Bose QC20i

The QuietComfort series is way ahead of other noise-cancellation headsets

I travel quite a bit, and thanks to the iPad and high-speed internet, I manage to keep myself entertained while on the move. But I have often had trouble with noisecancelling headphones. I am a Sikh and wear a turban most of the time, so to use such a headphone I needed a band over the turban, which never fit properly. Recently, I got myself a pair of Bose QC20i, and they are simply amazing.

Bose’s QC20 and QC20i are the first in-ear active noise-cancellation headphones in the world. The only difference between the two is that the QC20 works with BlackBerry and Android devices, while the QC20i works with iOS devices.

The battery of these headphones is small and easily fits into your pocket. It gets recharged with a USB cable, so there is no need for extra chargers. Attached to the headphone cables is a central microphone unit with which you can answer calls, play/pause music, change tracks and control the volume. On the side is a small white button to switch the headphone to ‘Aware’ mode that quiets your music and uses the noise-cancellation microphones to let you hear what’s happening around you without having to take off the earphones or stop the music. If you want to cut off all other sounds while you tune into a podcast on your phone, the QC20 delivers well. The hum of the AC, the traffic noise… all disappear magically once the noise cancellation is activated.

The StayHear silicone ear tips (you get a set of three—small, medium and large) are comfortable to use, but remember, these are good to sleep with when you are on a flight but not with your head on a pillow.

If you are a frequent flyer, the only thing left to buy is a convertor to use this device with in-flight entertainment systems.

Boseheadphonesnoise cancellation