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afternoon all. Does/has anyone used either/both of the Sony and Bose offereings for calls?
On a call with my xm3s now (it's a boring call). They work pretty well although I cannot vouch for the mic quality. One thing I'll say though is if you have NC on then you cannot hear noise you might be making if you are doing something else - but the other people can 🙂
One annoyance is that they can only connect to one device at a time although they are paired with many (10 I think). So if they are paired to my phone I need to hold down the on button for a few seconds, it goes into pairing mode then from my laptop I select them from the menu and they connect. Not a big issue but mildly annoying. Rumoured to be fixed in xm4s
Also they don't always default to the best codec. SBC is a crappy codec, so on for example a Mac you need to install the bluetooth explorer to force it to use AAC which really makes a massive difference - assuming you are using good source material ofc. On my Samsung phone I had to flip a switch to get it to use LDAC. But once done, it stays on so no issue, but it's something to be aware of when testing or buying.
I have the Bose QC35 and the Sony MDR-1000X too: there's not much difference in quality, but Sony edges it with a fuller and deeper sound I reckon. Downside is that, for me, the Sony headphones get uncomfortably warm after an hour or so. Bose of the two take the win because I can wear them all-day long with only the slightest loss in quality.
The QC35 and I assume therefore their replacement (is it the 700?) can connect to 2 devices simultaneously.
To be honest, it's more often an annoyance than anything else and a couple of times I've not been able to disconnect them from a specific device which is annoying especially when they insist on connecting to the TV downstairs that the wife is watching when I'm trying to join a call for work 😀
Struggling between the Sony’s and the Bose >:)
I had the same dilemma. When I tried them it seemed to me (non-audiophile) that the Sony sounded better but the Bose were more comfy, so I didn't make a decision, but then I saw some Bose at a discount in Beijing airport, and I had a bunch of funny money to use up, so I bought them and been really happy - especially working at home cos it's actually quite noisy here with road works etc.
If anyone is interested Curry's have the Jabra elite 85h's Rickon mentions for £130. I'd never heard of them before but looked into them and watched a few YouTube reviews. They don't seem to quite match the Bose and Sony offerings but are very very close. At £130 bucks though I thought I'd take a chance. I'd been mulling over the Bose and Sony phones for a few months and I reckon I was never going to spunk a couple of hundred quid on a pair. At 130 I can live with that.
If it helps anyone, you get a massive discount at duty free in Oslo if you are leaving Norway because they knock off tax which is huge there. I got my Sonys for £190 instead of the usual £270. It's not like UK airport Dixons.
Bose 35s here (pre-smart assisstants version). Awesome for getting work done in a noisy office / at home with building site over the road, neighbour mowing lawn etc. Good for music (by my standards), sound for telecon calls is excellent. Only downside is you can't charge them whilst using them I've found, so if you forgot to charge them the night before that 7am critical telecon, oops... But best money I have ever spent in terms of productivity increase (I have had sennheisers MM350 for travel and these are night and day better). If you only want them for banging tunes maybe there are better but as all-rounders, awesome. My Jabra have their place for on-the move convenience, but sound quality is greatly inferior, can't stand them for more than 30 mins as a time, whereas bose are on all day.