Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones

It is an undisputed fact that Bose created the active noise cancelling headphone business with its Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones. With this QuietComfort headphones, aggressively marketed towards travelers - people who would be willing to carry around a pair of ear cups in order to screen out ambient noise, rendering their music or audiobooks clearer without having to turn up the volume to dangerous levels. In spite of newer models the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones is still the best performing and should be within your price range.

Design

The QuietComfort 2 is fully a traditional full-sized, over-the-ear headset with very soft leather cushioning over both ear cups as well as on the top of the adjustable headband. You can swivel the ear cups and fold flat into a zippered case that is little bigger than a CD wallet, so travelers will find them easy to pack in a carry-on bag. The case with its unique design also holds a pouch for two included adapters (a dual 3.5mm jack used by some airlines and a 6.3mm jack for home stereos) and an extension cord.

Features

The headphones are clearly marked left (L) and right (R), so you can not put them on backwards. Once you have adjusted the headband to a comfortable position, you only need to turn on the power switch on, which is located on the right ear cup. The noise reduction will begin working whether you are connected to an audio source or not because the noise-cancelling circuitry is built into the headphones themselves, not a little box incorporated into the cord.

As soon as you insert the headphone plug into the jack on your audio source, there is only one more setting to take note of. Look for the Hi/Lo switch on the audio attenuator which can be used to adjust the output volume of different sources.

Normally, you should use 'Lo' for airline audio or devices using A/C power and 'Hi' for battery-powered portable devices. The special attenuator inserts cleverly into an opening on the left ear cup so that it is flush with the side of the cup. The headphones has no volume control, so you must use the controls on the audio source.

Performance

The Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones run on a single AAA battery which resides in the right ear cup. The last thing you need is the battery dying mid-flight, but thankfully the battery life averages 35 hours, depending on usage. The battery indicator light kicks in with five hours of battery life remaining.

This is very crucial because, when the battery dies on the Bose unit, you lose everything - noise cancellation and music. You can certainly use rechargeable batteries if you wish, but expect only about half the life of an alkaline battery and also be aware that the indicator light does not work with rechargeable batteries.

The sounds you do hear is simply amazing, with surprising clarity, including rich base and treble detail that you would expect from a high-end home system. Another good news is that they are comfortable enough to sleep with them on your head - the soft cushioning fits snugly over your ears without being cumbersome over many hours.

The downside - many people will want to sample your Bose Quiet Comfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones, be careful and do not ever leave them unguarded especially on long flight trips. It just the best among all noise isolation headphones and you can start your search for a good deal by visiting some of the online stores listed above.