Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series I) Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling - Silver

The Bose QC 35 headphones are a tour de force in headphone technology. They incorporate Bluetooth wireless, microphones, noise cancellation, comfortable cushioning and over-the-ear isolation, and on top of all that, they talk to you!When you turn the device on, it reports its battery state and what devices are currently active. You can pair it with numerous devices but it will only play audio from one device at a time. It has some kind of built-in logic to allow your phone to interrupt another device. For example, if you are listening to music on your laptop which is paired to the phones, they will switch to your phone if a call is coming in. (You can ignore a call by pressing and holding the "Multi-function" button on the headset, situated between the up- and down-volume buttons.To turn on the headset, slide the power button to the central position. To put the headset into Bluetooth pairing mode, push the power button all the way to the right (it will spring back). The headset will then report to which devices it is currently connected.I've already brought the QC35 on a couple of plane trips, and it has performed quite well, muting the dull roar of the engines down to almost complete silence. It's the only way to really enjoy a video or music on a flight without jacking up the volume to harmful levels in your ears. Now that the FAA has relaxed the electronics-off rules, you can leave this device turned on the entire flight, from take-off to landing.Phone calls work well with the QC35; just put them on and pair once with your phone, and you are good to go. Once your call is under way, you can put your phone back in your pocket where it belongs, and talk wirelessly. It's also handy for playing games quietly on your phone or tablet. I enjoy watching Youtube or streaming movies in bed at night and this headset is comfortable for lying on a pillow, not true of all headphones.Bose provides a free mobile app for both Android and Apple devices that lets you set some preferences on the headset, such as turning off the talking feature and enabling/disabling some paired devices. It's handy if you wish for example to force the headset to ignore a device such as a laptop that's emitting audio and make it instead work only with your phone. When a paired device emits audio, the Bose QC35 automatically makes it the active device on the list, which you usually want, but not always.Back when I was working in a noisy office, I found noise canceling headphones very helpful for blocking out the world so I could concentrate. Working from home, with a noisy family in the background, I find them equally useful. They are so good that you literally might not hear someone addressing you until they tap you on the shoulder. You might not hear the microwave beeping that it's done. A phone call might be missed, unless your headset is connected to the phone. You might not hear the doorbell.The battery seems to last a very long time; I haven't done a drainage test but they are rated 20 hours and I have yet to get them down below 60%. They charge up quickly on a typical micro-USB charger and you can take them on a pretty long plane ride and not worry about needing to recharge. Your phone will die a lot sooner than these headphones. They will work without battery charge, by the way, if you use the included cable, though of course you don't get the noise cancellation.Note by the way that the battery is not user-serviceable. In other words, you can't change the battery, which distinguishes this model from the previous Bose QC 25 headset; that model runs on one AAA alkaline battery that lasts 35 hours, then requires replacement. It's a tradeoff that some may find unacceptable if they need the noise cancellation for long hours out in the field. If you routinely fly New York to Australia, for example, you're possibly going to prefer the QC25 to the QC35 because you can easily carry a few spare AAA's. On the other hand, you can also get an external phone charger battery that will top off your QC35 and still have enough juice to recharge your phone and other peripherals on a long flight.The kit comes with a stereo cable to connect directly to a phone or other audio source. I have yet to use it. Bluetooth is ubiquitous today and if you have an audio device that lacks Bluetooth capability, you can add it by purchasing an inexpensive Bluetooth transmitter for around $20 and plugging it into the audio device's stereo headphone jack. I'm planning to get one for the digital piano in the living room, to get away from having a wire dragging off my head while practicing late at night.Bose doesn't really have a monopoly anymore on sound cancellation; good noice cancelling headsets are made by many other top manufacturers such as Sony, Sennheiser, Bohm, AKG, and a host of Chinese knockoffs that range from OK-ish to very good, often for a fraction of the price. But Bose is still the state of the art in high end noise cancellation.

I am a professional musician who does a fair amount of travel. My main considerations in choosing a pair of headphones were sound quality & noise cancellation. I tested the Bose, Sennheiser, & Sony — paying particular attention to those two parameters. Here is what I found:N O I S E C A N C E L L A T I O NBOSE: These have the best noise cancellation by far. One of the tests I did was to turn on a vacuum cleaner beside me and listen to the differences. Bose’s ability to cancel the sound is quite amazing. All that was left was a whisper. I also turned on the dryer in an adjoining room. With the Bose, all that I heard was the click of the buttons on the drum.SENN: The Senns do a pretty good job of canceling sound. What’s left from the vacuum test contains more mid-range noise than with the Bose. The annoyance factor is cut way down, but Sennheiser is clearly not trying to equal Bose in this regard. With the dryer test, I could still hear the machine, though greatly reduced, and the quiet sound of the clothes.SONY: The Sonys are about equal to the Senns in the vacuum test, but the spectrum of what’s left is different: Whereas the Senns let pass a fairly neutral midrange, the Sonys pass a smaller spectrum focused in the high-midrange. They bested the Senns in the dryer test, almost equalling the Bose: Most of the machine sound was gone, but more of the upper-mid sounds of the clothes remained.VERDICT: For cancellation the Bose are the clear winners. The Senns are the weakest in this regard, and the Sonys about in between. One thing must be noted here: Only the Sonys have the capability of running Bluetooth without NC. This is an advantage in that NC causes a slight amount of hiss — and the Sony’s hiss is just slightly more apparent than that of the other two to these old ears. Turning off NC does not otherwise affect the sound.S O U N D Q U A L I T YBOSE: Of the three, the Bose offer the least pleasing sound — which is not to say that it’s bad. The sound is very clear and tight, but it’s also kind of brittle — a little too pristine and bright. In passive wired mode, this effect is mitigated and the sound is somewhat warmer.SENN: Here is where the Sennheisers excel. Of the three, these sound the most like an audiophile headset. Whereas the other two tend to flatten the sound, the Senns have a lovely transparency. They have the richest spectrum, such that you can really hear the subtle raspy timbre of a voice or the expressive nuance of a bass tone. The sound is even slightly more luscious in passive wired mode.SONY: The Sonys fall about in the middle between the two, although this may be a matter of taste. They offer a truly beautiful, warm sound — clear like the Bose but without the brittleness; warm like the Senns but with less detail. In passive wired mode, the tendency toward a bass-forward EQ is accentuated.VERDICT: If sound quality is the most important factor, then the Bose are not in the running as far as Bluetooth performance is concerned: the other two are a significant notch above. Those who prefer a transparent, detailed sound will prefer the Senns. Those who prefer a warm, focused, bass-forward sound will prefer the Sonys. If wired mode will be a significant use, then the Bose can be considered at least in the same league, with the Senns setting the standard.L O O K & F E E LBOSE: A nice feature is the pivoting earpieces, which make them the most comfortable to hang around the neck. These headphones put the least pressure on the head, and the pads are very comfortable. All controls are on the right ear. The on/off/pair button is well-designed and satisfying. The Silicon-Valley Generic voice gives a percentage of charge on boot-up.SENN: These have a kind of vintage look to them. They offer a bit more pressure on the head than do the Bose, but the leather pads are luxurious. The volume/pause/skip button is an elegant design feature. The voice on boot-up does not give a charge percentage, but the lovely British accent almost makes up for it.SONY: These are some sharp-looking pieces! I got the teal-colored ones and they’re stunning. Pause/skip and volume are nicely separated on the right side, with on/off/pair on the left. They provide the most pressure on the head, with nicely-finished pads. The boot-up voice gives a high/medium/low accounting of charge. While not as sensuous as the Senn’s Brit, the Sony’s Midwest Professional voice is more refined than the Bose’s.VERDICT: The Bose are the most comfortable, the Senns have the most elegant volume/pause/skip control, and the Sonys are by far most fun as a fashion accessory.S U M M A R YThese are all well-designed headphones. Not one of them is better in every way; rather each offers a solution that makes different trade-offs. The Bose favor NC. The Senns favor sound quality. The Sonys offer a kind of compromise between these two, while adding the NC-off option and a fashion-forward look. You can’t go wrong with any of them, but the optimum choice will depend on the user’s priorities.S P E C I A L N O T E T O M U S I C I A N SThe third test I did was to play soprano & tenor saxophone with NC on and no incoming audio, as one of my intended uses is to cut a few dBs off the volume while practicing. All three headsets function better in this regard than do custom in-ear passive hearing protectors, as the ear canal is not blocked. The Senns let through the most natural sound by far. The Sonys are a slightly better at reducing the highs, but the resulting sound is a bit hard-edged. The Bose cut down the overall dBs the most, but the result is a downright tinny sound.