Bose - QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headset – Comfortable Noise Cancelling Headphones - Black

= 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 Bluetooth 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 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 replaced my original QC35 II with the Sony 1000XM3 as my go-to headset, there are days when I missed the simplicity of the QC35 II, its well-balanced package, and use it once in a while. Now that I have the QC 35 II Gaming Headset, 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 and face make contact with the headset. The QC 35 II was always an ergonomic win and I'm glad Bose didn't mess with the formula for the Gaming Headset edition. If you spend hours every day listening to music or playing games, the QC 35 II Gaming Headset (GH) 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 GH may be 3-years-old now and eclipsed by Bose's own 700 headsets, 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 rumbling delivery trucks, the neighbor's barking dogs, gardeners working their power tools, and kids crying. :D Having 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 is justified. 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 a 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 able 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-canceling boom microphone, is still a good 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. I rate it 4.5 stars.

Bose has entered the world of gaming headsets with the Bose QuietComfort 35 ll Gaming Headset. This gaming headset comes with all the features that were in the original QC 35 ll’s along with a removable gaming module with boom mic, and a PC desktop controller. Bose is known for its superb quality audio equipment. This headset provides just that, an excellent audio and mic experience. I will go into further detail on what this entails. I tested the headset on a PC, laptop, and phone. Note that the Bose Gaming Headset is also compatible with gaming consoles. ========================================= WHAT’S IN THE BOX: In the box, you will be receiving the QC 35 ll Gaming Headset with a beautiful copper accent. The travel case, the case is on the bigger side, but you do get two storage compartments to store accessories. A micro USB charging cable. A removable gaming module with boom mic and aux cable. (copper accent) A PC desktop controller. And finally, a standard 2.5mm to 3.5mm aux cable. ========================================= COMFORT: What I love about this headset is that this headset is not just a gaming headset. You can use it in your daily life activities, such as going for walks, watching YouTube, or rocking out to your tunes. No matter what activity I was doing with these, they were comfortable to wear. After a while of wearing them, I did get the typical ear sweat and ear discomfort. I also tried the headset while wearing glasses and unfortunately the ear discomfort arrived a lot quicker than without glasses. So, if you are an all-day glasses user, I would take this into consideration. But this can easily be combated by taking them off for a couple of minutes and getting right back into the action! Overall, comfort-wise, I give the headset an 8/10. ========================================= BATTERY: The headset arrived at around 70% charged. I have yet to charge them and have been using the headset for a couple of days now. The headset does pack a substantial amount of battery life. 40 hours of battery life in wired gaming mode, and 20 hours in wireless mode. The headset also contains fast charging, 10 minutes of charging gave me an extra 15% of battery life. Bose has also noted that the headphones will still be usable in wired mode even when the battery is completely dead. ========================================= SOUND/MIC QUALITY: I was excited to hear that the QC 35 ll’s were being turned into a gaming headset. Knowing that Bose creates outstanding audio equipment gave me a feeling that this gaming headset would have exceptional audio and mic quality. The Acoustic Noise Cancelling technology in the headset gave me a uniquely immersive experience while gaming. My AC at home is on the louder side and with the flip of the switch, the ANC completely canceled the noisy environment around me. All I heard was the footsteps of my opponents and the clear sounds of the video game character and the environment. This headset has turned into my daily driver as I also have been using it for music and videos. The headset still provides some of the best acoustics a headset can have. I could hear both the high and lows of all the media I was consuming while simultaneously canceling out the noisy environment on the outside. You know the ANC works when you cannot hear your footsteps! And if you need to be more aware of your environment, the button on the left earcup can be pressed to switch between off, low, and high ANC. The mic quality was crisp and clear. I joined a Discord voice channel and was told that my mic quality was sounding a lot better than before. Bose has a history of creating top-notch boom mics and am not surprised this boom mic lived up to what was expected. The mute switch is on the boom mic’s aux cable allowing for a quick way to mute the mic if needed. The PC Desktop controller can be connected to your PC via USB. The rotating dial on top is used to adjust the volume. There is also a button on the controller that allowed me to self-regulate the sound of my voice. Overall, I sincerely enjoyed the sound and mic quality of the headset. The only complaint I have is that Bose does not allow you to have the headphones plugged in while being connected via Bluetooth to another device. The Bluetooth connection is disabled upon connecting the headset to your device. It would be nice if they could change this in future models. ========================================= FINAL THOUGHTS: The Bose Gaming Headset is a surprise like no other. Knowing that Bose provides some of the best audio equipment around gave me a sense that these will be packing clear mic and sound quality. The headset delivered all the expectations I had. The Acoustic Noise Canceling, rich sound, and quality boom mic are some of the notable features you will be receiving with this headset. If you require a new headset that works both as a gaming and lifestyle headset, I wholeheartedly recommend this one.

============================ >>>>> Bottom Line Up front: <<<<< ============================ The Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II Gaming Headset adds serious gaming features to an extremely comfortable, well thought-out and proven design. The Bose Active Noise Canceling (ANC) is second to none, and it very obvious that a lot of serious though was placed into improving the original Quiet Comfort 35’s design to make this serious contender in the gaming headset marketplace. That being said, there are some notable drawbacks in the design and operation of the headset that can detract from your user experience; most notably the inability to use your headset in full wireless mode when the mic is plugged in while gaming/in use, a lack of “equalizer” and subjectively bland “App” interface/feature set AND an outdated micro-USB charging port (among a couple of other things) are not in line with other “gaming” headsets offer in the market. ============================================== >>>>> Detailed Observations after a regular usage: <<<<< ============================================== From the moment I took the Quiet Comfort 35 II’s out of their box, I was pleasantly surprised at their careful packaging and well thought out presentation of the headset as I unboxed it (see for yourself in the photos). The headphones come packed inside a decent sized and moderately high-quality travel case so that you can take them with you on the go. Unfortunately, as I looked closer at the inside of the case, I noticed the “Bose” logos where pressed pretty tightly/flush with the padding/lining of the case (see for your self in the photos). It doesn’t affect the sound quality or functionality of the headset in any way, but I do wonder what the “Bose” logos will look like 12 months from now after rubbing on the inside of the case/being carried around in my backpack /bag – not to mention the possibility of the logos “wearing through” the padding/netting. I guess only time will tell. From a functional perspective - I was also surprised by the amount of wires to make the headset fully operational from a gaming point of view. While this headset isn’t overly marketed as “wireless” all over the box – it does state it builds/offers everything the “Quiet Comfort 35 II” has. You get a regular cable to connect the headset to the puck shaped PC controller dongle – a gaming microphone module with integrated cable mute mic, and a very short micro USB charging cable. Sadly, you cannot operate the headset in wireless/Bluetooth mode while actively using the gaming module with the microphone (as you can see in the photos I added). It’s the year 2020, and this is a high-quality device – so I am disappointed to see the headset use the significantly older/and slower charging Micro USB standard. USB C is/has been pretty relevant in the market for a couple of years now and offers a more secure omni-directional connection socket, along with the ability to charge faster – and even potentially serve as a way to directly connect the headset to the PC without having all those wires I mentioned. Then it hit me as I was looking over the instruction pamphlet – this is because they want to maintain interoperability with consoled gamers and their controllers. That’s a tough call to make, and as a PC gamer myself – I would have ditched the 3.5mm cable for the USB C input method if that was ever a choice. I get a little agitated when there is a 6-inch charging cable included as the primary means of charging the any device, let alone a premium device such as this one It would have been nice to maybe have a 8-inch or 12-inch cable so that I can keep my headset charging some place other than literally next to/on top the PC preferably (or having to switch to an 3rd party wall adapter, etc). Lastly, I am a little disappointed in the inline microphone mute “slider” on the gaming module. It feels a little flimsy, and rattles a little bit in hand and detracts from an otherwise solid/polished presentation he rest of the headset and it’s accessories pull off. You can see in the picture the amount of space/air in-between the 2 parts of the slide mechanism for yourself. MOST IMPORTANTLY – the Quiet Comfort 35 II gaming headset delivers where it counts – outstanding microphone input and excellent in game usability with the Bose PC Desktop controller (so long as you’re within the physical limits of those cables I mentioned). It’s nice to know that the mic is Discord certified, and I never had any issues with my colleges and friends while using the mic in teleconferencing or in games. The ANC is phenomenal compared to my other headsets, and the round volume dial control makes it super easy to adjust in game/application volume on the fly. I often use headsets 90% of the time while working on my PC (which is part of my daily routine) – so I have a pretty well-established collection of wireless AND wired gaming and music focused headsets ranging from $15 - $800 in MSRP. A couple of times in the past I gave the “non-gaming” Bose QC 35/35 II’s serious consideration – due to their outstanding ANC, and comfort – but I was never truly “blown away” by their sound quality. Don’t get me wrong – I thought they sounded great all around – but not particularly punchy in the very low frequencies and lacked significant detail in the highs as well. This is purely subjective – but the sound issue is compounded by the fact the Bose connect app does not allow for “EQ” customization of the sound stage in my opinion. I find this odd – since some of the other Bose Models like the Bose 700 actually do. I don’t know if this due to a firmware issue, or hardware/design issue…but if you google search it, you will see a fair number of users asking for this feature on the official Bose forums. It seems as if the official Bose response is that they are still taking all that as “feed back to pass to the developers” but it doesn’t exist as an option at the moment. Personally, I expect a non-user adjustable EQ/soundstage from a $15 headset made by a generic brand, but not with a quality manufacture such as Bose. =========================== >>>>> Closing thoughts: <<<<<< =========================== You would think that I would not potentially think overly highly of the Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II Gaming Headset based of the list of things I mentioned as not “totally” liking – however – you would be wrong. The headset does so many things right – it’s easy to find little things that could simply use more polish or thought. At the end of the day – it has done everything well – from playing intense games, to serious teleconference work - while I have them. I wish they would have used USB C and ditched the 3.5mm cables (as I pointed out above) – but I get why they didn’t. Unfortunately, Bose is not alone in the “gaming” headset market space. MANY other companies have solutions that address the shortcoming of this headsets design approach – but NONE of them have the same phenomenal ANC that BOSE is known for. As a “wired” gaming headset with mic; this is a solid 4-star product…..however as a “wireless” ANC headset with no microphone – I would say it is a 5 star product.

These Bose QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headphones are a great versatile headphones/gaming headset. They can be used on different gaming consoles and PC with ease. These are essentially the same as the standard QuietComfort 35 II Noise Cancelling headphones but with a detachable boom mic. The build quality on these is great. The are solidly built and use nice materials. Nothing about these feels cheep. The earcups are very comfortable for long uses and gaming sessions. The detachable mic fits securely and the connections are solid. No worries about coming lose from either the headset or the console controller/PC controller. The comfort was noticeable right away. There is adequate padding on the headband and the earcups are soft and breathable. These were worn for multiple long gaming sessions and also without mic for music listening without experiencing any excessive heat around the earcups or wearing fatigue. When done gaming/listening, these pack away into a nice quality case. One thing I would like to see is upgrading the Micro USB charging to USB C. The sound quality is what you would expect from Bose; top notch. This is in no small part due to their Acoustic Noise Cancelling technology. This is a combination of active and passive noise cancellation that really does a fantastic job of giving you the silence needed to make all sounds pop while gaming. I could hear finite sounds that I don't get out of other headsets I have used in the past. While listening to music, it helps to create a full depth sound stage that isn't lacking due to outside noises. The sound range is wide and gives you great low, mid, and high range in a nice balance. If you want to tweak the sound to your preference, you can always do that through the available app. What really sets these apart is the detachable boom mic for gaming. I would have to say that the mic is one of the better ones I have used. My voice was crisp and clear and everyone could hear me with absolutely no issues. Bose is able to pull this off due to their design that rejects background noise to really only pick up your voice. This also has an inline mute feature that is nice if you are needing to do a quick mute here and there. I do have one problem with the mic. For some reason, it will not work with my Microsoft Elite Controller. No sound will come through at all even after trying to adjust the console settings. I plugged it into the stock xbox controller and it worked right away. For the price point of this headset, I would think compatibility should be better. Overall, I think that these are an extremely versatile gaming headset/daily music listening set of headphones. The build and sound quality is fantastic. I would recommend these to anyone looking for a nice set of gaming headphones that you can also take out of the house for a great music listening experience.

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headset is a well done gaming variant of the original QuietComfort 35. Pros: Sound quality - I predominantly play FPS games on PC such as COD, Valorant, and Apex. This headset offers great immersion and lifelike sound. It uses Volume-Optimized Active EQ boosting the lows and highs. One of my favorite things about the sound is the ability to clearly hear footsteps. Anyone who plays competitively knows how important this is and Bose nailed it. Mic - The gaming mic is removable and can be easily attached for gaming sessions. I found this mic to be slightly better than its top end competitors. While using Discord, I have been told I sound crisp, clear, and have no background noise. The mic mute is located on the cord with a visible red tab when muted. As a FYI, when the mic is attached the Bluetooth is disabled and the Bose Connect app cannot find the headset. Comfort - The headset is lightweight and very comfortable to wear for extended gaming sessions. After 6+ hours of use my ears feel great; however, one thing I have noticed is the leather ear cups makes my ears/head hot after several hours of use. This isn't a problem specific to Bose as all headsets with leather ear cups cause this to happen. Several competitors near this price point provide an additional set of exchangeable cloth ear cups. I find these breath much better and prefer them over leather. In a future revision, it would be nice to see this included. Versatility - These are compatible with PC, console, and mobile devices. It comes with a desktop controller to USB port for PC and a 3.5 mm jack for console and mobile devices. Regarding the desktop controller, it only has two main purposes; controlling the master volume and cycling between four levels of mic monitoring. While these are nice features I would like to see Bose step up their game and replace this with a MixAmp style controller. I not only want to be able to quickly adjust the master volume but also the game-to voice balance. Battery - The battery is rated for 20 hours of wireless use and 40 hours of gaming/wired use. I have used this headset almost exclusively wired and am approaching 30+ hours without a recharge. Bose states that a 15 minute charge can give 2.5 hours of wireless use and 5 hours of gaming/wired use. This is quite impressive. The headset comes with a short charging cable which isn't long enough to easily plug into a USB port on a computer. I am fortunate to have a powered USB hub but this cable needs to be about twice as long. It also doesn't include a charging brick. App - The app is easy to pair with the headset and is user friendly. Overall, I think Bose did a great job on their first gaming headset. It offers industry leading sound, a high quality mic, comfort, long battery life, and versatility.

Ah, the great Bose QC 35 II. I did previously have a pair of these but had retired them in favor for another pair of headphones. Though I half regretted doing so as the noise cancellation of them is really difficulty to beat. Queue the next model in their QC lineup, the Gaming variant. It brings everything you loved about the 35 II to use for gaming. I have to say, the sound quality in them is quite stellar, just as the non-gaming model. Aside from the Bose name being bronze on the ear cups and the inside of the earcups and headband having a bronze contrasting, they're pretty much identical. From what I can remember, I feel these are a bit more boomy that the original. Though that could just be because it's been so long since I had used them. Noise cancelling, what can I say, it's pretty impressive. When it's enabled you really can't hear anything but the game and if your using voice chat, yourself and other users. These things effectively block out all other sounds which is good and bad of course. If someone tries to get your attention, you're not gonna hear them unless they come up to you and get your attention physically. There is one minor drawback to this, though it wasn't an issue for me really even with the headset only being at 60% when I got it and hadn't charged it since, but the Noise Cancellation requires that the headset be powered on. Understandable, though I do wish instead of connecting via the 3.5mm cable, it connected via USB from the USB controller to the headset. This way it could not only be powered, but you don't have to worry about losing it when the battery is discharged. Nothing deal breaking there, just some feedback for the future. The fit on them is perfect, just as I remembered. I have a largish dome and there's more than enough adjustment in the band to fit a variety of noggins. The ear cups are large enough to fit around most users ears. They fully surround mine without issue and this furthers the effect of the noise cancellation. I was able to wear them for hours on end and they never once felt uncomfortable. They never sagged or shifted during many game sessions no matter how intense. Mic Quality, this is pretty darn good. I'd put it up there with the ModMic or even what was my gaming headset for a while, the Boom Pro for the V-Moda's. It doesn't compare to a standalone cardioid mic, but it will definitely get the job done. Now that all said, there is a big con to this mic. Sensitivity. Regardless how much I adjusted the gain through Windows or even in Voice chat applications it would pick up everything. I currently game using a Razer Huntsman Elite clicky (Purple Switches) and the Naga Pro Wireless. Both of these are mechanical switch based. The mic would pick up every click of the mouse and ever key press on the keyboard. This is essentially a deal breaker for me when it comes to streaming. I don't mind if folks hear the keyboard, but hearing both and it taking almost center stage is of course not something you want. I'm not sure if I missed something in the quick guide, but it doesn't look or sound like there's any kind of Noise Cancellation with the Microphone itself and this is something you really want. It almost seems as though the mic is more designed as Omnidirectional instead of it being Cardioid. If Bose can work this little feature out in a later revision or add a piece of software to control the mic on the computer, or even through their app, it would make these completely viable for streaming. That all said, in the E-Sports sector, I could see this being an excellent option, especially when you're needing to tune everything out, which they do magnificently. The only downfall again is the Mic picking up everything around you. Adding a piece of foam around the mic could correct this easily and I did not try this, though I may at a later point as I've got some older headsets that I can repurpose parts from. If you're a competitive gamer and want something that will allow you to tune out the world and tune in to the game, these are for you. If you're looking for something that's Streamer friendly, these can still fit the bill, but you'll want to do something that can eliminate the effect of the Microphone picking up everything around you.

## Design The Bose QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headset is basically the same as the Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones, only it comes with a snap-on microphone accessory. This may beg the question: can you simply buy the gaming boom microphone and snap it on to an existing pair of QuietComfort 35 II headphones? While it seems to be technically possible, unfortunately, the gaming microphone accessory is not sold separately. At the moment, you need to purchase the whole Bose QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headset package to get the boom microphone. Aside from the microphone, there is also a USB gaming headset controller included that allows you to connect the unit to a Windows computer and provides a large volume adjustment dial and a button for controlling mic monitoring. The Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones fold up nicely in the included hard travel case. Another difference you'll find when compared to the original QC 35 II headphones is that the Bose logo is a copper color on the gaming edition. The outer plastic has a nice matte finish that resists most fingerprints and light scratches. ## Features - Gaming microphone: The most obvious change with the QC 35 II Gaming Headset is the clip-on boom microphone for gaming. The microphone must use a wired connection and be connected to your game console's controller or into the included USB gaming headset controller for connecting to a PC. - USB Gaming Headset controller: This connects via USB to your gaming computer and provides volume control and microphone feedback. Each press of the side button adjusts the level of microphone feedback: off, low, medium and high. This allows you to hear your own voice which would otherwise be filtered by the noise cancellation technology. I like this as it helps eliminate the feeling that you're talking underwater and helps prevent you from shouting at your teammates. - Noise cancellation: Something that Bose is known for, the noise cancellation technology is top notch and is literally the same you would find on the original Bose QC 35 II headphones. The "action button" on the left side can be configured in the Bose Connect app to adjust the level of noise cancellation: off, low and high. - In-line mute switch: The cable attached to the gaming microphone features a mute switch, making it quick and easy to mute yourself. A red, painted (not an LED) indicator on the switch makes it easy to see if you are muted. - Bluetooth: Bluetooth cannot be used while the gaming mic is attached, but when you remove it, this headset functions like a normal Bose QC 35 II headset. You can use Bluetooth to stream music from your phone and use the noise cancellation features for traveling. - Alexa/Google Assistant: When connected to your phone via Bluetooth, the action button on the left ear-cup can be configured to summon Alexa or Google Assistant (only one can be configured at a time). This requires a Bluetooth connection to your phone and uses your phone's data, so voice assistants are not available when the gaming mic is attached (which disables Bluetooth). ## Performance The noise cancellation feature works very well for gaming by eliminating sounds from your environment and helping you to better focus on the sounds inside your game. I can definitely tell a difference when wearing this headset while playing and picking up on sounds I might not have otherwise noticed. The microphone performs great and my friends say they can hear me fine. The USB headset controller is also a nice feature. It's weighted so it doesn't slide around off your desk and provides a quick and easy way to adjust the volume without trying to find the volume controls on the headset itself (in fact, the on-headset buttons don't function when the gaming mic is attached). It seems to install like any other USB headset as the drivers installed automatically (it worked on my Mac, too). Of course, the sound quality is awesome, which is to be expected from Bose. Bass is strong and both gaming and music sound excellent. ## Summary If you're looking for a gaming headset that can also be used like regular headphones, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headset gives you the best of both worlds. Simply removing the gaming mic attachment enables Bluetooth and allows you to use the headset as a regular pair of Bose QC 35 II headphones. Bose's excellent sound quality and noise cancellation works great for gaming and listening to music alike. ## Some points to consider - Bluetooth and the gaming mic *cannot* be used at the same time. Attaching the microphone disables Bluetooth on the headphones (and your phone won't be able to see it). Bose states this is done because a wired connection provides lower latency for gaming. - When the gaming microphone is attached, the noise cancellation feature can be turned on and off by using the power switch (the AUX cable continues to work when the headphones are off). The action button does not work when the gaming mic is attached. Alexa/Google Assistant are also unavailable.

I read a lot of bad reviews, people saying the long cord was an inconvenience to have connected to the pc, I love it because I can easily adjust the sound with a turn of the knob. The knob is heavy and moves flawlessly. You don’t even have to charge these headphones if you don’t have the noice cancellation on. I highly recommend these. I use them for Cold War zombies on my pc and they work great.