Bose QC20 in-ear noise cancelling headphones.

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Sorry this is true,
The issue is that you cant replace the battery so when it dies (in 2-3 years time) you end up with a very expensive pair Bose IE2 audio headphones with a paperweight battery pack on the end of the connector.
Sorry i know it was something to do with the battery when i was assessing to get them or not.

I dont know generally how long people hold onto headphones and if 3 years is a reasonable time but for $400 i would want them to last for a long time and be able to have the option to switch out the battery even if i didnt want to use them anymore.
 
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Sorry this is true,
The issue is that you cant replace the battery so when it dies (in 2-3 years time) you end up with a very expensive pair Bose IE2 audio headphones with a paperweight battery pack on the end of the connector.
Sorry i know it was something to do with the battery when i was assessing to get them or not.

I dont know generally how long people hold onto headphones and if 3 years is a reasonable time but for $400 i would want them to last for a long time and be able to have the option to switch out the battery even if i didnt want to use them anymore.

Bose tends to provide exceptional after sales service in my experience. ;)
 
Sorry this is true,
The issue is that you cant replace the battery so when it dies (in 2-3 years time) you end up with a very expensive pair Bose IE2 audio headphones with a paperweight battery pack on the end of the connector.
Sorry i know it was something to do with the battery when i was assessing to get them or not.

I dont know generally how long people hold onto headphones and if 3 years is a reasonable time but for $400 i would want them to last for a long time and be able to have the option to switch out the battery even if i didnt want to use them anymore.

I misunderstood your OP where you stated that:
"They don't work as normal headphones when the battery is dead"

This is a different issue IMO to having a battery which cannot be replaced.
 
... I dont know generally how long people hold onto headphones and if 3 years is a reasonable time but for $400 i would want them to last for a long time and be able to have the option to switch out the battery even if i didnt want to use them anymore.

Yes, but many headsets/earplugs are lost/broken or are replaced when something else comes along anyway.

A possible 3-year life expectancy for an item will mean less to some than others of course.
 
If your points rich they are on special at the QF store.

As the QF store says:
[h=1]Special Offer[/h][h=1]Was 56,500 points. Now 48,000 points.[/h]https://store.qantas.com/Catalogue.a2?Page=ViewProduct&ProductId=124988&ProductCategoryId=15159
 
Sorry this is true,
The issue is that you cant replace the battery so when it dies (in 2-3 years time) you end up with a very expensive pair Bose IE2 audio headphones with a paperweight battery pack on the end of the connector.
Sorry i know it was something to do with the battery when i was assessing to get them or not.

I dont know generally how long people hold onto headphones and if 3 years is a reasonable time but for $400 i would want them to last for a long time and be able to have the option to switch out the battery even if i didnt want to use them anymore.
See this thread of mine below regarding "3 year lifespan" :)

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....-headphones-sale-at-djs-56611.html#post960409
 
See this thread of mine below regarding "3 year lifespan" :)

I've just read that post (again). 8,000 hours of use will last me much more than 3 years. :D

I'm just waiting for a better price deal. I found out today that Myer was doing 15% off last week. If I had known that, I would have bought them at the time. Just have to keep waiting and watching.
 
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Hey,
Sorry im going to revive an old thread. If you want me to start a new one i will

I have been thinking about getting these for weeks and with an international trip coming up i thought now might be a good idea to get them.
The store i went to was out of stock unfortunately :( Take about 3-4 days to get them in

But while i was there i was able to sample the QC3's & QF15's
A few things i noted with these ones. With no music or anything playing all the background noise was gone but i could clearly hear conversations going on around me (some sales guy telling some dude to buy a lenovo tablet rather than a samsung). These people were about 2 meters away from me. With noise cancelling turned off i could just hear them. The conversation wasnt loud but i could hear it, i know they dont take out everything but just thought the conversation noise would have been not as present as it was

Another thing i noted was that the sound wasnt that great on these models. I plugged them into my phone and turned the volume right up but it wasnt all that loud. Generally my stock samsung earphones provided much more sound volume for the level it was at. Although these are in ear ones and i havent used on hear headphones in ages.

When I was playing music the conversation wasnt noticeable but thats when i noticed the low volume.

What are peoples experiences with the above with the QC20's?
ie sound volume and still hearing conversations clear as day.
Do the QC20's do a better job at sound volume? Is the volume thing just because over ears are like that

thanks
 
I started with a set of QC2's, was happy with them, but bought the 15's when they were released as the QC2's were getting old, gave them to my other 1/2 who destroyed them in 1 SYD-LAX flight but i digress..

I also have a pair of the QC20's and use them a lot for music and phone calls as they do block out a lot of the sound, my only gripe which is similar to yours is i cant get enough volume out of the 15's or the 20's from an iPhone when there is a great song playing :( but is that more an iThingy issue?
 
Anyone else have any input?
Im after good sound volume in a product that is going to cost $400
thinking about it the volume issue could be the coughpy store setup. They have it plugged into their system which is quite loud and has great volume and then this extra jack for users to try which as I said is soft and not loud at all.

but then again it could be the device is soft if you don't have a powerful sound system

All the reviews I have read no one has mentioned much about volume so I'm stuck.
 
Not sure of the stats on the Bose, but my understanding (not a sound engineer) is that more expensive/hardcore headphones often have a higher impedance and require more power to push them/get volume. These work best with a headphone amplifier (I use one with my Sennheisers on long flights) so that you don't end up distorting the sound by forcing the device's volume up.

TLDR: your device will end up a lot quieter with the better speakers, maybe consider headphone amp if you want good quality sound!

Think my next purchase will be 550MX notice cancelling, selling my PXC 450s
 
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Anyone else have any input?
Im after good sound volume in a product that is going to cost $400
thinking about it the volume issue could be the coughpy store setup. They have it plugged into their system which is quite loud and has great volume and then this extra jack for users to try which as I said is soft and not loud at all.

but then again it could be the device is soft if you don't have a powerful sound system

All the reviews I have read no one has mentioned much about volume so I'm stuck.

Have just purchased the QC 20i about 2 weeks ago, incredibly happy with every aspect of them. Previously had the QC3s but feel that the 20s are superior. No issues with volume....even used them on the VA sound limited Galaxy tab the other day and could actually hear it clearly! Miracle!
 
I've just returned a set of QC20's to Bose after buying them duty free in Melb.
I currently have a set of QC15's am am very happy with them, other than when I try to sleep with my head on the side, so I decided QC20's would be perfect.
After using them for a flight MEL-LAX I was totally pissed off with them. The right ear, once I got it in, was perfect! The left ear, no matter which size bud I used either would no go in without a ton of fiddling, or when it did go in and was perfect, it came out as soon as I moved my mouth to talk, yawn or whatever.
I went to the Bose store in Ontario, Calif. and the sales guy gave me another set of different buds to try (at no charge). By now, my left ear was quite sore after all the stuffing around, but 2 weeks later, I tried them again on the return leg.
Same problem!
Obviously, it is my problem with my left ear, but whatever the reason, a sore ear again on the flight home was the end, and back they went.
Melb duty free and Bose were great about it all, but I'm back to my trusty QC15's and very happy with them.
 
I have the QC20's and for an in ear design they are good but don't come near the QC 15's for noise cancelling and sound isolation. Anything stuck in your ears is likely to be slightly annoying and these are just that. The wires tug if you twist your head as they are too short and to get a perfect fit from the supplied earplugs (3 sizes are supplied ) is a matter of luck but a perfect fit is required for these to work. The cable at the source end is also too short. The rechargeable design is good. Sound quality is okay but nothing amazing. Overall good phones but with some unfortunate quirks and flaws in design but obviously nice and small to carry. At $200 they would be worthwhile but at the rrp which is almost double that they are a bit of a disappointment. YMMV
 
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A lot of reviews from YouTube say the down side is the battery and short cable
Isn't the wire tugging an issue with any in ear phones? Ie that's why there is that clip?
my stock Samsung phones annoyed me like that too. I found a small clip off an old headset I had and used that ever since.
 
I have the QC20's and for an in ear design they are good but don't come near the QC 15's for noise cancelling and sound isolation. Anything stuck in your ears is likely to be slightly annoying and these are just that. The wires tug if you twist your head as they are too short and to get a perfect fit from the supplied earplugs (3 sizes are supplied ) is a matter of luck but a perfect fit is required for these to work. The cable at the source end is also too short. The rechargeable design is good. Sound quality is okay but nothing amazing. Overall good phones but with some unfortunate quirks and flaws in design but obviously nice and small to carry. At $200 they would be worthwhile but at the rrp which is almost double that they are a bit of a disappointment. YMMV

I agree with your issues. IMO the sound isn't up to par with the QC15's & not so comfortable wearing for extended periods.
I have already broken a pair of the QC20's as the cable has ripped out of the moulded plug due to force applied whilst in the armrest. Not such a practical design.
The compact size is definately a bonus though.
 
For those worried about sound quality and quantity have a look at the Shure SE range. I've got a pair of SE425s and they are gobsmackingly good. Even in a Dash 8! No batteries either.
 
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