These are quite simply the best in-ear headphones you're likely to use. Bose have thrown their considerable weight behind the QC20, the company's first in-ear noise-cancelling buds, and the listening results are magnificent. These earphones come fitted with StayHear tips, soft rubbers that look like a pair of devil horns, though there's nothing evil about the design. Since their original QuietComfort headphones were released back in 2000, Bose have been the market leader for noise-cancelling devices, and with the combination of the StayHear tips and the Acoustic Noise Cancelling technology, the outside world ceases to exist as soon as you hit play. If you don't want to totally immerse yourself simply switch to Aware mode to let limited noise in, but for best results you want to use the QC20s in their full noise-cancelling glory. The sound offered here is as good as any over-ear headphones has to offer, and because of the noise cancelling you don't need to blast your eardrums with volume – though when you do the sound is still superb.
