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Just found the new Bose Quietcontrol 30's at BestBuy

R

riseboi

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 11, 2011
85
10
Miami Beach
As a fan of the QC 20i's, I have been looking forward to the new QC 30's since I now have a 7+. I fly somewhat frequently and while not an audiophile I absolutely love Bose's NC tech. As much as I love the QC 20i's, the main annoyance I had with them was the control unit dongle thingamabob. I didn't want to have to attach it to the 3.5mm/lightning adapter and then to the iphone.

Anyways, I inadvertently came across one at BestBuy. For anyone interested in them, I believe you can find them on the Bestbuy site, as well as Bose.com.

I've only played around with it for a bit, but so far I'm impressed. The neckband is comfortable and I like the ability to adjust the amount of ANC. My next scheduled flight isn't for a couple weeks but I plan to try and compare it to my old QC 20i's over the next week or so.
 
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I'm in exactly the same situation. What's the battery life?
 
I'm curious about how the form factor affects day to day use and comfort, the neckband seems like a step back from the simple wire between earbuds like the soundsport/jlab epic2/jaybirds/etc.
 
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I've had the QC 30s on since 7am with ANC at the max level streaming either spotify or youtube videos and the battery % is at 80% (according to my 7+ notification pulldown).

While I've had the neckband on, I've hardly noticed them. They're certainly not obtrusive. I think it a suitable alternative to the dongle unit on QC 20i's. I just don't think its currently possible to fit the ANC tech into earbuds like the soundsports/jaybirds/etc. Hopefully, in the future.

So far, I'm happy with my purchase.
 
riseboi said:
I've had the QC 30s on since 7am with ANC at the max level streaming either spotify or youtube videos and the battery % is at 80% (according to my 7+ notification pulldown).

While I've had the neckband on, I've hardly noticed them. They're certainly not obtrusive. I think it a suitable alternative to the dongle unit on QC 20i's. I just don't think its currently possible to fit the ANC tech into earbuds like the soundsports/jaybirds/etc. Hopefully, in the future.

So far, I'm happy with my purchase.
Click to expand...

Do you find the earbuds bulky? I usually like to sleep on a plane with one side of my face leaned against a pillow and I've found headphones and large earphones make it very uncomfortable.
 
Kjung7 said:
Do you find the earbuds bulky? I usually like to sleep on a plane with one side of my face leaned against a pillow and I've found headphones and large earphones make it very uncomfortable.
Click to expand...

I don't find them bulky. The earbuds/housing are nearly identical to the ones on my QC20i's. I also have the Bose Soundsport wireless and they are not as bulky as the housings on those. Admittedly, I don't typically sleep the way you do when I travel. I wouldn't think they'd be uncomfortable, but YMMV.
 
mickeydean said:
I'm curious about how the form factor affects day to day use and comfort, the neckband seems like a step back from the simple wire between earbuds like the soundsport/jlab epic2/jaybirds/etc.
Click to expand...
One of the reviews on Bose site says the wires to the earbuds as too short. When turning the head these' a pull on the earpod
 
whsbuss said:
One of the reviews on Bose site says the wires to the earbuds as too short. When turning the head these' a pull on the earpod
Click to expand...

I don't see any reviews on the bose site for the QC 30 yet. Either way, I haven't experienced any issues with the wire being too short. Where the wire comes out of the neckband sits @ 4 inches below my ear and the wire is @ 8 inches long.
 
riseboi said:
As a fan of the QC 20i's, I have been looking forward to the new QC 30's since I now have a 7+. I fly somewhat frequently and while not an audiophile I absolutely love Bose's NC tech. As much as I love the QC 20i's, the main annoyance I had with them was the control unit dongle thingamabob. I didn't want to have to attach it to the 3.5mm/lightning adapter and then to the iphone.

Anyways, I inadvertently came across one at BestBuy. For anyone interested in them, I believe you can find them on the Bestbuy site, as well as Bose.com.

I've only played around with it for a bit, but so far I'm impressed. The neckband is comfortable and I like the ability to adjust the amount of ANC. My next scheduled flight isn't for a couple weeks but I plan to try and compare it to my old QC 20i's over the next week or so.
Click to expand...
I don't know if you've tried a pair of Bose's previous earbuds, aside from the QC 20i, but if you have do these new style of eartips feel worse than the style they used to use? My ears just get really irritated with IEMs, so I didn't know if the new style of eartips have that same feeling. My older pair of Bose earbuds work well for me and don't irritate my ear canal; they look like the tips that come on the Bose Soundsport. Any info would be helpful.
 
bhayes444 said:
I don't know if you've tried a pair of Bose's previous earbuds, aside from the QC 20i, but if you have do these new style of eartips feel worse than the style they used to use? My ears just get really irritated with IEMs, so I didn't know if the new style of eartips have that same feeling. My older pair of Bose earbuds work well for me and don't irritate my ear canal; they look like the tips that come on the Bose Soundsport. Any info would be helpful.
Click to expand...

I had a pair of the OG earbuds that didn't have those "wings" about a decade ago. Those always fell out easily. I also have the soundsport wireless and they feel identical to me. The QC20is also feel similar IMO. Although, I did notice that the wire for the QC20i is a tad thinner and seems lighter and more flexible that the Soundsport wireless and QC30. I'm not sure if they helps though.
[doublepost=1476145670][/doublepost]
whsbuss said:
https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/earphones/quietcontrol-30.html

scroll to the bottom for the reviews
Click to expand...

Ok, found it. I dunno. Maybe that guy has a really long neck. All I know is I can flex/extend/bend/rotate my neck is all directions and the earbuds don't pull off.
[doublepost=1476146087][/doublepost]Battery life update: it shut off after @ 11:30 hrs. Other than a few calls which I made without the QC30s, I had ANC at max level and spotify or YT videos playing 90% of the time at medium/medium-low volume levels. I also had it connected to both my 7+ and iPad Pro. Definitely happy with the battery life.
 
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Got a pair of these yesterday right before hopping on a cross country red eye and couldn't be more thrilled, minimally heard the plane noise and landed with 80% remaining. Adjustable ANC is fantastic and the quality is neutral with some nice sub-bass and really nice. I can't do in ear (pressure) or over heard (heat, size). These are perfect. And the adjustable ANC has been stellar for me commuting in Manhattan today. Neckband is soft and very light and comfortable, and as always I love the bose stay hear tips.
 
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Mine should be arriving at my desk sometime this morning...I'm pretty excited to try these. I commute by train and currently use the QC35s, which are great, but a little bulky for taking on and off, and I would like something a little less obvious so I could reasonably carry them around with me during the day as well. I was going back and forth between these and waiting for the Beats X, but the ANC convinced me to give these a shot.
 
Otto Pilot said:
Mine should be arriving at my desk sometime this morning...I'm pretty excited to try these. I commute by train and currently use the QC35s, which are great, but a little bulky for taking on and off, and I would like something a little less obvious so I could reasonably carry them around with me during the day as well. I was going back and forth between these and waiting for the Beats X, but the ANC convinced me to give these a shot.
Click to expand...
The ANC is great and that they don't go into the canal makes them the most comfortable buds available. Wore them without fatigue on a cross country flight without any issue.
 
I have had the QC2, QC15, and now QC25 and QC20i. I rarely use the 25s anymore as I LOVE my 20Is. My concern is that some reviews have said that the 30s don't have the same noise cancellation that the 20s have. I don't want to give that up as I have to sit on a commuter bus twice a day for hours and the noise cancellation is a big requirement. I'm also an audio freak so I want them to sound good.

Can you guys who have these chime in a bit here and let me know if I am worried for nothing?

Fred
 
MajesticNJ said:
I have had the QC2, QC15, and now QC25 and QC20i. I rarely use the 25s anymore as I LOVE my 20Is. My concern is that some reviews have said that the 30s don't have the same noise cancellation that the 20s have. I don't want to give that up as I have to sit on a commuter bus twice a day for hours and the noise cancellation is a big requirement. I'm also an audio freak so I want them to sound good.

Can you guys who have these chime in a bit here and let me know if I am worried for nothing?

Fred
Click to expand...

I was initially really loving my 30s but now I'm a bit cold on them. Bluetooth has a random tendency to cut when walking around unlike my 35s and soundsport wireless. Noise cancelling is good but not as impressive, which is unfortunate. And the max volume is around 75% of other headphones, so especially spoken word needs full blast for adequate volume levels.
 
Nikhil72 said:
I was initially really loving my 30s but now I'm a bit cold on them. Bluetooth has a random tendency to cut when walking around unlike my 35s and soundsport wireless. Noise cancelling is good but not as impressive, which is unfortunate. And the max volume is around 75% of other headphones, so especially spoken word needs full blast for adequate volume levels.
Click to expand...

Well that doesn't seem encouraging at all. I already feel that volume on the iPhone could be louder. I won't tolerate cutouts if that's happening regularly. It will drive me nuts. :) Thanks for the response.
 
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