Chưa cần mở hộp, điều đầu tiên có thể dễ dàng phân biệt khi chúng ta nhận sản phẩm (khi đặt hàng qua mạng) là lớp nylon bọc ngoài. Sản phẩm chính hãng thường có lớp nylon này, tuy không quá dày nhưng vẫn có thể phần nào chống trầy cho hộp đựng. Điểm thứ hai là chất lượng in ấn bao bì. Hàng chính hãng sẽ có nét in trên hộp rõ ràng và có độ tương phản cao hơn so với hộp hàng nhái, nhất là ở hình in chiếc tai nghe. Màu giấy của hộp sản phẩm chính hãng cũng có màu sáng hơn, và bên trong có in số serial riêng của hộp. Ngoài ra, màu in nắp hộp hàng nhái cũng bị bợt khá nhiều.  Màu sắc vỏ và nắp hộp Khi nghe thử chiếc tai nghe bên trong chúng ta càng dễ phân biệt hơn nữa. Ở bản hàng nhái, chức năng noise-cancel cũng hoạt động tốt tuy nhiên có chất lượng không cao, lượng tạp âm vẫn có thể lọt vào trong tai nghe một phần nào đó. Bản nhái còn có chất âm rất đục với bass bị ù, treble hầu như không có và dĩ nhiên không có tí gì gọi là chi tiết hay trong trẻo. Chức năng noise-cancel của tai nghe hàng nhái khi kích hoạt sẽ có một tiếng “bụp” khá lớn và cũng không có tác dụng là mấy. Tai nghe Bose QC20i chính hãng có khả năng triệt tiêu tiếng ồn ở mọi dải tần, còn bản nhái chỉ có khả năng triệt tiêu tiếng ồn ở dải tần thấp. Tiếp theo là bộ phụ kiện eartip. Bộ eartip đi kèm với tai nghe hàng nhái có chất lượng rất tệ. Các đường cắt rất nham nhở, đôi khi dính lại một chút cao su chưa đứt hết. Mặt ngoài của eartip nhái có độ trơn tru tốt, tuy nhiên mặt trong loang lổ trông rất kinh dị. Nói cho cùng, chất lượng đeo của bộ eartip cả hai bản nhái và chính hãng đều rất dễ chịu, tuy nhiên về chất lượng thiết kế thì đúng là một trời một vực. Earpiece và eartip Ống âm hai bên earpiece L và R của tai nghe hàng nhái cũng không đồng đều và hơi méo một chút. Housing của bản nhái được tráng bóng, trong khi bản chính hãng là tráng matte (nhám nhẹ). Logo Bose trên bản nhái cũng xấu hơn với viền chữ khá thô, đồng thời phần vòng bạc ở chân housing cũng không được ép vừa vặn. Bản nhái có lỗ micro thô và hơi méo, không tròn trịa và đều với lớp sơn như ở bản chính hãng. Nút âm lượng ở bản chính hãng hơi cao hơn nút play/pause, dễ dàng cho người dùng ghi nhớ trong khi ở bản nhái 3 nút này có chiều cao giống nhau. Phím “Aware Mode” ở bản chính hãng cho phép điều chỉnh mức độ tiếng ồn từ nhỏ đến lớn, còn bản nhái chỉ đơn giản là on hay off mà thôi. Chất lượng âm thanh khi kích hoạt “Aware Mode” ở bản chính hãng cũng tốt hơn nhiều lần. Control module Bản nhái còn có bộ control cứng và nhám, khác với bản chính hãng có độ mềm dẻo nhất định để chống rơi vỡ và đặc biệt rất dễ cầm nắm. Control module của bản chính hãng cũng có các cạnh đều hơn với đầu nối với cable dai và chắc hơn. Tai nghe chính hãng được đi kèm với hai miếng quấn dây và clip dây gắn sẵn. Bản nhái chỉ có một miếng quấn dây với clip rời bên ngoài, khách hàng phải tự gắn vào cable khi sử dụng. The Bose QuietComfort 20 are good-looking earbuds. The cable is rubberized and black, with blue accents for style. The flat rectangular noise isolation generator is latex coated and also has the same blue accent for the on/off button. The StayHear+ tips are curved and designed to fit most ears. Weight 0.09 lbs Clamping Force 0 lbs The QC20 have a comfortable earbud design that doesn't enter the ear canal like most in-ear headphones. This makes them comfortable enough to wear for long listening sessions without any listening fatigue. Unlike the over-ear Bose QuietComfort 25, these headphones don't cause too much discomfort when the noise-cancellation feature is enabled. OS Compatibility iOS Ease Of Use Great Feedback Decent Call/Music Control Yes Volume Control Yes Microphone Control No Channel Mixing No Noise Cancelling Control On/Off Talk-Through On/Off Additional Controls No The Bose QuietComfort 20 have a straightforward and efficient control scheme. The buttons are well spaced out and provide all the essential functions; call/music, track skipping and volume controls. The buttons deliver good feedback and the Control Module is very thin and easily fits in tight pockets. Avg.Temp.Difference 1.1 °C The Bose QC20 have a breathable design that won't make your ears sweat more than usual. They trap a bit of heat within the notch of your ear due to their earbud tips and stability fins, but they won't cause a big difference in temperature even during more intense workouts. L 4.7" (11.9 cm) W 1.6" (4.1 cm) H 1.2" (3.0 cm) Volume 8.80 in³ (144.21 cm³) Transmitter Required No The Bose QC20 are very portable headphones. They don't take too much space and will comfortably fit into your pockets, purse or bag. The control module makes them a little larger than basic in-ear headphones but is flat enough to not add additional bulk to the design. Type Soft case L 5.1" (13.0 cm) W 2.8" (7.1 cm) H 0.8" (2.0 cm) Volume 11.20 in³ (183.53 cm³) These earbuds come with a soft fabric case that will protect the headphones from scratches and prevent them from getting tangled in your bag. It also doesn't add much bulk to the already small headphones so it will still fit in your pocket or bag. However, the soft fabric will not shield your headphones from water damage or high physical stress. The Bose QuietComfort 20 have a good build quality. The control module and earbuds are dense and durable enough to withstand multiple accidental drops. The cables are also thick and won't easily get damaged by wear and tear unlike some of the cheaper in-ears we've tested. However, the latex cover on the Control Module peels off relatively easily after repeated use but doesn't actually damage the module so it's more of a cosmetic issue. These are stable earbuds that won't easily fall out of your ears. They offer a variety of stability tips that help them maintain their stable fit. They work well as gym headphones and are stable enough to be used while running. Unfortunately, they're not wireless, and the long cable can easily get hooked on something, which will pull the headphones out of your ears.
Sound Bass Amount 0.27 dB Treble Amount -4.38 dB Avg. Std. Deviation 0.43 dB The frequency response consistency of the QC20 is good. Due to their unique earbud design, if the user is able to achieve an air-tight seal with these headphones, then the bass delivery should be very consistent across multiple re-seat and individuals. The consistency in the treble range is also good, but it is dependent on the placement and more prone to inconsistencies. Std. Err. 3.65 dB Low-Frequency Extension 22.45 Hz Low-Bass 1.58 dB Mid-Bass 4.02 dB High-Bass 4.8 dB The bass of the QuietComfort 20 is good. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 21Hz, which is great, meaning they can produce very deep thump and rumbles. However, the entire bass range is consistently above our neutral target by more than 4dB. This makes the overall bass of the QC20 excessively heavy, which sounds boomy and drowns out vocals and other instruments in the mid-range. Std. Err. 3.03 dB Low-Mid 3.16 dB Mid-Mid -3.15 dB High-Mid -0.02 dB The Bose QC 20 has a mid-range performance. Low-mid is overemphasized by more than 3dB, which is the continuation of the bass overemphasis. This thickens the vocals and makes the mid-range sound cluttered and muddy. Additionally, the dip/recess centering 800Hz pushes vocals/leads slightly to the back of the mix, by giving more emphasis to the bass and treble frequencies. Std. Err. 2.65 dB Low-Treble 1.71 dB Mid-Treble -1.73 dB High-Treble -20.85 dB The QC 20 has sub-par treble range performance. The response throughout the range is rather inconsistent. Low-treble is above our target by more than 2dB, bringing emphasis and projection to the upper harmonics of vocals and lead instruments, and giving a subtle V shape to the overall frequency response. The inconsistencies in mid-treble will make the production of sibilances (S and Ts) rather uneven. Additionally, the lacking high-treble means their sound headphones will lack airiness and brilliance. Peaks 2.69 dB Dips 1.51 dB Weighted Group Delay 0.36 Weighted Phase Mismatch 1.92 Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 0.83 Weighted Frequency Mismatch 1.63 The imaging is great. Their weighted group delay is at 0.36, which is within good limits. But the GD graph shows that it crosses the audibility threshold below 50Hz, but not enough to have a significant effect. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were quite well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response, ensuring an accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo image. PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) N/A PRTF Size (Avg.) N/A PRTF Distance N/A Openness Acoustic Space Excitation The soundstage is poor. This is mainly due to their earbud design, since activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear) is one of the key factors in creating a large and out-of-head soundstage and earbuds don't interact with the pinna. Also, their soundstage won't feel as open and spacious as that of closed-back in-ear's, because of their high degree of isolation. Head Modeling No Speaker Modeling No Room Ambience No Head Tracking No Virtual Surround No App WHD @ 90 0.179 WHD @ 100 0.241 Firmware No Firmware Power On Connection Wired Codec PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz EQ No EQ ANC On Tip/Pad Silicone (small) Microphone In-line Isolation Overall Attenuation -24.42 dB Noise Cancelling Yes Bass -23.88 dB Mid -20.86 dB Treble -28.06 dB The isolation performance of the Bose QC20 is great. Once the active noise cancellation is enabled, they provide more than 23dB of isolation in the bass range, which is excellent for cancelling out the rumble of airplane and bus engines. In the mid-range, important for blocking out speech, they achieved about 22dB of isolation, which is also great. In the treble range, occupied by sharp S and Ts, they reduce outside noise by about 28dB, which is above average. Overall Leakage @ 1ft 26.86 dB The leakage performance is excellent. The significant portion of their leakage is concentrated in a narrow range in the treble. This means their leakage will sound very thin and mostly consist of S and Ts. The overall level of the leakage is also very quiet. With the music at 100dB SPL, their leakage at 1 foot away averages at 27dB, and peaks at around 41dB. Well below the noise floor of most offices. Microphone Integrated No In-Line Yes Boom No Detachable Boom No Mic Yes LFE 515.36 Hz FR Std. Dev. 2.46 dB HFE 17,984.02 Hz Weighted THD 0.955 Gain 20.19 dB The recording quality of the QC20's microphone is decent. In the bass range, they lack quite a bit, except for the area around 90Hz. This results in a recorded/transmitted speech that sounds noticeably thin. Their HFE (high-frequency extension) however, is at 18KHz, which is great. This, and the flat frequency response mean that speech will sound detailed and present, which makes it easy to understand. SpNR 12.18 dB Noise Gate No Speech + Pink Noise Handling Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample Speech + Subway Noise Handling Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample Update 10/22/2021: These headphones have been updated to test bench 1.5. In this update, we made changes to the way we test noise handling. We now use a subjective evaluation of our audio clips. This new method has resulted in different results than what we had reported in our previous test bench. As a result, the scoring of this box has changed, and we have updated our results. The in-line microphone has an okay noise handling performance. It has some trouble separating your voice from moderate ambient noise around you. If you're taking a call from a busy street, your voice won't be completely drowned out, but it may be harder for the other person to hear you clearly. Active Features Battery Type Rechargable Continuous Battery Life 19 hrs Additional Charges 0.0 Total Battery Life 19 hrs Charge Time 1.8 hrs Power-Saving Feature No Audio While Charging Yes Passive Playback Yes Charging Port micro-USB The Bose QC20 have a good battery life. They last around 19 hours and don't take too long to charge. They're also capable of playing audio when charging, which makes them good headphones use at the office or if you have access to a power source on the train or plane. Unfortunately, if you leave them on they will run out of battery because there is no auto-off timer. App Name No App iOS No Android No macOS No Windows No Equalizer No ANC Control No Mic Control No Room Effects No Playback Control No Button Mapping No Surround Support No These headphones have no compatible app. Connectivity Bluetooth Version No Bluetooth Multi-Device Pairing No NFC Pairing No Line Of Sight Range N/A PC Latency (SBC) N/A PC Latency (aptX) N/A PC Latency (aptX HD) N/A PC Latency (aptX-LL) N/A iOS Latency N/A Android Latency N/A These headphones do not have any Bluetooth capabilities. If you wan't a bluetooth headset with a similar design to the QC 20 check out the Bose SoundSport Wireless, the QuietControl 30 or the SoundSport Free. For more Bluetooth headphone options check out our best wireless recommendations here. The Quiet Comfort 20 have a wired connection with negligible latency. Non-BT Line Of Sight Range N/A Non-BT Latency N/A Analog Audio Yes USB Audio No Detachable No Length 4.33 ft (1.32 m) Connection 1/8" TRRS Analog/USB Audio Latency 0 ms The Bose QC 20 have a 1/8 TRRS analog audio cable that does not have microphone compatibility with consoles. Analog Audio Only Wired USB No Non-BT Wireless No PS4 Analog Audio Only PS4 Wired USB No PS4 Non-BT Wireless No PS5 Analog Audio + Microphone PS5 Wired USB No PS5 Non-BT Wireless No Xbox One Analog Audio Only Xbox One Wired USB No Xbox One Non-BT Wireless No Xbox Series X|S Analog Audio Only Xbox Series X|S Wired USB No Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless No Type No Base/Dock USB Input No Line In No Line Out No Optical Input No RCA Input No Dock Charging No Power Supply No Base/Dock The Bose QuietComfort 20 headphones do not have a base station or a dock. If you want a noise canceling headphone with a dock, then try the Turtle Beach Elite 800. |
