Bose QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headset review

For as many bells, whistles, and specialty features they bring, sometimes the best gaming headset you can find is just the best pair of headphones you can find. While many audio companies offering bespoke gaming hardware would disagree, Bose seems to share this view. The company's first foray into the gaming space brings an old(ish) classic. The Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset is exactly what it sounds like: a QC35 II with a detachable boom microphone.

Is this addition enough to really make it a gaming headset?

Editor Note: This review was updated on April 27, 2021 to update the sound quality performance sections to carry new samples.

Who is the Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset for?

Players< /p>

who want something with noise cancellation, they can unplug it and take it anywhere.

home workers

looking for something that works well on a

Call a zoom

and can drown out the din of a packed house.

What does the Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset look like?

So the rose gold reflections are new, it's the same QC 35 II that you could find for a long time.

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset is a pretty familiar thing. In many ways, it's just the

Bose QC 35 II

, which we reviewed back in 2017. That means a lot of what's important about this headset is what we've already discussed. . We'll come back to some of them again, but the focus is on what's new here.

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset set consists of three components. First, there's the Bose QC35 II headphones. These are Bluetooth headphones

wireless

made primarily of plastic, with comfortable leatherette-covered cushions, lightweight construction and a slim profile. The design may be years old at this point, but the QC35 II still looks quite stylish. The rose gold shimmer added to the Bose logos on the sides brings just the right amount of flair, even if you're not looking for something that's also a fashion statement.

If the plastic part of the base wasn't molded specifically for the QC35 II, the mic might have worked with other Bluetooth headphones.

The headphones now come with a detachable boom microphone, which plugs into the 2.5mm jack on the headphones, and terminates in a 3.5mm cord just over a meter long, making is required for console compatibility. The mic has an inline mute switch, but otherwise it's a fairly simple offering.

Additionally, a USB-A volume button is included. This is intended for use with a PC and has a 3.5mm jack to plug in headphones. The large-volume dial offers satisfying resistance and a rubberized bottom, so it won't slide around your desk. It also contains a button to enable microphone monitoring. By pressing it repeatedly, you can switch between three monitor volume options.

Using the Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset is pretty straightforward for gaming, as it works just like any other. 3.5mm stereo gaming headset. Just plug it in and it works, you don't even have to turn it on. The mic is powered by whatever the cord is plugged into, whether that's a console controller or the USB volume wheel, just like headphones. Of course, you can still turn the headphones on for noise cancellation and wireless use. However, the attached boom microphone won't work over Bluetooth, so you're stuck with wired headphones when you want to game.

They are still very comfortable headphones.

The QC35 II also has a wide range of non-gaming features. It supports app

Bose Connect+

, which lets you manage Bluetooth connections and download firmware updates. There are a host of on-ear controls for controlling volume, playback and your virtual assistant of choice, which we look at in more detail in our review of the headphones. Suffice it to say, anything you could do with the Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones II, you can still do now. However, it is true that none of the built-in controls will affect the volume or the detachable microphone when using the headset for console or

PC games

.

How does the Bose QuietComfort 35 II connect?

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset is primarily a wired experience for gaming, over 3.5mm or USB. For this reason, the headset supports PC,

playstation4

,

Xbox One

and

nintendo-switch

. However, the QC35 II headphones are still the same old Bluetooth headphones we picked up in 2017. They support SBC and AAC codecs.

Bluetooth

, which means Android users won't have a great option for streaming high-quality music, because AAC just doesn't work as well with non-Apple products.

How is the battery of the Bose QuietComfort 35 II?

Having separate volume controls becomes second nature pretty quickly.

Just like when it launched, the QC 35 II will last around 20 hours on a single charge. When we first reviewed them, the headphones had exactly 15 hours, 46 minutes of playtime when subjected to 80% constant volume output, and, well, they're the same headphones. As long as you're not listening to music at very high volumes, you shouldn't experience any issues. Plus, if you don't feel like using noise cancellation, you can use the headset to game without turning it on at all. It's hard to run out of energy if you don't use it in the first place.

The volume wheel is designed for use with a PC, but anything that takes USB audio will work with it, as long as you can thread the cord through.

Gaming with the Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset is pretty straightforward. Unlike connecting via Bluetooth, the headset is extremely easy to use for gaming. Other than the new microphone, there are no additional features, like

virtual surround sound

or separate game and chat channels. However, that doesn't mean it's not good for gaming. The headset is comfortable enough to wear all day without issue, and it sounds great.

While shooters love

Fortnite

Where

Valorant

may not be a perfect match for a headset like this, the stereo experience is excellent in just about every way. This is the official gaming headset of the

League of Legends

World Championship, and as you might expect, it handles that game's hectic soundscapes with ease. While the lack of surround sound is a little disappointing for such an expensive gaming headset, it still handles competitive shooters very well. as

Apex Legends

. After all, surround sound is nice, but not necessary to do well in games like this.

How does the Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset sound?

The Bose QC35 II has a very neutral frequency response, save for their user-friendly bass boost.

If you've decided to skip ahead to our review of the regular QC35 II, much of this section is going to sound familiar - we've already reviewed these headphones after all.

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset offers the same neutral-biased frequency response

than the QC35 II. Although there is a bit of wobble on the graph in the high end and a noticeable bump in the sub-bass, but for the most part just about everything should sound as it should. These are headphones

suit our target quite well

all things Considered.

In music, an audio output like this is great for just about any genre. In

Sugar Pills

from I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, all of the

rhythm bass line

, to the hums and beeps that pop up in the background, to the more subtle, harmonizing choruses that stand out clearly without overshadowing each other. The bass might sound a bit muted if you're used to headphones with a more consumer-focused setting, as they often boost the bass output, but unfortunately there's still no way to equalize these headphones.

In gaming, a frequency response like this means you won't have to worry so much about battlefield din overpowering other sounds. Explosions and gunfire will always be the loudest things at any given time (depending on how close you are), but they won't be louder than a game's developers intended.

Is the noise cancellation good? p>

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II are excellent noise canceling headphones.

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset has the same

insulation

and

noise canceling performance

like the QC35 II, go figure. Compared to new noise canceling headphones like the

Shure AONIC 50

and

Sony WH-1000XM4

, the noise-canceling Bose gave up some ground. However, the Bose QC35 II offers better isolation than any gaming headset on the market by a country mile. You should have no problem hearing your games, even in noisy homes.

How is the new Bose QC 35 II Gaming Headset microphone?

Don't be fooled by the chart, this mic sounds better.

The Bose QC35 II handles the voiceband very well, but if you have a deep voice, you might experience issues with your call quality.

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset still has its solid internal microphone, which delivers decently accurate sound. In fact, on paper it seems more accurate than the new detachable boom microphone, which matches most

gaming headset microphones

, but frequency response isn't the only important factor in judging a microphone.

The new detachable mic has a larger diaphragm, and there are just fewer obstacles between it and your voice. Additionally, de-emphasis in the bass range is there to deal with proximity effect, where the bass in someone's voice can cause the microphone to blast when speaking in close proximity. That's not something the internal mic needs to worry about. Both microphones still struggle a bit with bass sound, but the difference in clarity is hard to argue. Listen for yourself:

Example of Bose QuietComfort 35 II internal microphone:

https://www.soundguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Bose-QC35-II-voise-sample-Adam.mp3

Example of a Bose QuietComfort 35 II boom microphone:

https://www.soundguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Bose-QC35-II-mic-sample.mp3

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Should you buy the Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset?

If there's no object money, and you really want active noise cancellation, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset is definitely worth a look.

If you could just buy it, that would be an easy recommendation.

Also, it seems important. to mention the fact that this offer is currently only available as a pack. If you already own the QC35 II, you can't buy any standalone microphone accessories, only a headset that costs $30 more than the one you own. That's pretty disappointing: the mic mount and volume wheel are easy to use and well-designed, and it'd be easy to recommend them as some sort of 'gaming kit' add-on.

Bose QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headphones

All prices are quoted in USD unless otherwise stated. Prices may change over time and vary by region. Unfortunately, we cannot list Amazon prices on the site, as they vary widely by currency.

$ at Amazon

$329 at Best Buy

$329 at Bose< /p>

The Bose QuietComfort 35 II gaming headset is a great switch, but it's very expensive and doesn't bring a lot of gaming features to the table - many much cheaper headsets sound just as good, work wirelessly while gaming, and offers more features. Thinking of the QC35 II as a pair of headphones with some gaming features feels like a little easier to sell, but if you already have everyday headphones you love, it's not worth it. just not worth it.

What are the best alternatives to the Bose QC 35 II gaming headset?

Much like the Bose QC 35 II gaming headset, the SteelSeries Arctis 7P lacks LED lighting.

If you're looking for an audio option that can do it all, this is a great choice. However, if you're looking for a specific gaming headset, this one is hard to recommend. The only features this headset brings that most gaming headsets don't have are Bluetooth and ANC, and it doesn't include common gaming features like virtual surround sound - it's not even wireless when you play. That this compromise is worth spending almost three times as much money as excellent gaming headsets like the

Razer BlackShark V2

,

HyperX Cloud Alpha S p>

, and

Logitech G Pro X

depends on your personal preferences. Even wireless options like the

SteelSeries Arctis 7P

Where

HyperX Cloud Flight S

are less than half the price. If you want to spend a good chunk of the currency on a gaming headset, the

Corsair Virtuoso Wireless SE

offers far superior mic performance, wireless, and still over $100 cheaper.< /p>