Review on Bose QuietComfort 35 II Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones - Over Ear Bluetooth Headphones with Microphone, Alexa Voice Control, Silver by Michael Murphy

I was between the Sony WH 1000XM2 and the Bose QC35 II. After spending hours searching/reading all the reviews/comparisons I chose Bose over Sony, although almost all professional reviewers rate Sony higher rated as Bose. Let me give a quick overview and explain why I did it: i) Sound quality: 8/10. Very "clear" sound. Definitely good quality and beautiful. In fact, it can be described as "soothing". The base is not very heavy. But I mainly use these headphones to block out background noise and listen to relaxing music while working/studying in a coffee shop. So if I have my goal in mind, the sound quality is right on target. ii) Noise reduction: 8/10. It blocks out most background noise. But don't expect miracles like some people describe. For example, if someone speaks, you will definitely hear them. There's also a bit of pressure in the ears from the ANC, but I got used to it pretty quickly.iii) Comfort: 9/10. The best on the market for comfort. Especially compared to my Plantronics Backbeat Pro. However, after about an hour of wearing, my ears still get so hot that I have to take them off for a while. This came as a surprise to me given all the positive reviews about the comfort of the Bose QC35II.iv) Call quality 6/10: As mentioned in most reviews, Bose picks up outside noise when making phone calls. This is not a level that prevents communication. However, this certainly worries the other side. Compared to my Plantronics, that wasn't a problem at all with my Plantronics. People couldn't tell if I was using headphones or not. So if you're buying a Bose for all-day calls, look elsewhere. v) Properties: 3/10. We all know that Sony has a lot more features (touchpad for song control, adaptive noise reduction, quick attention mode, etc.) than Bose. Not a must for me, but nice to have. Extra fast attention mode. When someone talks to me in Bose, I have to pick it up, which is tedious. In my Plantronics, I could handle situations like this without taking off my headphones. Another important feature is the simultaneous connection of multiple devices. That was one of the reasons I didn't choose Sony. I was hoping to be connected to my laptop and phone at the same time. However, this function does not work properly. When I plug in my laptop and phone and try to listen to a song on my laptop, it doesn't play smoothly at all. It stops and starts by itself every 3-5 seconds as if it's a baud rate issue. And after 1-2 minutes my laptop (Dell XPS 13) crashes (it crashed 4 times within 30 minutes). And let me tell you this. I've been using a laptop for 2 years. And hasn't crashed once. This is also relevant; All Windows and Dell driver updates installed. Long story short, I can't connect Bose to my laptop and phone at the moment. I hope Bose fixes this issue with a firmware update as soon as possible. As for the Bluetooth connection strength, it's worse than my Plantronics. They disconnect at shorter distances than Plantronics, and when they do, they don't automatically reconnect when I get close to my device, which Plantronics has always done without issue. vi) Final Verdict: 7.5/10: Bose are good headphones with some flaws and major weaknesses. It's far from perfect, as many reviewers/users openly say. In order to be happy with your purchase, you need to decide which features of your headphones are most important to you and what you will be using primarily. If it's the best audio or call quality, or if you want the best-performing chef's headset, skip the Bose. You will hate it. If you care more about noise cancellation and comfort than pure sound, then go for it. Hope that helps.