How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want to turn the Bose QuietComfort 35 or QC35 II headphones you already own into a proper headset for gaming, calls and streaming, choose Gneinour QC35; if you need a standalone single-ear headset that plugs into basically anything — PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC, laptop, phone — and stays open to the room around you, choose Crotrain One Ear Headset. Neither one is a set of wireless earbuds for swimming, and I want to be upfront about that before anything else, because "for swimming" is how a lot of people end up on pages like this by mistake.
• Gneinour QC35 — biggest strength: it upgrades headphones you already own into a cardioid boom-mic headset, with a slide mute switch and a 3.9 ft cable that folds away neatly. It only works because your Bose QC35/QC35 II is already doing the audio work.
• Gneinour QC35 — biggest trade-off: it is not a headset on its own. No Bose QC35 or QC35 II in your bag means this accessory has nothing to attach to, and it's wired with a 2.5 mm / 3.5 mm jack setup rather than wireless.
• Crotrain One Ear Headset — biggest strength: one physical headset that covers 3.5 mm, Type-C and USB via the included adapters, with a 50 mm driver, a 120° rotating mic and inline volume/mute — and it's built to leave one ear open to your surroundings.
• Crotrain One Ear Headset — biggest trade-off: it's left-ear only by design, has no active noise cancellation, and the open-earmuff approach means you'll hear the room whether you want to or not.
• Who each is for: Gneinour QC35 → existing Bose QC35/QC35 II owners who want one cable for gaming and meetings. Crotrain One Ear Headset → anyone who wants a single, self-contained headset for work chat, calls and cross-platform gaming.
The Gneinour QC35 is a boom microphone cable built specifically for Bose QuietComfort 35 and QuietComfort 35 II headphones. That's the whole idea: you already paid for the Bose audio and its noise cancelling, and this cable adds the one thing those headphones were never designed to give you — a mic that sits near your mouth instead of somewhere up in the earcup. Plug it in, and your music headphones become communication gear for gaming, Zoom meetings, Skype calls, livestreams and podcast recording.
The mic itself is a cardioid design, which means it's directional. It picks up your voice and pushes down what's happening around you, so teammates and clients hear you rather than your keyboard. There's a slide mute switch built into the cable for the moment you need to cough, sneeze or say something that isn't for the room. The boom arm is adjustable, so you can position it close to your mouth for the best pickup, and the cable runs 1.2 m / 3.9 ft — long enough to move between a desk, a couch or a gaming setup without tangling, short enough to stay out of the way.
Build quality is where the spec sheet gets interesting. The jacket is flexible PVC with reinforced anti-pull connectors at both ends, and Gneinour rates it for 20,000 bends. Multi-layer shielding is there to kill signal delay and electromagnetic interference, which matters if you're mid-raid or mid-client-call and the last thing you want is lag on your voice. It weighs 5 g, folds up small, and carries a 365-day warranty description.
Who should buy it: Bose QC35 or QC35 II owners who want a wired boom-mic solution for gaming, meetings and streaming without buying a second headset. Who should skip it: anyone who doesn't own those specific Bose headphones, anyone who wants a wireless setup, and anyone shopping for something to wear in water. This is not a swimming product — it's copper and electronics, and you should keep it dry.
The Crotrain One Ear Headset is the opposite approach: a complete, self-contained wired headset in a single-ear format. The connectivity story is the headline. You get a 3.5 mm jack on the headset itself, plus a 3.5 mm-to-Type-C cable and a Type-C-to-USB-A adapter in the box. That combination covers PS5, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, PC, laptops, tablets, iPad, iOS and Android phones. If you've ever owned a headset that worked on your console but not your work laptop, this is the problem Crotrain is solving.
The design is deliberately open. Soft protein memory foam ear pads and an adjustable headband handle comfort, and the open earmuff approach means you can hear both your chat audio and the room around you at the same time. That's genuinely useful if you work in an office, take calls while watching a door, or game with one eye on the rest of the house. It's the closest thing to a transparency mode you'll get from a wired single-ear headset — there's no electronics simulating it, the ear cup simply doesn't seal you off.
One thing to read carefully: the earmuff and microphone side can only be worn on the left ear. That's not a preference, it's the design. Audio comes from a 50 mm dynamic driver, which is a large driver for a single-ear unit and should give you full, present sound rather than the thin output you sometimes get from chat headsets. The microphone rotates up and down through 120° for positioning, and volume plus mic mute sit inline on the cable. The braided cable runs 6.6 ft, which is generous enough to stand up, stretch or move around a desk without yanking the plug out.
Who should buy it: people who want one wired headset that works across console, PC and mobile, and who value hearing their surroundings over total isolation. Who should skip it: right-ear wearers, anyone who wants noise cancelling, and anyone who needs a boom mic on a specific pair of headphones they already love — that's the Gneinour job. And to be clear, this is a wired office and gaming headset, not a swimming device.
• Best for existing Bose QC35/QC35 II owners → Gneinour QC35. It's the only one of the two that assumes you already have the headphones.
• Best for cross-platform connectivity → Crotrain One Ear Headset. 3.5 mm, Type-C and USB in one box beats a 2.5 mm/3.5 mm headphone-specific jack.
• Best for microphone isolation → Gneinour QC35. A cardioid boom mic near your mouth with a slide mute switch is a different class of voice pickup than a rotating headset mic.
• Best for hearing your surroundings → Crotrain One Ear Headset. The open earmuff design is the whole point; it's a single-ear headset on purpose.
• Best for cable length and movement → Crotrain One Ear Headset. 6.6 ft braided versus 3.9 ft on the Gneinour, which is designed for compact, tidy desk setups instead.
• Best for call and meeting durability → Gneinour QC35. Reinforced anti-pull connectors, multi-layer shielding and a 20,000-bend rating are aimed squarely at people who plug and unplug all day.
• Best for left-ear-only work and chat → Crotrain One Ear Headset. Just remember the ear cup side is fixed to the left.
• Best for a foldable, packable accessory → Gneinour QC35. At 5 g it folds into a bag pocket; the Crotrain is a full headset you wear, not stash.
In my opinion, the right pick comes down to one question: do you already own Bose QC35 or QC35 II headphones? If yes, I'd buy the Gneinour QC35 — it's the cheaper path in spirit, because you're adding a cardioid boom mic, a slide mute and a shielded 3.9 ft cable to audio gear you already trust, and the 20,000-bend rating and 365-day warranty description suggest it's built to survive daily plugging. If no, I'd buy the Crotrain One Ear Headset, because it's a complete headset that works across PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC and phones without needing anything else in your drawer. Neither belongs at the pool — for swimming you want proper waterproof gear, not a wired headset or a boom mic cable.
No. It's a boom microphone cable made for Bose QuietComfort 35 and QC35 II headphones. Without those headphones it has nothing to connect to, so it only makes sense as an upgrade for existing owners.
Yes, that's its main appeal. The 3.5 mm jack plus the included 3.5 mm-to-Type-C cable and Type-C-to-USB-A adapter cover PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC, laptops, tablets, iPad and phones.
They solve it differently. The Gneinour QC35 uses a cardioid boom mic to isolate your voice from background noise, while relying on your Bose headphones for listening isolation. The Crotrain has no noise cancelling at all — its open earmuff design deliberately lets room sound in.
No. Both are wired electronics. If you're searching for foldable bluetooth headphones for swimming, wireless earbuds for swimming, or the best transparency mode headphones for swimming, you're looking at products built with water-resistant sealing and no cables — neither of these fits that brief.
I don't quote prices here because they change constantly. Use the "Check latest price on Amazon" button on this page to see what each one costs right now before you decide.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.
See also: our bladesgsd Cool Monkey Headphon vs iJoy Rick pick, Belkin ANC vs Xmenha ANC, EKVANBEL Headset V5.3 vs otinsile Clip-On Earbuds, MUSICOZY Sleep Headphones vs SUIKIHUM Sling Bag