Bluetooth headphones with volume control - Bose?

[Watchman]

I fancy a set of Bose headphones, the QuietComfort 35 ii type. I've tried a colleague's and they're definitely what I'm after.

I wish to use them for music and calls (I often work in data centres where it's particularly noisy), both hooked up to my phone but in addition I will use them for listening to TV at night at home when my family have gone to sleep. And this is where I need advice...

My TV doesn't have a Bluetooth transmitter, so I bought one that takes its feed from the TV optical out. It has zero hiss and is very good quality but there is no volume control on the TV for the optical out and it doesn't seem to accept volume commands from my test Bluetooth headphones (I haven't bought the Bose yet - I want to make sure this can work first).

If either the transmitter doesn't receive instructions to lower the volume or doesn't pass on that command to the TV, I need the Bose headphones to have a "local" volume control and not rely on passing that instruction to the transmitter.

Anyone know if this will work?

[gregs656]

It won't work with the Bose ones.

I've had a bunch of bluetooth ANC headphones and the only ones I can think of that had a local volume control were the Lindy BNX-60.

They remain What HiFis best ANC headphones on a budget - https://www.whathifi.com/us/lindy/bnx-60/review

https://www.amazon.co.uk/LINDY-BNX-60-Bluetooth-Ca...

An altnernative which I think would be preferable is to buy a bluetooth adapter that uses the 3.5mm jack on your TV. Then you could use the normal TV volume - something like this -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-Transmitter-Ult...

Edited by gregs656 on Tuesday 17th September 15:27

[Watchman]

Thanks. This one I've bought does allow for a conventional audio input too but I wanted to use it with the TOSLink for quality reasons. It's just a shame that it doesn't seem to respond to volume commands like a phone does.

However, before I give up on the idea, I will try it with a different set of headphones. It's possible my test setup was insufficient.

[eliot]

bose nc headphones are ace - wait to you take them on an airplane. I buy the qc35 first gen ones of ebay.

eta; i work in datacentres sometimes too - i use them as electronic ear defenders. I also wear them in open plan offices (even with no music) when you have some gobby pillock going on.

Edited by eliot on Tuesday 17th September 22:46

[gregs656]

Watchman said:

Thanks. This one I've bought does allow for a conventional audio input too but I wanted to use it with the TOSLink for quality reasons. It's just a shame that it doesn't seem to respond to volume commands like a phone does.

However, before I give up on the idea, I will try it with a different set of headphones. It's possible my test setup was insufficient.

It won’t work. It’s not a problem with the headphones it is a function of the setup you have - even if you did an optical out to a set of speakers the tv volume wouldn’t respond.

I am sceptical you will notice a difference with the 3.5mm output but you will retain the ability to use your tv volume control.

[Watchman]

eliot said:

bose nc headphones are ace - wait to you take them on an airplane. I buy the qc35 first gen ones of ebay.

eta; i work in datacentres sometimes too - i use them as electronic ear defenders. I also wear them in open plan offices (even with no music) when you have some gobby pillock going on.

Edited by eliot on Tuesday 17th September 22:46

I've noticed more and more people wearing them in our office. It's not a loud office on the whole but the isolation these (and the Sony MX headphones) provide, give you plenty of opportunities to concentrate without distraction.

[Watchman]

gregs656 said:

Watchman said:

Thanks. This one I've bought does allow for a conventional audio input too but I wanted to use it with the TOSLink for quality reasons. It's just a shame that it doesn't seem to respond to volume commands like a phone does.

However, before I give up on the idea, I will try it with a different set of headphones. It's possible my test setup was insufficient.

It won’t work. It’s not a problem with the headphones it is a function of the setup you have - even if you did an optical out to a set of speakers the tv volume wouldn’t respond.

I am sceptical you will notice a difference with the 3.5mm output but you will retain the ability to use your tv volume control.

It's a dual Bluetooth device which plays on you being able to connect two separate devices to it, and have them at different volumes. Bluetooth headphones connected to your phone works by having a two-way Bluetooth connection so that your headphones volume control influences the phone, rather than having some physical attenuator in the headphones themselves. However, there might be a physical attenuator in some headphones too, I suppose.

I believe you're right in that using the TOSLink connector means I won't be able to influence the TV optical signal output to this transmitter, but I am hopeful that the Bluetooth transmitter itself might have some volume control. Otherwise, the only way this would work is if the headphone volume controls only attenuate the headphones amplifier volume. However, the chap with the Sony headphones in the office reckons when he changes his volume on his headphones, his phone shows the volume being changed accordingly. I'd assume the Bose works in the same manner (the chap who has these in the office is on holiday until Monday, so I can't check).

Using the TV headphone socket as an input source would definitely allow for me to change the volume but it would change both pairs of headphones. I had hoped to have independent control over them, as this transmitter's marketing suggests is possible.

The transmitter is this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01INC75QS/ref...


Since writing my OP, I have a borrowed a couple of different Bluetooth headphones so I'll experiment over the next couple of evenings. Thanks everyone for your comments - all useful information.

[gregs656]

Watchman said:

I believe you're right in that using the TOSLink connector means I won't be able to influence the TV optical signal output to this transmitter, but I am hopeful that the Bluetooth transmitter itself might have some volume control.

It won't.

What you're describing is not going to work unless you buy a pair of headphones like the ones I linked to above which can control the headphone volume independently of the source - I suspect the 'August' headphones are capable of that - but the Bose headphones won't be.

[S100HP]

I've a set of the sound sport free and they have volume control. Not sure they're what you're after?

[eliot]

yes the bose headphones moves the sound level slider up and down on your device (ios and android for me) when you adjust them at the headphones.

[Watchman]

Hi all,

Thanks again for your comments.

I had opportunity to test this today with a pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones, and I'm pleased to say they operated exactly as I hoped they would.

First, when paired with a phone, we showed that the headphones controlled the phone's volume output, which means the headphones do not attenuate the volume "locally".

Then, when paired to my August MR270 dual Bluetooth transmitter, the headphones were able to control the volume exactly as they had when paired to the phone.

So, a pair of Bose QuietComfort headphones is now on my Christmas list.

[gregs656]

Which volume are they controlling?

If the Sonys work I would get them. They are a better package than the Bose ones.

[Watchman]

They are controlling the volume of the Bluetooth transmitter.

I liked the Sony headphones and I like the Bose. In general I think the Sonys are better for music but the Bose noise cancellation in loud environments when using them for phone calls is better. That's the primary use I want them for, so that's how I'll buy. Comparing them is difficult really - they are both totally excellent.

They are both £260 on Amazon at the mo.

[eliot]

I’ve bought all my bose headphones 2nd hand of ebay.
The first gen qc35’s will do what you need perfectly:
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

[Watchman]

Nice. Thanks for that. I actually need two pairs so this is a great cost saving. Thanks.