Whether it’s crushed inside a packed commuter train or twiddling our thumbs onboard an airliner at 35,000ft, we do a lot of traveling here at TwoMenAboutTown; my favourite pastime when commuting is getting lost in the world of my Spotify library, whether it’s the latest album from Stereophonics or the spectacularly funky vibes of Wham and George Michael. Don’t judge.
The main drawback of any portable audio, particularly in-ear headphones however is unwanted background noise, taking away from the experience of your favourite album or drowning it out altogether; the constant drone of an aircraft’s engine or the clattering of the Virgin Pendalino provide an unwelcome distraction. Consequently, I’ve been hunting high and low for some noise cancelling headphones for some time, with their electronic wizardry to eliminate white and secondary noise; Rob has just reviewed the Pioneer Rayz Plus in-ear headphones with mixed conclusions, but I really wanted something that would knock my socks off.
Enter Bose, recognised globally as the pioneer (yes, pioneer) in audio. The QuietComort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones were calling out to me in the Apple store upon collection of my shiny new iPhone X, so I splurged and prepared to take them with me on my trip to Abu Dhabi.