Bose QuietComfort 35 II review

Bose has been at the top of the active noise canceling for years, and it was partly due to the QuietComfort series of headphones. Now the company has the new Noise Cancelling 700 Headphones (terrible name, I know), but before that came out, the noise canceling cans to beat was the Bose QuietComfort 35 II. We’ve had our hands on the Bose QuietComfort 35 II for weeks at a time since its 2017 release to understand all that the headset has to offer. So, is it worth your money over the newer Bose headsets and the competition?

Editor’s note: this Bose QuietComfort 35 II review was updated on October 20, 2023 to update charts, add more recent context to the discontinued model, add the Sony WH-CH720N as an alternative, answer FAQ, and update formatting.

Newer models: Bose QuietComfort 45 and Bose QuietComfort Headphones

How’s the build quality of the Bose QuietComfort 35 II?

This is a smart-looking pair of headphones. The headphones maintain the slim profile of the original and also the comfort level as well. The Bose QuietComfort 35 II is considered one of the most comfortable pairs of headphones on the market, and for good reason. You can wear this for hours without ever feeling like you have to take it off to let your ears breathe. It’s also super durable and can be bent and twisted in a bunch of ways without breaking.

But you should still probably just use the included carrying case. Besides the action button and multifunction buttons, you’ll get the volume up and volume down buttons, as well as a power switch on the right ear cup. You’ll also see that these charge via (the outdated) microUSB on the bottom of one ear cup and even have a 3.5mm input on the other so you can hardwire them to your phone, if your phone still has a headphone jack.

Should you get the Bose Connect app?

If you want to take advantage of all that your Bose QC 35 II has to offer, you’ll want to download the Bose Connect app (iOS/Android). When you first launch the app, it’ll first try to find the headset, and then ask you to swipe it down to finish pairing. It’s pretty cool, especially since the process is helped along by a small voice egging you along in your ear. After you select your language and pick a nickname you’ll get to the action button setup, which lets you choose between Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and an active noise cancelation toggle.

If you choose Google Assistant, you can toggle having your notifications read aloud into your ear and there is even a dedicated Google help page for the product. You can ask your Google Assistant questions through your headphones just like you would if you activated the assistant on your phone, except it’s much quicker. As soon as you press the button you’ll hear a quick little tone and then you can ask your question or give your command. Normally with headphones, you’d have to wait a second or two for it to register and pull up Google on your phone, but with the Bose QuietComfort 35 II it starts listening as soon as you press the button so you’re not left wondering if it worked or not. I’m assuming this is one of the benefits you get from working directly with Google and being one of the Made for Google products.

If you select the active noise cancelation toggle for the action button in the Bose Connect app, it allows you to toggle the active noise canceling between three levels: high, low, or off. If your smartphone has a native Google Assistant, you’ll still be able to access it by holding down the multifunction button on the right ear cup for a second. So you get the best of both worlds.

And if you’re rocking an iOS device you too can have the best of both worlds, kind of. In order to program the action button to Google Assistant, you’ll have to download the Google Assistant app on your iPhone. Additionally, if you select the ANC toggle for your action button, you can access your smartphone’s Siri by holding down the multifunction button.

How do you connect the Bose QC 35 II?

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II supports SBC and AAC thankfully, so iOS users will benefit, and you won’t be stuck out in the rain when it comes to latency at least. Android users can use AAC too, but AAC isn’t always consistent on Android depending on the hardware. Most Android phone owners may want to force SBC streaming through the phone’s “Developer settings.” You can learn more about Bluetooth codecs if you want, but all you need to know is that AAC is best for iPhones and aptX is one of the best options for Android.

As far as connection goes the Bose QuietComfort 35 II is just as strong and consistent as the original version. I have no problem with connection strength whether my phone is in my pocket or across the room. Extreme range testing aside, I only had three skips in regular usage over the course of about a week, so not bad at all. This solid connection strength applied to phone calls as well and I had no dropped calls or issues here. On top of all that, when you turn them on they seamlessly connect almost AirPods-like. Super quick.

How’s the battery life of the Bose QuietComfort 35 II?

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II has an official battery life of 20 hours, but it surpassed that in our testing. In our testing, we subjected the QC 35 II to constant music playback peaking at 75dB(SPL), it lasted 21 hours, 12 minutes. That’s enough to do a coast-to-coast flight across the United States three or four times — not bad. Still, many newer headphones outdo that figure by 10 our more hours. Other headphones have since surpassed this figure, but it’s still quite good. Unless you play your music at max volume constantly, you shouldn’t have an issue with these.

How good is the active noise canceling on the Bose QuietComfort 35 II?

Oh yeah, and about that active noise cancelation. Bose has always had top-of-the-line ANC, but it’s starting to get a little behind the times. To this day, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II still offers top-notch active noise cancelation. For commuters, this is super important, as noise reduction is the most important performance metric for active noise canceling headphones.

Even compared to its newer competition, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II fares well as far as noise cancelation goes. However, we always point out that good ANC is no substitute for good isolation, so it’s a bonus that these headphones work so well with that too.

How does the Bose QuietComfort 35 II sound?

So first things first, nothing with the sound quality has changed significantly when compared to the first version. The Bose QuietComfort 35 II follows our headphone preference curve for headphones very well. Of course, you can always equalize your headphones to change things around to your tastes, but this kind of performance allows you to do that out of the box — like I said, really cool.

Lows, mids, and highs

Lows are given preference over everything else, but it’s only a minor boost here. Each bass kick in the song We Just Haven’t Met Yet by Russ shakes my eyes just a little bit, but that’s probably more the result of the mixing than anything else. Mids are just as clear as they’ve always been with vocals coming through loud and clear. Though the Bose QuietComfort 35 II is by no means a pair of studio headphones, it has a good, customizable sound suited for the average consumer.

There’s a good amount of treble emphasis with this headset, but it isn’t so boosted as to sound unpleasant. You won’t get some of the same sense of space when listening to open-back headphones of a similar price, but that’s not the point of  the QC 35 II. The hi-hats and cymbals in Billy Joel’s Zanzibar sound a little “flat” and don’t really have that exhilarating effect that I know them to have.

How’s the Bose QuietComfort 35 II microphone?

Like most Bluetooth headphones, the microphone on the Bose QuietComfort 35 II tends to pick up a lot of background noise, and it isn’t all that great at full-band recording. It handles the voice band acceptably well and will work for phone and conference calls just as well as could be expected.

Bose QuietComfort 35 II microphone demo (Ideal):

Bose QuietComfort 35 II microphone demo (Office):

Bose QuietComfort 35 II microphone demo (Street):

Bose QuietComfort 35 II microphone demo (Wind):

Should you buy the Bose QuietComfort 35 II?

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II is still one of the best options you can get, even if there are technically better options out there. And yes, we’re counting the new Bose QuietComfort 45, too. At release, the newer headphones came with quite a few kinks to work out, but the QuietComfort 45 have gotten most of the issues out of the way. Let it be known that the QuietComfort 35 II is no longer in production, but you can still find them.

Among the best active noise canceling headphones, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II is top-tier. However, its little foibles and dated hardware make the Sony WH-1000XM5 a compelling option in comparison. But you’ll have to decide for yourself if it’s better for you.

What you’re really paying for with the QC 35 II is all of the smart-like features and grade-A noise canceling. The high price tag will definitely deter most people, but let’s be real these are going to fly off the shelves anyway. Of course, there are now better options available like the Sony WH-1000XM4 and XM5 and even the new Bose model of headphones, but both have their negatives as well. So if these just do it for you, then the Bose QuietComfort 35 II is still a great pick-up today especially if you can find it on sale.

What about the Sony WH-1000XM5?

The Sony WH-1000XM5 is considerably better than the Bose QC 35 II in noise canceling and software features. Sony’s headset offers many things that Bose’s doesn’t such as LDAC. Both headsets support Bluetooth multipoint, and LDAC doesn’t matter if you’re on iOS as Apple doesn’t support anything better than AAC.

Battery life is slightly less on the WH-1000XM5 as well, clocking in 31 hours, 53 minutes of constant playback. It also offers a slightly better microphone, a transparency mode feature similar to the AirPods Pro or WF-1000XM4 if you want to hear what’s happening around you, and most importantly, better active noise canceling.

How does it compare to the Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless?

The Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless are ideal if you’re looking for something a little more budget friendly, while still being a fantastic pair of headphones. Their sound quality and battery life are both excellent, lasting for more than twice the length of the Bose QuietComfort 35 II. They also charge quickly, offering 6 hours of listening time off of a 10 minute charge. The headphones do fall short when it comes to active noise canceling however, so if that’s what you’re looking for then maybe stick to Bose or one of its other competitors.

Should you get the Bose QuietComfort 35 II or the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700?

Since the release of the QC 35 II, Bose has come out with the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, this has a brand new design and a slightly higher price tag. So which is better? The new design and sleek aesthetic is the most obvious difference, but besides that, there isn’t too much technically different between the two.

Battery life is still around 20 hours and now the NCH 700 charges via USB-C which is definitely a plus. The ear cups are less comfortable than the QC 35 II. Still, it really isn’t a big deal and that’s just me being nit-picky; the new model is still very comfortable, just not as comfortable. Besides that, you now have more control over the active noise canceling levels. The Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 features 11 different levels of ANC.

Another difference is that the new model now has touch-sensitive ear cups for playback controls, directly competing against the Sony WH-1000X line which have similar controls. So if you’re into touches and swipes instead of clicky buttons, these are for you.

Is the Bose QuietComfort 45 worth the extra money?

Currently, we recommend getting the Bose QC 35 II over the Bose QuietComfort 45 because the ANC performance is only a bit better than the older headphones, and the sound is a wash: just get the older headphones to save some money.

Sure, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II may be long in the tooth, and yes: it uses an outdated connector. However, it’s much more of a finished product than the newer set of cans, just take a look at the frequency response comparison chart:

The newer headphones have this frustrating habit of overemphasizing highs to a degree that makes music with lots of cymbals a bit difficult to listen to. Although this can now be addressed fairly easily for the Bose QuietComfort 45 using the equalizer in the Bose Music app.

What other active noise canceling headphones are there?

Bose was one of the companies that took active noise canceling to the mainstream. Although it had a stranglehold on the category for years, it’s no longer the only player in the game. Now there are plenty of other options to choose from as well including a few from Sony.

If you don’t feel like spending a ton of money for the Sony WH-1000XM5, you can also go with the Sony WH-CH720N, which are a more budget friendly option that sound decent, cancel noise, and work with little effort. Plus, the battery life is good. Pick these up for $799 at Amazon. If you want a more bass-heavy sound signature there’s also the Sony WH-XB910N for $148 at Amazon.

If you’re an Apple device owner looking to go all-out on a pair of ANC headphones, check out the AirPods Max. It features impressive noise cancelation, good sound quality, and the H1 chip for seamless connectivity with iOS devices. It’s worth noting that these headphones are definitely not for everyone, especially when you factor in the price ($499 at Amazon). However, if you’ve got cash to burn and live and breathe by Apple’s ecosystem, the AirPods Max is definitely worth considering.

Frequently asked questions about the Bose QuietComfort 35 II