Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones service call
October 22 2004
Can you believe it? The laptop display
wasn't the only busted item in the toychest this week. My Bose QuietComfort
2 headphones, which I received
in May, stopped functioning while
I was in London a couple of weeks ago. I tried two other batteries,
to no avail. I found this kind of shocking -- Bose is known for quality,
and to have them go south in just five months was unexpected.
I called Bose customer service, only
to be routed to voice response purgatory. Eventually, I switched
to e-mail. A lot slower, but ultimately worked to get an RMA number.
The old ones went back on Saturday, second-day air...and a new pair
just arrived. Faster response from their service depot than from
the tech support e-mail box, but either way, the new ones are here.
In a small way, the new set is an "upgrade"
-- as the old ones had a very strange squeaking noise in the right ear,
pretty much any time they were bumped. Since they were "free"
in the first place, I was content to live with that...but when they stopped
working altogether, I considered it a blessing.
On my flight home from Portland, three
of the eight people in front of me in first class had the Bose headphones
as well. Clearly, Bose is doing well for a reason -- but is it functionality,
or marketing and support?
Post a Comment
- 2
Nanook | 10/22/2004 4:46:42 PM
I've got the Etymotic ER-6's { Link } -- along the same lines as the Sure's and I love them -- much better for me than the over the ear, active noise cancelling type. Fidelity is awesome, size is miniscule, and I think they are very comfortable. Plus under $100.
- 3
Joe Barnhart | 10/24/2004 3:54:33 AM
I echo the comment on the Ety's. I got the ER-4 and I'm astounded at the fidelity of these earphones. I used to use a Sony noise-canceling headphone but I find the Ety's have better sound, are more comfortable to wear, and don't need batteries. I hear the Shures are good too.
- 4
Chris Miller http://www.IdoNotes.com | 10/25/2004 10:42:35 AM
And I just watched Mike cram those in his ears for an over 7 hour flight. He definitely ignores everyone, even when he hears them I think :-)
- 5
Mike Lazar | 10/25/2004 5:29:24 PM
Hey, I don't discriminate. I ignore everyone. Plus, there was a screaming kid behind us somewhere in row 40 something. Plug those in, a little music, and sweet bliss soon sweet bliss arrives where none was before.
- 6
Rod Stauffer | 10/27/2004 12:41:29 PM
Well, if these sites are any indication, Bose is all about marketing:
- { Link }
- { Link }
The second link mentions noise cancelling headsets in the "Marketing and Bose" section. Those headsets apparently have quite an interesting history...
- 7
Chip Ireys | 10/26/2007 10:32:40 AM
I bought an adapter to connect my QC2 to my bkbry Pearl but it (3.5 mil to 2.5 mil)doesn't make the connection. Can anybody tell me what type of adapter to buy, and where? Thx
I'm going to say marketing, reputation, and personal taste. Personally, I didn't like them, and returned my pair of Bose after a week. They were too bulky for use on planes as anything other than headphones. If I wanted to sleep, off they came. Then I lost the "quietness" that would have been so nice while sleeping. That's the taste part. For reputation, Bose is known as some of the best speakers in small packages that you can find, and they market that very well. I thought the sound out of the headphones was mediocre, and certainly not what I expected from $300 headphones. Personally, I went the sound isolation route instead of noise cancelling. The Shure earbuds don't drown out the exterior noise, they act as earplugs, isolating you from the outside world. Hence, you don't have to crank the volume to hear your music. Also, since they are earbuds, they can easily be left in so that you can sleep in quiet comfort. I've written about it on your previous entry as well as on Bruce's blog. For my money, they are the best headphones/ear buds I've ever owned. However, some people have an aversion to putting silicone plugs in their ears...