Bose QC35 vs Bang & Olufsen H7

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FlyPenFly
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Bose QC35 vs Bang & Olufsen H7

Post by FlyPenFly » Thu Dec 21, 2017 1:27 pm

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The review nobody asked for!!

The H7 has a lot going for it. The sound quality is subjectively all around better except for audiobooks and podcasts. It’s not bad at all but the QC35 seems better tuned for spoken word content.
Mids, highs, lows... all around clarity and subtlety, the H7 has a more pleasurable musical quality. The H7 also supports officially more advanced sound codecs and as a kicker, has a removable battery! On wire, it also sounds great whether powered or not.

Here’s why the QC35 is a better headphone for me though... it’s in the name. I can wear these comfortably all day and my Obama like ears feel just fine after several hours. My ear drums also feel just fine and my ears never feel sweaty. The way the sound is tuned, there’s very little to almost no listening fatigue as well. I wish headphone companies can figure these out because I'd love to switch. I bought the H7 because they're known to be extremely comfortable and while I admit they are somewhat comfortable, it's a distant second to the QC35. I've tried almost every major brand in the category of mid sized around ear bluetooth headphones and nothing comes close to the QC35.

The QC35 also comes with a snappy zip case that is compact and hard. It also can connect to my MacBook Pro, my iPad, and my iPhone with little trouble at the same time. It folds down in a clever way that makes it about as small as what is possible for a durable manufactured $350 product. On multiple bluetooths, what gets playing priority is still a tricky affair but it’s a far better approach than having to turn off my BT on the last connected device for the H7 then doing a manual connect in the device I want to use..

The H7 might sound 20-30% better in music but it just can’t beat the QC35 in every day livability. Listening is not a good experience for me when I know my ears will hurt after an hour.

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Joeprez
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Re: Bose QC35 vs Bang & Olufsen H7

Post by Joeprez » Thu Dec 21, 2017 2:15 pm

Nice review, thanks!

You bring a great point in your review: comfort.

These are my favorite headphones, specially when paired with my Oppo AMP/DAC:

ImageUntitled by jraul7, on Flickr

ImageUntitled by jraul7, on Flickr

Beautiful, open sound. Great stage presence, perfect equalization for the music I like. I can wear them for a couple of hours, that's it.

These, on the other hand, I can wear for 8 hours straight, no problem:

ImageUntitled by jraul7, on Flickr

Have had them for about 7 years, recently added a blue tooth module and they are even better for office use.

Both have their uses.

Had some Shure iems last year... they were so uncomfortable that I could not wear them for more than half an hour... no use on them sounding better than the Bose iems if I can't wear them.
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Omega / Tudor / Rolex / Sinn / Doxa / Seiko

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jimyritz
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Re: Bose QC35 vs Bang & Olufsen H7

Post by jimyritz » Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:11 pm

Thanks Jae- I need a pair of those Bose.

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Chocodove
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Re: Bose QC35 vs Bang & Olufsen H7

Post by Chocodove » Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:13 pm

Thanks for the insights on all of these. I have a 1.5 hour (at least) commute each way every day and I don’t really know how I managed prior to getting noise cancelling Bose headphones. Mine are the in-ear type due to just not having enough space to stash over-ear sets in my work bag due to lunch, files, laptop, etc. I love them. I’m not an audiophile by any means, but I do love music, and I can’t imagine a better set up for me.

I want to upgrade to the BT in-ear but I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I just don’t know if I’d find the neck thing annoying or not.
- Todd

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FlyPenFly
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Re: Bose QC35 vs Bang & Olufsen H7

Post by FlyPenFly » Thu Dec 21, 2017 4:34 pm

Chocodove wrote:
Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:13 pm
I want to upgrade to the BT in-ear but I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I just don’t know if I’d find the neck thing annoying or not.
It looks super annoying! I can't imagine wearing a Bose necklace, really.

The new ones that are completely independent and totally wireless with a charging case though seem like the ticket. I heard the SQ on those are actually some of the best around in their class.

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Chocodove
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Re: Bose QC35 vs Bang & Olufsen H7

Post by Chocodove » Thu Dec 21, 2017 5:01 pm

FlyPenFly wrote:
Chocodove wrote:
Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:13 pm
I want to upgrade to the BT in-ear but I haven’t pulled the trigger yet. I just don’t know if I’d find the neck thing annoying or not.
It looks super annoying! I can't imagine wearing a Bose necklace, really.

The new ones that are completely independent and totally wireless with a charging case though seem like the ticket. I heard the SQ on those are actually some of the best around in their class.
Interesting, I didn’t know there were new ones. I’ll have to check them out.
- Todd

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Re: Bose QC35 vs Bang & Olufsen H7

Post by Captdave » Thu Dec 21, 2017 8:15 pm

jimyritz wrote:Thanks Jae- I need a pair of those Bose.
I love mine.


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