Not for the first time, I find myself admiring the name of this over-the-ears pair of headphones because of how well it fits the product. Bose’s QuietComfort or QC35 II really are great to wear for a long time and they do muffle up the noise around you.

I haven’t come across many headphones that actually fit my head, and so it’s no surprise to me that this set shifts on my head a bit when I look down or move vigorously from side to side — luckily not a great habit of mine. But they still are among the most comfortable I’ve ever worn. The ear-cups are soft and plush, feeling luscious and enveloping, and the headband has soft material on the underside that adds to the fact that it doesn’t press down on the head in a tiring way. The QC35 II is light and gentle on the head and among the few you can wear for hours. It looks sedate and very good, including in silver, which is the unit I received for review.

One-touch assistants The ear-cups on the QC35 II can fold in very sturdily, making it easy to stash them away neatly in the strangely-shaped, rounded-rectangular case Bose provides with the device. The headphones have very few controls, making them simple and straightforward to use. There’s a tiny power and pairing button, a multi-function button for play, pause and moving tracks and the volume up and down. But now, there’s also an additional action button on the left ear-cup to connect straight to the Google Assistant. After an initial setup, you can subsequently just press and hold the button to talk to the Google Assistant, though many wonder how much you really will need to do so. This feature works with an iPhone as well, as long as you download the Google Assistant app. Siri is still available with a long-press on the multi-function button on the right ear-cup. It can also be mapped to control noise cancellation rather than the assistant. The addition of the action button though is the only real difference between the original QC35 and the current series II, making one wonder why Bose didn’t take the opportunity to add more features. Obviously, owners of the QC35 don’t need to upgrade to the new version for just that one new feature.

One can use the Bose Connect app to set preferences and even connect. You can tinker with the setting for noise cancellation from here as well.

Bose has launched the QC35 II in India right on the heels of Sony’s WH-1000X -II noise cancellation headphones and that’s what it’s being compared to the most. While the QC35 II has an edge over Sony’s headphones in terms of build and comfort and also hiss-free noise cancellation, the WH-1000X -II does bring in some forward-looking smart features such as touch controls on the ear-cups, adaptive sound that changes the noise cancellation profile based on what you’re doing, sound optimisation and a clever feature to instantly tune into ambient sounds by cupping one ear-cup. The sound profile on both these headphones is different with fans for each; but Bose should really have stepped up its game with the QC35 II. It features the same clean, balanced sound that’s well known, a prominent but controlled bass, and an overall quality that will please the average listener even though it’s a wireless pair of headphones. You do get a cable in the box if you want to listen direct. Its noise cancellation is industry-leading and you can even hear the drastic reduction in sounds before the music is turned on. But Sony’s headphones are in no way far behind.

Price: ₹29,363

Pros: Superb build, easy to wear for long sessions, still the same noise cancellation and sound quality that is known and loved

Cons: Expensive, lagging behind in smart features, single added feature no cause for upgrade

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