Bose QuietComfort 3

Good so far after 6 months of use – First "expensive" set of noise cancelling ear phones I have owned for frequent aircraft travelling, I won't claim to be an audiophile but the sound is quite good and the noise cancelling seems to work pretty well to take out the annoying high pitched whine of jet engines and the more noisy vibration and roar of turboprop engine aircraft. Very… Read more

comfortable to wear with a nice accessory pack - only disappointment is the lack of a 2nd battery which should really be included for the price. I will use the protective case religiously as it seems that without this I would expect the head set to become damaged over time.

Disappointed – You would think spending 300 for some headphones the sound should be awesome. I am disappointed with Bose, the sound is okay. My klipsch image one sounds a lot better plus I can hear a lot around me the supposed to be noise cancellation when you think of Bose you think to yourself great sound just not impressed, your not getting what you paid for… Read more

you can get a pair of 50.00 headphones and sound better. p.s: Bose don't take your name for granted.

Bad sound – The sound is bad as compared to expectations from the brand "bose". Some notes (mid and low) could not be heard in these headphones which were very much audible in my much cheaper sony earphones worth $30. I made a mistake that I didn't compared reviews on net before purchasing. I thought these are most expensive, so they would be the best sound. What a big mistake. Seems like wasted money

Best NC and lots of bass – I had QC3 for 3 or 4 years. While some complain about too much bass for me these are perfect. Not many headphones can come close to reproducing lows as these. If you connect them to low quality audio or source of course you will not hear them. Bass will be boomy and unpleasant. Give them some good lows and these can happily go very low without… Read more

distortion or sudden roll off. It will be closest listening experience to a good sub.

Some complain about unclear mids or highs. I agree there are many better sounding in this frequency area (but then there is Bose QC25 for those). Headphones which roll off early in lows and which generally have low bass output always sound “cleaner” as mids and highs are overwhelming.

Where QC3 shine the best is NC feature. Every year I fly oversees on a long-haul flight to Europe and I can forget anything and everything to take for the trip but QC3 are always with me. So paying big bucks is not just for the sound quality but NC technology and Bose in my book are the top quality.

About the battery: when I bought them I was concerned too about the life of the battery so I ordered the spare one on ebay (cheap Chinese replacement). Usually I have two legs of 5 and 12 hours flights (or 11 and 6). On both flights I don’t take them off regardless if I am listening music or not but NC is on all the time. The only time I take them off is when they serve the meal or I have to leave my seat for a few minutes. And I was surprised they lasted the whole trip without using a spare battery. This is not the one time event but every year twice (each way on one charge).

Yes it is harder to sleep with them. I don’t sleep much on the plane so this is not a problem for me. I had AKG NC before (still have them) but not as near as good as these. Those were expensive too and those are an old series before HK bought out AKG. Same problem when sleeping.

When I got QC3 for the first time in my hands I was a suspicious about the comfort wearing them for a longer period of time. I was soo wrong. Their soft padding with the memory foam fits perfectly and stays comfy for a very long time. Friends who tried them always had a firs reaction – they are very comfy…

I am not a Bose diehard fan at all but this product is well worth the money I spent. Still buying them or not blind based on recommendations would be too big of a risk. Go to Bose dealer and try them on. Get a friend who owns them and ask for a demo.

Wow, Wow, Wow! – Bought it for air travel but I started using it watching videos and live streaming on my iPad Mini. Just blows me away. The crisp clear sound quality (I am deaf to high pitched noises due to rifle shooting). Good accessories, good charging attachments (local and international) and airplane (dual plug) adaptor. Build quality Keep battery charged - no battery = no sound

Impressive and comfortable but still too expensive – I feel guilty about handing over AU $400 for these at Myer recently. Sure, they are quality headphones, but I have no doubt that I am paying a huge premium on the name "Bose". I appreciated being able to freely try these in store with my own phone so I could judge the sound quality with music I know well. The verdict is that these headphones… Read more

are a "fun" sound, and deliver good bass for the size, but at the expense of clarity in the mids and highs. This is easily confirmed by a side by side comparison with the similar priced QC15's, which go over the ear, and produce a more conservative and detailed sound. I prefer on ear, and compact, so I went with the QC3s. I also can forgive the exaggerated bass, but this is a matter of taste.

I'm only giving 3 stars because $400 is not cool for what they are. However, the noise cancelling is quite good, and Im enjoying these headphones overall. And i know some people paid a lot more than 400 which I never would have!

Lack of spare battery is disappointing. I will buy a spare because running out means the phones are dead. Bose are stingy for not including a spare at that price.

I like the design and engineering of these headphones, I just hope they last.

They sound good, but when you get home, youll be glad to put on your regular monitor headphones that you paid a lot less for but produce better sound. Just remember, these are designed for on the road, travelling in planes or on the bus... Not for home listening where you want the music to sound the best it can be. Noise cancelling is good, bass is punchy if a bit overcooked, lightweight, comfortable Price, mids and highs suffer.. But these are on-ear so dont expect miracles

Sound OK but pricey and poor customer service – Owned a pair of QC3s for about 18 months. My husband paid approx $600 for them back then when they came with a spare battery. Last month we fitted the US adaptor (Bose supplied) on the battery charger, no problem, slid on and off easily. After refitting the Australian adaptor, we plugged in the charger overnight to find that not only was it not… Read more

working in the morning, but it had completely drained the battery. We tried the spare battery which was also immediately drained. This was not due to a power surge, the adaptor was simply slid on and off again to check the fit. This was not terrific news half an hour before heading off for an international flight. With a few hours to spare in Sydney waiting for our flight, we rang Bose who passed us through various unsympathetic customer service officers, who ultimately directed us to their store in Sydney. The shop owner sold Bose equipment but made it clear "he was not Bose". All he could do was sell us a replacement battery for $80.

Last year we tried to purchase another set of QC3s as a gift from the Bose store in the Fsyhwick DFO. The store did not have any in stock but undertook to get them in and call me. They must not be bothered about making sales because they didn't make the call to me. They were uninformed and disinterested in making the sale.

The headphones are good quality, but given the recent failure of the battery charger and expensive replacement, coupled with the couldn't care less attitude of Bose, I would not purchase a Bose product again. Also unlike other noise cancelling headphones, if the batteries are flat, the headphones don't work. Hence expensive headphones rendered useless if the charger fails, meaning you have to fork out more $$. Sound quality OK, comfortable on ears Not worth the money compared to other good brands, battery charger faulty and expensive to replace, headphones do not work with flat battery, customer service woeful.

Good – If you don't mind the price, for an on-ear style headphone these units provide great sound with substantial noise deadening capability. Comfortable - I wear these regularly (an hour a day) and have used them on several 10 hour + flights. Sound quality is superb. Slightly fragile design, pressure on the earpads breaks small clips inside. Recommend always using the case.

Excellent – These are the noise cancelling headphones to own. They have unrivalled plane cred. They also sound suprisingly good with solid bass and clear highs using a variety of sources from airplane entertainment system to an ipod. Having said that they aren't perfect .... Unlike other noise cancelling headphones, they can't be used when the battery is… Read more

flat. If you are prone to trying to sleep whilst wearing headphones, these are unsuitable, as they produce farting feedback sounds due to the microphone which sample external sounds being compressed. Rechargeable Batteries, Good connectivity with airline adaptor included. Purchase price is a little high. The included case wears fairly quickly

A subtle disappointment from a brand I love – Disappointing sound quality and noise canceling capabilities considering the price of the QC3's. They have traveled extensively and served me well, yet the quality undermines the value. My QC3's have been handed down since discovering another pair of Noise Cancelling headphones with exceptional sound and Noise Cancelling which is true to… Read more

their claimed rating.

Read my other review on headphones.

The brand has been withheld from this review as I do not want to damage the reputation of Bose, to which I still own several products, including my beloved 901 monsters. Portable, Rechargeable Battery, Comfortable to wear Disappointing sound and Noise Cancelling Performance