The Bose QC35s — despite being 5+ years old — are still a great pair of over-ear headphones.

However, after owning them for a couple of years, the ear pads had begun to look a little raggedy and fall apart.

Rather than spending close to $400 on a new pair of headphones, I decided to try getting a new set of ear pads.

Which replacement ear pads to get?

Bose offers replacement ear cups and ear pads through its website (and other sellers) but $34 just seemed a little high for two foam donuts.

So after a little research, I came across replacement ear pads by a company called Wicked Cushions.

Priced at $20 for a pair and also available in some cooler color options, I decided to give these a try as I’ve had some good luck with third-party accessory makers in the past.

Two days later (thanks to the beauty of Amazon Prime) my pair of replacement earpads arrived.

How to replace your Bose QC35 earpads

The Wicked Cushions replacement earpads came in a nice little ziplock bag, so after unzipping the bag and grabbing my QC35s, I was ready to install my new replacement earpads.

1. Pinching the current earpad with your thumb and pointer finger, pull away from the headphone — this can take a little effort if it’s your first time replacing the earpad
2. Slowly peel away the earcup liner held in place with two pieces of adhesive
3. Scrape away the remaining adhesive with your fingernail or coin
4. Stick replacement liners to the inside of the earcup with one piece of adhesive at a time
5. Snap-in edges of replacement earpad starting on one side and working your way around
6. Repeat for other side (R or L)

If you’re a visual learner, here’s a helpful how-to video by Wicked Cushions.

Wicked Cushions replacement earpads review

I’ve only been using my QC35s for a few weeks now with the Wicked Cushion’s earpads, but haven’t noticed a decrease in comfort or audio quality.

In fact, if anything the WC earpads are cushier and better at blocking out sound than the earpads by Bose.

Add in the fact that they are $14 less and some additional color options (though I stuck with the all-grey look) and the WC ear pads are an easy choice.

I’ll be sure to update this post down the road if there are any issues with my new earpads, especially since WC offers a year warranty.

Thanks for reading — hope this helped!

If you have any questions or corrections about Wicked cushions or Bose QC35 headphones, feel free to tweet at me on Twitter or DM me on Instagram.

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