I swapped my Bose QuietComfort headphones for a cheap Edifier pair costing less than half the price – here are 3 reasons why I swapped right back

I feel I owe my Bose QuietComfort Headphones an apology after I allowed myself to be led astray by the allure of a pretty pink pair of Edifier ES850NB over-ears. This was but a brief hiatus, however, as despite my new pair being so aesthetically pleasing, something just wasn’t sitting quite right.

Available in black, pink, ivory or brown, the Edifier ES850NB headphones are available right now in the US at a list price of $169.99 (so around £132 or AU$262, give or take), and are due to be released in the UK at the end of June 2025.

It should come as no surprise that because the Edifiers are less than half the price of my beloved Bose cans, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by the audio quality. This is especially true considering I was directly comparing them to my Bose QuietComfort Headphones, which – despite being somewhat lowlier than their higher-spec sibling, the Bose QuietComfort Ultras (in our pick of the best over-ear headphones) – are a fantastic-sounding pair of headphones with great noise cancelling.

I must say that the Edifier ES850NB headphones do sound good for the price. This was the case straight out of the box, which makes a nice change, as cheaper options can often be a bit heavy on the bass in an attempt to sound fun and zealous – ie. to compensate for weaker sonic elements.

Upon first inspecting the Edifier ES850NBs, I noted the super-padded ear cups and soft and spongy headband. This made me wonder if this added plushness would make them even comfier than my QuietComfort, but they actually felt about the same, which was fortunate, as I was a little worried I’d really feel the difference when switching back.

We’ll be publishing a full review soon, but for now, here are three reasons why I won’t be retiring my trusty Bose QuietComforts in favor of the Edifier ES850NB headphones.

1. Knock knock…

With their leather-like texture and metallic details, the Edifier ES850NB headphones do have a classy finish. I like how they look on, too, but I’m a little confused by their design choices where the headband meets the ear cups. The two components are connected by a bendy arm, similar to that of the outstanding Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3, though not as well executed. I say this because Edifier has carved into the outside of the ear cup to allow the headband to sit flush when the headphones are being worn.

I’m not saying this looks bad aesthetically – it does look good, but this format seemed to cause an issue I’ve not experienced with other over-ears: an audible knocking sound. I encountered this issue a few times when out walking, finding that one ear cup would rock slightly, causing the little post at the bottom of the headband to knock against the ear cup.

It looks like Edifier made an attempt to negate this problem by placing a little rectangle of black silicone to provide some cushioning, but it appears to be too thin and small to be efficient. It’s worth mentioning that this may not be the case for everyone, though, as this problem may be exacerbated by the fact that I’m a relatively petite female, and so the headphones may be a little more prone to movement when I’m wearing them out and about.

2. A pressing issue

This could all be down to personal preference, but I don’t find the Edifier ES850NB controls as intuitive or easy to use as the ones on my pair of Bose QuietComfort Headphones. There’s a small slider switch on the outer surface of the right earcup on my pair of Bose, which also doubles as the Bluetooth pairing trigger when kept pulled forward. Then there are the volume and play/pause buttons on the back edge, and an action button on the back edge of the left ear cup that cycles through the different ANC modes, amongst other things.

In contrast, the Edifier ES850NB has fewer buttons. There’s a run of three buttons consisting of two volume buttons, separated by a power button, and a Bluetooth button, which also cycles through the different listening modes. The power button is identifiable by the raised tag, which, although fairly easy to recognise, feels somewhat rough and unpleasant under my fingertips.

Though I appreciate the color coordination of the buttons on the pale pink model I have, I have concerns that the silicone material used means they’re likely to discolor far quicker than a smoother, harder material would. This may be less of an issue for the darker-colored models, but I’d advise caution if you happen to be a person who wears makeup, as any foundation transferred from your fingertips would be a nightmare to clean off the textured surface here.

3. Red light, blue light

When it comes to sticking my headphones on charge, I prefer the larger slot-like indicator light on my pair of Edifiers, as it’s easier to see when it turns red to confirm that they're charging. Having said this, it’s far easier to tell whether my QuietComforts are switched on at a glance, either from the position of the power switch or the small but steady white indicator light.

The reason it’s trickier with the Edifiers is because the power is indicated by a blue light that double-flashes every five seconds, which feels like a surprisingly long time when I’m used to getting instant confirmation of the power status. I also found it oddly irritating, both because the flashing blue light can be distracting when in eyeshot, and because it looks like the headphones are always in pairing mode when I’ve not got them on. The light does at least stop flashing once I’ve got music playing, not that I’d be able to see it even if it were.