Bose QuietComfort 3 Noise-canceling Headphones
October
An Editors' Choice award for a pair of headphones? An iPod accessory? Well, yeah. Not because they're the first noise-canceling 'phones to come down the pike or because of any earth-shattering technology. Nor can I argue that they give the shopper in me goosebumps for their fabulous value — at $349, these things are almost breathtakingly expensive. But they deliver the goosebumps, nonetheless, for several reasons. First, they perform very well, with cannily balanced, unfatiguing sound and excellent, refined noise-reduction circuitry. Second, they represent (for me, at least) a breakthrough in comfort for on-ear headphones, thanks to their light weight and memory-foam ear pads, which are easy on the ears while delivering a good seal from outside noise. And third, their packaging and presentation will instill a pride of ownership that makes you feel like you've got something special every time you pull them out. I get to try out a lot of products, and few of them ever turn into something I'd really want to own. Plain and simple, nothing else I've played with all year has gotten as much personal use or more strongly deserves my unabashed endorsement as the QuietComfort 3s.
bose.com
— Rob Sabin
