The Bose QuietComfort 2 headphone is one of the most unique headphones I ever had the pleasure of using. Not only do these headphone sound great but they also help to keep out / cancel unwanted outside noise; hence the QuietComfort name. Standard headphones are designed only to deliver audio and are not intended for use in loud environments. They do little to diminish background noise.

{mosgoogle}The original QuietComfort headphones were designed for airplane travel, but proved effective at wherever noise was a problem; on buses, trains, office, etc. Bose enhanced the convenience and portability features of the QuietComfort 2 headphones to make them even more easier to enjoy in a variety of environments.

Bose noise-reducing headphones may look like ordinary headphones on the outside, but that's where the similarity ends. The technologies inside is what sets it apart of other headphones. This technology is also used by the U.S. military and private pilots. A microphone in each earcup "hears" sounds an instant before they can reach the ears. Advanced electronics recognize what the listener wants to hear—a message from the control tower, music, an in-flight movie or silence—and compares it to noise the listener doesn't want to experience. Bose patented electronics then calculate and generate a signal opposite to the unwanted noise, dramatically reducing it while preserving the desired music, speech or silence.

The QuietComfort 2 package comes with one pair of headphones, 5 foot extension cord, 1/4 inch stereo phone adapter, dual plug adapter, 1 AAA battery, owner's manual and a carry case. The headphone measures 7 3/4" high and 6 1/2" wide. The ear cup dimensions are 3 4/5" high and 3" wide.

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{mosgoogle}Whether you take the QuietComfort 2 on a trip or to the office, the Bose headphones will fold flat to store easily in a bag or briefcase. Bose supplies a handy carry case with the unit. A single detachable audio cable gives you access to portable CD players, computers, home stereos or in-flight entertainment systems. The single cable helps to prevent tangling that can results with two-cable designs. That cable can be removed so your headphones can go "cordless" when you simply want the benefits of noise reduction. Though someone may mistaken them for wireless headphone when you do that.

The Bose QuietComfort 2 headphone is not the first noise canceling headphones I have heard nor is it the first noise canceling system. I remember a long time ago Lotus Car created an exhaust system that produce noise out of phase with the car so it would cancel the exhaust note. It proved pretty effective but was never put into production because, well, people who buy Lotus cars like the sound that the exhaust made.

The main problems with noise canceling technology is trying to figure out which noise to cancel. You can work out what operating range the engine roar of a jet engine makes but there are also a lot of musical instruments that plays in that frequency range. You can experience noise cancellation in real life just by taking a drive in your car with the sound system on and the windows open. Crank up your bass while you're idling at a stop light and drive off when the light goes green. You will notice that the bass response drops when you're moving. This is because the road noise created by the car tires rolling along the ground produces a noise that cancels out some of your bass. The problem is you don't want to cancel your bass. You want to keep your bass and cancel out the road noise. This is where the Bose Acoustic Noise Canceling Technology comes in.

Bose takes a two step approach to keep out and cancel unwanted noise. the first is the design of the headphone itself. Unlike normal headphones, the QuietComfort 2 cups the entire ear and seal them off in an almost vacuum like atmosphere. In other words, these headphones act like earplugs to keep outside noise from coming in. The earcup is filled with sound absorbing material and the seal is so tight that you can feel pressure build up if you try to squeeze the earcup closer to your ear.

The near airtight seal helps to keep out high frequency sounds. Low frequency is killed off with the noise canceling technology. In the past, this type of technology prove ineffective because they were very slow to respond to changing noise environments and the "anti-noise" they produced were not pin-point accurate enough to cancel the unwanted noise. Most of the time, they cancelled out a lot of the music information as well.

Where To Buy It

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At $299.00 the Bose QuietComfort 2 is not inexpensive. As a matter of fact, they're among the most expensive headphone I have ever used. Deal hunters may have problems trying to find these headphone selling for less than the Bose recommended price because Bose maintain a pretty tight grip on its dealer network. However, you do get a lot of value for your money. The QuietComfort 2 is very well constructed and has a nice quality feel to them. The fit and finish is first rate and they feel very comfortable when looped around your head.

{mosgoogle}To test the noise canceling technology used by the QuietComfort 2 I put the headphone on but didn't hook up any music source. Instead I just turn on the noise canceling feature and went "plane spotting". For those who don't know, plane spotting is a very popular pastime. Drive by any major airport and you'll see a bunch of cars parked near the runaways trying to spot planes taking off and landing. Some people even keep logs of the planes coming and going! It gives new meaning to the song "Sitting by the dock of the bay".

The Bose QuietComfort 2 wasn't able to completely cancel out the sound of a 747 landing but it did greatly reduced the noise from the big jet. The difference was quite amazing really. I doubt even industrial strength earplugs could have reduced the level as much as what the QuietComfort 2 was able to achieve. As the jet was landing over my head, I removed the headphone and then put them back on to see the level difference and it was like night and day. I let a bunch of "plane spotters" tried the QuietComfort 2 and they were all amazed by it. I think I could have sold a few pairs if I wanted to. The QuietComfort 2 does what it was designed to do; allow you to enjoy your music in a noisy environment.

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Unlike past products attempted by other companies the Bose acoustic noise canceling technology is the real deal. The noise canceling processing is super fast and the headphone produces just the correct amount of anti-noise to cancel out only the unwanted noise while letting music go though untouched. Sonically, the QuietComfort 2 sounded great. Unlike many other headphone, the QuietComfort 2 produce really good base response which doesn't muddle up the upper midrange. The key to getting good bass out of headphone is the seal off the ears from the outside world so pressure can be build up and the seal of the QuietComfort 2 is almost air tight. The overall sound quality is clear and clean but on certain materials the sound lend towards warm. Unlike many headphones, the sound never got fatiguing.

{mosgoogle}There are not many negatives about these Bose headphones. The main one would be the price. At $299.00 the QuietComfort 2 is not cheap. I have heard many headphones that sounds just as good as the QuietComfort 2 but none of them have the Bose noise cancellation technology. The size of these headphones make them not practical for some uses such as jogging or working out at the gym. One of the plane spotter commented that it's funny that my headphone was bigger than my iPod and wondered how the iPod could possibly power them? The answer is the Bose QuietComfort 2 are self powered by one AAA battery which last for up to 30 hours. Chances are your portable player will run out of power long before these headphones.

If you're a frequent flyer or work in an environment where noise is a problem then you should seriously take a listen to the Bose QuietComfort 2. Bose realize that $299.00 is a lot to pay for a set of headphone so they offer a money back guaranteed on them. If you're not happy with the QuietComfort 2 for any reason, simply return it to Bose within 30 days and get your money back. This guaranteed only applies to QuietComfort 2 purchased directly from Bose . However, once you listen to them in action, you won't want do that.

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