Most of the wireless headphones with active noise cancellation we've tested have been mediocre at best. Some feature solid wireless audio performance, but few match it with quality noise cancellation. That Bose, the leader in noise-canceling headphones for some time, was waiting to produce a wireless model, was telling—it seemed it was perhaps too expensive to produce quality versions of both features in one package, or too draining on battery life.
But Bose's latest headphone pair, the QuietComfort 35, delivers the top-of-the-line noise cancellation the company is known for and, finally, the Bluetooth audio it has honed with its SoundLink lineup. It'll cost you around $350, a $50 increase over the wired QuietComfort 25. Is it worth it? In a word: Yes. The QC 35 is our Editor's' Choice award winner. Read on, to find out why.
Available in black or silver models, the QuietComfort 35 has the modern look and feel of recent Bose Bluetooth headphones like the SoundLink Around-Ear II. That means a matte finish and very little in the way of flashy design accents. As should be expected from the product name, the QC 35 is comfortable, with plush padding in the earpads and on the underside of the headband.
The right earcup houses all of the controls on the outside panel, including a Power/Pairing switch, a multifunction button (for playback, call management, and track navigation), and dedicated volume controls (which work in conjunction with your device's master volume levels). There are also LED indicators for battery life and Bluetooth status next to this control panel, as well as a connection port for the included micro USB charging cable.
An audio cable is included to optionally let you use the QC 35 as wired headphones. It connects to the left earcup, but like the QC 25 it lacks an inline remote control/mic. This means you can only field calls when you're paired with your device, and you have to control playback on the device itself when in wired audio mode. Dual microphones on the headphones themselves combine for better call clarity than you get from a single inline mic (they cut down on wind and ambient background noise), so at least there's an upside to the onboard-only mic system.
Pairing is a simple and quick process. It can be done via your device's Bluetooth menu, or simply tapping to pair with NFC. Bose estimates the QC 35 has a battery life of roughly 20 hours (in Bluetooth mode) or 40 hours (in wired listening mode), but your results will also vary with your volume levels. When the battery finally dies, you can still listen passively via the cable, but the active noise cancellation and digital signal processing (DSP) will not function.
Bose's free Connect app for Android and iOS also allows for easy switching between Bluetooth devices. This is useful if you receive a call on your phone but are streaming music from your tablet. Robotic vocal prompts tell you how much battery life you have and what device you're connected to just after powering up. You can disable this in the Connect app, and customize the auto power settings. In addition to the aforementioned cables, the QC 35 ships with an airline jack adapter and an excellent zip-up hardshell case that the headphones fold down into for easy stowing.
