Is Bose The QC35 Better Than The QC25?
Noise-canceling headphones are highly sought-after devices in this noisy world.
Bose has shown itself to be at the top of the market with its high-quality headphones.
Two of their high-quality headphones are the Bose QC35’s and Bose QC25’s, but which is better?
Is the Bose QC35 better than the QC25?
Bose QuietComfort 35 II’s are wireless noise-canceling headphones that provide a better listening experience than their predecessor, the Bose QuietComfort 25’s. The QC35’s allow the user with a wireless experience, unlike the QC25’s which only had the option to listen through a wired connection.
Both of these noise-canceling headphones are high-quality devices that provide users with a wonderful listening experience.
There are differences between the QC35 and QC25 that should be addressed.
Bose QuietComfort 25 Specifications
The Bose QuietComfort 25 is a pair of wired active noise canceling (ANC) headphones released in 2014.
The Bose QC25’s, although they have ANC, require one AAA battery in order to use this feature.
It includes a AAA battery, but this will eventually need to be replaced for the noise-canceling to continue working.
Bose claims that the battery life is 35 hours of playback.
The Bose QC25 is able to control the music and has an in-line microphone on the stock cable.
The QC25 comes in two different varieties, one for Apple devices and one for Android Devices.
If you are considering purchasing a Bose QC25 keep this in mind so you buy the right one.
Despite this, the QC25 was considered industry-leading in regards to active noise canceling in the years before it was replaced by the QC35.
Bose QuietComfort 35 Specifications
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II is a pair of wireless ANC headphones released in 2018.
The first upgrade the Bose QC35 has from its predecessor is that it is wireless.
The QC35 is able to connect both through a wired connection and Bluetooth.
The QC35 does not require a battery for its noise-canceling, instead, they have a built-in rechargeable battery.
The QC35 also has a battery life of up to 20 hours, which lasts for days on a charge with normal use.
Charging the headphones for 15 minutes will give you another 2 and a half hours of charge according to Bose.
On top of its other features, the QC35 also is optimized for voice assistants by holding the action button if you have a voice assistant.
This includes Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. The noise-canceling also has two different settings.
The QC35 also features a volume-optimized equalizer (EQ) that gives the headphones a clear, balanced audio performance at any volume.
With the Bose Connect app, you have access to adjust the levels of noise-canceling.
This app also allows you to connect two wireless Bose headphones to listen to the same thing as your friend.
What Are the Differences?
The Bose QC35 and QC25 are two fairly similar devices.
The QC35 adds features that make it the clear champion of the two headphones.
The QC25 technically has a longer battery life at 35 hours vs the QC35’s 20 hours.
The QC35, however, is a wireless device while the QC25 is a wired device.
The QC25’s battery only has to sustain the headphones noise-canceling while the QC35’s battery has to sustain both the active noise canceling and the headphones themselves.
The QC25’s battery also had to be replaced, unlike the QC35’s battery.
The QC25 requires a stockpile of AAA batteries or an investment into a couple of rechargeable AAA batteries if you want to use the active noise canceling feature frequently.
Another difference is that the QC25 comes in two variants.
One for Apple devices and one for Android devices.
This doesn’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things.
If you do decide to get the QC25 it is important to keep this in mind.
The sound quality between the two, however, is negligible.
The Bose QC35 is technically better than the QC25 with the volume-optimized EQ, but it doesn’t make a huge difference for the average listener.
The QC25 does miss some detail in the highest frequencies.
Besides this, however, the QC25 has a controlled and present sound profile, even without equalization.
The most blatant difference between the two headphones is the addition of Bluetooth capabilities with the QC35.
This feature allows the user to remove the wire from the experience and listen to music freely.
Companies such as Apple, Google, and Samsung have started removing the headphone jack from their phones and other devices such as tablets.
This makes the QC35 the best headphones between the two for future-proofing.
The QC25 requires an adapter to connect to these devices, which isn’t the most convenient thing to carry around.
If you do not get the QC35, it is only a matter of time until it would make sense to get wireless headphones like the Bose QC35.
The QC25 is currently cheaper than the QC35.
The Bose QC25 currently costs around $150 while the Bose QC35 normally costs $300.
At the time of writing this, however, it costs $179.
This is not a considerable difference in price to sway the decision to get the QC35.
If the QC35 does return to its original price of $300 then it may be wise to consider the price difference.
Why is the QC35 Better?
Overall, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II is the better headphone between it and the Bose QuietComfort 25.
The QC35 is the best headphone for future-proofing as it is wireless, unlike the QC25, which is wired.
Since most technology companies are heading more toward wireless and away from headphone jacks, it makes more sense to acquire a wireless headphone than a wired one.
The QC35’s technology is more advanced than the QC25’s.
The average would not notice the difference, but the QC35 is still better than the QC25 in sound quality.
The QC35 comes with its own built-in rechargeable battery, which saves money on batteries.
Finally, the cost between the two is currently negligible.
If the cost of the QC35 were to return to its original price it would be wise to consider which would be the best for your situation.
Currently, however, it would be wise to purchase the newer QC35, as it has the best features attached to it.