QC35 Image (Grey): B&H Photo | QC35 II Image (Black): Best Buy
Both models were demoed in store @ Best Buy on numerous occasions.
Hello there friend and Welcome aboard!!
Before we get into the Bose QC35 vs. QC35 II, grab a snack, sit back and relax because..
You’ve come to the right place!!
What I will bring you in this comparison
Today will be short, sweet, and to the point, as there aren’t a whole heap of differences between these two buddies. Recommendation towards the end. 🙂
Introduction
I got a chance to demo the QC35 on numerous occasions, and I really like the sound.
Don’t let the snobs and audiophiles fool you; it’s a great sound that possesses many of the same qualities as a fairly balanced professional headphone.
In fact,
The “Harman target” is all the rage nowadays, but it seems Bose was Harman tuning their headphones back before it was cool.
If you were unaware, the Harman target is essentially the sound signature that most (not all!) people prefer in blind listening tests through speakers.
Because of that,
more and more companies are adopting this type of sound and implementing it in their headphone tuning.
Build & Comfort
Before we get into how these sound, let’s discuss build and comfort.
In all honesty, picking up a QC35 is fairly underwhelming – meaning it’s light – but it doesn’t necessarily feel cheap.
It’s made mostly of plastic and the cups rotate around, but it’s not a headphone I’d feel comfortable sitting or stepping on.
That said, I believe they designed it in such a way as to maximize comfort, as it feels absolutely wonderful on your head and you’ll almost never have to adjust it for any reason whatsoever.
It basically disappears on your head, and quite easily makes my most comfortable headphones of all time list.
The clamping force is just right, and because the headphones are so light, you’ll pretty much never feel them digging into the top of your head.
In addition to that,
they’re fairly low profile so you won’t get strange looks from local Airport-goers, and that’s what’s most important, right?!
Sound
As alluded to above, the QC35 follows the Harman target pretty closely.
There’s a tastefully done bass shelf, smooth mid-range, and a somewhat darker-sounding treble.
Think of a gradually descending line from the bass to the treble and you’ll get an idea of how pleasant these are.
Of course, there’s a mid-range bump at roughly 2-3kHz where are ears expect one, and the treble is in no way sibilant but you may take exception to its sometimes lack of sparkle.
This is one of the only small nitpicks I have with the headphone – it kind of lacks that liveliness and excitement, but it’s in no way fatiguing which is the main draw here.
All in all, I think this sound signature was handled really well and does come close to mimicking an entry-level audiophile-type headphone – think of something like the Sennheiser HD560S, AKG K371, etc.
By now you may be wondering how the QC35 II stacks up.
Let’s find out!
Similarities
- Both have identical designs, forms, and aesthetic.
- Both have the same noise-canceling features and quality.
- Both are identical in sound.
- Both come with a short cable for charging and a long one for listening.
- Both have the same button placement.
- Both are built the same.
- Both have protein leather earcups with Alcantara for the headband.
- Both are made primarily of glass-filled nylon and stainless steel.
- Both weigh 8.3 oz.
- Both use a micro USB to charge.
- Both have a 20-hour battery life.
- Both are the same price.
Differences
Carrying Case
Bose updated the carrying case by removing the stitched logo and replacing it with a sticker logo.
Adapter
The QC35 II no longer comes with an airline adapter.
The Magic Button
The QC35 II added a button that allows you to interact with Google Assistant.
This is basically Google’s version of “Siri” that comes with the iPhone.
So just press the button, ask a question, and get an answer homie!
You can also ask the assistant to play songs and stuff. The button will work with iPhones as well.
With an iPhone,
you were able to do those same things with the original QC35.
All you had to do was press and hold the middle button while asking the same sorts of questions.
You can do quite a lot with it regardless.
What the Assistant button does that the regular button doesn’t is it allows you to literally take a call without touching your phone, which is extremely convenient.
It’s also the epitome of laziness, but that’s another story. 😀
The QC35 II’s noise canceling features work in both wired and wireless modes; a feature absent in the original model.
The only real difference is the Google Assistant button.
You could simply press and hold the middle button down on the QC35 II and still get Siri or Google voice (Bixby).
I don’t really see a reason to buy the QC35 II other than that reason alone, but as of 2023, the original QC35’s pricing is much more erratic and all over the place while the II is more stable.
As far as the button, you don’t have to use it specifically for assistant.
If you still want to use it, you can reassign it to scroll through the various noise-canceling levels as well.
Check Pricing | QC35 | QC35 II
I think the better purchase in 2023 is whichever is cheaper as both of these headphones are very similar.
Final Word
I loved the sound of the QC35, and believe it to be one of the best Bluetooth headphones you can buy.
It’s got a great sound, perfect comfort, and a phenomenal build.
Learn More:
Well that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve gotten some valuable information out of this Bose QC35 vs. QC35 II comparison!
Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!
What are your thoughts on the Harman Target? I would love to hear from you! Until next time…
All the best and God bless,
-Stu
