Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones Samsung and Android Devices Black

These Bose Noise Cancelling earbuds provide an amazing amount of noise reduction. I used them on a recent flight on a mid-size plane and they cut out enough engine and flying noise to make the flight bearable. I was able to listen to a movie without having to turn the volume up really loud. They come with three size inserts and I ended up using the largest size. Getting the right fit is important as it impacts how much noise reduction you will experience. For a previous flight I had purchased and tried out the Bose SoundLink around-ear wireless headphones that were not active noise canceling. Although they had appeared to have good passive noise blocking in the store and I really liked the Bluetooth as well as slightly lower price, they were nowhere nearly good enough to block out the general din in the the airport terminal, and, in the plane itself they were virtually useless. So I switched to my 33 DB earplugs and returned the headphones when I got back home. I also found the around-the-ear style hot for me after about an hour of listening in the plane so I decided not to switch to around-the-ear noise canceling headphones but try the earbuds. After reading numerous reviews and lab tests that said that despite the high cost the Bose Earbuds were the best-by-far -- especially for low frequency noise such as jet engines -- I decided to buy them and I was not disappointed -- they worked! They actually do not go far into the ear so they aren't as uncomfortable as some earplugs. I kept them in for about 4 hours straight without any significant discomfort. Note -- these active noise reducing ear buds block out a huge amount of noise - the impact is quite significant once you get them properly fitted into your ear. However, they do not block out all sound. If you want to truly block out all sound and you aren't worried about sweating, you might try the over-the-ear noise cancelling versions. Or, you can try an over-the-ear passive sound reducing ear muff for construction and gun firing and then use either a regular (i.e. non-noise reducing earbud) or a noise reducing earbud for music. The ear muffs are inexpensive -- amazon has one for $18 for a 34+DB reduction -- and they truly isolate the noise. With that level of reduction just regular earbuds might be enough at a lot less overall cost. However, when combined with a good noise reduction earphones, the outside world would be completely quiet. They charged reasonably quickly using a standard charger and while I have not tested the maximum use time I have not had any problems during my 4-6 hours traveling. And, if you were truly traveling a long time you could re-charge it while in use using a standard USB external power pack. The only thing missing from this model is Bluetooth for which I originally deducted one star. I am not a fan of cords and I find they are really inconvenient when active. So I followed the advice of one of the other reviewers and purchased a Bluetooth receiver at the same time. That combination has worked well -- I used rubber bands to attach all the extra cord to the small Bose control/battery unit, plug it into the bluetooth receiver with a really short 3.5mm male-to-male adapter cord, and then put it into my shirt pocket with the Bluetooth receiver hanging off the pocket by its clip. In summary, if you fly enough on long flights to justify spending $300 for noise canceling headphones, then these ear buds work. Update 08-2017: I now see that there is a newer model that now has wireless Bluetooth so that's an option. In addition, I have now used these for over a year and I love them even more so I have added back the star I removed for not having Bluetooth. In particular, I have found several new unanticipated uses for them. For one, sleeping in hotel rooms with noisy HVAC. I am very sensitive to noise and hate the window HVAC units most hotels use. And many hotels are installing more powerful (and noisy) hall and bathroom ventilation fans, resulting in a constant drone all night. And then there are hotels I end up in for a night or two that are too close to a major highway with trucks and cars going all night. Some people consider this "white noise" and sleep fine, but it drives me crazy so that I wake up and can't fall back to sleep. Now I just put in my Bose QuietComfort and it almost completely shuts out that noise. I no longer have to search for the very few hotels with quiet HVAC or that are far from the road. And they are reasonably comfortable even when I use them all night (I have learned to arrange my pillow so that I don't rest my ear with the earplug directly on it). Another unexpected use is countering early morning neighborhood power tool noises (e.g. lawn-mowing, weed-wacking, sawing, drilling, grinding, sanding) that can start as early at 8AM and go on for hours. I put in the Bose earplugs, turn on the power switch, and the noise(s) miraculously disappear. With these uses I can now know that I can find restful peace-and-quiet even when the world around me is not. It is very freeing and worth every penny of the $250 (This model) -$200 (with USB). Read more

March 2019 Update - the first set of these i picked up more than four years ago. i damaged those and replaced them shortly thereafter. since i've dealt with near non-stop perpetual noise from the adjacent mcmanision construction that won't end until our sun turns into a red giant. or at least that's what it feels like at our end of things. so these earbuds were a "save my sanity and get some sleep" act of desperation. these things not only saved my sanity they made doing something so mundane as watching tv with sound possible. yes it gets that bad. i still have the bose over-the-ear noise cancelling headphones but they don't even come close to cutting out the low frequency stuff these do. this last set i've used every day these past couple of years. i have had not one problem and they have out performed by highest expectations. simply put for blocking out the worst noise there is nothing better on the market today based on my own experiences. i have had bose qc15's, still do. however they aren't comfortable to wear for a long period of time and the noise cancellation for lower frequencies was not as good as i needed. that due to a seemingly perpetual construction project going on next door! from jack hammers to the low frequency noise put out by all those running diesel engines. so i tried a couple other under $100 earbuds with active noise cancellation but found none worked nearly as well as my old over-the-ear qc15's. so i begged for a pair of these for Christmas and that was back in 2016. what i found was the professional audio reviewers were right, nothing even comes close to blocking out lower frequency sound that these do. at the top end they are a little less efficient than their over the ear models, like the qc15's but not by much. as for comfort due to the way the tips are designed i can wear these for eight hours and forget i have them in. you'd think again due to the design you wouldn't get a good seal to block out noise but you do. in fact it is good enough that even with noise cancelling off they still block out as much noise as those sub hundred dollar models i tried initially. the sound quality is very good. the 'character' changes with the power off but still not bad. it does exceptionally well with bass, okay with mids and good with highs. as to the battery, even after a couple of years i have noticed no degradation. my sister has a pair she got back in 2012 and her battery is also still good too. the buds comes with three sets, different sizes of ear tips. i purchased spares at the outset but didn't need them until recently. in fact just yesterday while removing one to clean it did the silicone crack. so nearly after a couple years of near daily use and didn't need to replace a tip till as said yesterday. fyi you also get a nice zipper carrying case, usb charging cable. in the end though these earbuds sound very good i only bought them as a means to save my ears from the constant construction noise. they did the job and much better than expected. for lower frequency noise these are nothing short of miraculous in how much they block. i mentioned construction noise and diesel engines but there's more! our neighbors son just got an old harley and put straight pipes on. when he idles it you can hear it easily 1/4 mile off. not exaggerating wish i was. with these powered on i can't hear him idle it. as to quality no complaints just as i've always experienced with bose products. priced a bit on the high side but you get what you pay for. fyi bose has several models of active noise cancelling products. as i found first hand they each have their strengths and weakenesses in how and what they block out. as i mentioned here the older qc15's are better blocking top end noise but the qc20's were much better at the lower end. point being know what sounds you are most wanting to block out prior to choosing which model of active earbuds/headphones you're going to get. in conclusion the longer i have these the more i find them to be more of a necessity rather than a 'splurge.' i'd sooner give up my toothbrush than my bose earbuds, though not long term lol. those sentiments are why i recently purchased a second set to keep on hand for that day in the future when i either accidentally kill mine or they finally die from old age. these are simply the best based on other products used let alone a few thousand hours of personal use. Tip - if you really need EXTREME noise blocking put these on then put a pair of bose qc15 over-the-ear or newer model. with both active noise cancelling systems on you get the best of both worlds so to speak. by double layering in this method you can't get more isolated from noise where extreme situations warrant. *on the chart pictured the BLUE line is noise cancellation for the QC20's the other line is for the QC15 over-the-ear model. surprising to see the 20's perform a good deal better blocking low frequencies than do the older, larger QC15's. sorry no chart with anc23's. Read more