Bose Qc35 QuietComfort 35 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black)

The best over-ear noice cancelling headphone I could ask for. I bought this for the noise cancelling ability and I have been amazed by the quality of it. The headphones are super comfortable to wear, and can reduce about 80-90% noise. This allows me to play music at a low volume level, or none in order to work in an office. There is no question about the sound quality because it's Bose. I've used this for over 5 years and the battery is still up to my expectations. And did I mention Bose customer service is great too?

After the Bose NC 700's came out, I thought Bose would go in a new direction with their headphones. However, the Bose QC35’s proved to be such a cult classic that I ended up caving in. Seeing summer is in full throttle, many people will be going on vacation. For the most part, that means traveling for extended periods. The right earphones can make a long plane or train ride much more enjoyable. My first impression when I picked up the headphones was wow! I am amazed at how light they are. Its body is mainly made of metal. The articulation points twist and bend so smoothly. It has a very well-padded headband that bends without any problems. Even after extended listening sessions, the leather ear cups keep cool due to the soft padding. In addition, I like how the ... MoreAfter the Bose NC 700's came out, I thought Bose would go in a new direction with their headphones. However, the Bose QC35’s proved to be such a cult classic that I ended up caving in. Seeing summer is in full throttle, many people will be going on vacation. For the most part, that means traveling for extended periods. The right earphones can make a long plane or train ride much more enjoyable. My first impression when I picked up the headphones was wow! I am amazed at how light they are. Its body is mainly made of metal. The articulation points twist and bend so smoothly. It has a very well-padded headband that bends without any problems. Even after extended listening sessions, the leather ear cups keep cool due to the soft padding. In addition, I like how the inside of the ear cups has a large L and R so that you can always put these earphones on correctly. The earphones are over-the-ear and highly comfortable. Due to the lightweight, flexible headband, soft ear cups, and the fact that they don't crush your ears, there is no irritation or overheating after prolonged use. On the right ear cup, you can adjust the volume, control music playback, pause and play your music, accept and end calls, and even activate Siri. Additionally, they are very tactile and effortless to distinguish—my favorite pair of headphones by far. FYI: The Bose QC35s are not water or sweat-resistant. If you're going for a short run, the headphones should be fine, but don't push them too hard. The Bose SoundSport Free wireless earbuds are better suited for vigorous workouts. Bose provides a one-year limited warranty for the QC35s, but since there is no official rating for water or sweat resistance, the warranty does not cover those damages.

These headphones do their job very well. I use them through workouts, walking around town running errands, and yapping on the phone at home making calls. They stay on my head during cardio, and are able to block out the annoyances of everyday life. They’ve lasted for years and I would buy them again in a heartbeat. A feature I really like is that when I am making a phone call with the noise canceling function on, I can still hear my surroundings. The only downsides I can think of is because the headphones are in such close contact with your skin, I have developed very small amounts of acne after intense workouts right in front of my ears. Also, when on the subway it doesn’t block out the noise too well, but to be fair the trains are extremely loud.

Very good overall

I got these as a present from family about a week ago and I've easily listened to 20 hours plus over YouTube, films and obviously a large chunk of music.When I first received these, the packing was extremely high quality and showed a lot of promise within the headphones, and the first impressions were good. When I first took them out, I thought they looked good and felt very strong and durable with the plastic being a good protector against scratches and scrapes. Although the plastic is a good protector of the headphones, they didn't look as good as other rivals in this price category, such as the Beats Studios, with their metal finish and gloss, I thought that maybe Bose could try that one day as it does look better with the gloss metal.Moving on to the ... MoreI got these as a present from family about a week ago and I've easily listened to 20 hours plus over YouTube, films and obviously a large chunk of music.When I first received these, the packing was extremely high quality and showed a lot of promise within the headphones, and the first impressions were good. When I first took them out, I thought they looked good and felt very strong and durable with the plastic being a good protector against scratches and scrapes. Although the plastic is a good protector of the headphones, they didn't look as good as other rivals in this price category, such as the Beats Studios, with their metal finish and gloss, I thought that maybe Bose could try that one day as it does look better with the gloss metal.Moving on to the usability, they were exceptional, but did have a few issues. The headphones connected to my phone very easily and within a matter of seconds, it was done and music was playing. But however, on my laptop, the Bluetooth system isn't as great, it failed to connect at all in which meant I had to use the aux cord, in which is very short or felt short, but overall, the added aux cord is a fantastic feature to have, easy connections to the jack, but I would prefer a longer cable, other than that, it's virtually perfect.Another thing I found with the usability of the QC35, was that after around 30 minutes of usage, the top of my head where the headphones rested began to hurt a little, but only a small amount, not sure if that's just from my head shape, but it hurt only a small amount. But the comfort overall of the headphones are high quality and better than most manufacturers, perfectly fitting around the ears and with a snug fit.Another thing I have noticed is the battery performance, and the first word that comes to find is sensational. It's incredible, it lasts a long time and really is brilliant, if the charging phase was faster, then they would be brilliant, but overall, I would say the battery is best in this price category and higher than this price range. It's simply brilliant.The noise cancellation on these earphones are quite simply phenomenal, the active noise cancelling works fantastically, and yes, there is a small high pitch noise, but when you have something playing, you can't hear it at all.Now, to the sound, as always with Bose and their most 'superior' headphones, they have their electronic system in which changes the tones, bass and many more sound qualitys. Again, for this price range, they are fantastic with the system, but one thing I have noticed is that it overpowers the high end pitch and drowns out the low end too much so the bass can be fairly small if there is a high pitch instrument or vocal within the music, then the high pitch is slightly overpowering.The sound quality overall is incredible, again, against Beats, these headphones are fantastic, they have the sound quality over Beats by a long way, the only thing I would say is to balance out the high pitch with the low pitch and maybe have a gloss design with maybe metal inputs, and I believe they could have the mix for the perfect headphones, they're very near getting the best that I believe they can achieve, just a few tweaks and then they'll be fantastic, I would recommend this product if you are going on multiple long journeys and listening to music casually and not using it for professional purposes.

[Rewarded Review] Awesome Headphones with Amazing Noise Cancelling

I love these headphones. They're extremely light and comfortable, the sound quality is great wired and wireless, and the noise-cancelling is second to none. If you're someone who flies or commutes frequently I don't think you could do better than these.The contents of the box are pretty simple. You get the headphones, a nice a hard shell carrying case, a 3.5mm audio cable for wired listening, and a short Micro-USB cable for charging. The headphones themselves feel very lightweight, yet durable at the same time and the ear cups twist and fold into a nice compact space.There are 4 buttons on the headphones; volume up, volume down, the play/pause multi-function button, and the Google Assistant button. They all have a nice click feel and are raised and separated ... MoreI love these headphones. They're extremely light and comfortable, the sound quality is great wired and wireless, and the noise-cancelling is second to none. If you're someone who flies or commutes frequently I don't think you could do better than these.The contents of the box are pretty simple. You get the headphones, a nice a hard shell carrying case, a 3.5mm audio cable for wired listening, and a short Micro-USB cable for charging. The headphones themselves feel very lightweight, yet durable at the same time and the ear cups twist and fold into a nice compact space.There are 4 buttons on the headphones; volume up, volume down, the play/pause multi-function button, and the Google Assistant button. They all have a nice click feel and are raised and separated enough to make it easy to find without looking. The Google Assistant button is the new addition to the QC35 II - as far as I've read everything else about them is the same as original iteration of the QC35. Connection and setup was very simple with the Bose Connect app and it lets you control the noise cancellation, change a few settings, update the firmware, and name your headphones. Bose has a fun random name generator built into the app - hence my headphones are now named 'Deep Space Fine'.I had the opportunity to wear these on a 2 hour flight from Oregon to California. The noise cancelling along with the music and movies I was playing completely blocked out the sounds of the plane, including a crying baby. The sound is very clear and balanced with both movies and music - there's a good amount bass, but it doesn't overpower the rest of the sound. My experience with other noise-cancelling headphones has been that turning on the noise cancelling muddies the sound ever so slightly, but I can honestly say with these that I can't tell the difference. They remained comfortable for the entire flight as well and I never felt the need to take them off. The battery life is quoted at 20 hours and I did not see the battery level drop much at all in the 2 hours I had them on.I was intrigued by the Google Assistant button, which can also be reprogrammed to control the noise cancelling. Generally with most Bluetooth headphones you can use the play/pause button activate Siri or Google Assistant or whatever you have, so adding an extra button just for Google Assistant seemed a little redundant to me. I use an iPhone, but I prefer Google Assistant, so I was interested to see how it would work. You need to go into the Assistant app and link the headphones, but after that it's good to go. Holding the play/pause button for Siri, it usually takes a few seconds for Siri to activate via the Bluetooth connection, but the Google Assistant button is sort of like a walkie talkie where you hold the button down and speak your command. The response and acknowledgement is almost instant. They really do have Google Assistant onboard, but as I understand it pulls most of the data for its answers through your phone. Ironically, I couldn't use the Google Assistant on the headphones to listen to Google Play Music, but that could just be a limitation of iOS.

[Rewarded Review] Excellent sound quality, not so intuitive controls

Bose has long been a leader in the world of sound and has yet another winner on its hands with its newest Quiet Comfort 35 series II wireless headphones.These are the gold standard of headphones, with amazingly clean highs and a nice balance of bass and mid-range frequencies. Add to that a very solid build, well thought out ergonomics on the controls and one of the most comfortable design of any closed-ear headphone and you are hard pressed to find much to complain about.OK. Maybe one little quibble. The annoying tendency of almost every product made these days to require an app for setup and instructions. These headphones are no exception although truthfully, most of the functionality does not require the app. Unfortunately, since it comes with zero instructions, ... MoreBose has long been a leader in the world of sound and has yet another winner on its hands with its newest Quiet Comfort 35 series II wireless headphones.These are the gold standard of headphones, with amazingly clean highs and a nice balance of bass and mid-range frequencies. Add to that a very solid build, well thought out ergonomics on the controls and one of the most comfortable design of any closed-ear headphone and you are hard pressed to find much to complain about.OK. Maybe one little quibble. The annoying tendency of almost every product made these days to require an app for setup and instructions. These headphones are no exception although truthfully, most of the functionality does not require the app. Unfortunately, since it comes with zero instructions, other than how to turn it on, you MUST download the app just to figure out how everything works.There are a few things that are not entirely intuitive, like an "action" button on the left side that can either control the level of noise cancelation -- off, low or high -- or allow voice interaction with Google Assistant. You still have to launch that yourself with your smartphone but it does work. Built in voice prompts on the action button are a nice touch but do not tell the entire story.There's also a multifunction button between the up and down volume toggles that does different things depending on how often you tap it or how long you hold it down. That would be things like pausing songs, skipping them and answering or rejecting phone calls.More importantly, the bluetooth pairing is far from intuitive, requiring a special sequence of steps if you are pairing with more than one device. Geez. Just provide some printed instructions for crying out loud.Overall, however, this is a very nice package. The headphone build seems very good, with one side foldable so it can fit in the included hard-side carrying case. It's quite nice, padded and zippable to provide protection while traveling.A very short USB charging cable is included and probably best used with a regular USB phone charger (you have to provide your own), since charging from a USB port on a computer is hit or miss. Unlike nearly everyone else these days, Bose is still using the the standard old micro USB connection on the headphone instead of the new USB C so any old phone charging cables you have laying around would work.Charging time is about 2 and a half hours and Bose said that will keep the headphones running for about 20 hours. Not bad. You can get 40 hours if you use a wired instead of a wireless connection.Bose products are never cheap but if you can afford it, this is a good way to go when it comes to headphones.

[Rewarded Review] Fantastic headphones for both music & gaming.

= Summary =The Bose QC35 Series II Gaming Headset delivers the goods. It has a simple yet stylish design, it's light and comfortable, the out-of-the-box sound quality is head and shoulders above most competitors, its ANC technology works well and seamlessly, and its gamer-centric additions make gaming more enjoyable. Some aspects of the headphones, unfortunately, are still stuck in the past, such as the micro-USB charging port, use of the older Bluetooth 4.2 protocol, and the inability to use the add-on microphone when making phone calls. If Bose had implemented noise cancellation for the outgoing voice as well, then the QC35 Series Gaming Headset would've become my ultimate headset for both gaming, music listening, and phone calls. With that said, it's still a ... More= Summary =The Bose QC35 Series II Gaming Headset delivers the goods. It has a simple yet stylish design, it's light and comfortable, the out-of-the-box sound quality is head and shoulders above most competitors, its ANC technology works well and seamlessly, and its gamer-centric additions make gaming more enjoyable. Some aspects of the headphones, unfortunately, are still stuck in the past, such as the micro-USB charging port, use of the older Bluetooth 4.2 protocol, and the inability to use the add-on microphone when making phone calls. If Bose had implemented noise cancellation for the outgoing voice as well, then the QC35 Series Gaming Headset would've become my ultimate headset for both gaming, music listening, and phone calls. With that said, it's still a very solid package that will make most people very happy with its excellent audio fidelity and ease of use._____*Pros:-Excellent ANC for both gaming and music listening sessions.-Delivers excellent bass and a wide soundstage.-The hockey puck-shaped PC desktop controller rotates smoothly (volume control) and offers multiple levels of mic monitoring.-Light and comfortable to wear for hours on end.-Folds down neatly into the case.-Long-lasting battery.-Google Assistant worked perfectly._____*Neutral:-Charges up via micro-USB and not USB-C.-Uses Bluetooth 4.2 and not the latest 5.0 standard.-The noise-rejecting mic didn't work that well.-It's on the expensive side for older ANC technology._____*Cons:-Can't use the attachable microphone with Bluetooth phone calling at the same time (only VOIP).= Design & Comfort =The Bose QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headset, which has an identical design to the original QC 35 II from 2017, is just as stylish, light, and comfortable as I remember it. Although I've parted ways with the original QC35 II and replaced it with a Sony 1000XM3 as my go-to headset, there were days when I missed the simplicity of the QC35 II and how well-balanced it was.Now that I have a QC 35 II again (the Gaming Headset edition), my respect and adoration of Bose's solid build quality, intuitive button layout, and easy control have resurfaced. At just 8.3 oz, the headset is light, very well-padded, and offer long-term comfort. Even without ANC turned on, the earmuffs offer excellent passive noise cancellation and never caused any ear soreness or achiness. It folds down easily into a compact form-factor that slots into the case with no fuss or frustration. The button layout is intuitive, button presses are tactile and responsive, and just the right amount of padding is found everywhere where your head makes contact with the headset. The QC 35 II was always an ergonomic win and I'm glad Bose didn't mess with the formula.If you spend hours every day listening to music or playing games, the QC 35 II Gaming Headset is your faithful and ideal companion. Speaking of gaming, the removable gaming microphone that only adds 1 ounce to the total weight, is a great accessory I found to be very useful. The flexible stalk can be easily adjusted to your preference and it's nice and thick, promising long-term durability. The boom microphone simply snaps onto the left earmuff and to take it off, you just have to pull back on the tab and yank it straight down. Simple stuff.The same can be said about the hockey puck-shaped module Bose refers to as the PC Desktop Controller. The large rotating knob actuates with nary a sound and moves about like it's completely slathered in high-quality grease with no wobbles or scratchy resistance. The Mic Monitoring button, which is big and slightly recessed in, can be pressed anytime to cycle through three levels of voice volume control (low, medium, and high), emitting beep sounds that correspond to each level (2 beeps for Medium, 3 beeps for High).At just $30 over the original QC 35 II, the QC 35 II Gaming Headset is totally worth the extra coin to get the excellent microphone and desktop controller.= Audio Quality & Noise Cancellation =The ANC technology found inside the QC 35 II Gaming Headset (GH) may be 3-years-old now and ecliped by Bose's own 700 headset, but it's still no slouch and quite a performer. When the ANC level is set to High, pretty much all of the background noises magically disappear and you feel like you're inside a quiet room all by yourself so you can just focus on and enjoy your music or game. You'll no longer get bothered by car traffic sounds, neighbor's barking dogs, gardeners working their power tools, and kids crying. :DHaving quality ANC is all good but it wouldn't matter if the audio quality was mediocre. Fortunately, you don't have to worry about that at all since the out-of-the-box tuning from Bose delivers an excellent aural experience that still can't be matched by most competing brands. From bass-heavy to full-range songs, such as Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, the QC 35 II GH performs like a champ. Even the deep and low rumbling bass that is difficult to capture in lesser headsets in such a compact form-factor is executed superbly by the QC 35 II GH.One aspect that did disappoint me was the lack of progress when it comes to noise filtering when making Bluetooth phone calls. Although the headset does an excellent job filtering out background noise and preventing it from reaching me, it doesn't do as good a job when filtering out the noise for the caller on the other end. They were able to hear pretty much all the noises around me as I talked to them, such as the toilet flushing, my wifey and daughter talking to me, and the clicking sound of my lighter as I used it to light my cigarette.Using the removable microphone when doing VOIP calls (because Bluetooth gets shut off when the microphone is attached) made no difference for the other person. Although Bose claims the microphone utilizes "noise-rejecting" technology, my callers certainly didn't feel that way and neither did my gamer friends during heated CS:GO sessions. They could hear all of my sniffles and smacking of my lips as I sat in my chair trying to mow down the terrorists on the other team. XD Hopefully, Bose will release a firmware update in the future that will enhance the potential of the microphone.= Other nitpicks =Since 2020 is a crazy and wild year and it has been 3 YEARS since the release of the original QC 35 II, I feel like nitpicking about a few things. First, I wish Bose had changed the charging port to USB-C instead of keeping it micro-USB. With the exception of most of my bicycle and e-scooter lighting accessories, most of my gadgets are now USB-C-based and it's annoying now to use a micro-USB cable to charge my headphone.Second, I wish Bose had upgraded the Bluetooth protocol to 5.x. The 5.x Bluetooth protocol has been out for years already and it offers tangible benefits such as improved range and faster transmission speeds. To be fair, though, the sound quality from the QC 35 II GH is excellent and I don't know how much performance Bose would've been ale to extract from the headset by upgrading to Bluetooth 5.x.= Conclusion =The Bose QC35 Series II Gaming Headset, despite some head-scratching design choices and underwhelming ability of the noise-cancelling boom microphone, is still an absolute buy and it's something I can comfortably recommend to friends and family. It looks sleek and stylish, its ANC quality is top-notch and still very relevant compared against 2020 standards, it's super comfortable and light, and the audio quality is simply great - there's no need to tinker around with EQ levels or graphs. In finalizing my review, I rate it 4.5 stars.

[Rewarded Review] If you’re considering them, buy these headphones

Bottom line: If you frequently travel by plane, commute, enjoy listening to music, or just want to escape a noisy environment, these headphones are for you.Pros: Excellent passive and active noise cancellation, full and balanced sound, easy to use and useful buttons, adjustable levels of noise cancellation, light and comfortable to wear, great battery life, voice over and Google Assistant built-inCons: None except over-ear headphones not for everyoneReview: Bose has the reputation of making the best noise cancelling headphones, and the QC35 IIs do not disappoint. You really need to use them to appreciate how much better everything sounds when not competing with the ambient noise around you. I mowed the lawn today, and enjoyed listening to my music without the ... MoreBottom line: If you frequently travel by plane, commute, enjoy listening to music, or just want to escape a noisy environment, these headphones are for you.Pros: Excellent passive and active noise cancellation, full and balanced sound, easy to use and useful buttons, adjustable levels of noise cancellation, light and comfortable to wear, great battery life, voice over and Google Assistant built-inCons: None except over-ear headphones not for everyoneReview: Bose has the reputation of making the best noise cancelling headphones, and the QC35 IIs do not disappoint. You really need to use them to appreciate how much better everything sounds when not competing with the ambient noise around you. I mowed the lawn today, and enjoyed listening to my music without the distraction of the mower or dog barking down the street.Setup is a breeze with the Bose Connect app, and it allows you to adjust the functionality of the buttons conveniently located on the bottom of the ear cups. The left cup lets you adjust the level of active noise cancellation (high, low, off) and can alternatively be set to activate Google Assistant in the app. The right cup features the power/bluetooth connect button on the side and volume buttons on the bottom.The sound is full and balanced between highs, mids, and lows, and the headphones are fairly light and comfortable to wear for extended periods. Paired with excellent battery life and the ability to use the included wire, they are ideal for anyone who commutes. There are also several other features such as noise cancelling mic for calls and built-in Google Assistant that just add icing to the cake.There are no real cons to speak of, but they do such a good job blocking noise, the initial experience may take some getting used to.

[Rewarded Review] Spectacular Comfort and Noise Cancellation

I own over half a dozen top rated headphones and its a real shame that I won't be using them anymore after experiencing the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 Wireless Headphones II (QC35II). These headphones along with their predecessor (QC35) are simply one of the best in class noise canceling headphones available today.Comfort:I start out with comfort because no headphone is worth wearing, no matter how good it sounds, if you find yourself taking it off every half hour or more to alleviate ear fatigue. I know, I've been there.The QC35II feels as light as a feather, weighing in at 10.9 oz according to Bose's website. The headband, constructed of stainless steel and engineered composite plastic and glass filled materials, is very strong, allowing it to elastically bend and ... MoreI own over half a dozen top rated headphones and its a real shame that I won't be using them anymore after experiencing the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 Wireless Headphones II (QC35II). These headphones along with their predecessor (QC35) are simply one of the best in class noise canceling headphones available today.Comfort:I start out with comfort because no headphone is worth wearing, no matter how good it sounds, if you find yourself taking it off every half hour or more to alleviate ear fatigue. I know, I've been there.The QC35II feels as light as a feather, weighing in at 10.9 oz according to Bose's website. The headband, constructed of stainless steel and engineered composite plastic and glass filled materials, is very strong, allowing it to elastically bend and stretch. There are ample incremental adjustments to the headband length which means that it will accommodate a large range of head sizes. The oval shaped ear cups are large enough to comfortably surround your ears. The top of the headband is cushioned with Alcantara, a premium material, giving it a touch of luxury.What all this means is that Bose's Quiet Comfort lineup has become as legendary for its comfort as it has with its active noise cancellation feature. It is not mere opinion but a matter of fact among the industry that no other manufacturer has come close to developing a set of headphones to rival the comfort that Bose offers. It continues to hold true with the QC35II. I hardly feel the weight of the headphone resting on my head. More importantly, eyeglass wearers everywhere should rejoice. I wear glasses, and there is no pinching of the frames from the ear cups against the ears. No fatigue whatsoever, and I have been wearing the QC35II for the past six hours straight. You could sleep with them on, and that's one of the reasons its so popular with air travelers – superior comfort combined with noise cancellation.Build Quality/Style:The exteriors of the ear cups and exterior of the headband are plastic, but appear to be well built. According to Bose, the materials are impact resistant. I'll take this at face value as I'm not willing to drop my QC35II onto a hard surface to find out. All mating surfaces are tightly fitted. The ear cup cushions themselves are soft and supple, with a very premium feel. Bose describes the material used for the ear cushions as a synthetic protein leather.I have the black colored QC35II headphones and they look sleek and professional, but unassuming. The all black design is definitely not bold. It's rather conservative. And this is the way I like it as a professional who commutes on the train and wouldn't want a funky looking headphone with gaudy design and colors attracting attention.Button Layout:All controls with the exception of one button, are located on the right ear cup Buttons are intuitively tactile. The center control button is depressed slightly, allowing you to easily locate the remaining +/- buttons. I will not go into the functions of these buttons as they are standard controls for headsets.However, the single button on the left ear cup needs a brief introduction. This button is the new feature on the QC35II that is not found on the QC35. It controls the Google Assistant on your Android phone, assuming you own an Android phone. This left button can also be programmed to control the level of ANC as discussed below.Active Noise Cancellation (ANC):ANC is controlled two ways. The first is via the Bose Connect app. Through the app, you can select high ANC, low ANC, or turn off ANC entirely. The second way is to re-assign the button on the left ear cup to act as the ANC selector which will allow you to cycle through the three levels of ANC.The ANC is amazing! I tested the headphones at an indoor swimming pool with loud, screaming kids and noise from HVAC and pump machinery operating. I put the ANC at its highest level without any music from the headphones, and the drone of the HVAC and machinery disappeared. The children's voices, although they are still audible, seemed eerily distant even though the screaming children were only several feet in front of me. As good as ANC technology presently is, it has not been developed to the point that it will eliminate all external sources of noises. ANC will only work for certain lower frequencies of the sound spectrum with a repeatable pattern, such as the sound of machinery, and of course an interior cabin of a passenger airline. It won't be as effective with human voices, higher frequency sounds, and non-repeatable patterns. So all those reviews that you read about people stating that the sound of crying babies being eliminated are misguided. ANC, by itself, will not eliminate all external noises. You will need to combine the ANC with music through the headphones loud enough to drown out the sound of voices.ANC works in both wireless and wired mode. In wired mode, however, you will not have the low ANC option. It will be either ANC on high or ANC turned off. ANC functions independently and will work whether or not music is playing. You can use the headphones solely for the ANC feature. This is useful if you simply want a quieter environment for such things as studying or concentrating.Audio Performance:It's always a challenge to describe audio performance. It is subjective. I liken it to purchasing clothes or shoes. It's not a one size fits all solution. You really need to try it on to find out if you like it or not. Same goes with audio. You might want to have a stronger bass response. Or you might desire clearer highs. My recommendation is for you to go to your local Best Buy and bring your favorite audio tracks and see if it is the sound you prefer.With that said, however, I will say that Bose tried to appeal to as many of us as possible. Sound is well balanced. Bass is strong, controlled, tight, without being too overpowering. Trebles are clearly present, but are restrained from drifting too high. Vocals (mids) are clear. This is classic Bose sound signature.In wireless listening, the audio sounded the same regardless of ANC setting (high, low, off). In wired mode however, with ANC turned off, the audio sounded a little bit flatter.Google Assistant:The QC35II has the Google Assistant built in to the headphones. This is a great feature to have since you can have the Google Assistant do things for you without having to take the phone out of your pocket. Pressing and holding down the button on the left ear cup, you can speak right into the headphones to access the Google Assistant to do a multitude of tasks such as making phone calls, skipping songs, adjusting volume, etc. I found that much of what you can do with the Google Assistant with your phone, you can also do with the press of the left button on the headphones. Again, a very convenient feature to have when you don't want to reach for your phone.Battery Life:Bose states that you can get up to 20 hours of battery life in wireless mode, and up to 40 hours when using the audio cable. It will take up to 2.5 hours to fully recharge a depleted battery.Differences Between QC35II and QC35:I do not own the original QC35, but had to borrow one from a friend. When I tested the headphones side by side, they appear to have the same audio quality and superior ANC levels. The only difference I could tell is that the new headphones now have the dedicated button on the left ear cup to access the Google Assistant/adjust ANC levels. Also, the airline adapter jack has been eliminated in the QC35II. That's all I can observe is different.Other Things:Included in the box are the headphones, headphone storage case, a 4' long audio cable, and a micro usb cable for re-charging the battery.The Bose Connect app has various features such as adjusting ANC levels, re-assigning the left ear cup button to function either as the Google Assistant or adjusting ANC, turning on and off voice prompts, changing prompt language, auto-off timer to assign a specific duration at which point the headphones will turn off, and a user manual. The app also displays the remaining battery life and allows for volume adjustment.In order to use the Bose Connect app you will need to allow the app to access your location. Some of you may or may not be comfortable with providing this permission.Conclusion:You cannot go wrong with the Bose QC35II. Luxurious comfort, world-class ANC, very good audio performance, long battery life, and now with the Google Assistant built in, are the reasons to choose these headphones. I highly recommend you give them a try. The ANC alone will leave you speechless and the headphones are so comfortable that you don't want to take them off. You may just end up walking out of the store with them (after paying of course).

[Rewarded Review] Still prefer my Sony 1000X, but wait!

I was sent a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 II for my honest, unbiased review to help you make an informed decision of this product.I already own a pair of Sony's MDR-1000X that I purchased about a year ago. Although they were $50 more expensive than the QC35's, Best Buy had them on sale for $299, making them $50 less expensive than the QC35's. Both of these headphones essentially do the same, they use active noise cancelling (ANC) technology to fully block out any outside noise/turbulence while listening to your favorite music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and so on. The Sony's go a bit further by allowing you to hold your hand over the right earcup to listen to someone talking to you or an overhead announcement without having to take off your headphones. They ... MoreI was sent a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 II for my honest, unbiased review to help you make an informed decision of this product.I already own a pair of Sony's MDR-1000X that I purchased about a year ago. Although they were $50 more expensive than the QC35's, Best Buy had them on sale for $299, making them $50 less expensive than the QC35's. Both of these headphones essentially do the same, they use active noise cancelling (ANC) technology to fully block out any outside noise/turbulence while listening to your favorite music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and so on. The Sony's go a bit further by allowing you to hold your hand over the right earcup to listen to someone talking to you or an overhead announcement without having to take off your headphones. They also have an ambient/voice mode that turn off the ANC function as well.But enough about the 1000Xs, I'm already starting to sound biased on them since I've owned them for awhile but I gave those a break for a couple weeks while I took Bose's QC35 IIs for a spin. Let me tell you, these headphones are extremely comfortable, and the padding material is like a cloud sitting on your ears. Like the 1000x's, they pair easily to your transmitting device over Bluetooth and have an advertised battery life of about 25-30 hours depending on use. The sound quality is what you'd expect of Bose, with rich detail and clarity and almost absolute silence from the outside.However, the QC 35 IIs aren't that much of a departure from the performance and sound quality of the former generation QC 35s. What the IIs really has going for it is support for Google Assistant. You can now tap a button on the side of the headphones to say a wide variety of voice commands. If you already use Google Assistant say through a Google Home or your Android smartphone, you can automatically use the Assistant to play music off Google Play, or control your smart home IoT devices, or even remotely start your car all while enjoying your audio entertainment at the same time.One thing I don't understand is why Bose didn't decide to go after Sony's bells-and-whistles and introduce similar features on the QC 35 IIs, but it seems it has to do with Bose focusing more on improving sound quality/performance even further and making sure the Google Assistant experience tied in without any hiccups or having it feel like a gimmick for the average user. And honestly, that's going to depend on what experience you're looking to get out of a pair of active noise cancelling headphones.Both Bose and Sony's ANC models are going to be extremely pleasing to your ears and will be a joy to wear for months and hopefully years to come. In my truly honest opinion, however, I still give the Sony 1000X the slight advantage for sound quality and it's bells-and-whistles, but I do understand that the newer 1000XM2 should be more directly compared to the QC 35 IIs, given that both were released this past month. Go with either, you'll LOVE them.