Bose is at the leading edge of noise-canceling headphones and they have been for quite a while. Their earlier models of the QuietComfort were a huge success despite their costly price. Their latest model, the Bose QuietComfort 3, has some added improvements over previous models. It’s a little smaller and has a few new adjustments, but it still has a rather costly price tag at around $350.

The Bose QuietComfort 3s feature the same fold-flat design as the QuietComfort 2s and have noise-canceling circuitry that’s built into the headphones themselves, not a little box incorporated into the cord. They also come with a protective carrying case that’s a little smaller than the one that ships with the QuietComfort 2s, as well as a two-prong adapter for plane travel and an extra bit of cord that extends the length of the headphones.

Aside from the more compact earpieces, one of the big differences between the two headphones is the inclusion of a proprietary lithium-ion battery with the new model. That’s a nice plus–the battery slips out of the headphones and into a compact travel charger that fits right into a wall socket, obviating the need for annoying wires or cables. Bose says you’ll get about 20 hours of battery life before you need to juice up–and you must have the battery charged to actually hear your music or movies. While backup batteries are available for $50 each, you won’t be able to pop in a standard AAA cell like you can with the QuietComfort 2s. However, the charger fits snugly in the headphones’ carrying case, and you can purchase additional chargers compatible with international voltage requirements.

The QC3 headphones are tightly packed into a semi-hard case with strap, along with accessories and audio accouterments, all with gold ends, of course. Everyone knows the importance of gold ends when using audio equipment. They are shiny. Besides the headphones, you get:

• custom lithium-ion battery that is expensive to replace
• wall-socket battery charger
• 4.5 ft. audio cord with a 3.5 mm plug on one end, and a smaller plug of some indeterminate size that connects to the headphones, so you are screwed if you lose the cord
• 5 ft. audio extension cord
• 1/4 in. stereo adapter plug
• dual-plug adapter for interfacing with high-fidelity audio systems found on airlines
• minimalist user manual
• business card holder and 10 courtesy cards, so you can pimp headphones for Bose on your own time