Bose Quiet Comfort 15s - Wipe the floor with Beats by Dr Dre...

A while ago the Beats by Dr Dre headphones "phenomemon" took over the UK.

Style over substance? Clever marketing over quality? Simply put... YES (in my opinion!).

I had furiously resisted the brand for quite a while, simply because I hate following the crowd. I am not a typical trend follower and will always do my research and try to buy the 'best' product, rather than the 'coolest'.

The streets of London are overrun with teenagers and working professionals alike all brazenly showing off their Beats. So when I decided I needed some new over ear headphones (historically an annual event for me as I listen to my music ever day and my phones get a good battering!), I took the plunge and decided to get some 'premium' phones. I duly tried out some over-ear Beats Studios, just to see what all the hype was about.

Yes I think they look quite cool and are very cleverly branded. They also weren't bad headphones for the sound quality. I listen to a lot of electronic and bass-heavy music and that's what they claim to be designed for. They do a pretty good job and the bass came out nice and punchy, although strict audiophiles will almost certainly slate them for their general lack of overall 'balance'. Another plus is the cables. As they're by Monster, they have awesome cables that will no doubt last you for years before they break.

However, they had several MAJOR downsides for me:
1) Noise Cancelling - I listen a lot on the tube and was also flying a lot at the time. Noise cancelling was a definite must have as I wanted to drown out the annoying hum of the commuters and plane engine noise. This was the first black mark for the Beats. The reported 'noise cancelling' is almost non-existent!

2) Sound leakage - I use them every day on my commute, so I wanted closed over ear headphones specifically so I could listen to my music at a reasonable level without annoying other passengers around me. Second black mark for the Beats. They are DREADFUL at leaking sound! You might as well be carrying around a ghetto blaster (quick flashback to the 80s there...) blaring your music out.

3) Build Quality - I wanted headphones that would last, especially as I was spending well over £200 on a pair. Third black mark for the Beats. The Beats Studio over-ears felt plasticy, rattled if you moved them about and felt like I'd break them easily if I was a little too forceful.

So, having bought them and realising they were DEFINITELY not for me, I took them back the next day and replaced them with the far superior Bose Quiet comfort 15s.

OK, they don't have the same 'cool factor' for the kids, but wow, what a difference. I guess I shouldn't be surprised with a company like Bose. This is what they do. Make decent quality audio products. And the Noise Cancelling... WOW again! Simply awesome. So superior to the Beats it was incredible. Bose have made their name in recent years with Noise Cancelling technology and headphones specifically marketed at frequent flyers. So again I shouldn't be surprised, but the quality of the NC on the Bose was simply stunning. My daily commute has become a quiet haven of pleasant music listening. Flight noise is reduced down to a very pleasant and manageable hum, even crying babies disappeared into the background noise.

The  build quality is great too. They are very flexible, feel well made and are incredibly comfortable, plus they hardly leak any sound so you can whack them right up without anyone around you batting an eyelid. The cables on them are a bit flimsy to be honest (compared to the Monster cables on the Beats), but they are perfectly adequate and equivalent to any other pair of headphones I've owned.

So, in summary I LOVE my Bose NC headphones. Yes, they are pricey, but they are fantastic.

After nearly a year and a half of enjoying this extremely pleasurable audio experience, Imagine my annoyance when yesterday... they BROKE! One of the earpieces started eminating a crackling noise and the signal was cutting in and out. The noise cancelling was still working, but something was definitely up with the audio feed to one of the earphones.

I was heartbroken :( These headphones transform my daily commute into a very pleasurable experience and I was faced with the prospect of days or weeks of noisy commuting again, assuming they would be sent off for repair to Germany or something...

So slightly glum, I wandered into the Bose shop on Regent Street this evening, prepared for the worst and what did I get? The best possible service I could have hope for.

After a very quick check to make sure the issue was with the headphones and not the cables and a cursory check of my original receipt, the extremely nice and helpful staff member did a straight swap for a brand new pair of headphones with new cables, plus a brand new 1 year warranty!

I bet Monster wouldn't have done that.

I remember thinking that I was a bit mental buying a £250 pair of headphones at the time, but when something goes wrong you realise part of the price is guaranteeing you have an amazing service experience that makes you come back for more.

Not only are these the best overall headphones I've ever owned, but the Bose customer service has ensured that I would definitely not hesitate to buy quality products from them again in the future.

So do you get what you pay for? Not always (like the Beats!), but in this case, I can undoubtedly say YES for the amazing Bose Quiet Comforts.