expiredNavy-Wife | Staff posted Oct 21, 2023 06:22 PM
Item 1 of 4
Item 1 of 4
expiredNavy-Wife | Staff posted Oct 21, 2023 06:22 PM
Costco Members: Bose QuietComfort 45 SE Noise Cancelling Over the Ear Headphones
+ Free S/H$180
$300
40% offCostco Wholesale
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They sound great, the noise cancelling is very good, but not quite as good as my Sony XM4's. If you're putting away silverware or clank a glass, the Bose attempts to compensate and winds up sending a loud counter clank.
However, I cannot recommend any Sony's. The XM4 earbuds had the dead battery issue and my XM4 headphones have the random ear piercing squeal with ANC. Their quality control and reliability are not worth the risk.
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With all that said, I tested out the 45's and decided to keep them. The noise cancellation seems a little bit better and I like the USB-C port vs. the standard micro USB on the 35's. I gave the 35's to my son and he gets to now enjoy those for years to come.
Those on the fence, the 45's are fantastic headphones especially for the price. Highly recommend. You'll be able to use these for years and just remember you can always replace the ear pads with ease.
I've never listened to the HD 600's, but I'm told they are very similar but have with a slightly different sound signature.
The more recently released Sennheiser HD 6XX (via MassDrop) are said to be similar to the 600's and 650's. These can be had for ~200ish with recent sales as low as ~170.
My next purchase was the HIFIman HE-560 V4 (Adorama) for ~270ish after discounts. These were some of the first well liked name brand plannar magnetics to reach this price point. Plannar magnetic headphones have a different sound signature and presence than the more tradiional Sennheisr's I've mentioned. I really enjoy them for certain types of music and to simply listen to my favoirte music from a different point of view. (neither is better - they are just different.)
I also have older closed backed headphones from Audio Technical and other brands. None of the closed backed headphones I have are in the same league as those I mentioned above. But I've found I prefer open backed headphones (that have good audio clarity) for their sound stage. (Sound Stage: How open / large the room appears to be and how far away the instruments seem to be for the music played. I.e. Close your eyes and pick out where the sound from each instrument is coming from... this goes of all music types / genres.)
If you are interested in any of these headphones or those at higher price points, I would reccomend googling reviews and comparisions of each. Without having looked closely at the HD 6XX's, they are likley a clear winner on value. They are also problaby a great way for someone to dip there toe into the search for headphones with a focus on sound quality when coming from earbuds or wireless headphones at nearly any price point.
The head-fi.org site and their forums are also a great place to look for reviews and comparisons. But keep in mind that some people only recomend the most expesive headphones / speakers / etc because they want feel good about their purchase, want to impress others by their purchase, and are blind to the (lack of) value provided by most headphones / speakers at the top end of the market. Now if you can pay cash for a 10k+ pair of headphones and that doesn't make a dent in your finances, go for it.
Also keep in mind that everyone has their preference for sound signature and many people hear sound / music in a different ways - So try before you buy or know what sort of sound you are looking for out of headphones / speakers before dropping the big bucks.
A few side notes....
The three Sennheiser's and the HIFIman's I mentioned are open backed, not closed. I.e. The back of the speaker is open to the outside world so they give a larger / more open sound stage than most closed back headphones. The biggest trade off is that they are more easily heard by other people in the same room as the listener.
Fair warning - A large sound stage with really good audio clarity can be an intoxincatingly immersive experience that may drive you to spend more money on the serach for headphone, amp, and DAC upgrades in time.
Headphones and (full size speakers for that matter) are somewhat like shoes. Each type (category) has a different purpose. Those in the same category will be liked for different reasons by different people... general sound quality, sound signature, build quality, asthetics, etc. Also, some people will buy the most expesive product and talk about how great they are so they can feel better about their purchase... not necessarily based on what sounds best to them and certainly not considering the value vs price point.
I listened to too much loud music when I was younger. I have hearing lose in the mid to high frequency ranges. Also I tend to prefer headphones / speakers with slightly more bass to those with a very flat or neutral tone.... However, I really like the sound of the HD650's and those are not considered bass heavy or overly bright.
The OP is about Bose WIRELESS ANC head phones.... I have the very similar QC35 II's and strongly recomend them for what they are.
Update - About 20 edits for clarity and due to my spell checker not working.
the new qc is a little upgrade which allow you to have wind block feature that owners of 45 and se (Costco q45 soft case version) was dreaming about, and +2 more battery life (24h).
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I've never listened to the HD 600's, but I'm told they are very similar but have with a slightly different sound signature.
The more recently released Sennheiser HD 6XX (via MassDrop) are said to be similar to the 600's and 650's. These can be had for ~200ish with recent sales as low as ~170.
My next purchase was the HIFIman HE-560 V4 (Adorama) for ~270ish after discounts. These were some of the first well liked name brand plannar magnetics to reach this price point. Plannar magnetic headphones have a different sound signature and presence than the more tradiional Sennheisr's I've mentioned. I really enjoy them for certain types of music and to simply listen to my favoirte music from a different point of view. (neither is better - they are just different.)
I also have older closed backed headphones from Audio Technical and other brands. None of the closed backed headphones I have are in the same league as those I mentioned above. But I've found I prefer open backed headphones (that have good audio clarity) for their sound stage. (Sound Stage: How open / large the room appears to be and how far away the instruments seem to be for the music played. I.e. Close your eyes and pick out where the sound from each instrument is coming from... this goes of all music types / genres.)
If you are interested in any of these headphones or those at higher price points, I would reccomend googling reviews and comparisions of each. Without having looked closely at the HD 6XX's, they are likley a clear winner on value. They are also problaby a great way for someone to dip there toe into the search for headphones with a focus on sound quality when coming from earbuds or wireless headphones at nearly any price point.
The head-fi.org site and their forums are also a great place to look for reviews and comparisons. But keep in mind that some people only recomend the most expesive headphones / speakers / etc because they want feel good about their purchase, want to impress others by their purchase, and are blind to the (lack of) value provided by most headphones / speakers at the top end of the market. Now if you can pay cash for a 10k+ pair of headphones and that doesn't make a dent in your finances, go for it.
Also keep in mind that everyone has their preference for sound signature and many people hear sound / music in a different ways - So try before you buy or know what sort of sound you are looking for out of headphones / speakers before dropping the big bucks.
A few side notes....
The three Sennheiser's and the HIFIman's I mentioned are open backed, not closed. I.e. The back of the speaker is open to the outside world so they give a larger / more open sound stage than most closed back headphones. The biggest trade off is that they are more easily heard by other people in the same room as the listener.
Fair warning - A large sound stage with really good audio clarity can be an intoxincatingly immersive experience that may drive you to spend more money on the serach for headphone, amp, and DAC upgrades in time.
Headphones and (full size speakers for that matter) are somewhat like shoes. Each type (category) has a different purpose. Those in the same category will be liked for different reasons by different people... general sound quality, sound signature, build quality, asthetics, etc. Also, some people will buy the most expesive product and talk about how great they are so they can feel better about their purchase... not necessarily based on what sounds best to them and certainly not considering the value vs price point.
I listened to too much loud music when I was younger. I have hearing lose in the mid to high frequency ranges. Also I tend to prefer headphones / speakers with slightly more bass to those with a very flat or neutral tone.... However, I really like the sound of the HD650's and those are not considered bass heavy or overly bright.
The OP is about Bose WIRELESS ANC head phones.... I have the very similar QC35 II's and strongly recomend them for what they are.
Update - About 20 edits for clarity and due to my spell checker not working.
Edit: oh you bought in store?
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