Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones announced: price, features, release date

Bose announced its latest noise-canceling wireless headphones, the QuietComfort 45, on Tuesday.

The new headphones cost $ 330 and are on pre-order today, with delivery starting September 23.

A familiar design

The QuietComfort line has proven to be popular for Bose over the years, so it’s no surprise that the QuietComfort 45 does not differ significantly from its predecessor, the QuietComfort 35 II, which launched about four years.

Their design closely follows in the footsteps of this older pair, with some minor tweaks to smooth the look of the sides and ear pads, but an equally understated aesthetic overall. There are still physical control knobs for adjusting volume, controlling playback and noise cancellation, and taking calls, but luckily the old microUSB port has been replaced by USB-C. Bose continues to use a 2.5mm connector instead of the more universal 3.5mm jack for wired listening, although it does include a 3.5mm to 2.5mm cable in the box if needed. The headphones are available in a black or “white smoke” finish.

In general, the QuietComfort 35 II’s largely plastic construction didn’t make it the most premium package in the world, especially for headphones selling north of $ 300. The headphones were exceptionally comfortable, however, with a lightweight design that didn’t squeeze too tight and folded up neatly for easier storage. We haven’t got our hands on the QuietComfort 45 yet, but from the pictures the fit appears to be similar.

Bose doesn’t tout any major changes in sound quality. For reference, the QuietComfort 35 IIs sounded relatively balanced with slight bass boost. Like most high-end wireless headphones, they were far from the clearest or most detailed headphones you can get for the money, but they sounded smooth and largely harmless to most non-listeners. audiophiles. Again, we’ll have to test the new pair for ourselves to see if anything has changed.

Noise reduction, battery life and Bluetooth

The main reason people buy QuietComforts, aside from good marketing, is Bose’s Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology, which has consistently ranked among the most efficient around. Here, Bose says it’s using a “new electronics package” to help the QuietComfort 45 detect and eliminate midrange frequencies better than before.

There are now two different “modes” of noise cancellation: a “Quiet” mode for traditional active noise cancellation and an “Aware” mode which appears to work the same as the “ambient sound” modes found on competing headphones. . The latter mode lets you hear the noise of the outside world along with whatever you’re playing. You can switch between these modes via a button on the left earcup. (This button also lets you mute your mic during phone calls.) However, there doesn’t seem to be a way to adjust the strength of the noise canceling effect beyond this setting. Bose other Wireless noise cancelers, the Noise Canceling Headphones 700, allow you to increase or decrease ANC on a 10 point scale, for example.

Bose also touts improved call quality, in part thanks to the addition of another microphone to the array of beamforming microphones built into the headphones. The QuietComfort 35 II were not Wrong in that regard, but this was an area where the Noise Canceling Headphones 700 made improvements, so any upgrade would be welcome, especially with more and more people taking their business calls from home.

The company claims the QuietComfort 45 will last up to 24 hours on a charge. This is an improvement over the 20-hour battery life of the QuietComfort 35 II, although it still falls short of rivals like Sony’s WH-1000XM4, whose battery can last. more than 30 hours. Bose says you can get three hours of playback on a 15-minute charge.

The headphones connect via Bluetooth 5.1 and have a nominal Bluetooth range of up to 30 feet. The latter is common, and the QuietComfort 35 IIs weren’t known to have significant wireless connectivity issues, although it should be noted that competitors like Apple’s AirPods Max use a Class 1 Bluetooth radio which helps them maintain a signal over wider ranges. Like their predecessors, the QuietComfort 45s can also maintain a connection with two devices simultaneously, so you can listen to music on a PC but quickly switch to your phone to take a call without having to go through the usual Bluetooth pairing rigmarole.

Entering a crowded market

Bose will be ditching the QuietComfort 35 II with the launch of the QuietComfort 45, but it will continue to sell the Noise Canceling Headphones 700, which launched just over two years ago and will cost another $ 50 more at $ 379. Compared to the QuietComfort 35 II, the 700 offers a more premium metal design, more granular ANC control and superior call quality, as well as a slightly richer sound profile in bass. At maximum, the ANC of the 700s is generally just as strong, but we’ll have to see if the QuietComfort 45 can outperform the older pair.

That said, the 700 noise canceling headphones don’t fold up, they’re a bit heavier on the head (for me, at least), their battery life is still rated at 20 hours per charge, and they’re more reliant on the load. Bose Music app to access many features, even requiring you to create a Bose account to use the app in the first place. They also rely on touch controls to manage volume and playback; the controls generally work well, but some may prefer the physical buttons.

The most frequently recommended option in this market, and my favorite after testing many sets over the past year, is the Sony WH-1000XM4, which has an equally excellent ANC, well-padded design, and durability. longer battery life, a sound profile that is richer in bass by default but can be customized to suit your preferences (the 700 noise canceling headphones also have a custom EQ tool), multi-point connectivity and useful bonus features like a ‘talk to chat’ feature that can automatically pause your music when you’re talking to someone. However, they also use touch controls, and the QuietComfort 45 will cost around $ 20 less than Sony’s MSRP of $ 349, although the XM4s have regularly gone on sale for less than that in recent months.

Apple’s AirPods Max, on the other hand, have stronger noise cancellation, more detailed sound, and a clearer transparency mode than any other wireless headset we’ve tested to date. You can also ask Apple to replace the battery in the set down the line, albeit for a fee of $ 79. That said, the headphones don’t bend, you can’t listen through a cable, and they don’t have a power button, but instead rely on a proprietary, largely non-protective casing to go into low power mode. They also have an MSRP of $ 549, which continues to be a tough sell for diehard Apple fans when the Sony and Bose pairs offer features close enough for much less.

The QuietComfort 45 doesn’t rock the boat too much, but ditching the microUSB port is a good start, and while Bose claims improvements in noise cancellation and call quality, the new pair could be worth a shot for those in the know. ‘are interested in a premium pair of noise-canceling wireless headphones. We will try to get a pair for review and let you know with certainty in the coming weeks.

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Listing image by Bose