Bose® - QuietComfort 35 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones II - Limited Edition Triple Midnight

DESIGN: Bose has maintained a very similar design to the 1st generation of the QuietComfort 35. The headband portion has a soft underside that feels very comfortable resting on the top of my head. The band is also foldable which makes the QuietComfort 35 II easy to transport, although the included case is somewhat larger than many of the other over-the-ear headphones I’ve tested. The earcups are also very soft and comfortable around your ear, which is very important as you’ll likely be wearing these for long periods on an airplane or train. I still sometimes get the “ear sweats” and need to take a break from the headphones after wearing them for an hour or so to give my ears a chance to breath, but this is normal for me with any pair of headphones. The headphones are large and seem a bit bulky, but the sound quality makes up for it. SOUND QUALITY: With “Bose” on the label, you can safely assume sound quality is stellar. And it is with the Quiet Comfort 35 IIs. Bass has plenty of punch and the mids and highs are crips and clear. When the noise cancellation is active, you will hear a gentle white noise “hum” in the background as the unit counteracts the outside noises. It’s not very noticeable while listening to music, but you can tell it is there when listening to a podcast or talk show. NOISE CANCELLING One of the main reasons to pick up these Bose headphones is for their noise cancellation technology. Once you activate the noise cancellation feature, the sounds around you seem to disappear. And I’m not just talking about that fact that these cover your ears. Bose’s noise cancellation technology actively sends opposing sound to counteract the noise around you. Why’s this important? You can set the QC 35 IIs to a lower volume and still hear your music just fine, even in noisy environments. Normally, you would need to crank up the music to drown out your surroundings. So you can spare your ear drums and relax even if there’s a crying baby next to you. Now, if someone’s running a jackhammer next to you, it won’t completely eliminate the sound. But it does a great job of getting rid of the loud hum of an airplane or the clickity-clack of a train. There are two levels of noise cancellation: high and low. The feature can also be turned off completely. The “low” setting comes in handy when you still need to hear something going on outside, such as an airport announcement. Although, if it’s something important, you’ll probably want to turn off the noise cancelling feature completely. The noise cancellation feature can be controlled via Bose’s Connect app or you can assign the function to the “Action” button. FEATURES: Bose touts that the Bose QuietComfort 35s have Google Assistant built-in and can be accessed by pressing a new “Action” button on the left earcup. I assumed the headphones would just kind of “tether” my phone’s internet connection when using Google Assistant. However, the app for these headphones prompted me to install the full Google Assistant app on my iPhone in order to use the feature. I wouldn’t say that Google Assistant is “built-in” if the headphones are depending on my phone to actually run the Google Assistant feature. Which prompts another question: don’t most headphones already allow you to call up the voice assistant, be it Siri or Google Assistant? Indeed, you can hold the multifunction (middle) button on the QC 35s for one second and Siri will activate on your iPhone (or Google Assistant for Android). So what’s unique about Bose’s “Google Assistant built-in” offering? On Android, the voice interface is a little more verbose and will tell you who the text message is from instead of just playing the normal “ding” notification. For me, I reassigned the “Action” button to control the noise-cancellation feature instead, but heavy users of Google services may find the Google Assistant feature to be worthwhile. Aside from the Google Assistant feature, the Bose Connect app is very handy and walks you through the setup process and gives you a quick overview on using the QuietComfort 35 IIs. The app can also assist you in connecting additional Bluetooth devices, configuring the Action button, setting the noise cancellation and upgrade the firmware, which I needed to do upon receiving the headphones. The three buttons on the right ear cup allow you to control your music without getting out your phone. The middle button will play and pause your music (or answer an incoming phone call). Double-tapping the middle button skips forward to the next track while triple-tapping the middle button rewinds. Pressing the + and – buttons will increase and decrease the volume respectively. BATTERY LIFE Battery life is impressive and can last up to 20 hours in wireless Bluetooth mode or 40 hours when using the included audio cable. Charging the unit only takes two hours and can be recharged with a standard Micro USB cable. Upon powering on the QC 35 IIs, an automated voice will announce the current charge level. If the battery needs recharged while in use, you’ll hear, “Battery low, please charge now.” There is also a battery LED indicator on the right ear cup. Green indicates a medium to full charge, while a solid amber LED indicates that the charge is getting low. When it blinks red, it’s time to charge. If you’re using an iPhone, the battery level will also show on the status bar of your phone. OVERALL You can't beat the sound quality of Bose. The addition of Google Assistant seems gimmicky, but you can still summon Siri with these headphones, The noise cancellation feature is superb and makes these great for long plane or train rides.

I’ve long been a fan of noise cancelling headphones, but it wasn’t until this past year that I really started appreciating the scope of their use. I traveled across the country on a crowded airplane. While thousands of people do this everyday, I can’t say that I was totally prepared for it the first time around. All the ambient noises really took their toll on me and one year later, when I flew for a second time, I had an excellent pair of noise cancelling headphones in-hand to make the flight bearable. At that time, I was rocking the Sony 1000X Wireless Noise Cancelling headphones and I never thought I would find a better, more comfortable pair of headphones. This past week, I was introduced to the QuietComfort 35 II headphones by Bose. I’ve been a fan of Bose products for many years because they have a reputation for designing great, high-end audio gear. I’m happy to say that the QuietComfort 35 II’s don’t disappoint and they really live up to the Bose quality name. UNBOXING The headphones arrived in a standard Bose branded box. The outside covering of the box included some basic details of the product in multiple languages. You will also notice the MFi icon along with the Android logo and the Google Assistant built-in graphic. The QuietComfort 35 II are the first Bose headphones to come with built-in Google Assistant support. That is in fact the biggest difference between the QuietComfort 35 II and the original version of the headphones according to Bose’s website. When you look at the specs of the two headphone models, you will see that they are nearly identical except for the weight (version II is 2.6 ounces heavier) and the fact that the original QuietComfort headphones come packaged with an airline adapter. The QuietComfort 35 II’s package includes a carrying case, charging cable, and audio cable. When you first open the box, you will see the carrying case. All the other pieces are tucked away inside. The case is built very well. There is an exterior mesh pocket that could be used for extra cables or even your smartphone. When you open the case, you will find another interior mesh pocket and the mail compartment where the headphones lay. They actually fold up in a very specific way, but Bose was kind enough to include a small illustration that shows you how to place them in the case. BUILD QUALITY The headphones are lightweight and flexible. I really like that the earpieces aren’t static and can swivel around a bit. It makes it easier to wear in my opinion. The headband extends easily and the materials used to build it feels very solid. The padding on the headband is probably the only thing I would change. It’s soft and comfortable to wear, but it’s covered in some sort of suede fabric, which leads me to think that over time, it will soak up sweat and other oils and wear down. I would have preferred to see this padding covered in leather instead. The inside of the ear pieces are marked with a “L” and “R” to show you which way to wear the headphones. One thing I noticed was that the actual speaker on the inside of the ear cup seems to be angled toward your ear. Many of my other headphones just have a flat speaker. I haven’t been able to find out this sort of orientation would affect sound quality or volume, but I am sure the design was done with purpose. The padding on the ear cups is very nice and seems to wear well. I did notice that the foam segments don’t pull off of the cups as magnets, but it does appear that they might snap off the ear cups. Not wanting to damage the foam, I didn’t try to pry them off. These headphones have physical switches on them which is a bit of an oddity these days. Most of the headphones I’ve been around lately seem to utilize touch controls (the Sony headphones only have touch controls). So, the tactile nature of the buttons and switches on the Bose headphones was a nice departure from what I was used to. I’m sometimes not a fan of physical switches because they will get caught on things like hoodies, but the on/off switch on the right ear cup was designed in such a way that it avoided that usual problem. In addition to the on/off switch, you will also find the volume up/down buttons, and the play/pause button on the right ear cup. On the left ear piece, you will find the Google Assistant/ANR settings button. On the bottom of the two earpieces, there is also a port for plugging in the Micro USB charging cable and the audio cable for a wired connection. Even though Micro USB has been a standard for quite some time for charging devices of this nature, I feel with a brand new product like this, Bose should have taken the opportunity to switch over to USB-C for charging. USER EXPERIENCE As soon as the headphones arrived, I paired them to my phone. They had 70% battery life out of the box, which made me happy that I could go ahead and start using them. I put the headphones on my head and found very quickly that they were more comfortable than my Sony headphones and they caused less strain on my head, too. I’ve used the headphones for a couple of days off and on and not had any issue with the battery life. The buttons and functions I were very easy to pick up on without reading the manual but for more in depth features, you will need to read the manual because they are not as intuitive as the ones listed above. For example you have no dedicated button for changing songs. For us iPhone users we can easily remedy this by simply pressing in and holding the play/pause button to activate Siri and asking her to switch to the next track or calling up a totally different album. All the Siri commands that work on your iPhone work via this button so no worries here. Even though I’ve only had these remarkable headphones for a few days, I’ve been incredibly impressed with them. The comfortable design and sound quality both live up to the Bose name. I’ve worn them for several hours and don’t perceive any earaches or headaches from wearing them too long. Making and receiving calls is pretty simple. making calls again takes the use of Siri. I found this to be super simple and had no issues with Siri hearing or understanding what I asked of her to do. I don’t currently have Google Assistant installed so the dedicated Google button was used for the ANR settings instead. The sound quality is amazing. I am hard of hearing and I didn’t have any issues with hearing music or spoken words. Music and sounds were crisp and dynamic. As noice cancelling headphones go, I really like how the Bose headphones block out ambient noise with little effort. I love that the noise canceling is activated by flipping a switch. I've not had the chance to use these on a plane yet like I did with the Sony's but with noise canceling turned up to high I can almost not hear anything else around me so I'm assuming they will work just as well if not better for travel. CONCLUSIONS I think the Bose QuietComfort 35 II are the best wireless headphones on the market right now. I’ve officially made the switch over to them as my primary listening companions. If you had the QuietComfort 35 that were released last year, I don’t know that the Google Assistant feature is enough to upgrade, but if you are using a different style or brand of headphone, I think you will be happy with the Bose QuietComfort 35 II.

= Summary = The Bose QC35 Series II headphones are fantastic~!! It definitely lives up to all the hype & rave reviews and delivers great sound, dynamic range, awesome bass, and truly astounding active noise cancellation. In addition, it looks cool and is very comfortable to wear. = Design & Comfort = I have the black QC35 Series II and it looks sleek and sexy. Since it's black, it will blend in nicely with whatever clothing you wear and it won't stand out too much. To my delight, it was much lighter than it looked and is very comfortable to wear over the head for extended periods of time. The ear padding is very soft, well-padded, and doesn't cause any long-term fatigue or discomfort. I even wore it to bed and it was very comfortable (as long as you don't mind not being able to turn your head sideways). = Controls = The layout of the buttons are well-placed, easy to find, and intuitive to use. On your left earmuff, you have the Google Assistant button. On the right earmuff, you have the Power/Bluetooth pairing button as well as additional buttons for Volume Control and Playback Control. As expected, all the controls work very well and with no issues. = Google Assistant Button = The highlight of this new Bose QC35 Series II headphones is the presence of a dedicated button for Google Assistant (GA). I paired the QC35 to my Galaxy S8+ and found it to be pretty useful. A single-press of the GA button will tell you the time of the day and also notify you about any Notifications you have received. If you have Notifications, the headphones will read them aloud to you. You can also press-and-hold the GA button, speak a command to GA, and get responses delivered directly to your ears. I used the GA button often to check the weather, make calls to people, and send messages. I didn't have much success, though, when trying to send text messages to people via the GA button. The QC35 would correctly understand my command, confirm and read back my message to my recipient, but sometimes the delivery would fail in the end. If I use Google Assistant directly from my Galaxy S8+, everything works the first time. I'm hoping future app and firmware updates will improve the GA experience. With that said, having the GA button is very useful and helpful and I'm sure it'll only get better and faster. = Audio Quality & Noise Cancellation = When it comes to listening to audio, the Bose QC35 Series II is impeccable. It played back all the different kinds of music (rock, hip-hop, pop, rap) fabulously and flawlessly. From bass-heavy songs such as 50 Cent's Just a Lil Bit and In Da Club to full-range songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, the QC35 is a champ. Absolutely no complaints here. Making all this audio quality possible is the BRILLIANT active noise cancellation. All background distractions simply disappear and don't bother you from enjoying your music. I was sitting on my front porch listening to music because there is much noise here - gardeners working, delivery trucks driving by, birds chirping, dogs barking, etc. And I couldn't hear them at all~!! Especially impressive was when I missed hearing a medium-sized U-Haul truck driving into my street close to my driveway. Those kinds of trucks are usually very loud and clanky but the QC35 filtered it out wonderfully. Making all of this even more impressive is the fact that the volume on the QC35 was only set to ~60% loudness. One no longer has to crank up the volume at the expense of potentially damaging your hearing to filter out background noise & distractions. Brilliant. I also used the QC35 Series II to make and answer several calls and everybody said my voice came through loud and clear and good. I was told by one person that it sounded just as good as my Plantronics M180 bluetooth headset. = Conclusion = The Bose QC35 Series II is an absolute buy~! Great design and quality, great controls & comfort, SUPERB audio quality augmented by brilliant active noise cancelling, and topped off by the innovative and useful Google Assistant functionality baked in. I highly recommend it to all music lovers.

= Summary = The Bose QC35 Series II headphones are fantastic~!! It definitely lives up to all the hype & rave reviews and delivers great sound, dynamic range, awesome bass, and truly astounding active noise cancellation. In addition, it looks cool and is very comfortable to wear. = Design & Comfort = I have the black QC35 Series II and it looks sleek and sexy. Since it's black, it will blend in nicely with whatever clothing you wear and it won't stand out too much. To my delight, it was much lighter than it looked and is very comfortable to wear over the head for extended periods of time. The ear padding is very soft, well-padded, and doesn't cause any long-term fatigue or discomfort. I even wore it to bed and it was very comfortable (as long as you don't mind not being able to turn your head sideways). = Controls = The layout of the buttons are well-placed, easy to find, and intuitive to use. On your left earmuff, you have the Google Assistant button. On the right earmuff, you have the Power/Bluetooth pairing button as well as additional buttons for Volume Control and Playback Control. As expected, all the controls work very well and with no issues. = Google Assistant Button = The highlight of this new Bose QC35 Series II headphones is the presence of a dedicated button for Google Assistant (GA). I paired the QC35 to my Galaxy S8+ and found it to be pretty useful. A single-press of the GA button will tell you the time of the day and also notify you about any Notifications you have received. If you have Notifications, the headphones will read them aloud to you. You can also press-and-hold the GA button, speak a command to GA, and get responses delivered directly to your ears. I used the GA button often to check the weather, make calls to people, and send messages. I didn't have much success, though, when trying to send text messages to people via the GA button. The QC35 would correctly understand my command, confirm and read back my message to my recipient, but sometimes the delivery would fail in the end. If I use Google Assistant directly from my Galaxy S8+, everything works the first time. I'm hoping future app and firmware updates will improve the GA experience. With that said, having the GA button is very useful and helpful and I'm sure it'll only get better and faster. = Audio Quality & Noise Cancellation = When it comes to listening to audio, the Bose QC35 Series II is impeccable. It played back all the different kinds of music (rock, hip-hop, pop, rap) fabulously and flawlessly. From bass-heavy songs such as 50 Cent's Just a Lil Bit and In Da Club to full-range songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, the QC35 is a champ. Absolutely no complaints here. Making all this audio quality possible is the BRILLIANT active noise cancellation. All background distractions simply disappear and don't bother you from enjoying your music. I was sitting on my front porch listening to music because there is much noise here - gardeners working, delivery trucks driving by, birds chirping, dogs barking, etc. And I couldn't hear them at all~!! Especially impressive was when I missed hearing a medium-sized U-Haul truck driving into my street close to my driveway. Those kinds of trucks are usually very loud and clanky but the QC35 filtered it out wonderfully. Making all of this even more impressive is the fact that the volume on the QC35 was only set to ~60% loudness. One no longer has to crank up the volume at the expense of potentially damaging your hearing to filter out background noise & distractions. Brilliant. I also used the QC35 Series II to make and answer several calls and everybody said my voice came through loud and clear and good. I was told by one person that it sounded just as good as my Plantronics M180 bluetooth headset. = Conclusion = The Bose QC35 Series II is an absolute buy~! Great design and quality, great controls & comfort, SUPERB audio quality augmented by brilliant active noise cancelling, and topped off by the innovative and useful Google Assistant functionality baked in. I highly recommend it to all music lovers.

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 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).

I purchased both Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II headphones, and Sony’s WH-1000XM3, as these are considered 2 of the best over-ear Bluetooth headphones on the market. Let me tell you why I preferred the Sony’s. Bose: Let me start by saying I am comparing and rating these Bose vs another set of $350 headphones. If you are comparing your old $125 headphones, the Bose are going to be a huge step up, which is why I still give them 3 stars. I originally purchased Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II because they were hyped as being the best, had a reputable name with Bose, they are aesthetically good looking headphones, and they were on sale. For a $350 headphone, I was (surprisingly) underwhelmed with the sound, which for me trumps all other features in a pair of headphones. To keep it simple, the sound felt compressed. It wasn’t vibrant. It didn’t “wow” me. Don’t get me wrong, the notes and sounds were crystal clear. But that was the problem. It was just nice, very clear music. I turned up the volume on some of my favorite songs, and didn’t get goosebumps once. It was lacking a deep driving bass and reverberating highs, and the sound just didn’t seem to envelop you. Additionally, the noise cancelling gave me sort of a motion sickness/dizziness feeling, which I thought I was crazy, until I went online and found that it is a real thing. The Bose are extremely simple to connect and set up, and the physical buttons are easy to use. Once they are set up, there is no more customization. Some may find the simplicity nice, but I wanted to be able have some personalization. They are great looking headphones, and they are very comfortable to wear. But all that meant nothing to me if the sound wasn’t up-to-par. I returned the Bose the next day, and paid the extra $56 (because the Sony’s weren’t on sale) for the WH-1000XM3’s. And am I ever glad I did! SONY: These headphones are simply amazing. The sound they generate is everything the Bose is lacking; powerful base, strong mids, and vibrant highs that surround you and envelop you. These headphones immediately “wow’d” me, and I think more-so because I had just been disappointed with the Bose (which I was worried was the best I could get). Additionallly, the Sony’s have the ability to adjust an Equalizer through their app, and you can customize the sound even further (you can really drive the bass, or tone it way down). You can also manually adjust the noice cancelling (which is incredible and didn’t make me sick at all) in several different ways on the app, or allow it to automatically adjust depending on what the headphones are sensing (meaning if you go running, it will let in more ambient sounds automatically for safety). Of course this is all able to be turned on and off in the app. The sound is just larger, more encompassing, and better. You can get hard hitting, deep bass listening to rap, or hear the flute player taking a breath between notes listening to classical music. The Sony’s are a slightly larger, heavier, and more “obvious” aesthetically, but they are still very comfortable and hold their position nicely. I would much rather enjoy what I am listening to, than worry about how cool I look wearing them. There are a couple smaller features I liked better on the Bose (changing what device you are connected to on the Bose was easier), but without a doubt, Sony has more customizablity, and the sound is just plain superior to the Bose. If your primary goal is to find the best sounding headphones, then go with the Sony’s. You won’t be disappointed!

OVERALL OPINION: These headphones are amazing! I might have been perfectly satisfied with the first version of the QC35s, but I luckily stumbled on the second generation which includes the Google Assistant integration. I initially thought it would be a small bonus, but I totally underestimated how powerful and convenient this could be. It's more than just a trigger for voice commands. It's a surprisingly flawless implementation that allows Google Assistant to turn you into much more productive multi-tasker. GOOGLE ASSISTANT VOICE COMMANDS: You start by connecting the headphones to your phone via the 'Bose Connect' app. Now, all you have to do is press and hold the button on the left side and speak your voice command. This is a lot easier and less tedious than having to precede every command with "OK Google", but this isn't even the best part of this integration. GOOGLE ASSISTANT NOTIFICATIONS: The best feature of the Google Assistant integration is the ability to receive voice notifications! Whenever you receive a notification on your phone, it is automatically spoken to you on your headphones. When text messages are received, not only can you have the message read to you with a single click of the left button, but you're also presented with an immediate opportunity to send a voice-to-text response by holding the left button while speaking. This allows you to multitask like no other. The Bose Connect app allows you to choose between temporarily pausing your audio during the notification (so you don't miss a second of that podcast you were listening to) or just reducing its volume while the notification is played. You can double press the left button to shut Google Assistant up mid-notification if you ever wish to as well. It's an excellent experience. I tried smartwatches in the past, but they never seemed to deliver a convenience above and beyond what a phone could do on its own. The hands-free and vision-free experience these headphones enable fills the void we all hoped smartwatches would. CONNECTING TO TWO DEVICES: Speaking of multitasking, these headphones can be connected to two devices at a time without the fumbling and confusion that comes along with other Bluetooth headphones offering similar functionality. I’ve got mine connected to my Android phone and my Windows PC. Start playing media from either device and it’s streamed right to your headphones. To play from the opposite device, just pause the current media on the first device and then play the new media on the second device. It’s that simple. But to receive the notifications I mentioned, your current connection must be with your phone. FIT, FORM, & FUNCTION: Lastly, you might be wondering how these headphones perform as headphones. The answer is great! Check out all the reviews of the first generation for the details as I don’t think much has changed there. They’re very comfortable, lightweight, and they don’t make your ears sweat or hurt over long periods of continual usage. I explained the left button for interacting with Google Assistant in depth, but the media controls on the right are just as useful and intuitive. Double-click the play/pause button to skip to the next track and triple-click it to go back a track. The wireless range, the sound quality, and the battery life (20 hours) is all top notch for such a portable package. I haven’t tested the mic quality during a call yet, but even if it’s not the greatest, this headset has already exceeded my expectations in so many ways - I couldn’t be happier with the design.

Bose has faced serious competition over the years since releasing their QC25 and first generation QC35 headphones. Sony has stepped up and is now the undisputed king of ANC headphones. Their flagship mark III headphones do have better noise cancelling than Bose by a measurable amount. They also offer USB-C charging, longer battery life, and Google Assistant integration (just like Bose). So why did I go with the CQ35ii headphones? Comfort. Above all, the QC35ii headphones are still the most comfortable pair of over-the-ear ANC headphones on the market. The competition aren't bad but Bose's design, albeit dated, is still extremely comfortable. I can wear these for hours on end without my ears touching the inside of the headphones or getting too hot. There's plenty of ventilation so sweat doesn't build up yet audio doesn't creep out unlike Beats headphones. Bose does offer other advantages too. They updated the headphones to integrate Alexa. It's nice when I'm at home as I can control my smart devices but I ended up disabling Alexa and having the button change the level of ANC instead. Alexa could not bring up songs or playlists in Apple Music and I don't want to switch to inferior music services like Amazon Music or Spotify. Adjusting the levels of ANC is easy with the action button and Bose provides firmware updates through the app. The QC35ii headphones also remember up to 8 devices and can stay connected to two at the same time. This was another deal breaker for me. Most of the time, I'm watching a video on either my iPad or MacBook with my iPhone nearby. I will leave my QC35ii headphones connected to my iPhone and then pair them to my iPad or Mac. Video audio comes through the headphones but, when I receive a call on my iPhone, it will come through on the headphones as well while automatically pausing the video on my iPad/Mac. This is a great feature and means I don't have to constantly pair to just one device. It's convenient and saves me time when traveling. Despite Bose not being at the top with ANC, they are still really good and better than every other brand except Sony. My only complaint is that the ANC does produce an "ear pressure" sensation but I got used to it fairly quickly. Low-end noises are easily canceled out and only sudden, higher-pitched noises come through. The space heater in my office and other, general office droning noises are all canceled out with ease. I can hear conversations but, when I start playing music, they are covered up. I have a feeling Bose is going to come back with either the QC45 or QC35iii headphones that offer more fine-tuned ANC to compete with Sony. Battery life, while not the longest, is still great. I usually listen to music with my headphones about 4 hours a day (5 days a week) and have to recharge them once a week. There have been times when I forget to recharge them on Saturday/Sunday before going into the office and, despite the use of micro USB (which I'm actually ok with as my wireless earbuds also charge over micro USB), Bose did include quick charging. I can get a few hours of listening with just 15 minutes of charging and the headphones are fully charged within 2 hours. Audio quality is good for a pair of wireless headphones. It's a fun sound signature, which is typical of Bose, but the bass isn't as boosted as one would think. Sony definitely offers more bass with their headphones but that comes at a cost of the highs. With the QC35ii's, I feel that the highs and lows are equally represented with some recession of the mids (v-shaped but not too extreme). These aren't audiophile quality but they're not meant to be and I enjoy listening to music and movies on them. Bose also went the extra mile with the carrying case. The QC35ii's fold flat and take up very little space in a bag or backpack. They take up less space than Sony, Beats, and every other brand. There's plenty of space for the micro USB cable in the case. Bose did remove the airline adapter but you can buy one for dirt cheap, many airlines also let you borrow them for free or buy one on the plane for $5. I'm not a fan of the audio cable that Bose uses. It's thin, flimsy, and is a 3.5mm to 2.5mm cable which means you have to order a replacement either from Bose or online as a general 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable won't work. I have yet to use the cable and likely never will as my Mac is the only device I have with a wired headphone output (without using a dongle) but it would have been nice if Bose had used a standard audio cable. That being said, the internal cloth covering the drivers and the earpads themselves are replaceable. Should they get dirty or start peeling over time, you can replace them for a relatively low price. All-in-all, I still think Bose has it. Others offer more ANC and bass but Bose is still the king (or queen) of the all-around package. The best in comfort, still really good ANC, high audio quality, and other smaller details (like the case and earpads) make these a good choice. I went with the triple-black model and they almost look like a dark navy, they're also matte and don't show fingerprints nearly as bad as glossy headphones from the competition. I highly recommend these for people who travel and/or those who value comfort, especially people with multiple devices. I'm usually pretty picky and end up keeping headphones for less than a year before moving on but I have found my multi-year set. Ironically, the last set of headphones I kept for years were the QC15's from Bose.