Looking into buying the Bose QC3

[Quagmire]

I have looked up on C|Net that the Bose QC3's are pretty good and right now they are 10% off from Bose. I have always liked Bose products. My grandparents have a Bose Wave radio and I have the Bose Sound dock for my iPod. But, I am wondering if they are any better alternatives out there?

[kieran]

You'll probably get a lot of comments about how Bose products aren't really that great and their success is through marketing.

But, I've always enjoyed all the Bose products I've heard. I have Bose speakers on my desk right now and they sound great.

My pops has the QC headphones and they're great.

I don't think you'd go wrong with picking them up.

[iThink therefore iMac]

I have the QC2's. You should try both the 2's and the 3's on before you buy them. I personally like that the 2's go over the ear rather than on the ear. Also, i like being able to use a regular AAA battery in them rather than the rechargeable battery, but thats a personal preference.

[Ryan]

I had the QC2, which fell apart after nine months, and I've used the QC3. Save yourself $200 and get the Sennheiser HD280 Pro (http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-application/traveling/sennheiser-hd-280-pro.php) instead. Better sound quality *and* better isolation.

[Dorian Gray]

Bose gets a bad rap in many circles, with people arguing they're not that great, and certainly not worth the price. I'd agree in some cases, though not all.

These QuietComfort headphones don't appeal to me because they're way outside my price comfort level, have active noise cancellation, and have unnaturally heavy bass with odd distortions going on. I listened to the QuietComfort 2 and was underwhelmed by the build quality and distortion, particularly in light of the staggering price. That said, they definitely isolate better than your average closed monitor headphones, though not as well as isolating in-ear headphones like the Etymotics.

I haven't listened to the HD 280 Pros (though they're fairly common), but the page Ryan linked to has a picture of the frequency response, and it's not too impressive at the low end. For 100 bucks I'd certainly like more bass response, accurate or not, because that's where the groove's at. ;) It would depend a lot on your intended use. I also dislike the HD 280 Pro's coiled cable.

If you don't need isolating headphones (you don't say) you should look at open headphones as those will sound better. For 300-odd bucks you could get the Sennheiser HD 595, which, let's be honest, will sound far better than anything Bose has ever made. There are also great options available from AKG, Beyerdynamic, Audio-Technica, Sony and others, often for half the price. Bose has a certain dentist/banker/lawyer appeal though, which might be worth something. :)

[Luca]

Few people will argue that Bose makes bad products, but most will agree that they're bad for the money. Given how many great alternatives there are out there, I'd rather look at a different brand.

[Ryan]

I haven't listened to the HD 280 Pros (though they're fairly common), but the page Ryan linked to has a picture of the frequency response, and it's not too impressive at the low end. For 100 bucks I'd certainly like more bass response, accurate or not, because that's where the groove's at. ;) It would depend a lot on your intended use. I also dislike the HD 280 Pro's coiled cable.I use my 280's with a small headphone amp, which I'm sure helps the bass response. I'm listening to a pretty good recording of Dave Matthews and the groove is definitely there. ;)

That said, you could buy the Bithead amp (same company I linked to previously) and the Senns for less than the price of the QC3. Plus, you'll be able to bypass the D/A converter in your Mac. Maybe others are better, but the headphone output from my MBP always sounds a little tinny.

[Robo]

Few people will argue that Bose makes bad products, but most will agree that they're bad for the money. Given how many great alternatives there are out there, I'd rather look at a different brand.

Ding ding ding!

Just think of all the Wave TV ads and Bose-branded displays in retailers and specialty Bose concept stores. How do you think Bose pays for all that? It's not by delivering a good value to the consumer.

If you're dead set on spending $300+ on earphones, you could easily find some higher-quality ones (Dorian has some great suggestions). If you just want a comparable set, you could spend quite a bit less.

I'm really not an audio snob (video is my specialty ;)) but IMO Bose is successful because they've convinced many "regular folks" - the dentists and lawyers Dorian describes - that they're the end-all, be-all in quality, and they're just not. And I think the high price tags have something to do with that, to be honest. I mean, if you're paying so much more for Bose, it has to be better, right? And then people sort of convince themselves that they are better than the competition (in the unlikely event that they've heard the competition at all), because the alternative would be admitting that they severely overpaid for their gear.

They're not bad, but they are a bad value. They're a status symbol (and I think they've even lost a little of that, these past few years).

[Maciej]

Bose is for hacks.

This (http://headphone.com/) is an honest place where you'll find some good headphones that fit in your price range, here is a good roundup (http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-application/our-10-best-headphones/). I've got a pair of AKG K701's, I think they're $309, or maybe $312 shipped, and I'm waiting to buy a pair of D5000's (http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/all-headphones/denon-ah-d5000.php).

Buuuuttt, for me to give you a better recommendation, you're going to have to tell me why you want the QC3s. Other than just wanting Bose. What do you want out of your headphones?

[Quagmire]

My dorm floor is noisy and I would like them to cancel out the noise without turning up my headphones and killing my ears in the process. Also, with the QC3 the cable detaches so I can just use them as a way to keep the noise out while I study. Then of course there is flying back home and back to college and the train( when I bring my car back).

[Ryan]

My dorm floor is noisy and I would like them to cancel out the noise without turning up my headphones and killing my ears in the process. Also, with the QC3 the cable detaches so I can just use them as a way to keep the noise out while I study. Then of course there is flying back home and back to college and the train( when I bring my car back).I'm in the same situation. I live in the *computer science hall* where we have more game consoles than people. Noisy as hell. I've owned the QC2 and now the Senns. When it comes to blocking sound, the Senns win. Maybe the QC3 are better, but I've tried them (granted, not in my dorm) and I don't think so.

[MacAgain]

I'll echo the "don't buy Bose" crowd. Overpriced, under quality.

If you're mostly going to be using them in your dorm, you can do better than Bose for reasonable money and still purchase a headphone amp.

Head Room (www.headphone.com) has some excellent prices on good cans. I bought my Sennheiser HD650s from them a couple of years ago. There are more reasonably priced cans than the 650s depending on your budget, but they sound great and are extremely comfortable. I wear mine at work from anywhere from 2-5 hours a day depending on my schedule.

Combine good headphones with a good headphone amp and you're in business. You can buy a standalone headphone amp starting around $100, or you can look for a used pre-amp or integrated amp and use the headphone amplifier in that. I pulled my old Tandberg 3002A pre-amp out of storage and it is excellent. You can pick up something like the Tandberg for around $100 as well.

[Quagmire]

Went to the Bose store to try the QC2 and the QC3 and while I preferred the over the ear design of the QC2's, I did like the smaller and lighter design of the QC3 and the rechargeable battery better. They were comfortable too so I bought the QC3's and I love them.

I looked up the recommended headphones, and I could not find many that compared them to the QC's so I couldn't tell if they were worth going and finding out where they would have demo's. Plus, the only one I liked design wise was the Sony's and the best model was $400 vs $314 for the Bose( criticize me all you want, but like with Apple I will pay more for form).

[Ryan]

I looked up the recommended headphones, and I could not find many that compared them to the QC's so I couldn't tell if they were worth going and finding out where they would have demo's. Plus, the only one I liked design wise was the Sony's and the best model was $400 vs $314 for the Bose( criticize me all you want, but like with Apple I will pay more for form).There might not be many comparitive reviews because Bose sued Consumer Reports when they published a negative review of one of their products.

Just sayin'.

[Dorian Gray]

I looked up the recommended headphones, and I could not find many that compared them to the QC's...
That's partly because I (and others, perhaps) didn't know if you needed noise-cancelling/isolating headphones. If you had wanted to use the headphones for listening in a quiet place, and didn't mind a bit of sound leakage, then open headphones would have been better.

Plus, the only one I liked design wise was the Sony's and the best model was $400 vs $314 for the Bose( criticize me all you want, but like with Apple I will pay more for form).
Sony have nice design across pretty much their entire product range. Bose design is a bit conservative for me, but I'm certainly not going to criticise someone for paying more for aesthetics that please them! That strikes me as a singularly foolish thing to do.

Enjoy your headphones! They're certainly better than 95% of headphones out there, and if the money isn't a big deal to you, they're not a bad choice.

[Yontsey]

I'm bumping this thread because I'm in the same boat.

I was thinking about picking up the "low end" Bose headphones that are $140, but then I said the Senheiser HD280Pros that Ryan recommended and I think those are my front runners right now.

I've also been looking at the Sony MDR-7506.

I'm looking to spend around $100 and I will be using them mainly for listening to music on my macbook while doing homework and also for doing some mixing for my recordings aside from my powered monitors.

Suggestions? What about my selections?

[Maciej]

I've got the 7506, they are fantastic. Nice all around beginner cans.

Grado's are good too, depending on how much isolation you really need. Or I should say don't need.

Anything but Bose really.

[Quagmire]

I've got the 7506, they are fantastic. Nice all around beginner cans.

Grado's are good too, depending on how much isolation you really need. Or I should say don't need.

Anything but Bose really.

You know I am quite enjoying my QC3's. :p

[Maciej]

You know I am quite enjoying my QC3's. :p

Oh pipe down.

[JohnnyTheA]

Here is a good sale I found on a sight linked by a poster earlier in this thread. $59 isn't bad.

http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-application/traveling/sennheiser-pxc-150.php

JTA