Bose's noise cancelling tech is quite effective at blocking ambient noise. This will help you fully enjoy the music with little to virtually no outside noise interfering.
Most full-sized, wireless over the ear headphones are quite heavy and bulky. The QC 35s on the other hand are relatively compact and light, yet still deliver great performance, battery life and top notch noise cancelling.
Despite having internal batteries, these headphones are still fairly lightweight, coming in at 235 grams. This makes the QC35 really easy to wear for extended periods and even while traveling.
Bose's noise cancelling tech is quite effective at blocking ambient noise. This will help you fully enjoy the music with little to virtually no outside noise interfering.
Bass is full and punchy. While the sub-bass is not pronounced, there is good and fast bass extension, and this is what gives the music punch and a sense of tightness.
The mids are full and slightly forward so vocals and guitars can be clearly heard.
The highs are clear and do not distort at high volumes. There is a peak on the upper treble which helps to add more detail and clarity to the music, but some may also find the high frequencies to be quite harsh at times.
You can easily control playlist functions using the buttons on the right ear cup. These functions include volume control as well as the play, pause, next track and previous track commands. The on/off switch for the headphones is also on this ear cup.
The QC 35's ear cups and headband feature quality memory foam material which are soft and supportive so they do not pinch on your ears or apply too much pressure to the top of the head. These contact points are also covered with a quality leather material which feels nice and smooth on the skin.
Multiple microphones are strategically located on both ear cups, allowing for great voice quality when taking calls. The noise cancelling also helps to clean up the voice quality that goes into the headphones.
Aside from Bluetooth connection, you can also connect the QuietComfort 35 to a source using a 3.5mm cable. This makes the headphones usable even with the battery depleted.
The sound tuning of these headphones is focused on the lower frequencies. The bass is quite powerful with good sub-bass extension. Users who listen to a lot of hip-hop, dance and bass-heavy music will certainly enjoy the oomph that these headphones can give. The mids sound natural and smooth, yet the lower regions of these frequencies can be overwhelmed by the powerful bass. The highs are crisp and clear though, which prevents the sound from getting too muddy.
Sennheiser offers the CapTune smartphone app which allows users to see the battery level of the headphones, adjust the headphones' EQ, and control other functions.
The Smart Pause feature detects if you are removing or putting on your headphones. These gestures will trigger the music to pause or play automatically.
Soft foam and leather are used in the interior and exterior of the ear pads respectively which makes them feel really soft and smooth on the head. The same material choices can be found in the headband.
When in wireless mode, you do not need to use buttons in order to control the functions of the headphones. The right ear cup lets you control the headphones through touch gestures. You can swipe left or right for next or previous track, swipe up or down to increase or decrease the volume or tap on the ear cup to pause or play track as well as answer or end calls.
These headphones are quite effective at preventing sound leakage, and also passively block out noise really well. This is achieved by the closed ear cup design along with the effective seal from the leather-surfaced ear pads.
You can twist the ear cups and then fold them into the headband for a smaller, more travel friendly size. In this state, it should take up a lot less space inside your bag for less hassle when used on the go.
You can set just how much noise is cancelled by the headphones, from maximum active noise cancelling, to an ambient mode which allows some sound into the headphones. You can also turn the feature off entirely.
The feature works really well in preventing outside noise from intruding into your music listening experience. Also, there are very little to no reports of a feeling of pressure in the ears when the feature is active.
The bass is impactful and controlled which works really well with most genres that are popular today. The mids are slightly forward at just the right levels, which ensures that the vocals can be clearly heard. The highs are emphasized and sound great with a lot of clarity and detail, especially on the upper registers.
The MDR 1000x's active noise cancelling is one of the best in the market today. With the mode activated, a significant amount of outside noise is blocked, allowing you to really enjoy your music with minimal distractions.
If you need to talk while using these, all you need to do is to cover the right ear cup with the palm of your hand. This activates Quick Attention mode which cuts off the music and amplifies voice for easy conversation. To get back to listening to music, all you need to do is to remove the palm from the ear cup.
Swiping or tapping on the right ear cup's surface can pause or play track, go to the next track or go back to the previous one and can control volume levels as well.
Users can set the feature to enabled or disabled, or set it to Ambient Sound which then offers 2 more options. Normal Mode allows some outside noise through, while Voice Mode allows voice frequencies through the noise cancelling.
These have great noise isolating properties and can block out a good amount of sound even with the noise cancelling off. The ear cups are closed back, the ear pads go over the ear and seal well, and this effectively minimizes sound leakage to and from the headphones.
This comes with a carrying case that is made from high quality materials. It should provide extra protection to the headphones against scratches and minor impacts, which are quite common when taking these while traveling.
If heavy headphones are not your thing, then these may not be for you. The use of quality yet hefty and the internal battery contributes to the overall weight. As such, these can put a little extra strain on the head and neck when worn for long periods.
The bass has good punch and control which works really well with most genres of music. The mids are slightly forward at just the right levels, which ensures that vocals can be clearly heard. The highs are emphasized and sound great with a lot of clarity and detail, especially on the upper registers.
Swiping or tapping on the right ear cup's surface can pause or play track, go to the next track or go back to the previous one and can control volume levels as well. Also, the right ear cup has more of a textured surface compared to the old MDR1000x model's smooth, leather-like surface. This makes gesture control much more accurate on the WH-1000XM2.
If you need to talk while using these, all you need to do is to cover the right ear cup with the palm of your hand. This activates Quick Attention mode which cuts off the music and amplifies voice for easy conversation. To get back to listening to music, all you need to do is to remove the palm from the ear cup.
Aside from just turning noise cancelling on or off, users can set it to Ambient Sound which offers 2 further options.Normal Mode allows some outside noise through, while Voice Mode allows voice frequencies through the noise cancelling.
The WH1000XM2 comes with a companion mobile app that allows you to easily tweak the various settings of the headphones including EQ and noise cancelling levels. The app can also take advantage of the accelerometers in your smartphone as you move, adjusting noise cancelling and audio settings on the fly to give you the optimal listening experience.
These have great noise isolating properties and can block out a good amount of sound even with the noise cancelling off. The ear cups are closed back, while the ear pads go over the ear and seal well, awhich effectively minimizes sound leakage to and from the headphones.
The WH-1000XM2's active noise cancelling is one of the best in the market today. With the mode activated, a significant amount of outside noise is blocked, allowing you to really enjoy your music with minimal distractions. The Bose QC 35 II slightly edges out the Sony in this aspect though.
The internal battery can last up to 30 hours of listening to music in wireless mode with noise cancelling on. This number goes up to 40 hours in wired mode with noise cancelling activated.
This comes with a carrying case that is made from high quality materials. It should provide extra protection to the headphones against scratches and minor impacts, which are quite common when taking these while traveling.
Most full-sized, wireless over the ear headphones are quite heavy and bulky. The QC 35 IIs on the other hand are relatively compact and light, yet still deliver great performance, battery life and top notch noise cancelling.
The integration of Google Assistant is also a first in headphones, and gives you a host of smart features like notification reading, quick music searches and call making using voice commands and many more.
Bose's noise cancelling tech is quite effective at blocking ambient noise. This will help you fully enjoy the music by virtually eliminating outside noise.
Bass is full and punchy. While the sub-bass is not pronounced, there is good and fast bass extension, and this is what gives the music punch and a sense of tightness.
The mids are full and slightly forward so vocals and guitars can be clearly heard.
The highs are clear and do not distort at high volumes. There is a peak on the upper treble which helps to add more detail and clarity to the music, but some may also find the high frequencies to be quite harsh at times.
These headphones are much more convenient to use and functional thanks to the Google Assistant upgrade. Press the long, flat button on the left ear cup to activate the feature, and you’ll be able to make voice commands to search for music, start calls, set reminders, get weather updates and many other features. This addition makes the QC 35 II one of the best travelling headphones you can get today.
Aside from Bluetooth connection, you can also connect the QuietComfort 35 II to a source using a 3.5mm cable. This makes the headphones usable even with the battery depleted.
You can easily control playlist functions using the buttons on the right ear cup. These functions include volume control as well as the play, pause, next track and previous track commands. The on/off switch for the headphones is also on this ear cup.
Multiple microphones are strategically located on both ear cups, allowing for great voice quality when taking calls. The noise cancelling also helps to clean up the voice quality that goes into the headphones.
Despite having internal batteries, these headphones are still fairly lightweight, coming in at under 300 grams. This makes the headphones really easy to wear for extended periods, even when you are on the go.
The QC 35 II's ear cups and headband feature quality memory foam material which are soft and supportive so they do not pinch on your ears or apply too much pressure to the top of the head. These contact points are also covered with a quality leather material which feels nice and smooth on the skin.