QuietComfort 20: Hands-on with Bose's first noise-canceling in-ear headphones

Bose has been a go-to choice for noise-canceling headphones since the company's original QuietComfort headphones debuted in 2000. But even as the design has moved from over-the-ear (QC3) to on-ear (QC15), they've remained full-size models -- reasonably travel-friendly, but still somewhat bulky if you're crammed into a coach seat.

But now Bose is shrinking its noise-canceling offering into a much smaller form: the new QuietComfort 20 model. They're the company's first in-ear headphones with active noise cancellation. The QuietComfort 20 headphones will cost $299.95 when they debut later this summer; an iPhone-friendly 20i model will also be available for the same price. Both models include a microphone for making calls on a cell phone. They weigh a mere 1.5 ounces, and come with a zippered cloth carrying case.

As you might expect, the QC20s look like Bose's MIE2 headphones on steroids. The headphones themselves follow the company's TriPort design, carving out some extra space to maximize Bose's proprietary acoustic voodoo, and adding two microphones to monitor external noise. As with all such active noise-canceling 'phones, that external din -- the drone of a jet engine, the crowd at the train station -- is countered by a mirror soundwave, allowing you to enjoy your music in relative peace. The processing chip used in the QC20 is a new model that's exclusive to Bose. 

The QuietComfort 20s come with three sizes of flexible "StayHear+" eartips, each of which has wings to brace itself against the cup of the outer ear. (Again, they look similar to the ones found on the MIE2s.)

The lithium ion battery pack is embedded in a control pod on the cord. It's rechargeable via a standard Micro-USB cable, and Bose pledges 16-hour battery life. (Unlike some competing models, the QC20s will continue to produce sound -- sans noise cancellation, of course -- if the battery dies completely.)

At the joint of the Y-cable leading to the left and right earbuds is a smaller second remote for controlling volume. That one also has a switch for toggling what Bose calls "Aware mode." Once engaged, it significantly ramps down the noise cancellation, so you can hear the outside world -- to chat with a flight attendant, for instance. But unlike the pass-through mode found in some competing models, it doesn't disengage the audio source completely -- you can still hear your music. In other words, the noise cancellation isn't completely disengaged, just ratcheted back.

Going ears-on: First impressions

I had two chances to listen to the QC20s first-hand at a Bose event in New York's Grand Central Terminal. While both demos were in a controlled environment, the results were undeniably impressive. The competing sound effects (train station and airport noise piped in for the demo) were all but inaudible, even as I was able to listen to comparatively soft jazzy vocals unimpaired. To drive the effect home, I could "feel" the bass from the simulated train vibrating my bones, but I was only barely "hearing" it. (To be clear, the presentation skills of the Bose staff are among the best in the business; everything has an aura of polish and synchronicity that is rivaled only by Apple's, in my opinion.)

If the headphones have a killer app, though, it's the Aware mode feature. I was able to have a conversation with someone with it engaged, while still hearing the music in the background. (Yes, I did have to crank down the volume a bit.) When toggling it back and forth, it seemed far less jarring than the pass-through modes I've experienced on rival products. It's unclear if Aware mode uses the NC or headset microphones to pull in the outside conversation, but it works like a charm.

Another unexpected bonus: normally, I avoid active-noise-cancellation headphones because the pressure they exert often strains my overly sensitive eardrums. For whatever reason, the QC20s -- at least during my 5-minute listening session -- seemed far more comfortable, with the pressure effect barely noticeable. I'd be very interested to see if that, and the overall comfort of the eartips, persisted over the long term.

Competition and final thoughts

As usual, we'll reserve final judgment until we have a chance to live with the headphones for a while. Specifically, we'll be looking for long-term comfort, performance of the noise cancellation in real-world environments, and overall audio quality. I'll also be interested to see how it feels to travel with the split battery pack and inline remote. The fact that the weightier battery pack is at the base of the cord seems like a smarter idea (so it's not tugging at your ears), but it'll be interesting to see how that works in practice.

Of course, the bigger question with the QC20s may be philosophical: do in-ear headphones even need to have active noise cancellation? An in-ear model with a good fit should already offer good to excellent noise isolation -- blocking out external noise by virtue of its tight seal. To that end, it'll be interesting to compare the QC20s with some in-ear models that don't offer active noise-canceling, too.

In terms of competition, the QuietComfort 20s will be going head-to-head with a fairly small roster of noise-canceling in-ear models. The Audio-Technica ATH-ANC23BK QuietPoint andATH-ANC33iS QuietPoint models retail for as little as $80, while Sony's XBA-NC85D retail for a whopping $500 -- and were downright disappointing, to boot.

Bose offers a no-questions-asked 30-day return policy, and its numerous stores will no doubt offer in-house demos. But the QC20s are backed by only a limited one-year warranty. That feels a bit stingy on such a pricey product, especially for in-ear models, which are simply more prone to wear and tear than full-size headphones.