Review: QuietComfort 35 Headphones Prove Bose Won't Miss the Headphone Jack

[WilliamG]

Bose just released a very, very awesome software update for the QC35 today. It's so good I just bought a second set of QC35. Music Share. It's awesome. It lets you pair a QC35 to another QC35 and share one person's iPhone or iPad music/audio. And yes, this works for movies etc in Plex, too. So. Awesome.

Seriously loving these phones. Just the peace and quiet when using them is hard to argue...

 

[Alhagar]

I got a cold that coincided with the firmware update 1.2.9. Suddenly I'm feeling pressure in my ears because of the ANC when I had not previously. Has anyone experienced this before using ANC headphones while having a cold or is it possibly related to the firmware update?

 

[ericwn]

I got a cold that coincided with the firmware update 1.2.9. Suddenly I'm feeling pressure in my ears because of the ANC when I had not previously. Has anyone experienced this before using ANC headphones while having a cold or is it possibly related to the firmware update?

Could it also be related to the cold you are suffering from at the moment? The closed design of the over-the-ear headphones causes some people a bit of discomfort for a moment when it seals the ear. Maybe your cold increases your sensitivity to this pressure.

 

[WilliamG]

I got a cold that coincided with the firmware update 1.2.9. Suddenly I'm feeling pressure in my ears because of the ANC when I had not previously. Has anyone experienced this before using ANC headphones while having a cold or is it possibly related to the firmware update?

That's classic cold + ANC symptoms.

 

[whsbuss]

I've been reading on the Bose forum that the latest firmware 1.2.9 has caused less quality sound... more compressed, less bass, etc. Has anyone noticed that here?

 

[WilliamG]

I've been reading on the Bose forum that the latest firmware 1.2.9 has caused less quality sound... more compressed, less bass, etc. Has anyone noticed that here?

Not personally, nope. But sound is tricky. Unfortunately I updated both my QC35 at the same time or I'd do an A/B comparison.

 

[LogicalVue]

I've been reading on the Bose forum that the latest firmware 1.2.9 has caused less quality sound... more compressed, less bass, etc. Has anyone noticed that here?

I've seen these comments on the Bose forum, but I haven't really noticed any sound quality difference (good or bad) with the 1.2.9 firmware update. I have noticed less bluetooth "skipping" however.

 

[whsbuss]

I've seen these comments on the Bose forum, but I haven't really noticed any sound quality difference (good or bad) with the 1.2.9 firmware update. I have noticed less bluetooth "skipping" however.

Thanks for that.

 

[whsbuss]

For those who may have a sound quality with the latest FW 1.2.9, head over to the Bose Community forums. There's a hack workaround using Chrome tools to downgrade to 1.0.6 (until Bose fixes things - which they have been responding to customers with issues). They even offered an exchange for a new set of QC35s

 

[SqB]

To follow up on my earlier post, I did finally purchase the 35s and have been extremely happy with the sound quality reports on calls. I have even used them with Dragon, which can be picky, and it works great. They tend to pick up a little too much keyboard noise, but that's the only complaint as far as the mics go.

I did first purchase the new Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2 in an attempt to save a little money, but they were highly disappointing. Not at all up to the standard I have come to expect from Plantronics.

I'm 80% satisfied with the 35s. Most of the remaining 20% is due to Bluetooth switching issues, but these are probably the best at switching I've ever seen so my expectations are probably just too high.

 

[emangeletti]

Sorry if this question has been answered already.

Can the headphones operate the noise cancelling feature in wired mode with the Bluetooth switch turned off? I intend to sometimes use these headphones in environments where Bluetooth is not always allowed but for the money I'm looking for headphones which are somewhat future proof given Apple's decision to ditch the headphone jack.

 

[WilliamG]

Sorry if this question has been answered already.

Can the headphones operate the noise cancelling feature in wired mode with the Bluetooth switch turned off? I intend to sometimes use these headphones in environments where Bluetooth is not always allowed but for the money I'm looking for headphones which are somewhat future proof given Apple's decision to ditch the headphone jack.

In wired mode, BT is switched off automatically (thus a significant battery improvement).