[CQ-Contest] Bose Noise-canceling headphones

[k1dg at ix.netcom.com]

W4ZV wrote:

>I noticed that the SONY MDR V900 lists at $250. This is only
>$50 less than the Bose QuietComfort which uses active noise
> cancellation. 

>Has anyone tried this headset? Is it comfortable for long periods?
>Does the external noise cancellation really work as advertised? 

>http://www.bose.com/noise_reduction/personal/qc_headset/tech.html 

TOMK5RC at aol.com replied:

>I bit the bullet last year and bought the Bose headphones. 
>They are one of the best investments I've made 
>...some RF gets into the amplifier unit 

Here's my 2-cents worth (actually USD300)...

got mine for my birthday in April, and I love 'em. I tried the
USD75 noise-cancelling headphones advertised in QST, and was
very disappointed...they were uncomfortable, and seemed to create
an acoustic pressure in my ears. I tried them on a plane, and 
they did not do a very good job of cancelling the cabin noise. I 
didn't like them. Anyone want to buy 'em?

The Bose phones are lightweight, comfortable, sound great, and 
the noise-cancellation works as advertised. I've tried them on a
plane, and they are amazing in their ability to knock down engine
noise so you can actually listen to the audio track of the inflight
movie.

I have only used them in one contest (Sprint). They knock down the
noises in the shack (Alpha 76A, rattly-fan AL-1200, PC, and air-
conditioning) so effectively that I had to take off the headphones to check to see if the fans were still running! Like Tom, I had a 
problem with RF getting into the electronics when the beams were
pointed at the shack, but a 4-5 turns of the cord on a snap-on 
ferrite bead cured that.

I have not added a boom mike - past experiences in jury-rigging a
Heil boom mike to good phones (Beyer DT-550, for example, which is
another extremely nice lightweight headphone circa 1990) have been 
unsatisfactory. I only operate CW from home anyway, so SSB 
enhancements can wait. Bose sells a headphone with boom mike, but 
at $1000, it'll have to wait.

73,

Doug K1DG


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