Bose QuietComfort2 Review, Part 5

This is part 5 of a several part review of the Bose QuietComfort2 headphones. [Go to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4].

One of the things that you will frequently see in reviews of noise canceling headphones (of any brand) is complaints of users feeling "pressure" on their eardrums. It's a sensation like you have just taken off on a plane and are gaining altitude. Your natural reaction to the sensation of pressure on your eardrums is to try to "pop" your ears.

However, the noise canceling headphones don't actually produce pressure on your ears. They just create that same sensation. I too have noticed the sensation and find it slightly annoying. What I find myself doing is taking short breaks from using them about once an hour. Anyone debating about buying one of these units should be aware of this potential annoyance.

I've also wondered whether that sensation is an indication that it may damage my hearing. I found this study [hearingreview.com], which seems to lean in the direction that use of these headphones at a reasonable volume will not damage your hearing. But it stops short of really being conclusive. I imagine that this will be a higher profile issue once noise cancellation starts being a standard feature in cars [motorauthority.com].

At any rate, use of any headphones probably damages your hearing. But it seems that these aren't any worse for you than any other type of headphone. And in most situations, they allow me to listen to something at a lower volume than I would have been able to with a conventional set of headphones.

[Go to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4]