Noise-cancelling headphones are peculiar little wonders of technology; they isolate you from the busiest of surroundings, shielding you from the noisy world by placing you in your own little universe. While Bose isn’t new to noise-cancelling headphones, they’ve upped the ante by getting rid of any wiring and going all wireless with Bluetooth. This versatility alone places the QuietComfort 35 in a position high above the competition and its own other headphones. The best news, though, is that the battery life is simply incredible.
The QuiteComfort 35 doesn’t look any different than other Bose headphones – particularly its wired brethren – but that’s not a bad thing. They’re very light, durable, and ridiculously comfortable. In fact, they’re probably the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn, and it’s only fitting to have the headphones named after this. You need to try it to believe it. Unfortunately for lefties, the controls are on the right ear cup, which include volume controls and the Bluetooth switch. The headphones also come with a hard case for travel, an airplane adapter, and a 3.5mm cable should you ever run out of batteries (and at 20 hours of battery life, you really shouldn’t).
As soon as you wear the headphones and switch them on, you’ll go deaf, for two reasons. The first is the active noise-cancelling which negates all (well, almost all) ambient noise; the second reason is the resulting pressure on your ears. If this is the first time you use noise-cancelling headphones, be warned that the experience is too foreign and uncomfortable at first until you adapt; your inner ear feels like exploding and, in my case, I did experience minor claustrophobia. Different people have different sensitivities to noise-cancelling headphones, so I would highly recommend you try them out at the store before you buy (generally, you might be able to find demo units of the QuietComfort 25 at the store). With use, however, you can adapt to the experience, particularly if you’re in an office or around constant humming of machinery, drilling, or equipment. I wish I had them when I worked in data centres.
How much noise the headphones block really depend on the frequency, your music volume, and your attentiveness to your surroundings. While most ambient noise is muted – particularly chatter and “hums” from computers and other gear – you can still hear a door bell, a sudden shriek, or a phone ring, even if they’re faint. Whether this is by design or by technology limitations, I am thankful that I am still somehow connected to the outside world. The noise-cancellation works great as well during phone calls, since you can actually listen to the person at the other end even if you’re in a crowd.
That said, it’s quite strange that the only way to switch off noise-cancelling is to switch off the device. The Bose companion app only functions to pair the device (if you don’t know how to pair it through the phone settings) and there is no setting to switch off the noise-cancellation. It bothered me because I don’t always need to have the noise-cancellation on, particularly when I am in an area where I want to listen to some music yet be attentive to my surroundings.
As for the music itself, the quality of the sound is generally good. The bass is OK but not really powerful, and generally speaking, everything sounds normalised and a little flat. You don’t get heart-pumping kicks nor do you miss out on mid and low-range tunes. These headphones are definitely not aimed at audiophiles, but for introverts who want to cocoon in an office or for bookworms on the subway.
So, are these phones for you? It largely depends on your budget and the reasoning behind the purchase. At AED 1449, they’re not cheap, and many other headphones in this price range offer superior sound quality, but without the noise cancellation, and probably with wiring. However, if you’re looking for unparalleled noise-cancellation and you’re OK with a more or less flat equaliser – with the versatility of being wireless – then the Bose QuietComfort 35 is perfect for you.
