"Enjoy the silence" goes the Depeche Mode song, and with the Bose QuietComfort2 Noise Reduction headphones I got, I can do just that. After reading about, hearing about and seeing them many times on planes, I went to a Bose store and tried them (next to a speaker issuing airplane sounds). What can I say? Until you put them on, you have no idea how much noise you're exposed to on an airplane.
These headphones don't come cheap: they cost $300 ($299 in American :)). They work for 30 hours off a single AAA battery. They come with a nice carrying case (that has a place for my iPod Mini) and include plugs for an airplane headphone socket and a stereo system.
Basically you can enjoy 3 levels of noise reduction:
- Just by just putting these ear covering headphones on, you block some of the noise around you.
- Turn them on, and white noise (such as airplane engine, train, car etc.) will be actively tuned out. You can even disconnect the cord and use this mode for sleep.
- To achieve maximum noise reduction, attach a sound source to the headphones, which will enhance the sound and block the white noise around.
- A newer model by the name of QC3 exists (retails for $349) - It has an on-the-ear design and a rechargeable battery. I tested both and went for the QC2 for comfort, and the fact that it's easier to carry an extra AAA battery than a power plant :).
- I tried using these at a dentist, to block the annoying drills. Mixed results - apparently if the source of the sound is in your mouth, it gets in your head in a different way :).
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