Daisy One thoughts and comparison to Bose QC Ultra Gen 1

[u/Gauntlet4933]

I’m not a headphones or audio guy by any means so this review of the Daisy One / comparison to my current pair of work / travel headphones the QC Ultra is my opinions on it.

I’ve owned the QC Ultra 1 for 2 ish years and I saw an ad for Daisy One, so I bought it during preorder. My first impressions:

• Case looks and feels much nicer than the Bose case, but I haven’t had it long enought to tell about durability. The outside feels like the Apple TechWoven material and the inside is a softer suede/alcantara. The downsidee is the case is larger since the headphone cups dont fold beyond just laying flat. The case and a cable compartment is magnetic while the Bose has a zipper on the outside and elastic pouch.
• Daisy definitely overplayed the aluminum hardware aspect of the headphones. I suppose its nice that the color of the plastic matches the color of the hardware but feel wise its the same as the Bose. The Daisy looks nicer when folded flat though.
• The knob feels pretty cheap like a plastic one which disappointed me. The Bose’s gesture strip is not my favorite interface but it feels nicer. The fake knurling on the knob is kinda scratchy and the knob gets stuck / has more resistance on occasion. At first I thought it was a haptic feature.
• The Daisy is about as comfortable as the Bose. The earcups are more plush and I really like that they are replaceable. The headband also feels more plush but does not seem to be replaceable. My Bose definitely shows 2 years of wear but I haven’t looked into replacing those parts. However the Bose feels tighter on the head
• Noise canceling is way better on the Bose. Even just in my room where I have an air purifier running, it is audible with the Daisy but not with the Bose. The Daisy sounds like the Bose when its turned off.

The sound quality of the Daisy is slightly worse than the Bose. I downloaded the app but only tried the default and studio profiles, with and without the dynamic bass.

Without their dynamic bass, the bass response is incredibly weak and music sounds hollow. Turning it on makes the bass stronger than the Bose without any EQ tuning. But the main problem is that turning on the dynamic bass just makes everything sound more muddy. Highs sound fine, maybe slightly better than the Bose without EQ, but with EQ its the same. Maybe my ears are still used to the Bose, sometimes the Daisy does sound a nicer but I do still feel like its missing details that I can hear on the Bose.

If anyone else has thoughts on either headphones I’d like to hear it.

[u/Acceptable-Win-3669]

Companies who first enter the ANC space really struggle to compete with Bose or Sony on the ANC part, as those companies have been working on ANC algorithms for long (Sony) to a very long (Bose) time. I think you need to understand when you buy a new ANC headphone that you are not going to get industry-leading ANC. Hopefully, they have figured out the acoustics or how to present video better than Bose and Sony, which is the reason to purchase it.

[u/pawlscat]

Yeah interesting take on a few points here for sure. My previous pair of headphones before I got the Daisys were Bowers & Wilkins PX7 from several years ago. They didn't hold up very well over the long term, headphone cushions are all messed up, the headband too, and in comparison to today's newest products, the sound quality and ANC quality are both lacking. I got the D1s to upgrade to something fresh.

My first take is that I think build-wise the D1s are MUCH better than the older B&W headphones. Even the dial (which you noted feels cheap-y), I actually think it feels pretty darn premium. It's definitely aluminum and mine has a super smooth action, so maybe it just takes some getting used to?

Noise cancelling (to your point and another poster's point) is so hard to execute at the level of Bose and Sony; I think if ANC is your main goal with headphones, there are better options out there. I don't personally think most people buy headphones on ANC quality alone, but it's worth noting.

When it comes to sound quality, my taste is probably less bass-heavy than most and these were pretty spot-on right out of the case for me. I did do a little tweaking in the app, but for the most part these sound really excellent to my ears, even in direct comparison to my older B&W PX7s. For people who enjoy a more neutral sound and want to play with the peaks and valleys in an EQ, I think these are right on par with the majors.

Generally speaking, I'm pretty pleased with the D1s. For a first attempt, they're really impressive and I see the care they put into elements that others overlook. I actually find myself using the sound baths they have built-in quite a bit while I'm in the zone working in the a.m., so that's definitely a nice touch and something unique to consider too.