Before there was Beats, there was Bose. The QuietComfort line is the original über-popular headphone line, even if it's aimed more at business travelers than teenagers and celebrities.

Powerful lows and crisp, bright highs with no distortion at top volumes; Exceedingly comfortable; Best noise-cancellation technology available; Can be used as passive headphones without power

Runs on a AAA battery rather than a built-in, rechargeable option; Sculpted sound signature is not for purists; No auto-off function

Upgraded from the QC15 about two (2) years back, mainly because you could turn the noise cancellation on/off. The sound quality wasn't all that much better, and at times I've also felt as if the QC15 was slightly better.

Great Noise Cancellation; comfortable

Not Durable; flimsy; noise leak

If you're wondering how much better the QuietComfort 25 than the QuietComfort 15 , the model it replaces, that's hard to quantify. But one thing is certain: it is better. While the two models bear a strong familial resemblance, Bose says the QC25 headphones -- which cost $300 in the US, £270 in the...

Extra-comfortable design; clearer, more dynamic sound; highly effective noise-canceling circuitry that's been slightly improved; new folding design allows the headphones to fit in a smaller carrying case; if the battery dies, the music now doesn't die; 21- to 30-day risk-free home trial

Fairly pricey

Bose has long-held the title of the maker of the best active noise-cancelling headphones available, per reviewers of a wide variety of publications and from a range of backgrounds.

The QC25s are arguably the flagship personal audio product from Bose, destined to show up at every airport you visit for the next five to ten years. But like the QC15s before them, the QC25s are battery-dependent.

After good experiences with Beats (2 pairs), which were pretty fragile, I came home to Jesus with these Bose headphones. The noise-cancelling part is battery (AAA) powered, but everything else is just mechanical -- no need to charge the headphones themselves, which is a big improvement over my last...

With my new job I am traveling close to 70% of the time. I wanted a product that could help me enjoy music without maxing the volume out to overcome the ambient noise on an airplane. The QC 25's did not fail to impress.

Comfort; Noise cancellation; Sound quality; Travel Case

Price

My only gripe is the battery compartment....hard to open/ close the battery contact (spring) can be fragile and misaligned to conact the battery properly. Bose can do better!

Sound quality/ active noise cancel/ super comfort fit for extended periods

the mini jack that attaches to headphone can be fickle....slight movement can cause sound to disconnect/ reconnect with just slight movement. Battery compartment door is flimsy/ hard to open/ close battery contact (spring) can misalign

There seems to be a lot of issues with the sound quality for these 2nd gen Bose phones. These came out before wireless headphones were in any significant use, and when few other companies were making a serious attempt at noise reduction.

Very very good noise cancelling; Industry standard for their time

Not intended for the highest quality audio

The awesome: very good noise cancelling. Possibly the best there is. 5 stars The not so good: I've listened to the phones often and it strikes me that every time straight from the first few notes I know there's something not right.