Note: Ironically the very day I wrote this review the headphones broke! The right hand ear piece died completely. Apparently this fault isn’t uncommon, having asked a few people in my office. All were clear, as am I, that the Bose support is fantastic. One 5 minute call to Bose and they are sending me a UPS label to send the headphones back and a replacement will be sent out. No hassle or questions given!
If you’ve never used noise cancelling headphones before, or you are seeking your first pair the Bose QC25 headphones will blow you away! I first picked these headphones up on a transatlantic flight back from Houston. I was in economy with the cheap and nasty headphones provided by the airline, the hum of the cabin still clearly audible. I couldn’t use my wireless headphones so I was out of options, until I opened the duty free magazine. I promptly ordered the headphones on the plane and within 5 minutes was in noise cancelling heaven.
The moment I flicked the power switch on the earphones, the noise evaporated. I could now here the plane movies clearly, all the little intricate sounds which were previously masked by the cabin noise. The great thing about the QC25‘s is they come with a battery and with an airline adaptor to connect to the planes sound system. It means you can use them literally right out of the box. The unit takes a single AAA battery and there is a holder for a spare battery in the case, very functional!
Skip ahead 24hrs and I was in the office, the very definition of hell, open plan! Unable to concentrate due to the talking in the office I put on the QC25‘s and again, the noise was gone! I could vaguely here conversations going on around me when there was nothing being played through the headphones. As soon as the music started there was no way I could hear any of my surroundings, bliss!
The Bose QC25‘s are not cheap, but you pay for what you get. Not only that, but if you do use them in the office environment then they will pay themselves back in terms of increased productivity and stress reduction. These really are one of the best investments I have made with respect to technology, I wouldn’t be without them now. Bose has recently released the QC35‘s which are a wireless version of the QC25. However, if we forget the difference in audio quality between wired and wireless the major drawback is that the battery is not useable replaceable. When I pay over £300 for a set of headphones, I don’t want them to have a shelf life governed by a battery. In my opinion, that makes the QC25’s a better purchase at this time.