Bose Quietcomfort 35 II
Man is by nature a social animal,” said Aristotle, and that remains as true as ever. We text, tweet and message each other – and some even employ smart assistants such as Amazon Echo or Google Home to help streamline their communication.
But now we are talking to our speakers, our watches and our phones, it makes sense that we should be able to talk to our headphones as well. That’s the thinking behind Bose’s Quietcomfort 35 IIS, the updated version of the Quietcomfort 35s that came out in 2016. These new headphones have a dedicated button to activate Google Assistant, which will, at your behest, play music, answer trivia questions and read you your smartphone notifications.
Add that to the QC35 IIS’ pleasing audio quality and still-excellent noisecancelling capabilities, and you have a pair of cans with widespread appeal.
Smart functions
Mainly found in Android smartphones, Assistant is Google’s equivalent of Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa. Once set up through Bose’s Connect app – or, for Apple users, the Bose app combined with Google’s Assistant app for IOS – the Quietcomforts will read out upcoming calendar events or chime whenever your phone gets a new notification.
With messages, you have the option to reply using your voice. It’s a handy addition, especially in winter: it’s much simpler to respond to texts or make calls at the push of a button than it is to fish your phone out of your pocket, remove your gloves and bash out a hasty message with frozen fingers.
Like the original Quietcomfort 35s, the level of noise-cancellation from these cans (‘low’, ‘high’ or ‘off’) is impressive. Bose has always been at the forefront of silencing constant rumbles or hums, and that remains the same here, the microphones inside and outside the headphones effectively eliminating any irritating background chatter.
If we have one complaint, it’s that the noise cancellation could be a little more intelligent, for example in the way Sony’s WH-1000XM3 headphones disable noise-cancellation when you hold your hand over one of the housings, or B&W’S PX7S pause your music when you lift the earpad up.
Battery life is a claimed 20 hours with a wireless connection, or 40 hours of just noise cancellation if you’re using the 3.5mm cable that comes in the box.
The Quietcomfort 35 IIS certainly live up to the 'comfort' part of their name. At 310g, they are significantly lighter than the B&WS and have a softer grip than the Sonys – great for long journeys. They also fold down nicely, and their build quality suggests that they could survive being kept in a rucksack, without the need to keep them in the supplied carry-case.
The Quietcomfort 35 IIS have a good handle on any music you send their way. With The Beatles’ Let It Be, connected to a Macbook Pro, the Boses dig up a fair amount of detail, although they are still bettered by all three rivals in this respect.
Paul Mccartney keeps irregular timing in the build-up to the chorus, singing lines a little later than you’d expect. When he does, the Quietcomfort 35 IIS easily pick up the faint movements of his lips.
Playing Teenagers by My Chemical Romance, these headphones pay great attention to the midrange. There’s no denying the scornful assonance in Gerard Way’s lyrics and the snarl as he laments the loss of teenage individualism.
Each powerful bass note is weighty and nuanced; from the lowest depths to the way the music disperses and fades into the soundstage, you can make out layers to the sound where less talented headphones would struggle.
At the other end of the spectrum, there's measured management of the high treble. The soaring vocalisations in Now We Are Free, from Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard’s Gladiator soundtrack, are far-reaching without sounding brash.
Comfortable with change
Dynamically, these headphones can take changes in intensity in their stride. From the quieter drums and strings that rise up when the song begins to the hearty, husky tones of Lisa Gerrard’s idioglossia (her invented language) that fill the space, these headphones make smooth transitions allowing you to really become immersed in your music.
But while these cans have an enjoyable sound, their rivals are a clear step ahead. The WH-1000XM3S have an earthier bass and more insight, while the PX7S have a better sense of rhythm and dynamics.
The Quietcomfort 35 IIS are hugely effective in a Ronseal kind of way: the excellent noise-cancelling keeps everything around you quiet, and they're exceptionally comfortable – in those regards they're not unbeatable but remain at the cutting edge. They're not the best-sounding of their ilk though, the Sonys in particular offering similar levels of noise-cancelling and comfort with an extra helping of musicality.
Still, if you're happy to sacrifice that last little bit of sonic ability in the name of added comfort, these are the noise-cancellers to buy.