Bose QuietComfort 2

Bose kick-started the popularity of noise canceling technology with the original QuietComfort headphones, and the second version has noticeably refined the technology and sound quality. Indeed, the QuietComfort 2 headphones were from many perspectives the best of the test batch. They're snug and comfortable, with lightweight cups and a padded headband, all of which are conducive to long listening sessions. The included stiff-sided case provides welcome protection, but takes up as much room in a bag as a laptop.

On a plane or in a noisy room, activating the noise cancelation produces something that's less a sound than a feeling of listening through a vacuum chamber. It's almost eerie to hear the upper range of voices and sounds while everything from the lower mid band on down is negated.  On planes and trains the Bose headset made a noticeable difference.

The QuietComfort 2 headphones delivered the loudest, punchiest sound in our roundup. On everything from the strum of a guitar to the attack of a snare drum, there was a little extra kick. This makes the Bose headphones more suited to rock, hip hop, and R&B than subtle jazz or classical pieces. Through these speakers, the normally soft attack of the brass in Mingus' "Theme For Lester Young" almost sounded remixed.