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Headphone upgrade recommendations please š„¹šš
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this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2026
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Probably gonna get hate, but why not Quietcomfort? If youāre an audiophile and your phone is actually playing lossless high res audio, of course go for Sennheiser. If you wear your headphones everywhere often, prioritize ANC and donāt mind the Bose sound, Iād go Bose every day and save the hifi listening for at home.
Agree. There are some things that annoy me but my QC35 II are the most comfortable headphones I've ever had. I don't like anything touching my ears and I am very very sensitive to pressure, so if this matters to you then look at the quiet comforts.
How big are your ears? I'm on Sennheiser 598 because it's good stuff but also because they accept my big ears āŗļø. They are definitely home only though so I'm looking for some sturdy nice ones for outside.
Can you even still buy those? I've been using mine for 4-5 years now and they work great. I had to buy bunch of replacement cushions over the years but other than that 0 issues. Super comfortable, great noise cancellation, physical buttons instead of some gimmicky gestures... When they die I would happily just get same model again but looking in the stores I don't see QC35 II anymore. There are bunch of other QC models with cryptic names like SE, SC, Ultra but I don't see 35 II anywhere.
I completely agree with this. If I want noise cancellation, the quiet comforts are good, I am mostly playing music to mask sounds anyway, so the main exception is comfort, non-obtrusive sound, and good ANC. I also use them on flights, for podcasts when awake or background music when trying to sleep- so again, sound quality is secondary. My only problem with them is the faux leather cover of the ear cup flakes easily, needs replacing about every 2 years. For listening to music at home, I use open headphones.
Adding another +1 from personal experience.
Iāve happily used the same wired, over-ear Sennheisers as my daily drivers for 15 years, but tried switching over to Sennheiserās wireless noise-canceling line a few years ago. Horrible mistake: the sound quality was acceptable but the firmware, the fit, and the ANC were atrocious.
Couldnāt believe the two products were made by the same company.
I really like my QC35, but man these components are not built to last. Iāve had to replace my ear cushions and cable a few times now to the point where I wonder if I should be looking at other options. I respect that you can replace individual parts but I never have had issues like this with the ATH-M50 for instance.
I have a pair of QC 35ās that i bought in 2015 that still work. Theyāre at the end of their third battery and just had their 5th set of ear cups.
ANC no longer works.
What is the Bose sound?
Thereās a specific space or soundstage that it produces and lower mid punch with a little dullness in the mids and highs but still good color.
Looks like somebody mapped the sound profile. Not sure if it fits how I hear them.
https://www.soundguys.com/bose-qc35-ii-review-14264/
People like to say stuff like "no highs, no lows, must be Bose".
Bose has earned a reputation for selling high-priced devices that don't always live up to the hype. That doesn't mean they're bad, but the fancy audiophile people like to piss on them.
Most people who don't own $30k stereo systems are pretty happy and they still lead the pack with their active noise cancelling.
It would be more accurate to say that most people are happy with Bose that haven't used better sounding speakers/headphones. You can spend less and get better sound, Bose isn't cheap.