Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones are one of the most impressive products of 2017

ONE of the most common questions when it comes to noise-cancelling headphones is which product to buy. This could be the answer you are chasing.

The impressive headphones come in two colours.

NOISE-cancelling headphones are the perfect barrier from chatty colleagues, helpful in easing the pain of long-haul flights and a great companion to any home entertainment system.

But with so many choices on the market, it can be difficult to know the best product to buy.

For me, when it comes to noise cancellation, comfort and quality, it’s hard to look past the Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones.

DESIGN

The Bose QC35 II keeps the same simple design as its predecessor, with the headphones shipping in black or silver.

Bulk of the chassis is matt plastic to ensure the headphones remain light, although Bose has slightly tweaked the product to have a more premium feel by including metal caps on the back of each earpad.

There are hinges on the housings, which allow the headphones to easily fold down into the supplied hard carry case.

However using the case is not a necessity, with the headphones more than durable enough to survive being left inside your gym bag or tossed onto your bed.

The top of the QC35 II has soft padding to ensure comfort for those using them for long durations, while the cosy circumaural earcups also make wearing the headphones a treat.

Inside each of the circumaural earcups is cloth grilles, which have kindly been labelled with a large “L” and “R” to help customers easily identify the correct sides.

The outer of the right earcup is home to the power/pairing button, while the underside of the right housing also has three buttons used for control playback, volume, call management and track navigation — these are well placed and easy to use once you understand the commands.

A new addition to the QC35 II is a long, flat button on the left earcup that lets your headphones communicate with the Google Assistant.

Pressing the button will summon Google Assistant to read out certain notifications for things you have set in advance such as messages or missed calls.

Likewise, you can hold down the button as summon Google Assistant to do any tasks you would do from your phone or Google Home device.

While I found the feature to be fun to use, it’s worth mentioning it will struggle if there is a lot of ambient noise in the area.

It’s also worth noting if you have an iPhone and haven’t downloaded Google Assistant, you won’t be able to get the full functionality of the headphones.

Charging is done with a micro USB cable, although I would have preferred USB-C given that is the new standard for most of my devices.

The impressive headphones come in two colours.

PERFORMANCE

I am the first to admit the nuances of audio can sometimes be lost on my ears, but immediately the QC35 II’s superior quality could be heard.

During my use I have found the headphones to offer smooth, pleasant sound.

Given my musical taste is 99 per cent hip hop I can say the QC35II offered impressive bass and clear and loud vocals, although the highs did lack details at times.

I also found the audio performance with or without the cable to be almost identical, something that is usually an issue with Bluetooth devices.

In terms of noise cancelling, the product second to none when to compared to other products I have used.

As with all active noise-cancelling devices, the technology works best with low, constant noises, which means you will be able to easily block out the annoying engine sounds on a flight.

And while you still might be able to hear the siren of an ambulance, it’s nothing to complain about — if you haven’t guessed, the noise-cancelling is seriously impressive.

One of the more exciting features of the headphones is the ability to three different noise-cancelling modes — Off/On, High, or Low — from Bose’s Connect app.

Unlike competing models, the QC35 II doesn’t lose any audio performance when toggling between the modes.

One of the benefits of being able to chop and change between these settings is the ability to save battery life.

Obviously having noise-cancelling turned off is going to make the battery last longer, but with Bose offering up to 20 hours life from a single charge, this isn’t the biggest issue.

Impressively, when the battery finally runs out of juice, a quick 15-minute charge gives you another 2.5 hours playback.

The app will let you cycle between noise-cancelling options.

CONCLUSION

For someone who isn’t the world’s biggest audiophile, these were one of the first headphones that actually offered a noticeable difference in quality.

The noise-cancelling is world class and the product is so comfortable I could happily wear it for hours on end.

Including Google Assistant is likely not a deal breaker for many customers, but it’s nice to have in case you do want to use it.

One of the downsides is the headphones don’t offer water resistance, which means they are not the best product to take out on a rainy or when you plan on having a sweaty workout.

But for general day-to-day use or for those who travel a lot, these are one of the best products money can buy. Now excuse me while I slip into my pair to avoid the noise of the world.

Bose QuietComfort 35 II headphones retail for $499.

What headphones do you think are the best? Continue the conversation in the comments below or with Matthew Dunn on Facebook and Twitter.