Bose headphones

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Bose headphones are a family of headphone products sold by the Bose Corporation. The company was a pioneer in the development of headphones that use active noise cancellation technology.

[edit] Background

[edit] Research

The idea of personal noise protection by actively controlled headphones was originally documented in a 1960 Russian patent application.^[1]^[2] According to Bose, the company started noise-cancellation involvement after Dr. Amar Bose went on a 1978 flight to Europe, utilized the headphones provided during the flight only to conclude that he couldn't really enjoy the sound with the roar of engines in the background."^[3]. One source notes that "nearly simultaneously, the US company Bose and Sennheiser in Germany presented active headsets for aircraft pilots,"^[1] citing a 1986 American Society of Mechanical Engineers paper about the Bose product and a 1988 Funkschau (see de:Funkschau) paper about the Sennheiser. Bose's first noise-cancelling headsets were released in 1989.

[edit] Bose Acoustic Active Noise-Cancellation

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It took Bose about 10 years to develop the first QuietComfort Headphones, released in 1989. In the current revision provides active equalization as well as active noise reduction.

Like all such technology, it mixes an inverted sample of the ambient sound outside the headset with the sound that reaches the inside of the headset, partially cancelling out the noise. Obviously active (battery-powered) noise cancellation is never perfect, and is better at low frequencies than at high frequencies.^{[citation needed]}

As with all active noise cancellation technologies, it requires a source of power—a small battery inside the headset—to perform the cancellation.

[edit] Bose TriPort Earcup Structure

The "triport" earcup structure has three miniature air ducts through which can flow. These allow the drivers to make larger excursions without distortion occurring. The design was first used in the Bose Aviation Headset X "Magellan" released in 1998 and is now used in all of the company's products.^{[citation needed]}

All Bose headphones are closed-air to provide passive noise reduction.

[edit] Timeline

1989 — Bose QuietComfort Headphones
1989 — Bose Aviation Headset Series I
1993 — Bose Combat Vehicle Crewman Headset
1995 — Bose Aviation Headset Series II
1998 — Bose Aviation Headset X "Magellan" (Pronounced ten not the letter X)
2001 — Bose Around-Ear Headphones (called the TriPort Headphones until October 12th 2006)
2003 — Bose QuietComfort 2 Headphones
2003 — Bose Aviation Headset X "Explorer"
2005 — Bose TriPort CD Music System
2005 — Bose QuietComfort 2 Headphones "Second Edition"
2006 — Bose QuietComfort 3 Headphones — Bose's first supra-aural headphones
2006 — Bose On-Ear Headphones
2006 — Bose In-Ear Headphones

[edit] Current and previous Bose headphones

Below is a list of currently manufactured Bose headphones as of August 2006. Main article: Previous Bose Headphones

[edit] QuietComfort Headphones

[edit] Bose QuietComfort 2 Headphones "Second Edition"

Bose QuietComfort 2 Second Edition Headphones

The Bose QuietComfort 2 Second Edition was introduced August 2005. The earcup color was changed to silver, "acoustic equalization" was added, and the earcups now incorporate magnetic shielding.

The QC2 is powered by a single AAA battery inside the right earcup with a built-in attenuator. The cord can be detached at the user's discretion for stand-alone noise cancellation.

American Airlines provides Bose QuietComfort 2 Headphones for use by passengers in premium flight classes on some long-haul flights.^[4]

A cellphone adapter has been made available to users for the second edition and QC3 headphones. [1]

QuietComfort 2 SE specifications

Operating Principle: Closed-Air
Earcup Form-Factor: Circumaural
Driver Size: 40mm
Connector: 3.5mm (1/8 inch) stereo mini plug, 1/4 inch adapter and two prong airline adaptor
Cord Length: 6 feet (11 feet with included 5-foot extension cable)
Headphone Dimensions: 7.75"h x 6.5"w x 1.63"d
Carry Case Dimensions: 8.25"h x 7.5"w x 2"d
Weight: 6.9 ounces, with cables included
Operating Temperature: 0ºC to +40ºC
Storage Temperature: -30ºC to +70ºC
Battery: One AAA alkaline battery
Battery Life: 40 hours of use
Cup Rotation: Vertical axis ±20º; Horizontal axis +45º / -5º; Storage Position 90º
Warranty: 1 Year
Price: $ 299 USD; £ 225.00 GBP; € 299.00

Source : Bose QuietComfort FAQ

[edit] Bose QuietComfort 3 Headphones

Bose QuietComfort 3 Headphones

Bose released the QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones on June 15, 2006, the company's first pair of supra-aural (on-the-ear) headphones.

An earcup of the Bose QuietComfort 3 Headphones

Bose states that although the supra-aural configuration provides less passive blocking than their circumaural headphones, the QC3s have the same amount of total noise reduction as the QC2s due to improved active noise cancellation. In 2006 they were the first headphones to receive a Sound & Vision Editor's Choice award.

The QC3 appears to achieve its active noise cancellation performance at the expense of stability of causing an unpleasant squealing noise as described on these following flaws:

Pressure on the earpads, such as that caused by the user leaning their head against a flat surface.^{[citation needed]}
Manually pressing on the headphones.^{[citation needed]}

The QC3 uses memory foam to conform to the ear and provide a good acoustic seal without uncomfortable pressure.

The QC3s earcups are too small to contain a AAA battery, and are powered a rechargeable lithium-ion battery instead. Bose claims a battery life of twenty hours, about half that of the QC2.

QuietComfort 3 specifications

Form Factor: Closed-air supra-aural
Driver Size: 30mm
Connector: 3.5mm (1/8 inch) stereo mini plug, 1/4 inch adapter and two prong airline adaptor
Cord Length: 6 feet (11 feet with included 5-foot extension cable)
Headphone Dimensions: 6 3/4"h x 8 3/8"w x 2"d
Weight: 5.6 oz (159 g)
Battery: One Lithium ion battery
Battery Life: 20 hours of use
Cup Rotation: Vertical axis ±20º; Horizontal axis +45º / -5º; Storage Position 90º
Warranty: 1 Year
MSRP: $ 349 USD; £ 275.00 GBP; € 399.00
See the Pre-Release Citation

[edit] Bose TriPort Headphones

[edit] Bose Around-Ear (AE) Headphones

Bose Around-Ear (AE) headphones

Introduced in 2001 and originally called the TriPort headphones, they were renamed the Bose Around-Ear (AE) Headphones in October 2006. The Bose Around-Ear headphones don't have active noise cancellation (as opposed to the QuietComfort 2 headphones). For a short time, the Bose Around-Ear headphones were also sold with a Bose-badged CD player as a part of the company's "TriPort CD music bundle".

A New York Times reviewer commented that "the research effort paid off: the [Bose Around-Ear Headphones] has very full sound and works equally well with all types of music," but judged a competitor's headset, priced at less than half the price of the AE's, to be "just as comfortable and just as light, and the sound it produced was just as full and clear."^[5]

Around-Ear Headphone specifications

Operating Principle: Closed-Air
Earcup Form-Factor: Circumaural
Driver Size: 40mm
Magnet Type: Neodymium/Rare Earth
Sensitivity/Sound pressure level: 97 dB/mW
Impedance: 32 ohms
Connector: 3.5mm (1/8 inch) stereo mini plug with 1/4 inch adapter
Cord Length: 6 feet (11 feet with included 5-foot extension cable)
Size: 19.1x15.2cm overall
Weight: 142 grams with cables
Operating Temperature: +10ºC to +40ºC
Storage Temperature: -30ºC to +70ºC
Cup Rotation: Vertical axis ±20º; Horizontal axis ±10º
Warranty: 1 Year
Color Options: Glacier Blue & Silver
Price: $139.00 USD; £120.00 GBP; € 149.00

Sources: Best Buy Bose Triport FAQ

[edit] Bose On-Ear (OE) Headphones

The Bose On-Ear headphones were introduced on October 12, 2006. The Bose On-Ear is similar to the Bose QuietComfort 3 Headphones, but without active noise cancellation. The cord is detachable; both 43 and 16-inch cords are available. [2], [3]

[edit] Bose In-Ear (IE) Headphones

Bose In-Ear (IE) headphones

The Bose In-Ear headphones were introduced on October 12, 2006 as the company's first earbud product. Three eartips of different sizes are included. Bose claims that the IE's silicone tips are shaped to fit the ear's natural curves more closely.[4]

The TriPort airducts in this product consist of two air ducts in the large grille, and one "stand-alone" air duct on top of each earbud.[5]

[edit] Bose Aviation Headset X "Explorer"

The original Bose Aviation Headset X ("ten")[6] was released in 1998. This was Bose's first product using "triport" technology, and according to Bose was lighter in weight, used less headband force, had better sound, and better noise reduction than Bose's previous aviation headset.

Aviation Headset X was voted #1 by Professional Pilot magazine's headset preference survey five years in a row from 2000 to 2005.^[6]

The July 2003 "Explorer" model added improvements in the "down cable" assembly (including the boom microphone and battery pack).[7]

Bose offers an accessory for this model which allows the headphone to be permanently installed in the aircraft and eliminates the need for battery power, and offers trade-up programs for earlier models.[8]

Aviation Headset X "Explorer" specifications

Sensitivity/Sound pressure level: 90 dB/mW
Impedance: 162 ohms Monaural; 320 ohms Stereo
Batteries: Two AA alkaline batteries
Battery Life: 40 hours of use
Dimensions: (4.5 to 5.7)"h (4.8 to 6.3)"w
Weight: 12 ounces or 340 grams
Frequency Response: 15 Hz to 15 kHz
Shielded: Yes
Price: $ 995.00 USD

Source: Bose Aviation X owners manual

[edit] Combat Vehicle Crewman Headset

In 1993 Bose introduced an active noise reduction system for use by crews in United States Army armored vehicles.

At noise levels of 115dBA SPL, Bose noise cancelling headsets improves speech intelligibility scores to 95%, compared to 80% for conventional headsets. (Source: USAF AL data.^{[citation needed]}). At low frequencies, Bose headsets are much more effective in attenuating noise than passive noise reduction headsets. A binaural talk-through feature allows crewmen to talk directly to each other without removing their headsets.

This product is not available to civilian consumers.

[edit] Bose QuietComfort and American Airlines

American Airlines provides QuietComfort 2 headphones to first- and business-class passengers on some long-haul flights. Bose has made American Airlines several special edition versions of the QuietComforts starting with the original QC1 that had blue ear cups and an American Airlines logo on them. American Airlines became the first airline to offer the QuietComforts.

American Airlines allows each of their First and Business Class passengers to use a pair of the QuietComfort 2 second editions on long-haul flights to Europe, Asia, deep South America and select First Class transcontinental flights. ^[7]

[edit] Criticism

There are also criticisms of the products, however opinions are extremely subjective. Consumer reactions to different headphones and earbuds do vary, since audio products tend to perform differently for a wide variety of reasons. The performance of headphones depends greatly on a variety of factors, including musical genre, the recording medium (whether vinyl, CD, DVD, compressed audio file, etc.) and playback equipment.

Critics have said:

The QuietComfort headphone models have a high price tag.
The QuietComfort headphones are incapable of unpowered operation, unlike some competitive products which operate passively, without noise reduction, when unpowered.
The QuietComfort 3 have "earcan" instability and has half the battery life of the QuietComfort 2.
Early versions of the TriPort headphones were fragile and subject to headband and earcup cracks. (Headphones with a P3 label on the package, now called the Bose Around-Ear Headphones, are a later version which is more durable).
Some helicopter pilots say that active noise control headsets makes it harder for them to attend to important auditor cues they receive from the main bearings, external mechanics and rotors.

[edit] See also

Electronics Portal

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Tokhi, Osman; Sandor Veres (2002). Active Sound and Vibration Control. Institution of Electrical Engineers. ISBN 0-85296-038-7. p. 13
^ A. V. Bykhovskii. Sposob polawlenija shuma w scluchowom organe (Technique for noise suppression in the ear), 1960, Patent UdSSR SU 133 631. Filed: 24 August 1949. Published: Patent Bulletin No. 22. Citation from Tokhi and Veres (2002).
^ "Can the science of acoustics reduce the roar of an airplane engine?. Bose Corporation. Retrieved on 2006-08-06.
^ Premium Comfort With Bose Quality. American Airlines website. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
^ Austen, Ian. "When Headphones Measure Up to the Music." The New York Times, October 31, 2002, p. G4. The competitive product was a Sennheiser HD 497, which "like the Bose [Bose Around-Ear Headphones]... deliberately leaks some frequencies to balance the sound."
^ (December 2005) "Headset Preference Survey". Professional Pilot: 82.
^ Premium Comfort With Bose Quality. American Airlines website. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.

[edit] External links

Aviation Headset X review

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