First time poster. Not the cheapest they’ve ever been but a good price nonetheless. Some say the sound quality is better than the QC35 II along with a couple other things, but I would do a bit more research to see if it is worth the extra $10 over this deal. These might end up being cheaper anyway if Shopping Square remove their 10% deal.
EPIC RAP BATTLE
Yo yo yo. Will the best wireless NC headphone please stand up, please stand up, please stand up.
Do Videopro usually jack up their prices during one of these ebay sales?
Not that I'm aware of. Have purchased from these guys previously (wife use to do web design for them), service was tops.
I bought this during last 20% deal and it was same price
Have no experience like that… purchased bose st300 during a 20% sale and paid around 760. (RRP is 999).
They jacked up most of their Tv's!
I wouldn't say "some" say that they are better than the Bose, I would say pretty much all of the online reviews do. There's probably not much in it but that's what won me over.
Sound wise yes. But the Bose is more comfortable and not subject to the headband cracking issue which makes it a tough choice.
These don't have a headband cracking issue, so moot.
@nexus4: Actually search online for it, thus far there's only been one reddit post and by one guy who has an obvious grudge against the headphones and/or the company.
I think the clamping force of the Sony's has a little to do with the better noise cancellation. The Sony's are also a lot less forgiving if you have larger ears then the Bose so if you dont position them right, you'll find you have sore ears after an hour or two, maybe even headaches.
SQ is marginally better but you need to remember SQ is highly subjective. While the Sony's provide some nice sound, they also can be a little impractical in some situations such as outside in a summer heat where your ears will warm up much faster then the Bose.
Also pairing multiple devices is somewhat cumbersome with the Sony's unless all your devices had NFC which is pointless on apple devices., but Bose has this one addressed much better.
You should also note that the Sony headphones support AptX and LDAC, so if you're after high quality audio, the Sony will beat out the Bose without trying.
Assuming your phone supports it - for which iPhones do not. AptX is a qualcomm thing (so most androids) and LDAC is sony (Experia phones).
@BargainKen: it should be also noted that android Oreo will also have native LDAC support, so within a year or two most flagship phones will support it.
@TheRealCJ: Cool, at least I can use it on one of my phones :)
So far I've just been using AAC with iphone. For my uses its not much different as its just youtube/streaming audio anyway. My android has AptX but the only real benefit for me would be the lower latency property of that codec.
I'd actually choose Beats
This is OzBargain, not OzOverpricedCrapHeadphones.
This is OzBargain, not OzOverpricedCrapHeadphones.
Then explain the obsession with QC35s.
QC35s are good and at the right discount, aren't overpriced :)
Beats.. whoa. I almost respected your opinion.
I suppose you only use Monster cables too, huh?
Wow is this Oznotallowedtohaveanopinion? Wouldn't buy them as I said but tried them and bass is crisp on beats so suited my ears and musical taste. Guess you buy wine because it says Hill of Grace, not because it tastes good…
Hahaha…monster cables, that joke never gets old.
Nah because as soon as you uttered the word Beats, you lost any credibility you would've had previously.
Isn't the Shopping Squre one grey import though?
With headphones, personally I only buy from authorised resellers, for warranty and to avoid replicas.
Sony has fixed the cracking issue on 1000XM2. They're using different plastic now. In fact, even on older model, cracking issue was fixed in the newer batches. Noise cancellation and battery life is even better than on the previous model. As far as noise cancellation is concerned, there nothing out there in this price bracket that comes even remotely close, Bose QC35II included!
One very important area where Bose QC35II is severely lacking is CODEC support. They only have AAC support. If your phone doesn't have AAC support (like Android phones e.g.), CODEC will switch to the crappy, low bit-rate SBC. This ruins sound quality, regardless of the Bluetooth headphones.
Sony 1000XM2 has support for AAC, APT-X, APT-X HD and LDAC http://helpguide.sony.net/mdr/wh1000xm2/v1/en/contents/TP000…
Android Oreo OS supports all of the Sony codecs, LDAC being the best. So, if you want the absolute best sound quality and you have an Android phone, Sony headphones are the best match (in this price bracket).
I've just came back from a long haul flight. Sony has almost completely removed the jet engine noise. I felt so refreshed after the flight. I bought mine using that Amex $100 off deal last year + TRS. Cost me $305.
Battery life is insane on this, I went through two flights in succession with a little bit of Airport use in between, probably totaled 13-15hours of usage. Checked the battery and the voice prompt says "Battery high".
Would JB be able to price match this?
$320 on boxing day…
So wait till next year is what you are saying? Or go back in time?
There will be a Boxing Day this year also. December 26th 2018 to be exact, so not next year.
That's 346 more days to wait. If you start saving $1 per day now, you will have $320 before the sale comes around :D
@edfoo: It's more a correction of him saying you have to wait till next year. It's technically not next year.
Though as samelight says, deals happen all the time. Even better deals than BF or BD happen the months after it. It all depends on how soon you need it. If it's not so essential that you have to buy it now, then you may as well wait because a better deal will appear. If you need it now though, you don't have as many options.
Thankfully for me, there's never anything I must have now.
wow claim down,
retails can go that low on boxing day which means they could do the same in any others such as "Australia Day" "Good Friday" and "Easter" etc…
no guarantee but u a time machine its a bit overreacting.
Okay will do. If I want one now, this deal is not with it? So I should wait until maybe it will get 30 bucks lower MAYBE at some point during the year? Okay…..
@OnlinePred:
if u want one "now", u should msg "Employee sm007h" of crazyorwhat.com.au ask him if they got an "Australia Day" special first, thats not too long to wait isn't it ?
oh look blow! he replied "Wont have to wait too long".
but i guess u not really need one u just saying this to troll, its strange to say u don't care about the price in ozbargain u know…
Wont have to wait too long
I bought a pair during Boxing day, and I love them. The cups are not as big as AKG or BD so they're not as breathable, but they are still very comfortable for me. I have not tried using them on a hot day where I anticipate they will get sweaty, but on the days I wore them, I had no complaints about the comfort.
The NC is excellent. Even when ANC is off, the seal of the pads passively blocks out a lot of noise already, so you may not even need the ANC if you're at home.
I really like the touch controls also for volume and skip. It saves you having to fumble about with the remote, and feeling for which button you are after. You know based on the direction you swipe. It's intuitive and you won't make any mistake or press the wrong button. When you go into Ambient mode by cupping the right cup with your hand, you let in sounds from around you, and it actually picks up sound from further away that you wouldn't have heard without it (or it would have been much harder to hear). From my study, I can easily pick up conversations from the living room all the way on the other side of the house. It's perfect for eavesdropping! There is a bit of hiss added when you use this mode though unfortunately.
This thing is very small and thin when folded up into its case. It's got a very small footprint compared to audiophile headphones which don't fold up.
Mine is gold beige but it doesn't look like it does in the pictures. It looks kinda shiny gold there, but in reality it's a bit dull looking and darker.
All in all, I wish they were cheaper, but I'm happy with the quality of these headphones.
+1 to everything you just said. Bought a pair just prior to christmast after tossing up between these and Bose I opted Sony and have no ragrats
A small petty annoyance I found with the case is that when folded and in the case… The left ear cup goes on the right-hand side of the case. I find that very strange and even after a few months of use it still occasionally catches me out.
They were available for $317 around Boxing Day, and JB were price matching. But still a pretty good price and they are fantastic headphones, better than Bose.
Yeah I'm so impressed with the ANC on this that I wish I also snapped up the $270 WI-1000X. Now I'm waiting for a deal on those. If that thing uses the exact same ANC tech as the XM2, I'm sold. The ANC could save your ears. If you turn up the volume when it's noisy just to hear what you're listening to, it can do permanent harm to your ears, even though it doesn't sound loud. ANC will let you listen to it at a lower volume, which is important if you're always listening to earphones all day.
I find that rocking a pair of over-ears when I'm out and about is not my thing, so I want some in-ears with the same ANC.
any decent iem has passive noise blocking anyways, by design - so the idea that you need anc to 'protect your hearing' is retarded.
Not the Apple pack in earphones. Or any earbuds I own.
Passive noise blocking is very ineffective if you go to a crowded place. Even these XM2 would be ineffective there. It helps, but it's not enough to hear what you're listening to without increasing the volume.
I'd like to know what decent IEMs you're using. Yes they have passive NC. But it's nowhere near good enough in the city or shopping center.
Passive noise blocking is very ineffective if you go to a crowded place
You managed to pick the worst example possible, since anc is most effective on steady state, low frequency noise. Not random high frequency noise, like a crowded mall.
Etymotic ER4s attenuate up to 42db. QC35s are somewhere around 24db.
Feel free to enjoy your headphones. But lets not pretend they are magic noise blocking machines.
I'd like to know what decent IEMs you're using.
Westone W40s with Comply tips.
You managed to pick the worst example possible, since anc is most effective on steady state, low frequency noise. Not random high frequency noise, like a crowded mall.
Yes, it's less effective. But it's still a big improvement over not having it, and it's enough to hear what you're listening to.
But lets not pretend they are magic noise blocking machines.
No one used the word "magic" except you. But I had a QC20, and it allowed me to listen to my podcasts without turning up the volume in a noisy place. And those things offer 0% passive NC. It's all ANC. You will still hear noise, but it will be significantly softer. If it used better tips, the effect would be even better. All IEMs without ANC that I have tried in the same environment are unable to do what that one can.
Westone W40s with Comply tips.
LOL. $650 IEMs. And that's your definition of "decent"? What's your definition of high end? So people should buy $650 IEMs so they don't have to use ANC found in IEMs half this price for top of the line ANC?
I haven't tried these out, but I would be very skeptical that the passive NC would be enough to block out enough noise in a crowded place with music playing in a store and hundreds of people talking around you. I also don't think you've ever heard any decent ANC if you think it doesn't do anything to reduce random noise (like speech and music).
The iems are important, but it's likely the comply tips doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Even a pair of Xiaomi pistons with comply tips is a sweet experience if you are used to phone manufacturer supplied garbage.
But I had a QC20, and it allowed me to listen to my podcasts without turning up the volume in a noisy place. And those things offer 0% passive NC.
Of course they have passive noise blocking. Like anything you shove in your ear canal to produce a seal.
And that's your definition of "decent"?
You didn't ask what my definition of 'decent' was. You asked what IEMs I use.
I also don't think you've ever heard any decent ANC if you think it doesn't do anything to reduce random noise (like speech and music).
I've got a pair of QC35s.
The iems are important, but it's likely the comply tips doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
Exactly. As long as the IEMs aren't designed to bleed sound (ie, aren't iSines), all they need to do is create a seal.
Can anyone make a deal happen on the Sony H.ear on 2?
For those considering these headphones I think the following link might help. Compared to the Bose, comfort seems to be the big issue with the Sony, but if you replace the earcups it seems to be the perfect noise cancelling headphones available now.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-mdr-1000x-earpad-replac…
How do the SENNHEISER Momentum 2.0 Wireless compare. Most reviews were done with these being much more expensive than the Sony's or Bose but they are under $400 at Catch and I have seen them as low as $349 delivered from Aussie based stores.
I'd be keen to hear some real comparisons too. I love my wired Momentum 2.0 overs. Where have you seen the wireless ones for $349?
for one https://www.minidisc.com.au/sennheiser-momentum-2-0-bt-wirel…
I used a friends Momentum's today and loved em.
I can compare Bose to M2 wireless. I have done about 5 6+ hour and more than that shorter flights with M2. I have also done a lot of shorter flights with QC35.
M2:
*Sound is a lot better BUT
*ANC is significantly worse so you loose on some of the sound benefits anyway as the engine noise is still fairly strong
*Get irritating on the ears on the 4+ hour mark
Bose:
*ANC is way better. the engine noise is insignificant really when ANC is on
*Sound quality is fine
*Comfortable
I somewhat regret getting rid of the Bose, M2 I may be better for something like office setup (don’t know as that is not where I use ANC).
A comment about Sony v1… I did listen to the headphones at a store demo and even bought some but then sold them on. I really didn’t like their sound signature, but the sound was better than Bose and worse than M2 in my opinion.
So… if you like the way the Sony sound and the ANC is truely better than Bose then get the Sony if you use them for ANC on planes. At times I simply put on the ANC and have nothing playing just to give me more quiet, and M2 are nothing good for that but Bose were great; with Sony ANC claims the Sony may be good for that.
Why was I voted down? Wtf?
Question:
i bought the Sony WH-1000XM2, would it be possible to use a 3.5mm to lighting cable (not adapter) to pair it with an iphone?
Good timing for me as my Qc25 has just lost sound in the right ear. Do I try and repair or upgrade to this? Anybody ever had one repaired, and was it expensive?
I got my local videopro store to price match their eBay sale price - excluding shipping, so $349.
They wouldn’t do it at first, so I called JB and they confirmed they would price match the shipped total. I then called VP back and told them this, and they said they could do it for $349. They had to check his was above cost, and it clearly was.
Good luck.
Face off?? QC35 II
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/355270