Bose QuietComfort 35 vs Sony WH-1000XM3

When it comes to headphone, sometimes a neutral, nice and balanced sound are not enough since we may have different requirements for our device. For those who need more than just a nice sound but also want an active noise cancellation, Bose QuietComfort 35 vs Sony WH-1000XM3 are two great option to go because they have the same capabilities. If you are also considering these models, go check our article below to see how they differ and pick the one suit you the most.

In this article, we are going to give you information about:
– What is an Active Noise Cancelling headphone
– What are Bose QuietComfort 35 and Sony WH-1000XM3
– What Bose QuietComfort 35 and Sony WH-1000XM3 Look Like
– How Good Bose QuietComfort 35 and Sony WH-1000XM3 can perform
– How are the Sound Quality of Bose QuietComfort 35 and Sony WH-1000XM3
– Are Bose QuietComfort 35 and Sony WH-1000XM3 Comfortable
– Bose QuietComfort 35 vs Sony WH-1000XM3

Active Noise Cancelling Headphone
If you are often listening to music in your daily life and not just at home then, you will understand the problem of doing the activity out there. As we all already know, we are living with other people and in an environment where everything is mixed together creating a very busy and noisy place. We can’t avoid being in such place since we are part of them but this can also hinder us from enjoying whatever we are listening to in our headphone or earphone.

For example when you are working in an open office where other people also exist and communicating to each other along with several step sounds and the sound of photocopy or printing machine. All of these sound can be annoying and made anything what we are listening to not very pleasant if compared to when we are at our room. Other example is when you are traveling with plane because the ambient noise makes it hard to listen to the song being piped through the speakers.

If you are also having a similar problem, choosing a passive or active noise cancelling headphone may be a good option to go. In general, actually, all headphones are already having a level of noise cancelling but they are passive because this capability means that their overall design, mainly on the ear cups and padding are made to block outside noise with sound-absorbing material. The noise they can reduce is about 15 to 20 decibels and it is clearly a limitations when handling noises like jet engine.

As opposed to the passive noise cancelling, an active noise cancelling is better with additional capabilities on the inside since not only their structure can block outside noise like a passive cancellation, it offers more. Taken from

Howstuffwork they are also creating their own sound waves that mimic the incoming noise in every aspect except for one which is the headphone’s sound waves that 180 degrees out of phase with the intruding waves. To achieve this, a headphone must have a microphone, a noise-cancelling circuitry, speaker and a battery.

About Bose QuietComfort 35
After understanding the difference, now we can choose which one suit our need better because not all of us may use active noise cancelling often and since they are quite expensive depend on the brand, some of us may want to consider the budget to spend. If you are here to get a good headphone and are not very in tight spending limit, Bose may have what you are looking for with their QuietComfort 35 active noise cancelling headphone.

This headphone is one of the brand’s most popular active noise cancelling device and while there is a newer version called 35 ii, this one is still preferred by many people due to the good performance and overall nice sound that suit users. It is release as an upgrade of QC 25 in 2014 with prominent updates like the now wireless connection to answer the market demand. Read also: Bose QuietComfort 35 vs 35 ii here.

Bose QuietComfort 35 Design
From the design alone, this headphone actually look just like any standard looking, similar devices out there and aesthetically very simple so we don’t thing think they will attract much attention when you are wearing them outside. It has a plastic build with oval-shaped ear cups which both are well-padded. It also have standard control placed on one of the ear cup such as the volume control because this headphone is operated wirelessly and a charging port nearby to refill the juice.

Bose QuietComfort 35 Performance
Since Bose QuietComfort 35 is an active noise cancelling headphone, we would like to talk about the noise cancelling ability first before moving to the sound. Just like what you may already expect, this unit’s strong point is the noise cancellation because when tested, it is amazingly cancels out the low frequencies sound like rumble or a train and when you are boarding on a plane while the high pitched noises is able to be subside until a certain point.

The high pitched noise certainly not as silent as the low part ones but it can still work fine thanks to the padding on its ear cups. For those who never used an active noise cancelling headphone, the first time using Bose QuietComfort 35 will give you a slight pressed feeling on the ears but you will get used to it after a moment.

Bose QuietComfort 35 Sound Quality
On the sound part, this headphone is also not disappointing because despite being a wirelessly connected to your device, it is able to produce a good sound without lacking in the slightest. It sounds lovely and crisp with no flatness whatsoever which is familiar when you are using a wireless headphone. Overall, Bose QuietComfort 35 has a good, broad soundstage when you also have a high quality recording and nice enough to give you a punch on the bass part as well.

Bose QuietComfort 35 Comfort
On the comfort part, this headphone is also very comfortable in our opinion because the padding is soft and nicely sit in your head without being too tight or putting much pressure in your ears due to the frame. As for the headband, they are also added with a bit pad to ensure there is some elevated comfort going on the top of your head. Overall, it is nice enough to wear for several hours in your office or while commuting.

About Sony WH-1000XM3
If you are here to get the best item with your budget and not having a very low limit or found that Bose doesn’t sound very interesting then, you may want to look at what among the greatest models this market has to offer and the one we are going to pick is the popular headphone from Sony which is the WH-1000XM3 model. Comparing this one to Bose, many people are agree that it can beat them with better offering and overall better capabilities.

Sony WH-1000XM3 Design
If you ever see or use the previous model, the 2018 released XM3 is clearly upgrading the design because this model is not only lighter than the former unit but also has a better form-fitting as well. Another change they put on this model is the padding because now it has pads that feels a bit more cushiony or soft. On aesthetic they change the silver accent on the side of the ear cups with a copper tone instead that we actually prefer better.

Sony WH-1000XM3 Performance
On the performance side, there is actually no one can beat Sony WH-1000XM3 in the current market and if you are looking for the best ANC headphones from popular sites, chances are you will see this one on top of the list. This is because the headphone is amazingly effective in blocking outside noise, even better than the previous model XM2. Unlike Bose, this headphone is capable in both low and high frequency which making it more versatile for use in different environment.

When tested, it can hold those noise we hear when riding a train or flying with a plane and amazingly, it is also working with a high pitched noises we have to deal in the office and other public places where people are talking to each other or playing other music. We also love the Ambient Sound mode because with a single touch on the button located at the left ear cup, we can hear what other people are saying without deactivating the headphone, pausing your music or taking the whole device off from your head.

Sony WH-1000XM3 Sound Quality
On the sound quality unfortunately, Bose QuietComfort 35 doesn’t bring any upgrade from the previous model because the quality stays the same. However, the older model is actually already sounding great so staying the same is not going to be very disappointing either. The mids are straightforward while the highs are coming in crystal clear and yet the bass still have some punch into it. Overall, it can be enjoyed by many genre-specific loving listeners without being too overpowered on one or two side only.

Sony WH-1000XM3 Comfort
On the comfort side, there is nothing we can complaint about Sony WH-1000XM3 because as it has been mentioned above, it is lighter than XM2 so we can wear them for several hours without a problem which is good if you are going to use them frequently and enhanced padding so our ears are going to feel more comfortable and nicely cushioned during music listening session.

Comparison
Now, let’s compare Bose QuietComfort 35 with Sony WH-1000XM3. As you may already know, both ANC headphones are working very well in blocking outside noise but comparing the two, Sony is winning prominently with a better noise cancellation and of course sound quality as well as additional feature that we can’t have in Bose like Ambient Noise mode.

Bose QuietComfort 35 vs Sony WH-1000XM3

Conclusion
All in all, the decision is all yours because with different level of capabilities, both models are also differ from the price point with Sony being the more expensive option. If you don’t mind about spending more and focus on the capabilities or quality, we will highly recommend you to pick Sony WH-1000XM3.