Bose

QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones

Bose QuietComfort 3 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones

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Overall

#171 in

Headphones (Over / On Ear)

according to Reddit Icon Reddit

Sentiment score73% positive
11
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Last updated: Apr 20, 2026

Reddit Reviews

Reddit IconJustwafflesisfine
10 months ago

I use the Bose quiet comfort 3 and attached an antlion microphone to it. It’s great because it’s magnetic, so I just take it off when I’m done at home and take it with me if I’d like to bring some headphones

Reddit IconSillyCubensis
3 months ago

I have both Bose QC3 and Sony XM4 They're both years old, I've replaced the ear pads on the Bose's 3 times so far. The Sound quality on the Sony's is FAR superior to that on the Bose, but the ANR sucks donkey balls. The sound quality on the Bose's is pretty good and the ANR is top notch. I would also look at the Apple Pro whatevers. Not what you asked, but I have switched to the latest Airpod pro's as daily drivers. Sound quality is good, ANR is really good, and they play SO well with my phone and are so portable and comfortable that they easily beat out any over ears for daily out and about use. The Sony's get pulled out when I want to listen to music and the Bose have taken over shop duty.

Reddit Icongrayhaze2000
6 months ago

They're expensive, but the in-ear Bose QuietComfort headphones are great. I've had the wired ones for a few years now, and I take them everywhere with me. I believe they've been replaced by wireless Bluetooth ones in their product line now.

Reddit IconMaxxjulie
6 months ago

I have a very old wired QC and the newest version of Bluetooth QC...yeah the new one is better, but it's like a decade apart in technology. So to me it's not mind blowing. I will say bass is where the new one is much better. Sound quality was improved a lot more than ANC. But I don't have the Ultra and I'm so curious about that sound immersion.

Reddit Iconmtlmoe
6 months ago

The noise cancellation with the immersion mode is in a different ball game. I still have my old QC and the noise cancellation that I used to think was awesome now feels like a cheap headphone.

Reddit IconXamosLife
8 months ago

same. Ive replaced the cushions twice, and they are still powering along just fine. If they were bluetooth, I honestly would not look to upgrade. Alas, Im tired of wires.

Reddit Iconprops_to_yo_pops
4 months ago

I use Bose quiet comfort with the NC on. Like you said, covering the ear helps tons and the bigger headphones have larger batteries for longer use-time.

Reddit Icontfrw
3 months ago

Bose quietcomfort - they’re most comfortable NC headphones. The NC is also very good. The sound is enjoyable, but definitely mid tier for that price point though. If you can get to a shop, maybe try out the Sony wh1000xm4, they can be uncomfortable for people with larger ears, but the sound quality is a step up. The premium options are the Bose quietcomfort ultra and the Sony XM6 (do NOT get the xm5, they don’t fold up and the hinges break a lot).

3 months ago

From my experience the Bose quietcomfort line are pretty hardy, and I hear the Sony xm4 are similar. They’re in your budget

about 2 months ago

I'd suggest then getting a pc38x and then another set of one of the ones i've listed. As for stores, I don't know, as I'm not american, but from what I've heard, Target or Best Buy are likely to be good bets. The px7 and px8 have the same design, so if they have a px7 on display, that's ok as well. Or maybe also the Sennheiser HDB 630 (same design as momentum 4). the lower tier of headphones are: px7, xm4, bose quietcomfort, momentum 4. But i will warn you against judging the audio quality in the shop, they're tuned to sound their best, so it's hard to tell how good they actually are, but you should definately check for comfort.

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