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I've owned two Bose headphones and both broke in unnecessary ways, especially the second where the plastic headband connecting the drivers broke and they would

I've owned two Bose headphones and both broke in unnecessary ways, especially the second where the plastic headband connecting the drivers broke and they would not simply repair it but I had to buy a new pair (so I bought Sony instead). I tend to buy somewhat high end products and no other brand breaks like this or at all, so I would hate to think what a low-end Bose would be like.

unclad5968 2y ago
As an alternative anecdote, Ive used my bose qc 45s every day for two years without issue. I don't have experience with any other over-ear headphones to compare.
- deleted 2y ago
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ProfessorLayton 2y ago
Idk, my QC 35 IIs from 2017 have been working just fine, and still sound pretty good. I travel with them all the time, and the only maintenance item for them are the ear pads, which are cheap and plentiful online. The battery still holds up, and there's an analog port for when it no longer holds a charge. I didn't even buy them, work did, so it's not like I'm trying to justify the $349 MSRP (At the time). The only thing that bugs me about them having to keep a micro usb cable around.
- pbnjeh 2y ago
  Their ear pads are terrible. I was extremely careful with mine, keeping them in my home office and carefully setting them down with the ear pads uncompressed when not in use. Nonetheless, the ear pad leather came apart in about a year. Same with the pair I gave my father. German friend visited with some 700's. (I think that's the model number; the sleek but uncomfortable redesign of a couple of years ago.) When he visited again the following year, their ear pads where likewise blown out. In contrast, I have multiple models of inexpensive Chinese ANC headphones whose ear pads have survived significantly longer. And, the official Bose ear pad replacements are $40 on Amazon (if they're even real...). I don't buy Bose, anymore.
  - JohnBooty 2y ago
    There are scads of third-party replacement pads on eBay for ~$10-15. I've found them indistinguishable from the OEM ear pads.
    - pbnjeh 2y ago
      > I've found them indistinguishable from the OEM ear pads. Thank you. I was doubtful about the third-party replacements; I'll give them a try. I still think it's scandalous that Bose ships them with such a crap failure rate. (If they're expected to fail like this, then at least ship them with a few replacement pairs included. At least that would be honest, and at the price they charge, probably still profitable. /s )
      - JohnBooty 2y ago
        I agree 100%. I've kind of standardized on Bose headphones because even though I hate crap like that, they're so popular that there's a big ecosystem of replacement parts, batteries, etc. It helps that the earpads have been unchanged across multiple generations: QC25/35/45 and I think their new ones as well. Everything but the Ultra and NC700. So I expect replacements should be available more or less indefinitely.
JohnBooty 2y ago
I've owned six pairs and they've been utterly problem-free. Aside from the earpads, which are wear and tear items that are easily and cheaply replaced. Admittedly they're used almost exclusively for desk duty. (Reason I have so many pairs is because I have a number of workspaces, and I found it's easier to keep a pair of QC25s in each workspace rather than toting a single pair all over the place. Most of the QC25s were purchased used from eBay for cheap. I've also got a pair of QC45s.)

unclad5968 2y ago

As an alternative anecdote, Ive used my bose qc 45s every day for two years without issue. I don't have experience with any other over-ear headphones to compare.

deleted 2y ago
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ProfessorLayton 2y ago

Idk, my QC 35 IIs from 2017 have been working just fine, and still sound pretty good. I travel with them all the time, and the only maintenance item for them are the ear pads, which are cheap and plentiful online. The battery still holds up, and there's an analog port for when it no longer holds a charge. I didn't even buy them, work did, so it's not like I'm trying to justify the $349 MSRP (At the time). The only thing that bugs me about them having to keep a micro usb cable around.

pbnjeh 2y ago
Their ear pads are terrible. I was extremely careful with mine, keeping them in my home office and carefully setting them down with the ear pads uncompressed when not in use. Nonetheless, the ear pad leather came apart in about a year. Same with the pair I gave my father. German friend visited with some 700's. (I think that's the model number; the sleek but uncomfortable redesign of a couple of years ago.) When he visited again the following year, their ear pads where likewise blown out. In contrast, I have multiple models of inexpensive Chinese ANC headphones whose ear pads have survived significantly longer. And, the official Bose ear pad replacements are $40 on Amazon (if they're even real...). I don't buy Bose, anymore.
- JohnBooty 2y ago
  There are scads of third-party replacement pads on eBay for ~$10-15. I've found them indistinguishable from the OEM ear pads.
  - pbnjeh 2y ago
    > I've found them indistinguishable from the OEM ear pads. Thank you. I was doubtful about the third-party replacements; I'll give them a try. I still think it's scandalous that Bose ships them with such a crap failure rate. (If they're expected to fail like this, then at least ship them with a few replacement pairs included. At least that would be honest, and at the price they charge, probably still profitable. /s )
    - JohnBooty 2y ago
      I agree 100%. I've kind of standardized on Bose headphones because even though I hate crap like that, they're so popular that there's a big ecosystem of replacement parts, batteries, etc. It helps that the earpads have been unchanged across multiple generations: QC25/35/45 and I think their new ones as well. Everything but the Ultra and NC700. So I expect replacements should be available more or less indefinitely.

JohnBooty 2y ago

I've owned six pairs and they've been utterly problem-free. Aside from the earpads, which are wear and tear items that are easily and cheaply replaced. Admittedly they're used almost exclusively for desk duty. (Reason I have so many pairs is because I have a number of workspaces, and I found it's easier to keep a pair of QC25s in each workspace rather than toting a single pair all over the place. Most of the QC25s were purchased used from eBay for cheap. I've also got a pair of QC45s.)