5 ms·

I very recently got a pair of QC35s. The noise cancelling was neat, but didn't seem that useful in every day situations. Then I took a flight with them, and the

I very recently got a pair of QC35s. The noise cancelling was neat, but didn't seem that useful in every day situations. Then I took a flight with them, and they still didn't seem that interesting. Until I took them off for the first time after take off. I was amazed at how loud the plane suddenly become. Now I'm very impressed with how much of a difference they make, and will definitely be bringing with me on every flight.

dzhiurgis 9y ago
I use them: In car for long drives In office In bed when someone snores next to me In bed when street outside is loud On a boat when motoring On every flight
- oliv__ 9y ago
  This sounds like the beginning of a Dr Seuss
- jacquesm 9y ago
  In the car sounds like it might cause problems. There is important information in sound and when you wear noise canceling headphones you are actively making yourself deaf, which classes as a disability that would normally require some extra training before you'd get your license, and that is with a person who is already trained to be more aware of other cues.
  - kiwijamo 9y ago
    Deaf people don't need extra training before getting their license in most countries.
  - irrational 9y ago
    This also applies to the radio. I typically have my radio cranked up. Any time I turn it off, I'm astonished at the noises my car is making. It always occurs to me that I would probably notice mechanical problems earlier if I was used to just listening to the car so I could detect changes in what it sounds like. Then I say, "screw that" and crank the tunes back up.
  - dzhiurgis 9y ago
    They don't block 100% of sounds, far from it. They block rhythmical noises. So if a piece of metal would come off and scrape the road surface - I wouldn't hear it. But police sirens would be audible. There are luxury cars than come with Bose's ANC built-in. They'd have the same problem if there was one. Finally, I never use it in a city, just out on a long drives, where road surface is more ruff and listening a podcast via car system is more difficult than useful.
- mynameisvlad 9y ago
  Don't use them in cars. That's incredibly irresponsible both to yourself/others in your car and those driving alongside you, not to mention illegal in a lot of places. You use audio cues far more often than you realize while driving.
  - chrisseaton 9y ago
    They said when they're in a car - not when they're driving a car.
  - irrational 9y ago
    I once wondered what states have laws against headphones/earbuds and was astonished not only by how many places don't have laws, but how many that do have laws that specifically say its okay (or okay with one ear uncovered). Going in I expected to find near universal laws against it.
    - mynameisvlad 9y ago
      Yeah I think it's because most of the laws were written a few years ago, where in-car Bluetooth wasn't common but one-ear headsets were. Lawmakers probably didn't want to outright exclude phone use in the car, and figured having one ear in use was "good enough". Most modern distraction laws (the ones actually written nowadays) are very thorough. WA just passed one last year where you essentially can't touch your phone while driving. BC has had one for a few years now which includes any non-fixed electronic device while the car is running.
  - throwawayjava 9y ago
    I assume he meant as a passenger.
  - dzhiurgis 9y ago
    There aren't that much of cues when you are the only car in a highway (I use them as a passenger too, but mostly when I drive alone for a long distance, usually somewhere remote, listening a podcast). As for cues, the vibration from road surface is still there and plenty of cars come with ANC built-in. These headphones don't block noise completely, things like police alarms, honks or speech are still very easy to hear. I can even hear the wind from AC vents (if it blows directly into ANC's mic's).
- mgkimsal 9y ago
  sleeping with them - I broke 5 pairs sleeping with them (well, QC20). I now use $5 earbuds from the local dollar store which are much less of a headache to replace.
  - dzhiurgis 9y ago
    Yeah I can't sleep on my sides with them. Well, I sort of can if I find this odd position where I push them into pillow, but the foam pads did get permanently compressed a bit. Easy to change tho. How did they fail for you? I had one QC25 fail just a month after warranty expired, but Bose replaced them for free - quite a common case of one side getting quieter/crackling when rotating them. QC35 seem to be build even more seriously (thicker band).
    - mgkimsal 9y ago
      the earbud split along the seam. the moment there's a hairline fracture, the air comes whooshing in and there's an ear-splitting whistle. (again, QC20)
dingo_bat 9y ago
It is very helpful in office too. Just turning the noise cancellation on without any music. It cuts out the ever present noises like the hum from the HVAC, which I didn't even know was there.
- rconti 9y ago
  and very quiet music is enough to even drown out conversations, when combined with the noise canceling. It's almost like magic.

dzhiurgis 9y ago

I use them: In car for long drives In office In bed when someone snores next to me In bed when street outside is loud On a boat when motoring On every flight

oliv__ 9y ago
This sounds like the beginning of a Dr Seuss
jacquesm 9y ago
In the car sounds like it might cause problems. There is important information in sound and when you wear noise canceling headphones you are actively making yourself deaf, which classes as a disability that would normally require some extra training before you'd get your license, and that is with a person who is already trained to be more aware of other cues.
- kiwijamo 9y ago
  Deaf people don't need extra training before getting their license in most countries.
- irrational 9y ago
  This also applies to the radio. I typically have my radio cranked up. Any time I turn it off, I'm astonished at the noises my car is making. It always occurs to me that I would probably notice mechanical problems earlier if I was used to just listening to the car so I could detect changes in what it sounds like. Then I say, "screw that" and crank the tunes back up.
- dzhiurgis 9y ago
  They don't block 100% of sounds, far from it. They block rhythmical noises. So if a piece of metal would come off and scrape the road surface - I wouldn't hear it. But police sirens would be audible. There are luxury cars than come with Bose's ANC built-in. They'd have the same problem if there was one. Finally, I never use it in a city, just out on a long drives, where road surface is more ruff and listening a podcast via car system is more difficult than useful.
mynameisvlad 9y ago
Don't use them in cars. That's incredibly irresponsible both to yourself/others in your car and those driving alongside you, not to mention illegal in a lot of places. You use audio cues far more often than you realize while driving.
- chrisseaton 9y ago
  They said when they're in a car - not when they're driving a car.
- irrational 9y ago
  I once wondered what states have laws against headphones/earbuds and was astonished not only by how many places don't have laws, but how many that do have laws that specifically say its okay (or okay with one ear uncovered). Going in I expected to find near universal laws against it.
  - mynameisvlad 9y ago
    Yeah I think it's because most of the laws were written a few years ago, where in-car Bluetooth wasn't common but one-ear headsets were. Lawmakers probably didn't want to outright exclude phone use in the car, and figured having one ear in use was "good enough". Most modern distraction laws (the ones actually written nowadays) are very thorough. WA just passed one last year where you essentially can't touch your phone while driving. BC has had one for a few years now which includes any non-fixed electronic device while the car is running.
- throwawayjava 9y ago
  I assume he meant as a passenger.
- dzhiurgis 9y ago
  There aren't that much of cues when you are the only car in a highway (I use them as a passenger too, but mostly when I drive alone for a long distance, usually somewhere remote, listening a podcast). As for cues, the vibration from road surface is still there and plenty of cars come with ANC built-in. These headphones don't block noise completely, things like police alarms, honks or speech are still very easy to hear. I can even hear the wind from AC vents (if it blows directly into ANC's mic's).
mgkimsal 9y ago
sleeping with them - I broke 5 pairs sleeping with them (well, QC20). I now use $5 earbuds from the local dollar store which are much less of a headache to replace.
- dzhiurgis 9y ago
  Yeah I can't sleep on my sides with them. Well, I sort of can if I find this odd position where I push them into pillow, but the foam pads did get permanently compressed a bit. Easy to change tho. How did they fail for you? I had one QC25 fail just a month after warranty expired, but Bose replaced them for free - quite a common case of one side getting quieter/crackling when rotating them. QC35 seem to be build even more seriously (thicker band).
  - mgkimsal 9y ago
    the earbud split along the seam. the moment there's a hairline fracture, the air comes whooshing in and there's an ear-splitting whistle. (again, QC20)

dingo_bat 9y ago

It is very helpful in office too. Just turning the noise cancellation on without any music. It cuts out the ever present noises like the hum from the HVAC, which I didn't even know was there.

rconti 9y ago
and very quiet music is enough to even drown out conversations, when combined with the noise canceling. It's almost like magic.