Bose QuietComfort 35 Review: Worth Every Penny?

The Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones just hit the market, and the Bose community is all a buzz. These headphones are the successor to the previous gold standard in noise cancelling technology – the Bose QuietComfort 25 headphones.

The Bose QuietComfort series of headphones has always been a tried and true go-to series for those wanting superior noise cancellation, but does the newest member of the QuietComfort family live up to the name?

Pros

• Superior noise cancellation
• Ultra-comfortable
• Folding design great for travel
• Wireless
• Long battery life

Cons

• Price
• Non-replacable battery

Headphone Design

The Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones inherit from their predecessor a sleek, almost industrial look. The low profile and slimness to the head is a flattering look for almost anyone, regardless of if you’re travelling around or working away at a desk. The newest QuietComfort headphones are now available in two colors now as well – an exceptional looking silver, and their standard black.

Not only do these Bose headphones look beautiful, they’re also built to last. Bose didn’t skimp on material costs with the QuietComfort 35, and it shows aesthetically and can be felt in their sturdy build.

We found the headband, made of glass reinforced nylon, to be near indestructible during a stress test. You can twist it around, pull it flat, bring the sides close together – nothing cracks or distorts the headband or makes it change it’s shape. The retractable arms for adjusting the headphones has a strong clicking mechanism, and they stay put without any unwanted adjustments during wear.

On the right side of the headphones, you’ll find the a play/pause button and volume controls. There are also two small lights on the same side, one to indicate bluetooth connectivity, and the other to indicate the power level. On top of that, these headphones actually talk to you to update you on these statuses whenever you turn them on. They’ll tell you what the battery life is, and what device they’re currently connected to. A pretty neat feature, if you ask us.

Included with the Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones are a few extras that are definitely a nice touch:

• USB cord to let you easily charge your QC 35 headphones
• 3.5mm cord which allows you to physically connect to your headphones without utilizing the Bluetooth technology
• Two-prong airline adapter – perfect for those who travel
• A premium, hard shell case that can hold your new QuietComfort 35 headphones (and all of the extras above) and provide satisfactory damage protection

The Bose QuietComfort 35’s swiveling earcups allow the headphones to fold flat and be stored easily inside the hard-shell case.

Bose QC35 Noise Cancelling

The Bose QuietComfort series has always been synonymous with top-notch noise-cancelling technology, and the QC 35 definitely lives up to its name. With its superior ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) technology, the QuietComfort headphones allow you to cut out the majority of outside noises with the flip of a switch. Play some of your favorite music on top of that, and you’ll feel as if you’ve hit a mute button on the rest of the world. Even without activating the ANC, the plush ear cups themselves offer a bit of passive noise suppression on their own.

While the Bose QuietComfort series offers some of the best noise cancellation on the market, no headphones can block out absolutely everything. While not listening to music, you’ll still be able to hear voices and conversations going on right next to you, but playing your favorite song puts almost all of that to rest. Any kind of “dirty” noises though – car engines, construction, wind, etc – will be completely eliminated.

With it’s superior ANC technology, it’s no surprise these headphones have been quite popular with the frequent-fliers crowd. Don’t be surprised if you see a pair or two on your next flight in the business-class crowd.

Suffice it to say that the Bose QuietComfort headphones are still the best in noise cancellation, and having a virtual mute button for your noisy environment is nothing less than amazing.

Bose QuietComfort 35 Battery Life

Bose has pulled off their first pair of wireless QuietComfort headphones flawlessly. We found the wireless range to be absolutely stunning, travelling through multiple walls and from one end of the house to another, all without losing audio once. The Bluetooth also allowed for convenient voice calls and comes across clear – just like talking into any other phone.

One of the main concerns with wireless headphones is the battery life. You wouldn’t want to be stuck with unusable, chargeless headphones would you?

Well rest assured, the battery life on the QC 35 headphones is nothing less than insane. During our battery test, we found these QuietComfort headphones to deliver a whopping 23 hours of music on a single charge. That’s more than enough to get you through even the longest day of travel.

On top of that, using the included 3.5mm cord to listen to your music instead of Bluetooth bumps that time up to 40 hours of use with the active noise cancellation on. Recharging the battery from dead to 100% took just about 2.5 hours.

As previously mentioned, the headphones graciously remind you as you turn them on their battery life and currently connected device. Additionally, if you download Bose’s own app, you can check the battery life at any time from your Apple or Android smartphone.

The app will also allow you to view the Bluetooth connections from all of your paired device. Thankfully, the QC 35 headphones also remember your paired devices, so you need to only sync them together one time.

The Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones also feature NFC (Near Field Communications) technology. Simply tap your headphones to your NFC enabled device, and they will automatically connect without any further input from you. Calling it convenient would be an understatement.

While the rechargeable battery life is insane, life happens and the headphones may at one point die. If this happens, you’ll still be able to use the headphones with the included 3.5mm headphone cable without interruption, but won’t be able to turn on the active noise cancellation.

Overall – the Bluetooth technology is solid and the battery life is more than excellent. Nothing to worry about on either front.

Bose QC35 Sound Quality

One of the big questions we hear in regards to Bluetooth connected headsets is, “What about the audio quality? Doesn’t it suffer?”. Sometimes this can be the case, but fortunately the Bose Quietcomfort 35’s audio performance doesn’t seem to be hindered by bluetooth compression.

In fact, if we had to make any comparison between the bluetooth vs. wired performance with the QC 35 headphones, it’d be that the volume actually had to be turned up with the wire to achieve a similar volume. Weird we know, but that’s what we personally experienced.

The sound on the QC35 headphones is well rounded, as is true with most Bose headphones. We found the bass provided to hit only slightly harder than its QC25 predecessor, and more refined than in the other headphones. At louder volumes, the bass signature doesn’t sound boosted at all, and we would even say more accurate.

The mid-range is where these Bose headphones truly shine. The headphones deliver a totally natural listening experience, with vocals and instrumentals that are a delight to listen to. The treble absolutely shines through, providing extra detail to your music that you’d never experience with lower quality headphones. The listening experience isn’t drab in the least.

Highs with these headphones caused us no ear fatigue whatsoever, even after listening to hours on end. The sounds are forward, but not too bright, and a delight to listen to.

Overall, the entire listening experience is just much more natural than with other closed-back headphones, which is what we’ve come to expect from the Bose name. If you’re looking for headphones that deliver true, immersive sound with vocals and instruments that beautifully shine through, you’ll be happy with the QuietComfort 35 headphones.

Headphone Comfort

The Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones are extremely well-built and durable, yet are still lightweight enough to be comfortable. Weighing in at just 235 grams, they definitely weight in well below the competition. Bose accomplishes this by not using plastic, but instead a glass-filled nylon to help the headphones keep their shape and rigidity.

The headband and ear cushions on the QC35 headphones is made with a synthetic leather material, and provides a soft padding that caused us no wearing fatigue after hours of wear.

As far as comfort around the jawline is concerned, the Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones didn’t cause us any issues there either. The clamping force is quite subtle, and didn’t get uncomfortable at all after several hours straight.

Of course, having super-cushioned ear pads almost always has one drawback – heat generation. Like other over-ear headphones, the Bose QC35s also can generate a bit of ear heat after wearing for extended periods, especially if you’re outside during the summer or working out. However, this is a trade off that needs to be made with any comparable headphones – there’s just no avoiding it, but it’s important to keep in mind when purchasing.

All in all, the Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones are some of the most comfortable headphones we’ve ever head the pleasure of wearing. We have no doubt that almost anyone could wear these for hours on end without even a bit of discomfort, making the Bose QC35s one of the most comfortable pair of headphones available on the market.

Final Verdict

We think the Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones deserve all of the praise they’ve received from users so far, and have earned their higher price tag. The Bose brand of headphones have always excelled in all categories, but with this newest addition of bluetooth to their QuietComfort series, these are now definitely one of the best overall headphones available on the market today.