This may be OT since strictly speaking it’s about hardware… I trust it is ok to post it given the spirit of the community, but have my apologies and feel free to remove it if it’s not.
I’m looking to replace my old Bose QC25, since they have recently died (after a long a fulfilling life), but it seems everything nowadays is bluetooth (which I don’t mind) and require some proprietary app to turn ANC on/off (which I do mind… are physical buttons/switches become too expensive to include in your overpriced earbuds?).
Anyway… do you know of any headphones/earbuds that meet the following?
- can be powered via wire or have batteries that last 12+hrs (long-haul flights)
- have decent noise cancelling
- don’t require me to install a apps or can be used with some open source app (possibly with full functionality and straightforward to setup)
- are not overly expensive (I have to buy 2 pairs and I’ll only use them a few times a year when I fly)
This is admittedly not the answer you’re looking for, but the Bose QC35 only needs the app to program the assist button on the left pad, specifically to toggle it between activating the voice assistant, or to toggle noose cancelling mode.
You could probably even program the button on some other device, and then either pair it to your phone or use it in analog mode.
Kind of annoying, I know. The app is riddled with trackers but you could leave it disabled for when you need it, and only enable it when the phone is in airplane mode.
I’m only shilling for Bose because I have a pair and I think they’re great headphones, but I don’t much care for their app.