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Bose QuietComfort 35 II Review (Noise Cancelling Headphone)

beeface

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This is perhaps a silly question, but out of curiosity, does changing the ANC setting (high/low/off) effect FR?
 

nxnje

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In sharp contrast, you or someone else saying you don't like the sound of a headphone means nothing. You have no express qualification to make such judgements, nor did you do it in any kind of bias controlled. And at any rate, lack the experience of me doing this (matching measurements and subjective listening) day in, day out.
So you're basically saying someone cannot say they don't like a pair of headphones just because they don't have instruments to do measurements and just because they don't have access to the multitude of headphones you can get in your hands?

This feels like "I'm better than you so what I say is more important than what you say".
Honestly, apart from the fact I understood some posts ago this is not the place where to share personal opinions but more a place of discussing graphs, I didn't expect you to feel superior than other humans. Was expecting a more "open" person, just that.
You're competent in the audio world and we all know it, but considering people as they have no right to express their opinion wasn't what I was expecting.

Will just leave this thread, I honestly prefer reading when you write about amps, at least there I won't get looked at as an inferior person because usually amps sound identical and there's no way we'd find ourselves speaking about personal tastes on the sound.
 

Aerith Gainsborough

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Hmm doesn't look half bad. I do wonder why the impedance changes so drastically though.
Also, that is some hardcore built in DSP, flattening the bass response.

Amir listening to headphones probably :p:p
Now the real question is: can Amir senpai's hair keep up with that kind of wicked dance performance?

So you're basically saying someone cannot say they don't like a pair of headphones just because they don't have instruments to do measurements and just because they don't have access to the multitude of headphones you can get in your hands?
To be blunt:
You can say that you, personally, don't like it all day long. That's your prerogative. After all: we all have our own taste and opinions.

You cannot say whether these are good or bad in an objective manner as a recommendation to others. For that you need:
a) objective, quantifiable data (a.k.a.: measurements) and the knowledge to interpret them correctly
b) a lot of listening experience, trained ears all while knowing your limits and what may translate to everyone and what does not

Also: do not be so insecure about your own likes/dislikes. Harman target is designed to appeal to most people possible. No one, not even Harman itself expects it to be a fit for absolutely everyone. No one here will look down upon you for simply liking a different sonic signature. Oo
 
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nxnje

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Hmm doesn't look half bad. I do wonder why the impedance changes so drastically though.
Also, that is some hardcore built in DSP, flattening the bass response.


Now the real question is: can Amir senpai's hair keep up with that kind of wicked dance performance?


To be blunt:
You can say that you, personally, don't like it all day long. That's your prerogative. After all: we all have our own taste and opinions.

You cannot say whether these are good or bad in an objective manner as a recommendation to others. For that you need:
a) objective, quantifiable data (a.k.a.: measurements) and the knowledge to interpret them correctly
b) a lot of listening experience, trained ears all while knowing your limits and what may translate to everyone and what does not

Also: do not be so insecure about your own likes/dislikes. Harman target is designed to appeal to most people possible. No one, not even Harman itself expects it to be a fit for absolutely everyone. No one here will look down upon you for simply liking a different sonic signature. Oo
In fact, since the beginning of my replies on this post, I have been specifying that was my own personal opinion, so reading that I'm nobody to express my opinion doesn't make me feel comfortable in sharing my own one in threads like this (moreover if I'm looked at like an inferior human).
 

solderdude

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Hmm doesn't look half bad. I do wonder why the impedance changes so drastically though.

It's because there is an input capacitor of 47uF present.
In passive mode this gives 40 Ohm + 47uF (driver itself is 32 Ohm) and in active mode it is 480 Ohm (could also be 470 Ohm) + 47uF.

The effect of this on the FR is seen here
 

Maki

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Dusted these off in light of this review. I only ever used these for plane rides and not much of that happening these days. They sound much better than I remember, then again I'm using them wired now and only ever used BT prior. The biggest issues with these to my ears is the 1-2K recession and the upper treble jaggedness. Makes female vocals sound flat and textureless and percussion sound compressed, hashy. The 1-2K part is easily fixed with EQ, the treble is not. Though not awful in the grand scheme of things, I personally wouldn't use them for at home listening at all based on their sound quality. Also, the ANC causes a mild pressure effect that I don't enjoy. On a plane, they're indispensable and much better than the Sony XM2s which I previously owned.
 

Phorize

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In fact, since the beginning of my replies on this post, I have been specifying that was my own personal opinion, so reading that I'm nobody to express my opinion doesn't make me feel comfortable in sharing my own one in threads like this (moreover if I'm looked at like an inferior human).
I wouldn’t be so sensitive about it. The difference between ASR and other audio sites is that on other sites opinion is all there is, whereas here the only thing that a subjective opinion proves is that the person says they have that subjective opinion. If this forums pages were just full of subjective opinion, there would be no reason to visit the site.
 

posvibes

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(moreover if I'm looked at like an inferior human).

@nxnje , I think you are drawing a long bow in regards to making the assumption that you are being looked down upon as "an inferior human".

I find the contributors on the ASR forum to be especially not only accommodating but a welcoming bunch of enthusiasts as well as industry stalwarts, world famous renowned with incredible experience and world class resumes of a number of views without rancour. Speaking as pretty much a novice in regards to the technical side of audio but a long time listener, what is refreshing about this site is the amount of work that @amirm puts into the reviews and the evidence he provides of the results of the test procedures.

Offering an opinion or dismissing that kind of work and efforts is in my opinion disrespectful.

There is an enormous amount to learn and a lot of helpful people and information at your fingertips on this site I have found from my own experience. In my opinion you should explore that and keep an open mind, for me it has been a liberating experience.
 

Mnyb

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It's been done (auto loudness) on shelf/midi systems for decades. And on BT headphones. It's the absolute antithesis of high fidelity in my opinion, especially as the boost is not linked to the level of the content itself, but the set step of the digital volume control.

If you listen to classical, it's disastrous.

I think RME kind of "solves" this in their DAC . Note I have not heard it in person and canot testify of it's effectivness .
In the RME variant of adaptable loudness contour you simply calibrate the absolute level at your listening position. That's information missing in most other cases . You must know where on the fletcher munson curve you actually are .

I reckon a headphone manufacturer can do better than a general loudness button on a stereo as they too know about your playback level .
So it could be good done right .

The other half of this is ofcourse missing in action . There is no reference level for the music itself at which level where the mixing and recording engineers happy ? no one knows ? The spectral balance is skeved by the listening levels also for the producers of our music . The movie producers has got this thing rigth there is a calibrated reference level both for listening and producing I wish it where for music .
 

Aerith Gainsborough

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I think RME kind of "solves" this in their DAC .
It works really well. For classical music too. But you need to be aware of 2 things:
a) you need to measure the SPL level during calibration.
b) you need to be aware of the actual digital loudness of the piece and (if you are OCD about it) normalize that via replay gain.

Personally, I calibrated it that a file that hits 0dBFS gives me ~90dB peaks pre EQ. Since most modern music hits 0dBFS anyway it works well enough for me. That way I only get "too little" bass if the piece is quieter but I never get too much bass when I turn it down.

Offering an opinion or dismissing that kind of work and efforts is in my opinion disrespectful.
I don't think anyone would consider the simple opinion of "the Harman target does not sound good to me" disrespectful in any way.
Fact is: I don't like the Harman target either. Treble is fine but bass is far too much for me. It's okay, my ears FR is not your ears FR, so differences in preferences are to be expected.
 

solderdude

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This hasn't been mentioned yet but the QC35-II is one of the headphones where fakes exist.
Those rushing out to buy one now should be warned not to buy ones that are low in price.

http://www.detectafake.com/viewProduct/?269580
 

whazzup

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Nango

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I'm in the mkt for such an ANC featured phone but hate BOSE and wont buy it never ever even with the ASR seal .... so came across with the Sennheiser's Momentum AEBT M3 which is also equiped with ANC ..... anyone did experienced them so far in terms of NC and SQ?
 

solderdude

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I don't like Bose either but If I had to choose between the better NC headphones I would choose the Sony if I wanted the best noise reduction with the lowest self noise and added functionality.
If it were based on SQ I would pick the QC35-II. Maybe even a QC25 as that one uses penlight batteries. Once the batteries of the QC35 are going dead you need to open it up or have batteries replaced (same with the Sony).
So far haven't been impressed with Sennheiser NC headphones but haven't heard the latest ones.
The PCX550 has an audible 6kHz peak which is annoying. The Bose ones are a tad on the dark side what treble concerns.
 

bt3

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Since discovering ASR I removed my other audio bookmarks.
This website is most useful to me and don't want or need the others.
I found in my forties (a long time ago) that NC headphones allowed me to arrive at my airport
destination not as frazzled by coach cabin noise. Twenty years later I rarely fly, but still find good
uses for my NC headphone(s). I bought a bunch of QC25 (Android and Apple) many years ago.
Although your EQ was for the QC35II, I may try to apply your EQ to my QC25's. I just have to figure
out how to do so when using QC25 with an older version of JRiver. My JRiver has two equalizers,
one is called a parametric equalizer which I have never used. It appears to be disabled some how?
I suspect most here prefer their other headphones than the Bose, for "serious" listening sessions.
I'm that way, but I spend most days wearing QC25 around the house. It's so much noisier most everywhere
I've lived the past twenty years, and it's getting noisier all the time. Less open land and more concrete is the norm.
With my small head, I find QC25's easy to sleep in, and the replacement AAA battery means no down time
charging a built-in battery. I use rechargeable AAA's. QC earpads wear out kind of quickly. I usually replace mine every six months.
The OEM Bose pads are a bit pricey, but small change next to things like medical co-pays and flood insurance.
I've discovered that non-OEM pad (several I tried) were waste of money. The OEM pads are only ones to buy IMO.
Thank you for this website that attracts more who care about measurements and less jawing about audio bling.
 

nxnje

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@nxnje , I think you are drawing a long bow in regards to making the assumption that you are being looked down upon as "an inferior human".

I find the contributors on the ASR forum to be especially not only accommodating but a welcoming bunch of enthusiasts as well as industry stalwarts, world famous renowned with incredible experience and world class resumes of a number of views without rancour. Speaking as pretty much a novice in regards to the technical side of audio but a long time listener, what is refreshing about this site is the amount of work that @amirm puts into the reviews and the evidence he provides of the results of the test procedures.

Offering an opinion or dismissing that kind of work and efforts is in my opinion disrespectful.

There is an enormous amount to learn and a lot of helpful people and information at your fingertips on this site I have found from my own experience. In my opinion you should explore that and keep an open mind, for me it has been a liberating experience.
Wait, we're still misunderstanding and I don't know why I'm still here explaining things I have repeated many times already.
I have never pointed my finger towards anybody here regarding the technical side or experience.
You say "Offering an opinion or dismissing that kind of work and efforts is in my opinion disrespectful."
I don't agree with this.

I respect the high effort and work @amirm does here, and I'm one of the many that used to read this forum's reviews a lot before registering, so I perfectly know amirm is a very experienced user with a highly technical profile.
What I don't understand by your statement is why should an opinion be disrespectful. I haven't said his opinion or his measurements are useless, nor I have said his work has no sense.
I was just sharing my opinion, nothing else, without any second scope and without being disrespectful to anybody, so please read carefully my previous messages without prejudice.
I have learnt a lot here and I would never be disrespectful to other people, but if you were on my side you would have probably understood I felt closed in a corner when I read that my opinion has no value (as a forum, everyone's opinion has a value, apart from everything else that's being discussed, forums live because there are people who love to share).

In your message I understood you're thinking me as someone who does not understand the background work amirm does before we read a full review, but I know.
I used to write, make reviews as well (even out of audio environment) and I know what's behind this kind of work, so please don't misunderstand because I already needed to spend so many minutes of my life explaining my points in multiple messages, I don't wanna keep getting messages in which someone says I'm disrespectful just because I was sharing a (PERSONAL) opinion.

I have already answered to amirm some messages ago, and I do not intend flaming or wasting precious time for both of us.
 

Zensō

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I don't wanna keep getting messages in which someone says I'm disrespectful just because I was sharing a (PERSONAL) opinion.
I believe what you keep missing here is that this is a science based forum where quantifiable data is highly valued over personal opinion. There are plenty of forums where personal opinions rule, but this isn’t one of them. That has nothing to do with you in particular, it’s the culture of this community. That works for some, perhaps not so much for others.
 

nxnje

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I believe what you keep missing here is that this is a science based forum where quantifiable data is highly valued over personal opinion. There are plenty of forums where personal opinions rule, but this isn’t one of them. That has nothing to do with you in particular, it’s the culture of this community. That works for some, perhaps not so much for others.
I'm not against this, I'm just saying that I understood why did my message cause a bit of confusion and I'm ok with that.
I am just trying to tell people not to bash me or saying I am disrespectful as I have understood the problem in my message and now I know why I got certain replies.
I am not arguing about the personal opinion itself.
 

highpurityusbcable

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I'm not against this, I'm just saying that I understood why did my message cause a bit of confusion and I'm ok with that.
I am just trying to tell people not to bash me or saying I am disrespectful as I have understood the problem in my message and now I know why I got certain replies.
I am not arguing about the personal opinion itself.
No one even said anything bad to you.
 
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