Sennheiser HD 598 SR vs Bose QuietComfort 20

The large ear pads feature a velour surface and a soft foam material underneath. The comfort of the headband is also notable. It features a synthetic leather material with a thick foam inside. In combination, these cushioned parts feel like pillows on the head.

These headphones are in a price range that is quite affordable, yet offers sound and build quality that is beyond the standards in its price bracket.

The bass takes a bit of a back seat compared to the other frequencies, yet is still enough to give fullness and punch to the sound. The mids are the star of these headphones' sound signature. They are clear and a little bit forward, which give a lot of extra detail and presence to guitars and vocals. The highs are pretty crisp and clean, and complement the other frequencies really well.

Even for open back headphones, the soundstage that the HD 598 produces is amazing. It is quite wide yet natural at the same time, which makes it feel like you're listening to the artist perform in front of you live. This wide sound stage and great imaging also make these ideal for games and movies, as these can enhance audio immersion.

This makes the headphones quite easy to store, and the cable easy to replace. Also, the attachment mechanism is a twist to lock system which minimizes the chances of the cable getting disconnected while in use.

These headphones are ideal for long flights. In addition to having overall impressive noise-cancelling (-33dB across all frequencies on some tests), these headphones excel when you need to cancel out low frequencies like jet engine sounds (-45dB).

The headphones stay comfortably in your ear. They don't always offer a complete seal but surprisingly, this doesn't affect noise cancellation or reduce comfort. Also included are 3 sizes of eartips to help better fit your ear. Note that these tips have a unique design so you won't be able to use aftermarket tips.

These headphones have a 2.5 ft cord that's split chest high with a control module near the jack. It does a good job of not getting too tangled.

The pouch will make it much easier to bring the headphones and its accessories on the go.

You can disable active noise canceling at a press of a button. Aware Mode can be quickly accessed from the remote, which will disable active noise-cancelling and open up the microphones to allow you to hear your surroundings better.

LEDs on the control module will let you know when this mode is turned on.

These QC20 has a lithium-ion battery that promises to work for 500 charge cycles without diminished returns. After that it will still work, but won't last as long.

Note that the battery is non-replaceable so when it finally does stop working, you will need to buy a new pair of headphones.

These headphones come in 2 flavors:

• QC20 that includes a 1-button remote intended for Android users
• QC20i that includes a 3-button remote intended for iOS users