Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones for Apple Devices - Black

I bought the Bose quiet comfort 20 few months ago at £178, so I had time to tested it properly before writing this review. The first question that I had was “is it worth buying wired earphones in the wireless era”? The answer is definitely yes. I use those with my iPhone XR together with the apple adapter (I tried a non apple one and it did not work properly): the sounds quality is perfect and the noise cancelling is great. I also bought a Bluetooth adapter to link these earphones to my Kindle Oasis, and the noise cancelling works perfectly (the sounds as well but it is referred to audiobooks only). These earphones are very comfortable to wear, and adapter with different sizes are present in the package. I tested the sound quality on classic music and pop music, and the quality is very high. In terms of noise cancelling, I was pleasantly surprised. I run a test together with a friend of mine in a pub: we listened to the same music by using the Bose quiet comfort 20 and another high quality over ear headphones (cannot declare the brand here, but trust me, they are worth around £400). The noise cancelling of the earphones was far superior to the over ear headphones. As a frequent flyer, I used it on the airplane to shut down the noise around, including loud chatting and crying babies. On the bus, instead, you can still hear the engine down; this does not affect significantly the experience, as I can clearly listen to music and audiobooks without problems. The same does not apply to regular earphones. The material is quiet robust, even though I read other reviews where customers were complaining about the poor quality. I disagree with those, as I found them solid. Of course, you need to look after them properly and not simply dropping them in the bag. If you use the case provided and you do not stretch the wires abruptly and extensively (as for any wired earphone or headphone), then they will last without displaying any sign of use. Battery life is declared to be16 hours, which seems correct. The battery for the noise cancelling is external and can be a bit tricky to deal with while walking. No great fuss honestly, as you can put it inside the pocket of a jeans or a jacket. In summary, I strongly recommend this product for all frequent travellers and commuters, for music enthusiasts and for audiobook listeners. It is cheap compared to other wireless options, and the fuss of the wire is, in my opinion, minimum compared to the advantages of the noise cancelling earphones (great during summer either, in contrast with over ear headphones, for isntance).

Short Summary: Worth Every Penny!!!!! Ive now had two pairs of these headphones and i feel i can give a simple but thorough review on them, first lets start with the positives and negatives! Pros -Deep and Perfect Bass -One of The best noise cancelling devices around -Light -Comfy for long hour listening -Amazing sound quality -Battery is very strong Pros Overview This earphone is truly amazing, i have had serveral types of headphones, earphones, speakers etc. And i can trll you right now that they are amazing and have been eorth every penny. However i do want to mention that sound quality is 100 times better with noise cancelling on. As soon as you switch the noise canceeling on, the music takes you to some place, and the intensity of the bass a long with the music is just kind blowing, you will literally feel as if you have a mi i subwoofer inside you, words can not describe! The noise cancelling itself is also amazing, whether you want to sleep on a plane or on a train, it cancels out around 85% of the stable noises in my opinion, great for bad sleepers! I do admit the earpiece will take you a while to get used to it (it comes with different sizes) but as soon as you do it becomes super comfy, and you wont want to put those hard plastic ones on ever again. Cons -The battery pack can get annoying to put in pockets etc... -Takes a while tomget used to the earpiece -Very Weak Audiojack Cons Overview Your probably wondering why i am on my second pair, for such a price you should expect these to last for a few years at least. The whole earphone is very strong and rugged, but i do feel that if there is anything that is poor in the build, its the audio jack (not for sound quality issues). With my first pair i only dropped it a few times and with turnulence in planes and what not i noticed it started to bend untill eventually the sound stopped working on the right ear. And so i took it to the bose store and unfortunately since it was my fault, all they managed to offer was 50% off on a new pair, which i believe was quite generous, so thanks for that Bose! There is really only lne annoying thing in this earphone - the battery pack. Dont let the pictures fool you, although it might be slim you will have trouble fitting it into tight pockets and it will be the most annoying thing when transporting it around. Overall this has been one of the best purchases i have made in a while, it is just so effective at it's job that it has been worth every penny for me, dont hesitate to ask any questions! I hope this review has been helpful. P.S i bought this at a bose store not on amazon, picture is attached below!

Fantastic noise cancellation especially in the lower frequencies. I have worn these in the car, at work (industry) and use them for sleeping. They cancel out near 70-90% of Low loud droning. Perfect for travel. The sound quality is good and the noise reduction means you don’t need to have them turned right up in a noise environment. The buds are comfortable and can be worn for 10 hours + with no discomfort caused. They stay in the ear well and don’t feel intrusive. I manage to sleep with them in on my side but I do lay on my hand as they extrude from the ear moderately. The battery pack can be a little annoying but when you are used to it it’s less of a problem. You get around 20 hours + of charge time which I think is very competitive and they recharge in 2 hours. The only issues I have found is that the charge cable could be longer, it’s small to fit in the carry case but it doesn’t give you much spare length for awkward charging. The headphones can squelch when adjusting in the ear when first wearing and they can squelch very loudly on sudden large pressure change (shutting a car door with all windows closed) this can be uncomfortable and I initially thought they had been damaged. The quality seems ok but I expected slightly higher of plastic parts for the price. I wasn’t surprised as other reviews had already hinted at this. I’ve tried them for running, which they are not designed for and they do an ok job. In summary, great for travel. Noise cancellation is impressive even compared to Bose over ear QC25s. Size is small and comfortable. Wiring fiddly with extra battery pack. Battery impressive. Battery and charge: 10/10 Build quality: 6.5/10 Sound quality: 7.5/10 Noice cancel: 9.5/10 Ease of use: 7/10 Price for product: 8/10 Over all: 8/10

I've been using these almost full-time while working over the last 2 months, and I have to say I've found them simply amazing. I work in an open office with some quite powerful (=noisy) PCs on peoples' desks, and the noise from mine in particular can get very irritating. The air conditioning can be quite loud too, once your ear tunes in to it. Simply putting these in reduces the noise a fair bit; the earpieces are very soft and fit well. This is the only set of headphones of any type I've found to be comfortable for more than an hour or so at a time, and I've frequently used them for pretty much the whole day without discomfort. Turning on the noise reduction (as someone else rightly refers to it) all but eliminates those particular sounds. I liken the whole experience a little bit to lying right back in a full bath or swimming pool, so that your ears are submerged. The bass and mechanical noises are gone, replaced by something else. You can still hear the higher frequency sounds, but they are reduced, and seem kind of distant. But what really stood out was how LOUD everything seems once you take them out or switch them to passive mode. It's a striking demonstration of how the brain can filter things out after a while. But with these headphones it doesn't need to so much. The Active EQ and TriPort tech also makes a big difference to music quality. Even though you'll probably not need the noise reduction so much if you are listening to music (depending on your musical preferences ;) ) you'll probably end up putting it on regardless, as it does significantly enhance the sound. Seemed bit of a gamble to spend so much on inner-ear headphones. But I'm pretty confident I got the jackpot on this one. However, I do have to point out that I tried to 'show off' how good they are to my brother. He was completely underwhelmed, claiming they did nothing for him at all. Maybe the earpiece size I had fitted just wasn't compatible with his ears. So you may need to experiment a little to find the best set to use.

I ordered these, thinking they may just get returned as soon as they arrived, the reason I am a real fan of the Bowers & Wilkins Brand, so when these arrived, along came my second pair of C5 Series 2 ( I originally had the C5 ) at the same time as a comparison. The professional Audiophile Shop I sometimes buy from said "Bose where overrated, over priced and the C5 Series 2 still the best for the price and sound quality". Well in all honesty I put the B & W phones on first, oh yes rich, warm sound and improved bass came across. I was almost tempted not to even open the Bose box. Well I did and I am so pleased that I made a comparison, these fit the ear, so comfortable I forget they are in, the sound quality is rich enough and the bass seems well balanced with no distortion. They certainly sound better with the noise cancelling switched on, when you turn it off there appears to be a significant drop in the volume, or is the back ground noise creeping in. I am not sure I could enough them with it switched off. The battery, this is the subject of many magazine reviews and some go as far as saying they never got used to it. My first test was two 30 min gym bike sessions, the first time I left the battery and ipod on the console, the long cable very sufficient to sit upright when required I am 6ft 6". The second test I left the ipod and battery in my shorts pocket while exercising. I never noticed the weight, it never caused a problem, happy in a shirt pocket etc. One real plus with these, is that I fly a lot, my wife cannot here these even on full volume with me sat next to her, something worth thinking about if your considerate or have ever suffered someone else tunes when you just wanted to close your eyes. Which take me to another plus, you want to close your eyes, some one near you is non-stop chatting, someone else's tunes, just pop them in and turn on the noise cancelling. I am converted and surprised, these cam out I believe in 2012/2013 so the fact they are still be manufactured and sold is a statement.

Things I like: - Noise cancelling. They are not as good as the QC25/35 (which cancel almost everything out) but I didn't want big over-ear ones and these were by far the best in-ear I have tried. I have used on aeroplanes, trains, buses, in the office and on the street and aside from the train they performed well without any issues. - Comfortable ear buds - they really are spot on. Even just wearing them without any noise cancelling or music takes the edge off street sound. - Build quality - the feel solid Things I don't like: - The "popping" particularly noticeable on trains. It's quite annoying and I woudl have though that given the price and what most people will use these for this is a issue Bose should have sorted. - the colour, the black and turquoise is a bit weird. My previous pair were back/white and black/grey would have been a but more understated. - The finish on the power box - it's a matte rubberised finish which picks up pocket lint and dust and makes it look scruffy. - charging while wearing creates hiss and feedback. I charged these from a powerpack while watching a movie on a plane and here was very noticeable distortion, which disappeared when I unplugged the power.

Why do I put myself through this.......... Received earphones Unboxed Charged Tried and failed. Left earphone hardly any sound. Tried in my wifes iPhone - same problem-duff Tried my original earphones - no problem Researched internet - This fault is a massive problem by the amount of those with the same experience. Awaiting replacements on the basis that the write-ups are so good for these earphones; those that work. Why all this hassle for one of the most expensive on the market! Will update - when I get replacements UPDATE 24 Hours later. Replacements arrived Charged them up Plugged them into iPhone SE Work well Now very Happy - especially as I paid for 3 years Breakdown Insurance. Martin Another update. I decided to purchase a small extension cable to extend the length of the earphones cable. I purchased a quality cable - and plugged them together. It did not work. Sound came through but total loss of any control. Be warned Latest Update 02-10-2016 Took them and used them in flight and at pool. Noise cancel is brilliant - Volume is OK but not for headbangers The shirt clip just disintegrated without ever being used Just not sure about the quality for this kind of money - but I only use them for holiday - 8 weeks every year If I was a hoody - then they would be a No No..if you get my drift............. Martin

Update: I've had these four years now and they are still going strong. Have used them several hours per day, Mon-Fri, pretty much every week since I got them. Amazing product. My original review: Excellent headphones. I'm usually hesitant to spend this kind of money on sound tech but I decided to take a risk on these because I really struggle with the noise levels in my office (I have a job that requires high attention to detail but I sit next to a telecentre so it's very noisy). I now use these to help me block out office sounds (mostly loud talking on the telephone, phones ringing, etc) and they're brilliant. Sometimes I just use the noise cancelling without music and this really helps if I'm trying to concentrate - you can still hear people but they sound far away, kind of how things sound when you're under water. I find this is enough (when used without playing music) to take the stress away of having to listen to constant noise. They're very comfortable and I can have them in for hours without feeling any discomfort. The sound is fantastic, crystal clear, no hiss, good bass. I'm going to buy my husband some for his birthday as he's been envious of mine since I got them.