Bose QuietComfort 45

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

With their QuietComfort 45, Bose are committed to a consistent product: these new over-ears come with active noise cancelling (ANC, noise suppression), long battery life and great sound. Compared to the competition, however, they lack some important features. Will it be enough?

Bose QuietComfort 45 review review

Bose QuietComfort 45 review review

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: Top travel headphones

Great comfort, super sound, spectacular active noise-cancelling. These are ideal travel headphones. The only thingnot to love is the competition - which has grown stronger over the years, including from Bose itself.

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

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

Bose’s Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, released in 2019 , are a perfectly fine pair of premium noise-canceling headphones. They’re Bose’s attempt to leapfrog Sony and other competitors with a revamped, sleek design and more powerful active noise cancellation.

Bose unveils its next-gen noise-cancelling headphone: the QuietComfort 45