It seems the original was not the ultimate in ear protection after all:
The bose headsets are excellent for improving communications. Not protecting one's ears.
Simply because background noise isn't as perceptible to the user, doesn't mean the user is being protected from that noise.
Whether the bose headsets are "the ultimate" or not isn't meaningful, in that they are comfortable to wear for extended periods, provide excellent communication capability, and reduce user fatigue substantially.
I've done flights over 7hrs with the Bose and had no discomfort whatsoever.
Likewise, I use them regularly on 10+ hour flights; they're comfortable, improve communications, and reduce fatigue. I've worn them up to 26 hours on long flights, without any difficulty at all.
I've taken to using the Bose QC-15 with the uflymic most of the time, however, because it's more compact and even quieter, less expensive, fits in the flight bag better, lighter in weight, and has music input or earbud redundancy.