Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones

Two years ago, I purchased a set of Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones-not because I’m into high-end stereo equipment and accessories, but because I was willing to shell out $300 if the headphones could provide significant noise reduction. My college-student neighbors were constantly slamming doors, stomping up and down the stairs, and playing music at just above threshold level-loud enough to annoy, but never quite loud enough to warrant a call to the landlord.

It had never occurred to me that headphones might be designed for noise reduction as well as for audio quality. Then I saw a TV commercial in which an older man claps on his Bose QuietComfort2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones, to shut out the sound of his neighbor’s lawn mower; the immediate change in his expression from scowling to smiling implies that the noise has indeed been “cancelled.” Soon I found myself on the Bose website, skeptically eyeing the product description. Each bulbous earcup, amply padded in leather, covered the entire ear. You could detach the audio cable and turn on a switch that created a gentle hum if you simply wanted to block out unwanted sounds.

The commercial and the headphones’ clever features made them seem like the answer to my prayers. But “noise cancelling”? In the description, Bose referred instead to the headphones’ capacity for “noise reduction”-clearly the more accurate term-and admitted that “no headphones will eliminate all noise.” Well, no kidding! It was hard to gauge just how much noise reduction I could expect, but Bose offered a 30-day money-back guarantee, plus a long-standing sterling reputation for high-quality electronics. I’d tried using simple earplugs, but found them too uncomfortable. I decided to take the plunge and ordered the headphones via the Bose website.

I paid an extra $40 for rush shipping; the potentially sanity-saving Bose QuietComfort2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones couldn’t reach me fast enough. As it turned out, I could have saved myself the $40 fee. In fact, I could have saved myself the $300 entirely. The headphones did provide noise reduction, but not even close to the level I needed. My neighbors weren’t blasting music or running chain saws; they were just average young people, always on the move, unaware that our creaky old building amplified everyday sounds. It seemed reasonable to think that my expensive new Bose headphones could reduce the ambient noise the neighbors created by at least 30%. It’s hard to quantify, but I’d have to say it was closer to 10%. I could have returned them within the 30-day period, but as they say, every little bit helps; 10% was better than nothing.

I will say that my Bose QuietComfort2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones provide an unparalleled music listening experience. When I used them to listen to CDs on my Walkman, it was like hearing the music for the first time: in this case, the level of noise reduction heightened the audio performance. The extraordinary sound quality demonstrated to me why Bose has a superior reputation for high-quality electronics; it’s just that I never would have spent so much on this kind of product for audio performance alone.

I eventually cancelled my noise problem the old-fashioned way-by moving to a much quieter neighborhood. Two years later, my Bose QuietComfort2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones still make music sound incredibly rich and clear, and I can certainly appreciate this even if it wasn’t what I originally wanted from the product.