How to recognise counterfeit Bose QuietComfort headphones?

Christmas is fast approaching, and many people have already started scouring online sites for the best gifts they can find. If you're looking for a Christmas present for a teenager, or even an adult, Bluetooth headphones are a sure bet.

If we're comparing different models, such as Sony headphones, JBL headphones, Marshall headphones or Beats headphones, we suggest you opt for Bose Bluetooth headphones, and more specifically the Bose QuietComfort 25 or Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones. In terms of sound, Bose has always lived up to our expectations. Their headphones offer not only impeccable sound, with noise reduction, but also unbeatable comfort, all in a great design. Bose is the king of wireless headphones. But where there's popularity, there's fakes, so how do you know whether Bose headphones are real or fake?

Examine your Bose headset

Lay your headphones flat and observe them in their entirety. Genuine Bose headphones are black in colour, whereas counterfeit Bose headphones will be slightly greyer. Take a close look at the finish, which is often neglected on imitations, with excess plastic that hasn't been smoothed down.

Finally, weigh your wireless headphones - they feel a bit heavy when they're real Bose headphones.

On the left, counterfeit Bose headphones, on the right, real Bose headphones.

Look at the logo

On genuine Bose products, unlike imitations, the logo is not a sticker. It is always embossed and never spray-painted.

Inspect the cushion

Inspect all the details on the headphone trim ring, the finishes are very poorly done by counterfeiters. On a real Bose headset, everything is perfect, the black lines in the earcup lining are slightly thick and dyed a light black. On an imitation, these lines are very thick and darker.

So don't hesitate to test the comfort of these headphones directly on your ears, and test the settings to see how well they work.

Left: fake Bose headphones, right: real Bose headphones

Analyse the roll bar

On genuine Bose headphones, the colours used on the headband are a mixture of black and white or silver in a fairly tight weave. Many counterfeiters, not paying attention to this detail, make the headband in plain black with a much looser fit than on genuine headphones.

Left: imitation Bose headphones, right: genuine Bose headphones

Check the buttons

The buttons can help you spot whether it's a copy or not. On fake Bose QuietComfort 35s, the buttons look pretty good at first glance. When you look closely, you can spot a cheap, inferior construction with a slightly different colour.

Also, if when you test the operation of the buttons for managing the music (volume, play, pause) and one of them doesn't work properly, it's probably a fake Bose headset.

On the left, the buttons of a real Bose headset, on the right the buttons of a fake Bose headset.

Pay attention to detail

The cable

The cable on a fake QC 35 headset looks thicker than the original. Also, often, on counterfeit headphones, the audio jack has two rings instead of three as on real Bose headphones. However, whether it's a counterfeit or not, the length of the cable remains the same.

On the left, the cable from a real Bose headset, on the right the cable from a fake Bose headset.

The serial number

It's true that very few counterfeiters still make this mistake, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't check. Make sure the serial number on the box matches the one on the headphones. If there is an incompatibility, you are in possession of imitation Bose QC 35 headphones. If they are compatible, you can always contact Bose customer service and ask for verification.

Test your Bose headphones

If you still can't work out whether you're in possession of counterfeit Bose headphones, there's one last simple step: test them. Bose products are renowned for their excellent sound quality. So if, when you test your wireless headphones, you find that the sound quality is quite poor and/or the isolation almost non-existent, there's no doubt about it: they're imitations.

Buy your used Bose headphones from Obvy

If you want to save money on your Bose headphones, buy them second-hand from Obvy. Our 100% secure payment system has been designed to prevent scams between private individuals.

Our teams will check the identity of the seller and the buyer, and your order will be traceable. Finally, if, thanks to our tips, you realise that you've bought fake Bose headphones, you can send them back to the seller.