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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x vs Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Jan 31, 2025 01:39 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Mar 14, 2024 07:16 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicNo
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- ATH-M50x (Black)
- ATH-M50x (Gray)
- ATH-M50x (Metallic Orange)
- ATH-M50x (White)
- QuietComfort 35 II (Black)
- QuietComfort 35 II (Rose Gold)
- QuietComfort 35 II (Silver)
- QuietComfort 35 II (Triple Midnight)
Our Verdict
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018
The Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 are better for most uses than the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. The Bose are wireless headphones with ANC. They have a active noise cancellation which isolates you from noise better and their fit is much more comfortable. On the other hand, the Audio-Technica are wired headphones intended for audiophiles and audio production. They're better built, and their passive soundstage is perceived as more open and spacious without requiring a charged battery.
Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.
Main Differences for
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.9
8.0
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.3
9.1
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
8.2
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
No
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
8.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.65 lbs
0.52 lbs
Clamping Force
1 lbs
0.69 lbs
Controls
0.0
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
No Controls
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
No Controls
Good
Feedback
No Controls
Good
Call/Music Control
No
Yes
Volume Control
No
Yes
Microphone Control
No
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
Adjustable
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
No
Voice Assistant
Breathability
6.1
6.3
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
6.7 °C
6.2 °C
Portability
5.8
6.5
Portability Picture
L
5.1" (13.0 cm)
6.5" (16.5 cm)
W
6.9" (17.5 cm)
6.1" (15.5 cm)
H
3.5" (9.0 cm)
1.5" (3.8 cm)
Volume
124.93 in³ (2,047.23 cm³)
59.20 in³ (970.11 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
6.5
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Pouch
Hard case
L
N/A
8.3" (21.1 cm)
W
N/A
5.9" (15.0 cm)
H
N/A
2.2" (5.6 cm)
Volume
N/A
106.00 in³ (1,737.02 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
550 Hz
Bass Amount
-0.9 dB
2 dB
Treble Amount
0.1 dB
-2.27 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
7.3
7.7
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.54 dB
0.45 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
8.7
8.2
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.3 dB
2.54 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
22.45 Hz
10 Hz
Low Bass
-3.66 dB
2.55 dB
Mid Bass
0.45 dB
2.59 dB
High Bass
1.95 dB
3.22 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.3
9.1
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.69 dB
1.23 dB
Low Mid
-2.43 dB
1.47 dB
Mid-Mid
0.01 dB
0.01 dB
High Mid
1.06 dB
0.15 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.1
8.3
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.43 dB
2.55 dB
Low Treble
1.16 dB
1.05 dB
Mid Treble
-1.33 dB
-1.23 dB
High Treble
-1.19 dB
-6.32 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.5
8.1
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.33 dB
1.28 dB
Dips
2.18 dB
0.8 dB
Imaging
8.7
9.0
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.3
0.1
Weighted Phase Mismatch
4.93
2.96
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.55
0.69
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.54
1.26
Passive Soundstage
5.5
5.0
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
2.43 dB
2.96 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
2.73 dB
6.46 dB
PRTF Distance
13.24 dB
10.6 dB
Openness
5.6
0.9
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.2
4.0
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No App
No
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.7
7.7
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.113
0.265
WHD @ 100
0.067
0.140
Test Settings
Firmware
No Firmware
Unknown
Power
Passive
On
Connection
Wired
Bluetooth 4.2
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
THX AAA 789
EQ
No EQ
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
Maximum
Tip/Pad
Default
Default
Microphone
No Microphone
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
4.3
9.1
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-10.18 dB
-27.01 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
2.24 dB
-19.65 dB
Mid
-8.56 dB
-24.92 dB
Treble
-27.01 dB
-36.85 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
4.1
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-9.11 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-9.54 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-8.80 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
Leakage
7.2
6.5
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
38.32 dB
42.4 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
No
Yes
Recording Quality
0.0
6.0
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
N/A
LFE
N/A
320 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
N/A
1.73 dB
HFE
N/A
2,061.43 Hz
Weighted THD
N/A
2.416
Gain
N/A
37.46 dB
Noise Handling
0.0
7.5
SpNR
N/A
16.19 dB
Noise Gate
N/A
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
N/A
7.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
N/A
7.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
N/A
Active Features
Battery
0.0
8.4
Battery Type
No Battery
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
20 hrs
Additional Charges
N/A
0.0
Total Battery Life
N/A
20 hrs
Charge Time
N/A
2.1 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
No
Auto-Off Timer
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
Passive Headphone
Yes
Charging Port
None
micro-USB
App Support
0.0
7.0
App Picture
App Name
No App
Bose Connect
iOS
No
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
No
ANC Control
No
Adjustable
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
Yes
Button Mapping
No
Yes
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.9
9.5
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
10.00 ft (3.05 m)
3.90 ft (1.19 m)
Connector
1/8" TRS
1/16" TRS
Latency - Analog
0.2 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
0 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
0.0
8.6
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
4.1
Multi-Device Pairing
No
2 Devices
NFC Pairing
Yes
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
122.00 ft (37.19 m)
Latency - SBC
N/A
239 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Codec
No Bluetooth Audio
AAC Support
No
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
79 ms
Android Latency
105 ms
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018
Comments
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x vs Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018: Main Discussion
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