Bose Quiet Comfort 25s for very loud environments

December 2, 2015 8:45 AM

I get that the Bose ANR phones are best suited to planes and similar environments with a constant low drone. My primary concern is more with some loud environments (albeit with constant droning noise): the commuter rail station and behind my lawnmower. Would the QC 25s do me any good?

I'm currently using Sennheiser 555s after years of using in-ear ear buds. They sound good, but they're no match for the volume of noise from my lawnmower or from the engines on the commuter rail while on the platform (to be clear, I'm not talking about the rumble while you're riding the train; it's the very loud idling machinery as you walk on the platform). The ear buds don't sound great, but at least provided some physical barrier to the outside noise.

In either of these cases, I could use my ear buds with ear muffs over them, or ear muffs with a line in for my iPhone. If I were just looking for a solution while mowing the lawn, that would be ok, but I don't want to carry around a pair of ear muffs all day top deal with the two minutes daily I'm walking past the train engine.

How well, if at all, do the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones deal with truly loud, constant noise?

posted by Admiral Haddock to Shopping (8 answers total)

I fly a lot and love my Bose Quiet Comfort headphones. I do notice, however, that if I'm seated near one of the engines on a particularly noisy plane (i.e., when I'm in a window seat where I could just about reach out and touch the nacelle) the headphones seem to hit their noise-canceling threshold during takeoff. The sound cancellation sometimes cuts in and out a bit, then once the pilot throttles back a minute into the flight it's back to normal. Leads me to suspect they'd have a hard time with a gas-powered mower.

I see people wearing these headphones on the platform while waiting for the train in the morning (sometimes including loud diesel-electric locomotives), so I'm guessing they perform well in that environment.
posted by bassomatic at 9:09 AM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

I have Bose's QuietComfort 20i (in ear) headphones and they do help reduce (but not eliminate) loud noises like a subway car going by when you're on the platform. I have them on right now while someone uses a leaf blower outside and I can barely hear it at all, though it's crazy loud without them on.
posted by three_red_balloons at 9:12 AM on December 2, 2015

Honestly, for your lawnmower you need actual hearing protection. You can wear earbuds underneath if it floats your boat, but I imagine it kicks out noise loud enough for long enough that a trip to your local DIY store for some decent over-ear protective muffs.
posted by Emperor SnooKloze at 9:16 AM on December 2, 2015 [5 favorites]

Beyerdynamic DT 770 M Isolating Monitor Headphones are used by drummers to block noise during tracking. I have a pair and they work well, but I haven't compared them to the Bose.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:29 AM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

Skip the Bose and get some In Ear Monitors like Johnny Wallflower suggests.

I really like the Etymotic Resarch brand. Etymotic is good enough to listen to audio books while cutting the lawn.
posted by gregr at 10:46 AM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

I can't speak to the Bose, but if you're looking for other sound isolating headphones/earphones, I have some (seemingly basic) Shure SE115 Sound Isolating Earphones that I bought back in 2011 that are still pretty solid for blocking noise, to the point I don't like wearing them while walking or running because I can't hear traffic. It looks like that model has been replaced by Shure SE112.

I don't think they're anything special in the world of sound isolating earphones - they have thick foam that nestles inside your ear, which I've seen on other models, too.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:17 PM on December 2, 2015

My primary concern is more with some loud environments (albeit with constant droning noise): the commuter rail station and behind my lawnmower. Would the QC 25s do me any good?

I have them. They're awesome for commuting. Can't speak to the lawnmower scenario.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:18 PM on December 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

I wear normal earbuds under a pair of hearing protection earmuffs when lawnmowing. Gardening machines are too loud for active noise cancelling earphones to handle.
posted by monotreme at 2:52 PM on December 2, 2015