(same post as in the Sennheiser M2 Forum, might be of interest here too)
Hi Folks,
as I’m now a proud owner of both the Sennheiser Momentun Wireless 2.0 (Overear) and the Bose QC35, I wanted to share my thoughts with you.
To put it all into context, here’s the rest of my stuff:
I still own the QC15, which I don’t use anymore, because it is bested in any aspect by the QC20 (and of course is more mobile and has a microphone, so I use it as a headset in the office extensively). I do not have nor heard the QC25.
I also own a Philips Fidelio S2 InEar, which has a much better sound but unfortunately no ANC of course. I once owned the Fidelio X1 OverEar, also an incredible headphone, absolutely best buy in that price range.
I gave it away as I bought the Audeze LCD2, which is audiophile heaven for me and my personal reference (driven by Lake People G109P and a TEAC UD-H1 DAC).
My mobile source is a LG G5 with the B&O Hifi module.
So my quest for a wireless noise canceller began and I landed with the much lauded Sennheiser M2, and for 450€ I expected it to deliver. At first it didn’t.
Comfort wise it seems my ears are a little big and the pads are not as soft as the Boses, so I jump ahead and declare this round as a clear win for the QC35. That includes the rest of the ergonomics like the fiddly buttons as well.
The ANC also is by far not as strong as any Bose. In a loud office environment, where you want to block the voices of your colleagues, forget the M2 and go directly to a Bose. Also a bummer: Travelling on a train and going into a tunnel. With the QC20, there also is a loud pop, but only one time and then it is ok. The M2 however pops constantly while in the tunnel, making listening to music basically impossible. If you don’t have these situations, you might still be happy with the M2.
The biggest disappointment however was the sound. The M2 has a boost in the 2kHz band, which made it unbearable for me. I experienced a similar effect with the Hifiman HE560, couldn’t listen to it longer than a minute. As these cans make many other people very happy, I consider this as a matter of personal taste or a problem with my tinnitus. In comparison the S2 (or even the QC20) on the G5/B&O were by far superior to the unequalized M2.
I’m using the PlayerPro App as music player with the 10-band equalizer. I found a setting with -12db at the 2k band, which made the M2 bearable to my ears. But should that be really the solution for a 450€ can? I also tried the Sennheiser CapTune app, and besides the fact that it is featurewise a pathetic player app especially in comparison to the PlayerPro, it just doesn’t sound good. All the whole effects shebang didn’t help at all at it sounded diminished with every can I tried.
So I thought let’s try the QC35.
I already said everything about “Quiet” and “Comfort” above, Bose is still at the top here.
As Bose is declaring it the best Bose headphone ever, I was excited. But excitement vanished quickly….
No problem in the 2k band and no need to equalize, so far so good. And it is the typical smoothed Bose sound for the masses, so no surprise there. I didn’t expect any audiophile qualities at all, and that was not even the intention for this acquisition. But boredom? That I didn’t expect. I do not know how to describe it better, but the QC35 bores the crap out of me. Where the QC20 can be pimped by proper amplification, that is impossible with the QC35 obviously. Also I didn’t find any satisfying equalizer setting that turned things around.
In contrast to the M2. The equalized M2 has a far more enganging and dynamic sound, much better bass control and impact, and therefore gives me much more pleasure and fun listening to it.
Conclusion:
Obviously there is no good wireless noise canceller on the market at the moment. Every contender has its own strengths and weaknesses, and if you are lucky you will find a satisfying solution for specific situations.
So we have to wait for the next round, M3 or QC45 or whatever comes around.
If you can live with cables, go with the QC20 (i) and good amplification, so this will be a trusted companion for me for a little while longer. I also will give both the M2 and the QC35 a bit more time, at the moment I tend to keep the M2 for not too loud environments and wait for a good offer for the QC35 to give a non-audiophile colleague some quiet and comfort.