AKG K81 DJ vs Bose QuietComfort 35 II

Despite the compact size. the bass is full, has great impact, deep extension yet is not loose. The low end also has a natural quality to it that makes these headphones great for music that is performed using real instruments.
The mids are slightly recessed, but also have a natural tone. The highs are the most recessed or rolled-off, but the detail and airiness of the music is not totally absent. This quality helps give the sound a smooth and pleasing tonality.

The K81 can be used “DJ style”, wherein only one ear cup is in contact with the head. The cups have a smooth swivel action so they can be rotated to face outwards. A user can choose to hold one ear cup up to his or her ear while flipping switches or turning knobs on the mix board with the other hand.

While these are already quite compact, the ear cups can be folded into the headband to reduce their size even further. This makes them easy to stuff inside a bag and travel with.

The clamping force is not too much at all, so acceptable levels of pressure will be applied on the ears. Also, the ear pads are thick with ample pleather padding on the surface. This combination provides adequate cushioning between the ear cups and sides of the head.

The aluminum headband itself has some good flex. Combined with the sliding mechanism of the ear cups, K81 can be adjusted to fit a wide range of head sizes. Also notable are the numbered steps on each side of the headband, which allow for accurate and consistent ear cup positioning.

Although it's mostly made of plastic, the materials don't feel cheap at all. Aside from feeling sturdy, the plastics have a smooth rubber coating which makes them feel premium to the touch. Also, the headband is made out of aluminum which is significantly more durable than an all plastic one.

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.

The QC35 IIs can play music continuously for up to 20 hours. This should cover most of your trips' duration before needing to recharge.

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.

You can simply press a button on the right ear-cup to answer a call. This reduces the hassle of having to remove the headphones to take a call.

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.

With these, you won't have to deal with long and dangling cables that can be difficult to manage.