BOSE QC35 Other Options?
Discussion
Just before I buy a set of QC35 Bose NC Headphones, is there anything else I should be looking at?
I always find the product reviews for these largely unhelpful because it's either fan boy responses like "These are the best headphones ever, I wouldn't be seen dead in anything but a pair of these EVER. AGAIN." OR the complete polar opposite from people who are disappointed by the sound quality.
Also, the best price I can find is €319.00. Anyone found any deals?
I always find the product reviews for these largely unhelpful because it's either fan boy responses like "These are the best headphones ever, I wouldn't be seen dead in anything but a pair of these EVER. AGAIN." OR the complete polar opposite from people who are disappointed by the sound quality.
Also, the best price I can find is €319.00. Anyone found any deals?
What are your priorities though?
You can't expect "best" sound quality to be mutually agreeable with the features of Noise cancelling or wireless, for example.
Equally, I saw a review not so long back that suggested that sound engineers weren't always impressed with the most expensive anyway.
Back o/t - for Bose specifically - I bought a Sounddock a few years ago, which was either an "old" model or a refurb, from their outlet at Bicester. It has proven best value for money for what it does (and in the store) sounded just as good as whatever the latest or better in the range was.....
Equally, for headphones I have been using a pair of B&W P5s which were about ⅔ normal retail as a reformed item,
Either way - have a look at your budget and see if you can buy something which might otherwise be above budget.
You can't expect "best" sound quality to be mutually agreeable with the features of Noise cancelling or wireless, for example.
Equally, I saw a review not so long back that suggested that sound engineers weren't always impressed with the most expensive anyway.
Back o/t - for Bose specifically - I bought a Sounddock a few years ago, which was either an "old" model or a refurb, from their outlet at Bicester. It has proven best value for money for what it does (and in the store) sounded just as good as whatever the latest or better in the range was.....
Equally, for headphones I have been using a pair of B&W P5s which were about ⅔ normal retail as a reformed item,
Either way - have a look at your budget and see if you can buy something which might otherwise be above budget.
I recently bought a pair to replace my old QC15.
The difference is quite noticeable. Used the QC15 on a flight to LHR, then bought the QC35 at Dixons Duty free.
QC35 sound better. Negatives - sometimes they don't connect to my iphone, so I have to initiate the connection form the Bose app. When using with my laptop, they have lost connection to my phone (and there is a notification - a voice says "connection to iphone lost") now this can be quite annoying.
The difference is quite noticeable. Used the QC15 on a flight to LHR, then bought the QC35 at Dixons Duty free.
QC35 sound better. Negatives - sometimes they don't connect to my iphone, so I have to initiate the connection form the Bose app. When using with my laptop, they have lost connection to my phone (and there is a notification - a voice says "connection to iphone lost") now this can be quite annoying.
I can afford the Bose, I just always look for the best "value" 
Priorities are:
Girlfriend and I often work from home on the same table. Both her and I use the phone a lot, and I am wondering if a pair each of these would mean we can have our own phone conversations without having to stress about going to make a call upstairs or in the kitchen etc.
Otherwise, it would be skype, general listening, phone calls, etc.
I am seeing them as a business tool, rather than an audiophile must have.
Priorities are:
Girlfriend and I often work from home on the same table. Both her and I use the phone a lot, and I am wondering if a pair each of these would mean we can have our own phone conversations without having to stress about going to make a call upstairs or in the kitchen etc.
Otherwise, it would be skype, general listening, phone calls, etc.
I am seeing them as a business tool, rather than an audiophile must have.
I've had a pair of QC3s for over ten years, I pretty much use these whilst flying so I don't think I'd notice if the audio quality as not fantastic. Good enough for me and certainly good enough to listen to music or watch a movie whilst on a plane.
However, one think I will comment on is the use that you are planning for them. I have to say that when I have tried to use my QC3s to connect to a conference call via my computer I found them less than suitable. The reason being that I couldn't hear my own voice, this about holding a conversation whilst wearing ear defenders.
I know some of the newer Bose headsets are designed to use as handsfree with phones so as long as this is the case and you have some ability to hear your own voice clearly whist talking then perhaps they would be OK?
However, one think I will comment on is the use that you are planning for them. I have to say that when I have tried to use my QC3s to connect to a conference call via my computer I found them less than suitable. The reason being that I couldn't hear my own voice, this about holding a conversation whilst wearing ear defenders.
I know some of the newer Bose headsets are designed to use as handsfree with phones so as long as this is the case and you have some ability to hear your own voice clearly whist talking then perhaps they would be OK?
I recently had the same thoughts and tried the Bose QC35s, the Sony MDR-1000Xs and the Sennheiser PXC550s.
I bought the MDR-1000Xs, as to my ears they sounded far better than the QC35s. I preferred the sound to the Sennheisers too, but I was mostly put off by the look and what I perceived as lower build quality of the Sennheisers versus either the Bose or the Sonys.
I also really like the different modes on the 1000Xs - you can either have noise cancelling on or off, or a half way house feature that lets some ambient noise in. You can also cup your hand over the right headphone which stops the music and allows you to hear what people are saying without taking them off (although I mostly just use that to hear announcements on the train or tube).
From a noise cancelling point of view, the Sony and Bose are pretty much identical. Both do a great job of blocking out a lot of background noise - to the point I actually have the 'ambient noise' feature turned on quite a lot of the time when walking through London.
Comfort-wise, I have no complaints about the 1000Xs, although I have to say the QC35s were possibly slightly nicer to wear.
Overall, I think the 1000Xs are great and I'd happily recommend them over the QC35s.
I bought the MDR-1000Xs, as to my ears they sounded far better than the QC35s. I preferred the sound to the Sennheisers too, but I was mostly put off by the look and what I perceived as lower build quality of the Sennheisers versus either the Bose or the Sonys.
I also really like the different modes on the 1000Xs - you can either have noise cancelling on or off, or a half way house feature that lets some ambient noise in. You can also cup your hand over the right headphone which stops the music and allows you to hear what people are saying without taking them off (although I mostly just use that to hear announcements on the train or tube).
From a noise cancelling point of view, the Sony and Bose are pretty much identical. Both do a great job of blocking out a lot of background noise - to the point I actually have the 'ambient noise' feature turned on quite a lot of the time when walking through London.
Comfort-wise, I have no complaints about the 1000Xs, although I have to say the QC35s were possibly slightly nicer to wear.
Overall, I think the 1000Xs are great and I'd happily recommend them over the QC35s.
bulldong said:
There is apparently something on the QC35 which gets over the "not being able to hear yourself" aspect, but I am happy to be corrected.
Used both QC15 and QC35 in conference calls. Only issue is when the voice on the QC35 cuts in (when it's lost contact to another device), it mutes the audio you were receiving. So in a conference call, you can miss bits, I'v also had them disconnect from my laptop, which was a bit of a pain, as I could get tehm to reconnect quickly, and did the rest of the call over the laptop internal mic/speakers.dragonfly74uk said:
I recently had the same thoughts and tried the Bose QC35s, the Sony MDR-1000Xs and the Sennheiser PXC550s.
I bought the MDR-1000Xs, as to my ears they sounded far better than the QC35s. I preferred the sound to the Sennheisers too, but I was mostly put off by the look and what I perceived as lower build quality of the Sennheisers versus either the Bose or the Sonys.
I also really like the different modes on the 1000Xs - you can either have noise cancelling on or off, or a half way house feature that lets some ambient noise in. You can also cup your hand over the right headphone which stops the music and allows you to hear what people are saying without taking them off (although I mostly just use that to hear announcements on the train or tube).
From a noise cancelling point of view, the Sony and Bose are pretty much identical. Both do a great job of blocking out a lot of background noise - to the point I actually have the 'ambient noise' feature turned on quite a lot of the time when walking through London.
Comfort-wise, I have no complaints about the 1000Xs, although I have to say the QC35s were possibly slightly nicer to wear.
Overall, I think the 1000Xs are great and I'd happily recommend them over the QC35s.
Interesting! Thanks!I bought the MDR-1000Xs, as to my ears they sounded far better than the QC35s. I preferred the sound to the Sennheisers too, but I was mostly put off by the look and what I perceived as lower build quality of the Sennheisers versus either the Bose or the Sonys.
I also really like the different modes on the 1000Xs - you can either have noise cancelling on or off, or a half way house feature that lets some ambient noise in. You can also cup your hand over the right headphone which stops the music and allows you to hear what people are saying without taking them off (although I mostly just use that to hear announcements on the train or tube).
From a noise cancelling point of view, the Sony and Bose are pretty much identical. Both do a great job of blocking out a lot of background noise - to the point I actually have the 'ambient noise' feature turned on quite a lot of the time when walking through London.
Comfort-wise, I have no complaints about the 1000Xs, although I have to say the QC35s were possibly slightly nicer to wear.
Overall, I think the 1000Xs are great and I'd happily recommend them over the QC35s.
onlynik said:
bulldong said:
There is apparently something on the QC35 which gets over the "not being able to hear yourself" aspect, but I am happy to be corrected.
Used both QC15 and QC35 in conference calls. Only issue is when the voice on the QC35 cuts in (when it's lost contact to another device), it mutes the audio you were receiving. So in a conference call, you can miss bits, I'v also had them disconnect from my laptop, which was a bit of a pain, as I could get tehm to reconnect quickly, and did the rest of the call over the laptop internal mic/speakers.I have a pair of QC15s that I love for flights but noise cancelling only works well when there's a constant background noise - so they cope well with that low rumble on an aeroplane, or the general hubub of a busy open plan office, but not so well for random noises like someone talking next to you.
If it'll be for lots of calls as well as music there's quite a few good options now - look for a noice-cancelling mic as well as audio which means you don't have to worry so much about being in earshot of someone else talking. I like ones that can be plugged into a computer over USB as well as bluetooth, for those times when the battery is low but you have a call in 2 minutes.
eg. Plantronics Focus UC (my preferred office everyday headset), Jabra Evolve 80, Sennheiser MB660 UC.
If it'll be for lots of calls as well as music there's quite a few good options now - look for a noice-cancelling mic as well as audio which means you don't have to worry so much about being in earshot of someone else talking. I like ones that can be plugged into a computer over USB as well as bluetooth, for those times when the battery is low but you have a call in 2 minutes.
eg. Plantronics Focus UC (my preferred office everyday headset), Jabra Evolve 80, Sennheiser MB660 UC.
sjg said:
I have a pair of QC15s that I love for flights but noise cancelling only works well when there's a constant background noise - so they cope well with that low rumble on an aeroplane, or the general hubub of a busy open plan office, but not so well for random noises like someone talking next to you.
If it'll be for lots of calls as well as music there's quite a few good options now - look for a noice-cancelling mic as well as audio which means you don't have to worry so much about being in earshot of someone else talking. I like ones that can be plugged into a computer over USB as well as bluetooth, for those times when the battery is low but you have a call in 2 minutes.
eg. Plantronics Focus UC (my preferred office everyday headset), Jabra Evolve 80, Sennheiser MB660 UC.
The plantronics one looks like it could be a solution. It's difficult to go and test all these next to each other!If it'll be for lots of calls as well as music there's quite a few good options now - look for a noice-cancelling mic as well as audio which means you don't have to worry so much about being in earshot of someone else talking. I like ones that can be plugged into a computer over USB as well as bluetooth, for those times when the battery is low but you have a call in 2 minutes.
eg. Plantronics Focus UC (my preferred office everyday headset), Jabra Evolve 80, Sennheiser MB660 UC.
I looked at the Sonys as a replacement for my qc25's but didn't feel they sounded that good. I do find the qc35's sound better than the 25's though.
my first pair broke but were replaced by bose under warranty with no fuss or cost to me. If you want them for sound quality there are others out there but if you want the noise cancelling they are good value.
my first pair broke but were replaced by bose under warranty with no fuss or cost to me. If you want them for sound quality there are others out there but if you want the noise cancelling they are good value.
Thanks for the suggestion of the Plantronics Voyager Focus UC.
I have just bought 2 sets of them at a dramatically reduced price. I hope there is nothing I have missed about them which means I have bought the wrong ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013F4LKWO/ref...
In any case, they looked to be the solution to our problem, which is noise cancelling for phone calls, sitting next to each other. Let's see how we get on.
I have just bought 2 sets of them at a dramatically reduced price. I hope there is nothing I have missed about them which means I have bought the wrong ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013F4LKWO/ref...
In any case, they looked to be the solution to our problem, which is noise cancelling for phone calls, sitting next to each other. Let's see how we get on.
bulldong said:
Thanks for the suggestion of the Plantronics Voyager Focus UC.
I have just bought 2 sets of them at a dramatically reduced price. I hope there is nothing I have missed about them which means I have bought the wrong ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013F4LKWO/ref...
In any case, they looked to be the solution to our problem, which is noise cancelling for phone calls, sitting next to each other. Let's see how we get on.
You won't be disappointed. I've got Bose and Parrot Zik 3 Bluetooth wireless headphones (which are amazing for music) and a host of other Bluetooth headphones over the years. None of them are any good when it comes to voice calls. The mics just don't limit outside noise. This is something that has been a real PITA for me recently as I've been doing a lot of webinar/voip calls. I bought a pair of the Plantronics Voyager Focus UC and was blown away by them. The fact it has a boom mic makes a huge difference for quality of the voice and reducing external noise. They are designed to be used in the open office environment and I can state they don't pickup my missus telling of our son at the other end of the room when I'm working from home I have just bought 2 sets of them at a dramatically reduced price. I hope there is nothing I have missed about them which means I have bought the wrong ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013F4LKWO/ref...
In any case, they looked to be the solution to our problem, which is noise cancelling for phone calls, sitting next to each other. Let's see how we get on.
Music wise they're pretty good too.
If I'm travelling on plane/train etc I'll take my Zik 3.0's
jodypress said:
bulldong said:
Thanks for the suggestion of the Plantronics Voyager Focus UC.
I have just bought 2 sets of them at a dramatically reduced price. I hope there is nothing I have missed about them which means I have bought the wrong ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013F4LKWO/ref...
In any case, they looked to be the solution to our problem, which is noise cancelling for phone calls, sitting next to each other. Let's see how we get on.
You won't be disappointed. I've got Bose and Parrot Zik 3 Bluetooth wireless headphones (which are amazing for music) and a host of other Bluetooth headphones over the years. None of them are any good when it comes to voice calls. The mics just don't limit outside noise. This is something that has been a real PITA for me recently as I've been doing a lot of webinar/voip calls. I bought a pair of the Plantronics Voyager Focus UC and was blown away by them. The fact it has a boom mic makes a huge difference for quality of the voice and reducing external noise. They are designed to be used in the open office environment and I can state they don't pickup my missus telling of our son at the other end of the room when I'm working from home I have just bought 2 sets of them at a dramatically reduced price. I hope there is nothing I have missed about them which means I have bought the wrong ones: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013F4LKWO/ref...
In any case, they looked to be the solution to our problem, which is noise cancelling for phone calls, sitting next to each other. Let's see how we get on.
Music wise they're pretty good too.
If I'm travelling on plane/train etc I'll take my Zik 3.0's
dragonfly74uk said:
I recently had the same thoughts and tried the Bose QC35s, the Sony MDR-1000Xs and the Sennheiser PXC550s.
I bought the MDR-1000Xs, as to my ears they sounded far better than the QC35s. I preferred the sound to the Sennheisers too, but I was mostly put off by the look and what I perceived as lower build quality of the Sennheisers versus either the Bose or the Sonys.
I also really like the different modes on the 1000Xs - you can either have noise cancelling on or off, or a half way house feature that lets some ambient noise in. You can also cup your hand over the right headphone which stops the music and allows you to hear what people are saying without taking them off (although I mostly just use that to hear announcements on the train or tube).
From a noise cancelling point of view, the Sony and Bose are pretty much identical. Both do a great job of blocking out a lot of background noise - to the point I actually have the 'ambient noise' feature turned on quite a lot of the time when walking through London.
Comfort-wise, I have no complaints about the 1000Xs, although I have to say the QC35s were possibly slightly nicer to wear.
Overall, I think the 1000Xs are great and I'd happily recommend them over the QC35s.
I also bought a pair of the Sony MDR-1000X. The sound, functionality and comfort are excellent. I've had Shure earphones for 9 years and have been used to fantastic sound quality and noise isolation, but, finding the Shure SE425 uncomfortable, I thought it was time to try something different. The noise cancellation on the Sonys is very effective. The only issue that I've not previously had to deal with is sound leakage - anything over 1/3 volume level and fellow commuters can hear everything. But, the NC is so good, that they don't need to be at high volume.I bought the MDR-1000Xs, as to my ears they sounded far better than the QC35s. I preferred the sound to the Sennheisers too, but I was mostly put off by the look and what I perceived as lower build quality of the Sennheisers versus either the Bose or the Sonys.
I also really like the different modes on the 1000Xs - you can either have noise cancelling on or off, or a half way house feature that lets some ambient noise in. You can also cup your hand over the right headphone which stops the music and allows you to hear what people are saying without taking them off (although I mostly just use that to hear announcements on the train or tube).
From a noise cancelling point of view, the Sony and Bose are pretty much identical. Both do a great job of blocking out a lot of background noise - to the point I actually have the 'ambient noise' feature turned on quite a lot of the time when walking through London.
Comfort-wise, I have no complaints about the 1000Xs, although I have to say the QC35s were possibly slightly nicer to wear.
Overall, I think the 1000Xs are great and I'd happily recommend them over the QC35s.
Battery life is excellent too.
I only had about 15 mins testing the QC35, but also think the Sonys sound better. My impression is that bass on the Sonys is richer (without being too heavy). Very happy with them and also happy to recommend.
I have just got home to the post box being full of the Amazon box of two Voyager Focus UC Headsets!
After wearing them all evening (girlfriend is away so I haven't been ignoring her), initial impressions are excellent. I would say these massively exceed expectations.
I seem to be able to use the phone all over the house, with all functions, answer phone calls, listen to music, voice recognition means you can call anyone without even having to touch the phone if you're not next to it. It pauses the music when you put them round your neck and resumes when you put them back on your ears. Likewise if the phone is ringing and the headphones are on the table you just put them on and it answers as soon as they're on. It's f
king great and exactly what I needed on that front.
Noise cancelling is really good on call or with music. Less so without music/calls, but cuts out humming of pc fan or oven/cooking and the over ear pads seem to get rid of quite a lot of noise anyway.
Sound quality for music is good enough, I am not an audiophile and they sound pretty decent. Bargain for £130.
Range: Just been downstairs in the garage with them and left the phone upstairs, and they still stay connected which is impressive because normally even the phone loses signal there.
Bluetooth connectivity: Really easy with iphone. Was momentarily disappointed that I HAD to use the USB to connect to the laptop bluetooth, until I plugged the USB dongle in and it connected...instantly with no setup. The only bh about the dongle is that it means that the laptop won't fit in my bag without it being removed so I will have to be careful not to lose it. Also, it has a blue light on it which is quite glaring but I immediately dimmed this down with black permanent marker. Problem solved.
Very impressed, thanks for the recommendation. Looking forward to using in anger tomorrow!
After wearing them all evening (girlfriend is away so I haven't been ignoring her), initial impressions are excellent. I would say these massively exceed expectations.
I seem to be able to use the phone all over the house, with all functions, answer phone calls, listen to music, voice recognition means you can call anyone without even having to touch the phone if you're not next to it. It pauses the music when you put them round your neck and resumes when you put them back on your ears. Likewise if the phone is ringing and the headphones are on the table you just put them on and it answers as soon as they're on. It's f
king great and exactly what I needed on that front.Noise cancelling is really good on call or with music. Less so without music/calls, but cuts out humming of pc fan or oven/cooking and the over ear pads seem to get rid of quite a lot of noise anyway.
Sound quality for music is good enough, I am not an audiophile and they sound pretty decent. Bargain for £130.
Range: Just been downstairs in the garage with them and left the phone upstairs, and they still stay connected which is impressive because normally even the phone loses signal there.
Bluetooth connectivity: Really easy with iphone. Was momentarily disappointed that I HAD to use the USB to connect to the laptop bluetooth, until I plugged the USB dongle in and it connected...instantly with no setup. The only b
h about the dongle is that it means that the laptop won't fit in my bag without it being removed so I will have to be careful not to lose it. Also, it has a blue light on it which is quite glaring but I immediately dimmed this down with black permanent marker. Problem solved.Very impressed, thanks for the recommendation. Looking forward to using in anger tomorrow!
More for completeness I bought the QC35 after losing my previous QC25. Sods law I eventually found the QC25.
This means I had to come clean - now my wife has QC25 as a present. I'm a thoughtful husband.
The wireless soloution works well, but if you are using them on an airplane to listen to the planes video system, the QC25 actually sounds better, with a louder deeper volume.
This means I had to come clean - now my wife has QC25 as a present. I'm a thoughtful husband.
The wireless soloution works well, but if you are using them on an airplane to listen to the planes video system, the QC25 actually sounds better, with a louder deeper volume.
bulldong said:
I have just got home to the post box being full of the Amazon box of two Voyager Focus UC Headsets!
After wearing them all evening (girlfriend is away so I haven't been ignoring her), initial impressions are excellent. I would say these massively exceed expectations.
I seem to be able to use the phone all over the house, with all functions, answer phone calls, listen to music, voice recognition means you can call anyone without even having to touch the phone if you're not next to it. It pauses the music when you put them round your neck and resumes when you put them back on your ears. Likewise if the phone is ringing and the headphones are on the table you just put them on and it answers as soon as they're on. It's fking great and exactly what I needed on that front.
Noise cancelling is really good on call or with music. Less so without music/calls, but cuts out humming of pc fan or oven/cooking and the over ear pads seem to get rid of quite a lot of noise anyway.
Sound quality for music is good enough, I am not an audiophile and they sound pretty decent. Bargain for £130.
Range: Just been downstairs in the garage with them and left the phone upstairs, and they still stay connected which is impressive because normally even the phone loses signal there.
Bluetooth connectivity: Really easy with iphone. Was momentarily disappointed that I HAD to use the USB to connect to the laptop bluetooth, until I plugged the USB dongle in and it connected...instantly with no setup. The only bh about the dongle is that it means that the laptop won't fit in my bag without it being removed so I will have to be careful not to lose it. Also, it has a blue light on it which is quite glaring but I immediately dimmed this down with black permanent marker. Problem solved.
Very impressed, thanks for the recommendation. Looking forward to using in anger tomorrow!
Great to hear. Just an fyi I paired it other my Surface Pro 4 Bluetooth without dongle. Works fine but less features etc. After wearing them all evening (girlfriend is away so I haven't been ignoring her), initial impressions are excellent. I would say these massively exceed expectations.
I seem to be able to use the phone all over the house, with all functions, answer phone calls, listen to music, voice recognition means you can call anyone without even having to touch the phone if you're not next to it. It pauses the music when you put them round your neck and resumes when you put them back on your ears. Likewise if the phone is ringing and the headphones are on the table you just put them on and it answers as soon as they're on. It's f
king great and exactly what I needed on that front.Noise cancelling is really good on call or with music. Less so without music/calls, but cuts out humming of pc fan or oven/cooking and the over ear pads seem to get rid of quite a lot of noise anyway.
Sound quality for music is good enough, I am not an audiophile and they sound pretty decent. Bargain for £130.
Range: Just been downstairs in the garage with them and left the phone upstairs, and they still stay connected which is impressive because normally even the phone loses signal there.
Bluetooth connectivity: Really easy with iphone. Was momentarily disappointed that I HAD to use the USB to connect to the laptop bluetooth, until I plugged the USB dongle in and it connected...instantly with no setup. The only b
h about the dongle is that it means that the laptop won't fit in my bag without it being removed so I will have to be careful not to lose it. Also, it has a blue light on it which is quite glaring but I immediately dimmed this down with black permanent marker. Problem solved.Very impressed, thanks for the recommendation. Looking forward to using in anger tomorrow!
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