Bonjour friend and Welcome aboard!!
Before we get into the Bose Quietcomfort 15 vs. 25, grab a snack, sit back and relax because..
You’ve come to the right place!!
What I will bring you in this comparison
For the purposes of this article, I will cut right to the chase by comparing and contrasting the 15’s with the 25’s and then giving a recommendation towards the end. 🙂
- Similarities & Differences
- Final Word
Now without further ado, let’s get rolling!
Similarities & Differences
Similarities
- Both headphones are Circumaural (Around the Ear).
Differences
- The QC25’s have better active and passive noise cancellation, especially with regard to the lower frequencies. Also of significance is the fact that the QC15’s have a strange sensation when you turn on the Active noise cancellation that doesn’t occur with the QC25’s. How do noise cancelling headphones work?
- Microphone. The QC25 provides two mics on the inside and outside of the ear-cup. The chip in the QC25 also cancels noise faster and more accurate than the one in the QC15.
- Sound quality. The sound quality of the QC25 is better and more tonally accurate than the QC15. The QC15 is more of a “fun” sound, with some added bass for good measure. White noise and hiss have also been reduced in the QC25, and it’s overall sound provides more clarity in the all important mid-range and treble regions. So in essence, the QC15’s do better with more bass heavy genres while the QC25’s excel with stuff like Pop, Acoustic, Indie, Jazz, and generally more laid back stuff. They’ve got a more balanced overall sound.
- Comfort. The QC25’s are a bit more comfortable due to their slightly larger ear-cups.
- Build and Fold. The QC25’s have a better build, while also being able to collapse into a more compact package.
- Weight. The QC25’s are a bit heavier than the QC15’s.
- Headband padding. The QC15’s had a type of leatherette/faux/protein leather type of padding, while the QC25’s have a different type of material. It has more texture to it, and is made of Alcantara. Alcantara is a higher quality material made of a combination of 68% polyester and 32% polyurethane. It can be found on the inside of some high end sports cars.
- Design. The QC25’s have “R” and “L” in large letters on the inside of each of the ear-cups. This is a perfect way to indicate. With most headphones, you’ll have to hunt around the headphone to figure it out unless there’s Red on the right wire or hinge, signifying which ear it goes on. For instance, the Sennheiser HD 25 has red on the chord going into the right cup, the Sennheiser HD 600 has red on the right chord as well, and the Sony MDR ZX100 has red on the right hinge.
- Chord. The QC15’s chord feels cheaper and flimsier than the QC25’s. The QC25’s feels more sturdy and less prone to breaking down. The QC15’s come with 2 cables, but they are proprietary. This means that you can only use cables from Bose, as a standard one won’t fit. The QC25’s use a 2.5mm jack on the ear-cup end, which basically means that you cannot use them as a standard auxiliary cable. Both cables prove to be an inconvenience to users, but the QC25 can be fitted with an adapter. More on that in the video.
- Battery. The QC15 requires an AAA battery at all times when listening. At ALL times. No exceptions. 🙂 The QC25 has a passive option, meaning you can listen to it with or without noise cancellation turned on. One thing to keep in mind is that the sound quality degrades as the battery dies. You should charge it often (QC15). However, the QC25 does not have a rechargeable battery either, and also requires an AAA battery to operate. The QC25 will play once the battery dies, but without noise cancellation, and it won’t sound as good as mentioned before.
- Bluetooth. The QC25’s weren’t Bluetooth, but could be used with a Bluetooth adapter. The QC15’s did not have Bluetooth at all.
- Case. The QC15’s come in an oval shaped case with a Velcro pouch, while the QC25’s case resembles a rounded rectangle. The 15’s case was a lot more convenient and had more storage options, while the QC25’s had to be folded in a weird way just to get them in the case.
Video Comparisons!
More in depth!
He discusses the Beats Studio’s at about
Final Word
I think both models are good, but if you want Bluetooth, the QC25’s have an adapter option but it’s very inconvenient. The upgraded QC35’s improve on that by integrating a built in mic, the sound is improved, and the case is better. The QC25’s case was a hassle because there were no compartments to store anything. Furthermore, the QC25’s had the inline remote/cable that could drop off calls, while with the QC35’s everything is integrated, with a volume control on the headphone itself, and calls stay at a fixed volume. The QC35 therefore is an excellent upgrade.
If you don’t like charging your headphones, prefer batteries and don’t mind having to use a Bluetooth adapter, take a gander at the QC25.
Interested in learning more about the QC35?
CHECK OUT MY OFFICIAL BOSE QUIET COMFORT 35 REVIEW!!
AND
SEE THEM FOR YOURSELF ON AMAZON!!
Well that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Bose QC 15 vs. 35 comparison.
Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!
Which of these are you more likely to go with? Are the QC35’s worth it? What do you think about the QC15’s and QC25’s? I would love to hear from you. Until next time..
All the best and God bless,
-Stu
