Bose QuietComfort 45

Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise-Canceling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones (Triple Black) - BRAND NEW review

The Bose QuietComfort 45 Bluetooth, Noise Cancelling, over-the-ear headphones replace the ageing QC35 that set standards for weary trav...

Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise-Canceling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones (Triple Black) - BRAND NEW review

“Bose's most popular headphones get a bigger battery, but drop some features.”

Bose QuietComfort 45 review

The Bose QuietComfort 45 are a strong successor to the company’s 2019 flagship model, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II, and yet don’t quite have the refinement of last year’s Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. The QC45 are missing a few features like an EQ, adjustable noise reduction and their audio performance isn’t audiophile-quality. They’re comfortable for long periods of time, however, and are easy enough for anyone to use, which is enough to get them a tepid recommendation.

Bose QuietComfort 45 review

Bose’s QC45s are destined to be a big seller for all of the same reasons as their predecessors. They’re extremely comfortable, incredibly easy to use and if they’re not the very best noise-cancellers on the market then there isn’t a lot in it. Throw in great battery life and you can’t really go wrong. Critics argue that Bose’s signature sound lacks a bit of power and dynamism in comparison to some of its rivals, but we think most people will be really happy with the QC45’s sound, no matter what musical genre they throw at them. What is an issue, however, is the lack of features. No in-app EQ, no auto-pausing for speech or wear detection, and no customisation options for ANC or passthrough. They won’t even turn themselves off if you forget to do it. Sony’s XM4s, which are QC45s closest rival, can do all of that and they only cost an additional 30 sheets (and that’s if you can’t pick them up cheaper in deal). Some of this could surely be added in a future firmware update, but we do think that Bose might have gone a bit too far with its back-to-basics approach. This a far more competitive market than the one the QC35s arrived in. Still, if a big feature set doesn’t matter much to you then the QC45s are a very solid pair of headphones that do everything they can do very well, and will probably last you until the Q55s.

Bose QuietComfort 45 review review

Bose QuietComfort 45 review review

Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise-Canceling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones (Triple Black) - BRAND NEW review

I may be a little bit unusual in having both these and the Sony XM4s, but to me these feel a bit lacking in terms of sound quality - nothing feels quite as 'alive' and punchy as it does with the XM4s. On the other hand, the sound isn't bad, and the noise cancelling is excellent.

Bose QuietComfort 45 review

While the QuietComfort 45 are good in many ways, particularly comfort and noise cancelling performance, they are missing a lot of features we'd expect from a pair of flagship headphones.

Bose QuietComfort 45 Review

Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise-Canceling Wireless Over-Ear Headphones (Triple Black) - BRAND NEW review

Love these headphones. Every feature brilliant. I recharge for a few minutes (when I'm in the middle of a podcast and just have to listen to the end) and it's almost 100% charged. Amazing. Sound is clear and rousing.