Bose Quietcomfort 45 review.....over the ear noise cancelling headphones.

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Aug 15, 2020
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Atlanta, GA
Was initially looking at the Quietcomfort 35 series, 45 series is 4 years ewer so supposedly has better noise cancelling and better battery life but looks like the 35 but with improved internals. Went with the 45 because I could not easily get the cheaper 35's before tomorrow as they were out of stock at the store I was looking to buy from.

Bose Quietcomfort 45

Setup:

This was an absolute breeze. Just pair it and go, the Bose app is kinda meh and doesn't really offer much for customization except for a few things you can't do with the ear cup buttons. Only thing I have found you can do through the app is changing the auto off behavior to save the battery.

Noise Canceling:

A+ so far. I'll have to see how it does on the plane to drown out wind and turbine drone. It completely eliminated the noise from being 10-15 feet away from 3 running residential heat pumps.

Sound:

Greatish. Like the Bose in my previous Mazda's it was good to great but did not really excel in any particular area. Bass is a little lacking and gets muddy.

Packaging:

Fold up quite nicely into the included carrying case and quite lightweight. Double jointed ear cups so they can lay flat.

Overall:

I think I would have saved myself a hundred bucks or + to get a noise cancelling set from a competitor. I was expecting better sound out of a $330 set of headphones.

For the price I can't say I can recommend - they better kill it for noise attenuation on a commercial flight.
 
I got my QC35 II last year on sale for $199 (regularly $299) and they are still excellent. by far the most comfortable headphones I've ever had. The sound isn't fantastic but it's more than serviceable given the battery life and comfort level. My only real complaints are that it uses micro USB to charge (expected given they weren't a new model) and they can't be used on bluetooth while being charged (this isn't a Bose exclusive issue, I had a pair of JBL bluetooth headphones that had the same thing). The noise cancellation is frankly fantastic though. I spend a lot of time in a loud datacenter, and they do a **** good job of quieting things down, and the same when I flew to Germany last fall.
 
I recently got a set of the Sony XM3 over ear headphones. I can only compare them to my old JVC on-ear headphones they replaced, but I'd say they're about 50x better 😁 The Sony's (the XM4 just came out) seem to be the best-reviewed going back a few models and the pricing was right ($210 I think) around the holidays. Comfortable, great sound, excellent noise cancelling. Work great on a plane and I can't hear what's going on in my house when I have them on.

jeff
 
I got my QC35 II last year on sale for $199 (regularly $299) and they are still excellent. by far the most comfortable headphones I've ever had. The sound isn't fantastic but it's more than serviceable given the battery life and comfort level. My only real complaints are that it uses micro USB to charge (expected given they weren't a new model) and they can't be used on bluetooth while being charged (this isn't a Bose exclusive issue, I had a pair of JBL bluetooth headphones that had the same thing). The noise cancellation is frankly fantastic though. I spend a lot of time in a loud datacenter, and they do a **** good job of quieting things down, and the same when I flew to Germany last fall.

I almost bought the 35's when they were on sale around xmas time few months back, $199 at Target and with my 5% RedCard discount it would have been ~$189 - quite a bit more palatable than the $299 they are when not on sale. They are excellent $199 headphones but are simply mediocre $299 headphones.

Charging was another thing they changed with the 45 - its USB-C now. The micro USB would have driven me mad - my doorbell is the only thing left that is micro USB and because it only needs a charge every 4-5 months I have to dig the cable out. I have C's available already plugged in and ready to charge in every room.
 
I'm by no means an audiophile but do appreciate good sound. After many years of desiring wireless headphones, I eventually caved in and picked up a set of JBL Everest Elite 700's; I'm very pleased with them.
 
My qc 35’s have been going strong since about 2013, I use them every night while laying down for the night. The only issue is the foam in the pads will start to deteriorate and will need replacing. Still sound great, hold a long charge and charge in literally 45 min or less.
 
My friend won a pair of those from work. They're very comfortable, second only after my Sennheiser HD598.

Audio quality is pretty good considering it's BT. The mids and high are good and the lows are acceptable. Not $330 level, but I'd spend $200 for them all day.
 
So was able to use them on a 2.5 hour flight recently (757-200 so relatively quiet aircraft by 1990’s standards). Noise cancelling more than made up for the mehhh sound quality. These would be a godsend for a longer intercontinental flight.

Comfort is great - yeah you know they are there but it is not objectionable at all. I hope they loosen up a little bit as they do clamp kinda hard on my big head. 🤣

Delta 757-200 takeoff video if anyone interested in some Pratt & Whitney turbine sounds.

Delta 757-200 takeoff
 
Music quality aside, Bose does the best ANC in the industry period according to most sources. If that's the priority, these are definitely the best bet.
 
I prefer passive noise management (headphones that physically block the outside noise), as I can always hear the ANC technology at work...makes everything sound funny to me.
 
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