paperwastage

Sony Z2, Z3/Z3 compact (may other sony phones too)

with a special headset

(headset plug contains special circuit to send data to phone, to perform noise cancellation algorithms)

http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/...et-mdr-nc31em/

http://www.phonearena.com/news/The-S...-works_id53736



obviously specific only to those sony phones (unfortunately)

oneant

Not sold on the QC35s requiring recharge vs the AAA battery in my QC25s. While the QC25s won't allow me to zip off to the lav in-flight while continuing to listen to my music wirelessly, it is a trade-off knowing that, if they run out of juice, I can just replace the battery. Nothing more frustrating that having a rechargeable headset die and having to wait for a charge before continuing use.

If only the QC35s kept the AAA and made it a backup power source to the rechargeable battery...

jww947

Amen.

docbert

Presuming you ignore the Bluetooth-may-not-be-allowed-in-flight issue, there are simple workarounds. Bluetooth transmitters are readily available (eg, http://amzn.to/29FXk9K), including many that are battery powered.

Of course, it's another device (and more importantly, another battery!) to have to worry about so it's not an idea solution - but it will at least work.

Sant

Also, if the battery dies while at the airport, I can quickly buy one on my way to the gate. I don't have to wait at an outlet to recharge.

witlesspax

Completely agreed. But at least while on a plane and in these days of USB charging, I'm always carrying something that could charge them, even if that means wearing them with a cable attached again. But I don't understand why they couldn't keep AAA as an option.

scubadu

Planned obsolescence

Regards

witlesspax

But surely that wouldn't explain why even the rechargeable battery is not user replaceable (or maybe not replaceable at all?), would it?

xray

I am obviously in the minority because I prefer the rechargeable battery... I've had my QC3s for close to 10 years and they're still going strong... It's not a big deal to charge up the battery before a trip and having flown RTW on many flights up to 16 hrs... no issues ! (knock on wood)

WilcoRoger

Some of the Sony Walkman range paired with a couple of Sony headphones. E.g some versions of the NW-A20 model come with a bundled NC headphone (actually the A20 is one helluva player)

matrixwalker2012

I have a Mophie mobile powerstation 8x external battery that goes with me everywhere and with it, I have a microUSB cable + microUSB to lightning adapter. With that, I can charge virtually all my devices.

If my QC35 runs out of power, just plug it into the mophie battery pack.

aschuett

True, yes. I switched from QC15 to the QC35 and this was a huge concern. But my concern mever materialized, even when doing a 22k mileage run. And I don't have to carry extra AAAs, which I like. I had hoped that the QC35 could run while charging. Unfortunately they cannot. You can either charge OR power them on. With that said, I have never needed to.

The QC35 does seem to charge quickly from my Anker PowerCore (which I never so much as drive down the block without). Obviously other products like the above mentioned Mophie are certainly similar/same in terms of charge rate, about 10-15 min of listen per min of charge it seems.

witlesspax

Oh wow, I hadn't even considered the possibility that charging while using wouldn't work, that's very disappointing. Hopefully at least they work in powered off mode (i.e., no NC, but at least music will come through) while charging?

It's good to hear your experience that you've never had to, but I like to be (over)prepared. With three rechargeable AAAs in my QC15 pouch, I never had to be concerned in the slightest. Now if I get the QC35 I'll always be a bit worried I'll run out, irrational though that may be.

aschuett

Good thought, I figured it was worth checking, so I tried it in a few combinations. No matter what I do, it seems the active noise cancelling will turn off when USB power is applied for charging. Even if I turn the noise cancelling on, then plug in the powered charging cable - noise cancelling will automatically turn off. But...with QC35, I can use the wired cable to listen to a device with the noise cancelling (QC35 power switch) turned off. They act just like passive headphones, which is ok for charging.

Do note that you can also keep an eye on the charge level through a connected bluetooth device. With my QC15, I would always get the "clicking of death" to wake me up from a deep sleep when the batteries died mid-way through a flight. QC35 allows me to see how much juice is left from my phone, which is awesome. And I don't think they click when battery is depleted either.

You're not the only one. I carried 6x AAA rechargeables with my 15s.

witlesspax

Thanks for checking, and good point about the clicking of death. I won't miss that.