I have had the test/review pair of i7 NC headphones since Lindsay and Mark returned from the sojourn to Dubai. I have been comparing them to my Bose QC15s which cost at least three times the price of the NoiseHush i7s. I have handed both pairs to many people, both professional audio guys and complete technology novices, males and females, different shape people, and different ages. I have asked them to tell me which feel most comfortable, which seem to block out the most noise, and which sound best with whatever material I happen to have going at the time. When comparing noise cancelling capability, neither headphones were plugged into any audio source and I asked them to put the headphone on while they were switched off, then switch them on and move their hands away from the ear pieces to experience the noise cancelling effect. Note that none of these people wore either pair for more than a few minutes, so were not able to provide any perspective of wearing for long periods on long-haul flights.
Out of all the people I asked, only 1 selected the Noise Hush as being the most comfortable, and two people said the Noise Hush blocked out most background noise. All others (about 15 people) voted for the Bose QC15.
Now for my own observations:
For each item I will rate the best performer as 10 and then rate the other in comparison.
Comfort:
Both headphones are "over the ear" style and initially look similar in design. But I found the depth between the outside of the ear cushion to the inside of the driver is considerably more on the Bose (20mm) than on the NoiseHush (12mm). The Noise Hush does have more padding in the centre of the ear piece (covering the driver), but that extra 8mm or so of depth meant that my ears don't touch the inner surface of the Bose but do touch the inner padding of the Noise Hush. This is obviously a personal thing as everyone's ears are different shapes. But over extended periods of wearing (I wore each for an hour straight), it did make a difference for me. The Bose has a wider headband, but I think that is only cosmetic and both are similarly padded. I did not notice any difference in comfort on top of my head, just over my ears.
There's not a huge difference, and if unless doing an A/B comparison, I think most people would be very satisfied with the comfort of either.
NM's rating: Bose 10, NoiseHush 8
Audio Quality:
This is always going to a personal thing, and in the absence of some very sensitive and expensive test equipment, its purely objective. Its important to understand that many headphones do not produce a "flat" response. That is because most people don't want to listen to a flat response. They want to hear punchy base and sparkly top end, often more than the original recording included. So many headphones boost the lows and highs to give the impression that their headphones are superior. Just look at how many advertise things like "bass boost" etc. Now Bose has been playing with signal "equalisation" for years. I cut my audio teeth on Bose 802 speakers and their proprietary EQ, and their headphones seem to me like they similarly boost the lows and highs to produce the type of sound we all like to hear from our iPods. Its crisp, clear and punchy. But its not necessarily natural or true to the original source.
So when doing an A/B comparison of material playing from my iPod/iPad/iPhone (which is not great source material as its already compressed somewhat), the Bose does sound "nicer". But its difficult to tell if that is artificial enhancement verses a more natural reproduction. Listening to drum cymbals and high-hats being played live using Neumann KM184 condenser microphones, no compression, flat EQ and through a Midas DL431 mic pre-amp, both carry the highs nicely. But using a Shure Beta52 on the kick drum and the Bose bottom-end punch can almost be felt as if standing in front of the L Acoustics DV subs. The Noise Hush i7s are not lacking the bass response, and its probably more true, but the difference is noticeable. When listening to a Maton acoustic guitar, a Roland RD700 keyboard, a grand piano (through AKG C3000 microphones) or vocals (through Neumann KMS105) the difference is less noticeable and both sound clear and bright.
Given the target market here is frequent flyers using them on planes listening to the airlines IFE system or their own personal media players, both units deliver. If you want that extra thump, then you can always adjust the EQ settings on your iPod, though you generally don't get that ability on the airline's IFE (which likely has a pretty poor quality headphone amp anyway).
NM's rating: Bose 10, NoiseHush 8
Operation:
The Noise Hush i7 headphones are supplied with a single removable cable. It has a 3.5mm TRS (Tip-Ring-Shield or stereo) plug on the end the connects to the headphones themselves, and a 3.5mm TRRS connector on the end that connects to the media device (though it will work reversed for listening). The cable has a microphone about 20cm from the TRS end, allowing them to be used for hands-free use on a phone. I have a concern that some devices may not work well with the 4-way connector (the TRRS) that means the microphone connection may affect the shield connection on some TRS sockets. There is also a "volume" control wheel near the power switch.
The Noise Hush cable is "flat" and very flexible. But I found it difficult to wind up for storage. But I am pedantic about how cables are "rolled" and it may be that this cable is not as delicate as it first feels and correct rolling (in/out) may not be necessary to prolong its life. But if it does break/fail or is lost, it can be easily replaced with any 3.5mm stereo cable as they socket on the headphones is a standard 3.5mm stereo socket.
Even with the power switched off (and of course that also covers the case of flat or missing batteries), the Noise Hush headphone produce audio. However, if the Bose are QF15s are switched off or have a flat battery, you get no sound.
The Bose QC15 comes with two different cables, one with the in-line microphone and TRRS connector, and one that is just straight through with a TRS stereo 3.5mm plug. But the Bose connection at the headphones has a proprietary molding, meaning you can really only replace it with another Bose cable. The Bose connector has a switch for Hi or Low sensitivity. This switch effectively alters the impedance the headphones present to the amplifier, allowing you to limit the sensitivity when connected to high output devices. Some people have reported that having this switch in the "hi" position can cause audio quality problems on some airline IFE systems, so the flexibility to select the sensitivity (and adjust the impedance) can be a good thing when you don't know what equipment will be connected.
Now this "impedance" thing is not normally an issue with headphones. But I did find that when using the Noise Hush i7s with the Yamaha LS9-32 mixer, there was distinct clipping at fairly low volume (even with the headphones volume dial on highest setting). This is a common issue with Yamaha digital mixers where they don't like driving low-impedance headphones. The i7 specifications show them to be 32 ohms impedance, which should be ok according to Yamaha LS9-32 specs, but there was definitely a problem. The Bose did not have the same issue, but I do normally leave them on the "hi" sensitivity setting (and hence higher impedance or around 1.6K ohms verses 73 ohms for "lo" setting). I also notice the same thing but to a much lesser degree with the Midas XL8 headphone driver. I did NOT ever notice any issues with impedance when using my iPhone or iPad.
The NoiseHush require 2 x AAA batteries, which are accessed by sliding the silver cover off the left ear cover.
While the Bose use a single AAA battery, accessed by via a small "door" in the side of the right cover.
NM's rating: Bose 10, NoiseHush 8
Overall:
So overall the Bose are certainly a better product and if you are looking for buying the best, then you won't be disappointed with the Bose QC15s. But the Noise Hush i7s are a third of the price, and for $99 they do represent good value. If you are looking for a good set of noise cancelling headphones to use for listening to aircraft IFE and personal media players, and you can't bring yourself to spend over $300 for something you may accidentally leave behind in the seat pocket (it won't every happen to me - famous last words - thankfully I have not done this .... yet) then the Noise Hush i7s are certainly worth considering.
Many years ago I spent about $150 on a pair of Sony NC20 Noise Cancelling headphones. They lasted about a year until one ear stopped working. Their noise-cancelling capability was poor compared with the Bose and Noise Hush devices. The Noise Hush i7s are significantly superior to my old Sony NC20s and I would have been very happy with a trade back then. I made the $300 investment in my Bose QC15s last year and about the same $$$ for my Shure SE535 a few years ago, and for now I will stick with them (Bose QC15 for ease of taking on/off and Shure SE535 when I want ultimate noise isolation and minimum size). But if I was looking for a gift for someone or for a functional product at an affordable price, I think the Noise Hush i7s are better value than many other headphones (Noise Cancelling or not) in the $75-$150 price range, and I rate them as 80% as good as the Bose for 30% of the price.
