Bose Quiet Comfort 15 Headphone Review

After having these on my gift list for a few years, my lovely wife came through and scored me a pair this year for Christmas.  And to cut to the chase on the review, they're damned fabulous.  

In full disclosure, I am a true Bose fan.  There are some people in the world that love and hate that company, and I'm definitely in the love camp.  My computer speakers are Bose, as is my SoundDock.  The next piece of audio I'll be purchasing will be Bose speakers for the TV.  I think their stuff just sounds incredible.

And that opinion does not differ on the headphones.

The noise reduction capabilities are pretty strong.  The cups of the headphones alone are designed in such a way as to knock down environmental noise, and once the noise reduction technology is engaged, things are very quiet.  Silent?  No.  But very quiet.

However, the big thing that surprised me was the sound quality and fidelity of the recording.  I know I've become used to the limited sounds generated by ear buds, and I chalked much of the performance up to loss of fidelity due to the digital format.  I'm glad to report that clearly is not the case.  These headphones deliver sound that is just not heard with anything that I've used before.  It is incredible.

So good, that I ran it through the sound test that I use to evaluate any piece of audio equipment that I'm considering buying.  And that is Donald Fagen's I.G.Y. from his Nightfly album.  And it sounds as good as I've heard that song in any other configuration.

The only downside (beyond the cost - ouch), is that they are warm.  Again, this goes back to the design of the cups.  If sound's not entering, neither can air.  While not uncomfortable, they definitely get my ears warm.

The bottom line for me is that they sound incredible, and have truly been worth the wait.  I'll be putting them through the trial of a flight at the end of the month, and will have more to share at that point.  But as of now, these come with my highest recommendation.  They are simply outstanding headphones.