Interlude: Bose QC35 Headphones

I have been using the Bose QC35 for about two and a half years now. They were an upgrade purchase to a pair of QC15’s that I used for about a year and a half…and then left in a restaurant. Sighs. Anyway, as I await my new Planer Magnetic Verum 1 headphones, here are some notes on my favorite headphones to date.

My usage parameters:

• I travel a *lot* and want something to reduce ambient noise
• Occasionally I like to drift off into my own world while watching Netflix at home
• I appreciate hearing details in my music

For the first point the Bose QC35 excel. They block a lot of ambient noise, especially the tiring drone of airplane or train engines, and they are exceptionally comfortable and durable. I have slept countless times using these headphones without any issues. Two and a half years of travel is not kind. They were clearly built for this.

For the second point, once again the QC35 excel. Sometimes people dislike the way that closed-back headphones have a limited soundstage, the way that the music or movie might appear to be in your head rather than sound coming from outside. I actually like this effect when I am in the “own world” mode. The Bose QC35 are not exceptionally worse or better that competitors when it comes to soundstage, but they do have solid ambient and active noise suppression. The end result is something pleasant to use.

Finally, when it comes to hearing details in your music, Bose performs well on this front with a slightly warm signature. They have a good sound profile and solid ability to produce sound in the bass, mid and treble regions. The warmness of the sound — which puts a slight but not overbearing emphasis on the bass — makes for easy listening over extended periods. This is somewhat tied to individual users, and it is worth noting that I am not a fan of excessive treble, but my tastes seem to be in-line with a majority of other users.

Ending notes:

I appreciate what the QC35 accomplish with few compromises. They have a more neutral sound profile than headphones I have tried in the bass-heavy Beats range and — somewhat to my surprise — I found them clearer and more enjoyable from a music perspective than the newer Sony WH-1000XM3.

• The former can be great fun for certain types of music such as R&B, Pop, Electric Rock but sounded less suited to Classical, Acoustic and Jazz or Blues for me.
• The latter sounded a tiny bit muffled compared to the QC35. Objective analysis of their sound profile does show they are slightly bass-heavy so user experience probably depends entirely on user preferences. I would agree that the QC35 “have a slightly better default sound that does not have as much high bass as the WH-1000XM3, which makes them sound a tad bit more balanced overall.”

For most people most of the time the Bose QC35 are an excellent choice. If you Google around you may notice commentary knocking this and other Bose products. However, objective analysis of these products shows a fine sound profile. This is to be expected. Bose, Sony, Apple and similar companies have extensive budgets and do extensive research to create great products.