QuietComfort 2 (QC2)

I love Apple products. I have app2, Mac Studio, iPhone, MacBook Pro, and iPads for the family. I am deep in the ecosystem. I was really excited for the APM2. Ordered them early. Also bought at the same time a charging stand, and a semi hard case with a built in charger, as well as extra cushioned cooling extra ear pads. Wore them for the night and they were incredibly uncomfortable! I read up on solutions. I stretched them out over night the next three evenings. I removed the magnetic ear pads and stretched them over the box they came in to full extension each night. I also inserted a thin towel between the drivers and the box to protect them a bit, and add a small bit more distance between them and the box. Over the three nights this stretched them out a little more each time. With the wicked customs comfort ear pads installed, this helped a LOT. They were finally bearable to wear for longer sessions but still weren’t super comfortable. They were still wearable but didn’t feel liked they disappeared on your head. So I made one final adjustment: I ordered a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort 2 headphones. I figured I’d just return whichever didn’t work best for me. I read online that to figure out the best results to wear my APM2 for 10-15 mins, and then alternate between the two for about 15 mins at a time for a couple of rotations and then to try an hour or two at a time. After a day repeat the process and you should have your answer. I didn’t really follow that logic. I opened up the box and decided to just put them on and pair them to my phone and computer to see how they felt. The APM2 never went back on my head. After five mins I just boxed them up along with my charging case and desk charger and printed out return labels. The Bose were just THAT much more comfortable. The noise cancelling is just as good if not better than the APM2. The pass through isn’t quite as good but it’s close. Bose’s Spatial Audio equivalent is great. And the sound is very comparable to the APM2 especially with a little tuning on the EQ. Things I miss: the auto switch between devices. BUT it’s super close. You can pair two items to the Bose at a time. So all you have to do is pause whatever you are doing on one, and it seamlessly transfers to the other. I wish you could pair another device or two but it’s still incredibly convenient. So the switch to Bose worked out great for me! I love Apple but have zero regrets moving over. And added bonus: the Bose are on sale on Amazon for $50 off normal MSRP. So I saved about $150+ over the APM2. Just my experiences. Hope this may help you.

Bose quiet comfort 2. Had them for 7 years

Sold my QC1s for about $255 and technically got my new QC2s at only $145. Does that get any better?

I’m kind of the same.   Walking around doing some jobs in or around the house I’ll put in the APP2s  super quiet when I want to listen to a book and amplified when I want that things as I’m a little hard of hearing.  If I’m in the phone talking or riding my bike off road I find the regular wired ear buds to work better as if the do fall out I for drop them and for talking I feel like I have to talk louder and in side my wife says they sound to quiet when i’m taking.  Watching movies in my laptop I have a pair of Bose Quit Comfort 2s.  

I have a big head and I wonder how is the clamping force B&W PX8 S2 vs XM6? The number one for me were Bose QC15 until they broke. Lately at the airport I was able to try Bose QC2 and they felt super comfortable on my head and ears.

I got the QC2’s back around 2006. Their noise canceling was stunning and in its own class back then. Sound quality was acceptable. I’m not sure they’ve gotten any better in the last 20 years, while other options have gotten comparable noise canceling and many better sound quality options, often at a better price. I wouldn’t recommend pretty much any Bose products these days. Their speakers from the 70s/80s can also be very very good.

I just got my wife the QC2 and only wore them for 5 min, but they were the most comfortable over the ear headphones I have ever used. Almost no pressure on my glasses, and I wear glasses with some decent size frames. I know I could wear those headsets all day and not get any pain from my glasses pushing into my head. Also, I have pretty big ears and my ears fully fit inside the pad too.