Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones review

The Bose QuietComfort 3 headphones are the on-ear sequel to the wildly popular QuietComfort 2s. Other than wear style, the QC3s look very similar to the QC2s. You'll find foam padding on the ear cups and band, all of which is covered with a very soft pleather-like material. The cups can rotate

Like the QC2s, the main feature on the QC3s is active noise cancellation. Noise cancellation is becoming an increasingly popular headphone feature, and Bose is partially responsible for this movement. Our testing found the QuietComfort 3s' active noise cancellation did provide a significant reduction in lower-frequency sounds reaching your ears. Any non-bassy isolation came from the headphones physically blocking out sounds. Still, in an airplane, the noise cancellation should be a bit help.

Other than the cancellation and its hang-ups, the QC3s offer a lot in terms of aesthetics and usability. They're sleek, reserved enough to not embarrass you at work, and certainly look like an expensive pair of headphones. With a closed-back design and the aforementioned noise cancellation, you won't have to worry about anyone else hearing your tunes, or anyone else ruining them either. The QC3s are also fairly portable for on-ear headphones. Though their band isn't collapsible, the rotating cups will allow them to lie flat in a bag or their included case.

These aren't, however, headphones for audiophiles. The QuietComfort3 didn't do well on our frequency response test, particularly towards the higher end of the spectrum. Basically, it tended to drastically and erratically underemphasize higher mid-range sounds. The underemphasis will mean these frequencies sound a bit muted; the erratic nature means that two similar frequencies would be reproduced at different decibel levels. The QC3s were also erratic in terms of their tracking, which means that certain frequencies received more emphasis in one ear cup than the other. Again, these issues were on the higher half of the frequency spectrum (1kHz and higher). This could cause the sensation that an instrument is jumping from left to right.

Another issue that's important to keep in mind is that these headphones have a battery and won't work without it. We mention this, because it's a rare dependency in non-wireless headphones. It seems logical the battery would just power active noise cancellation: when the power was gone, you'd just have to put up with external noise. This isn't the case, however; without the battery, you won't be able to listen to music.

All in all, if you're looking for good audio playback on some nice-looking headphones, you might want to consider the Bose QuietComfort3 headphones. The only problem is, that unless you're particularly wooed by the looks and noise cancellation, the $349.00 will seem like a lot for what you're getting.

For a more in-depth review, visit the Bose QuietComfort 3 Review at our partner HeadphoneInfo.com