non-noise cancelling headphones. The problem is usually that constant sound of the train/plane engine, which the QC 15's do a remarkable job of reducing. I would just mention that some people may experience a feeling of pressure of the ear drum due to the noise cancelling circuity, personally I feel a very faint sensation which disappears when listing to music/film. The earcup and headband cushions are very soft making them very comfortable to wear, even for long periods of time.
Audio performance is excellent. The vocals have good clarity and the bass is tight and clean. The bass is deep but most definitely not overbearing and blends very well with the mid range. In terms of pure audio performance they are similar with the Bose around the ear headphones, which are about £190 cheaper. Therefore I would advise anybody not sure if they want noise cancelling headphones to audition the Bose around ear headphones as well. These headphones do require a AAA battery to listen to audio, since you can't listen to audio without the noise cancelling circuitry engaged.
As I have mentioned in my other posts, Bose products do seem to hold their value very well. However headphones in general don't, probably because headphones are more personal and people would prefer to buy a second hand pair of speakers than headphones which someone has worn.
Overall I believe the Bose QC 15's are an excellent set of noise-cancelling headphones.
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