I didn't even buy them, work did, so it's not like I'm trying to justify the $349 MSRP (At the time).

The only thing that bugs me about them having to keep a micro usb cable around.

Same with the pair I gave my father.

German friend visited with some 700's. (I think that's the model number; the sleek but uncomfortable redesign of a couple of years ago.) When he visited again the following year, their ear pads where likewise blown out.

In contrast, I have multiple models of inexpensive Chinese ANC headphones whose ear pads have survived significantly longer.

And, the official Bose ear pad replacements are $40 on Amazon (if they're even real...).

I don't buy Bose, anymore.

I've found them indistinguishable from the OEM ear pads.

Thank you. I was doubtful about the third-party replacements; I'll give them a try.

I still think it's scandalous that Bose ships them with such a crap failure rate.

(If they're expected to fail like this, then at least ship them with a few replacement pairs included. At least that would be honest, and at the price they charge, probably still profitable. /s )

I've kind of standardized on Bose headphones because even though I hate crap like that, they're so popular that there's a big ecosystem of replacement parts, batteries, etc.

It helps that the earpads have been unchanged across multiple generations: QC25/35/45 and I think their new ones as well. Everything but the Ultra and NC700. So I expect replacements should be available more or less indefinitely.

Aside from the earpads, which are wear and tear items that are easily and cheaply replaced.

Admittedly they're used almost exclusively for desk duty.

(Reason I have so many pairs is because I have a number of workspaces, and I found it's easier to keep a pair of QC25s in each workspace rather than toting a single pair all over the place. Most of the QC25s were purchased used from eBay for cheap. I've also got a pair of QC45s.)