60 reviews for Bose Headphones 700, Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Wireless Headphones with Built-In Microphone for Clear Calls and Alexa Voice Control, Black Electronics

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Amazon Customer – March 8, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Perfecto

   Me encantan

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Tushar – March 8, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   One of the best in class

   Really good sound quality, noise cancelling and bass. Highly recommended

3. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Teslandia A.Teslandia A. – March 8, 2024

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   The sound it’s the best.Love it.

   I dislike that it doesn’t bring charging cable and adapter.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Quinn Burwell – March 8, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   My friend really enjoyed the head phones; he was elated.

   My friend really enjoyed the head phones; he was elated. He had never seen nor heard any head phones of such quality.

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   dCree – March 8, 2024

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Headphones are nice

   Headphones seem great after a few hours of use; they are comfortable to wear – and easy to make the bluetooth connection to multiple devices.

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   beejayjr – March 8, 2024

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Super comfortable but too quiet

   I bought these to replace an old pair of Bose QC15s. The noise cancellation works well, but the volume that cranks through these is probably 1/2 the old headphones. I can set my computer and phone to compensate, but I just thought it odd that less volume travels through these than any other headphones I’ve used.They claim “up to 20 hours,” but fully charged, I’ve never gone past 17. Some mornings they’re at 16 hours with a charge. Compared to other Bose headphones … meh. They’re alright. But if what you want is a comfortable pair to walk around your house while plugged into your computer or phone, these are for you. The Bluetooth coverage has been consistently good.

7. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Shamus – March 8, 2024

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Very Good Quality Headphones

   I have had these headphones for going almost to about a month now and i have been very happy with them. I mostly use them as a wireless gaming headset instead of outdoor use, but so far the quality has not been lacking at all. The noise cancellation is almost too good where at times i cant even hear what is going on in the background; thankfully you can adjust the noise cancellation. The wireless range for them work very well just as long as you dont go too many rooms away. I have yet to test out the quality while wired, but will probably get the opportunity to test this out in the coming days. The bass seems kind of off through from the times i have used it to listen to music, but does not bother me too much. Would definitely recommend these headphones for anyone who has some money to spare and is looking for something that is of good quality audio.

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Eric – March 8, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Ultimate headphones for business travelers

   If you want to skip my review then just read this. If you are a road warrior don’t hesitate. BUY THESE HEADPHONES.I am very much a DIYer especially when it comes to home audio. This I would NEVER waste money on a speaker system from BOSE. I can taylor something far better for a space for less money than any Bose system. So spending $400 on a pair of headphones? No way.However, two months ago I was watching a Mark Robert video on YouTube and he took 5 minutes to do a plug on these headphones. He has always seemed like a very genuine guy but even I was a little skeptical of what he showed. He was using the headphones to take a phone call while leaf blowing. He recorded the audio from the other side of the line to showcase the person he was talking to couldn’t hear the leaf blower at all. I was dumb founded and wanted to try it for myself.I travel 30 to 40 weeks out of the year. I’m constantly taking conference calls from busy restaurants and airports. Let alone can I not hear anything, the folks on the other side of the line can’t hear me either. Then of course in annoying everyone in the space I’m in because I talk loudly to try and make up for it.The Bose 700s fix ALL OF THIS. My first try was in front of a bus stop at a busy airport. Waiting for a bus shuttle I took a conference call that I had to do a lot of talking on. The first thing I noticed is the noise cancelling let a little noise in. This allowed me to hear myself normally so I don’t talk too loudly and disturb those around me. Next I could hear everyone on the call perfectly. Finally everyone on the call could hear me and hear none of the background noise. Literally nothing. They were shocked at the end of the call when I asked them how I sounded and they assumed I was at home in my office. I told them that in that time busses were whizzing by and people were yelling about which bus had arrived… They couldn’t believe it.For that reason alone it is the best Bluetooth headset on the market.Now does it have the best noise cancellation? I think it could be better, but it’s pretty near perfect. Other than really loud noises or high pitched sounds everything is blocked out. In fact I’m usually afraid I will fall asleep on the bus I take to the airport and miss my stop. The sound quality is fantastic and the battery life is great. I was worried seeing there are other brands offering 30 to 40 hours. I usually always have 10+ hours left after I get home from my trip and that’s with no charging in between.Finally the controls are super intuitive. I was worried at first. These touch controls are always a gimmick. Then the amount of buttons on it too I was worried I wouldnt be able to figure it out and I would just never use the controls. In two days I had it down perfectly. Being able to easily skip tracks, turn down volume, pause music, and turn off noise cancelling is super useful.I’m sure you can find better head phones for music, better head phones for noise cancelling, or ones with better battery life. I guarantee you will not find ones better for taking phone calls that give you this incredible of an experience on top of it. These are clearly the best all around head phones and worth every penny.

   15 people found this helpful

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Johnny Woo – March 8, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Way better than sony trust me

   i bought these ones first but also bought sony noise canceling headphones later on. these are way better. the sony ones suck i want to return them. While the sony phones are more comfortable (the sony ones actually extend to fit people with lots of hair) the bose ones have way better bluetooth connection. the sony audio lags behind the tv its so frustrating. And sony ones cut in and out with static. the bose ones dont. ill take slightly less comfy for perfect audio. sony stinks.

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Allan – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Bose is the Best

    Got just what I expected from Bose – great product and sound

11. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    John W. Hight – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great Product

    As usual, Bose has put out another great product. Bought these for a trip to Africa. 22 hours flying time and I needed to be rested when I arrived. I’ve not had much luck in the past with noise cancelling headphones that are not wireless. The fact that these eliminate almost all noise and are wireless, allowed me to actually sleep on the plane. Great sound quality – as always for Bose.

12. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Toni Q – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Perfect

    Love these headphones. The sound quality is great. I travel alot and these are perfect to cancel the annoying flight attendants’ announcements, crying babies, and chatty neighbors sitting around you.

13. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    jeffp – March 8, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Sounds great, not comfortable, awkward controls

    I’d had the Bose 700 in my amazon cart for a few months, and when I saw them marked down 25% during a labor day sale, I decided to purchase. I bought these primarily for the ANC to help with office noise at work, and loud neighbors at home. Unfortunately I suffer from misophonia.The good:The ANC works very well. It’s a bit less effective than earplugs or earmuffs, but much more comfortable and breathable. Solely with ANC enabled, ambient noises are silenced completely. I can hear nearby conversations but not well enough to understand them. Neighbor noises (dogs) are still audible but usually not triggering. Earlier today, I used these headphones to make a phone call while standing between two very loud industrial HVAC units outdoors, not only was I able to easily understand the person I was talking to, they understood my end of the conversation as well. And if I’m listening to music, I can really observe the music and outside noises are not a distraction.I’m an audiophile, and music sounds wonderful on these compared to the $50 bluetooth earbuds I’ve been using for years. Listening to classic rock “remasters” on the Spotify app, I can hear details in the music that I thought were lost outside of listening to original release vinyls on a high quality sound system. I haven’t even tried listening to high-fidelity audio sources yet, or tried using the included aux cable instead of bluetooth. I’m excited to experience those.The bad:A coworker owns the Bose QC45 headphones and allowed me to try them (the reason I originally became interested in Bose headphones), and the fit of the earpieces on those are much more comfortable than the 700’s. Unfortunately the Bose 700 becomes very uncomfortable to wear after a few hours. The ANC of the QC45 seems equivalent to that of the 700. I didn’t listen to any music on them so I can’t compare that.My major complaints are with the minimal user interface and unhelpful (for me) options. There is a button on the left earcup to toggle the ANC, and on the right earcup there are buttons for power and voice assistant. By default the headphones give voice prompts when powered on or when buttons are pressed – this is very annoying for me. Voice prompts can disabled in the Bose app but by doing that the headphones will no longer tell me Caller ID information when I get a call, though fortunately the phone still rings. Unfortunately there is no way to disable or change the ‘power on/off’ sounds. A humble beep would be sufficient to let me know when the headphones are powered on and connected – I don’t want or need to hear loud symphonic flourishes across the entire spectrum of human hearing to let me know when the headphones have connected to my phone.The Bose 700 has a “gesture” surface control on the right earcup for playback control instead of having dedicated playback buttons like the QC45. I don’t like surface controls in general, and I expect the earcup’s finish will start showing fingerprints and wear from daily volume adjustments etc in a short time.I am going to test these for a few more weeks and decide whether I want to keep them or exchange for the QC45.

    3 people found this helpful

14. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    C21Kish – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Sound quality with hours of usage

    I love these headphones because they connect to my phone and my iPad simultaneously. When I get a call, the headphones switch to my phone if I’m using them on my iPad. The case is more flat, rather than being bulky and easy to carry when traveling. The noise filter is not 100% but I’m ok with that so I am in tune with my surroundings. Definitely the best choice for headphones right now!

15. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Amazon Customer – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Top quality

    The sound is top notch. I have a PC, an android phone, a tablet, and LG tv. Switching the devices for the headphone is simple and easy.

16. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Loren – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great, wish it had more weather resistance

    Note that I use these for audio books, not music, so I’m not a very good judge of the sound quality. Size was an important to me which meant I ended up with something otherwise fancier than I need.Noise cancellation is excellent, I have sometimes worn them just to reduce background noise. They are comfortable despite my big ears (which are problematic for many headsets.) Comfortable enough that once I forgot I had them on. I have never subjected them to weather since the specs don’t indicate that’s safe. I wish they were rain safe but that’s not a big factor here.

17. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    DC – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Best pair of headphones ever!

    They’re super comfortable and fit just right.Noise cancellation is an amazing feature. Finally can listen to music without annoying background noise.Battery life is amazing. I forget it requires a charge to work 😂

18. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Allie – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    I love these but

    When I look down, even just to my keyboard, etc. they slide down my head. I can’t keep them fixed in the same place and have to keep adjusting. Otherwise these are awesome and the sound is great.

19. 

    Rated 1 out of 5

    achase – March 8, 2024

    1.0 out of 5 stars

    Surprisingly Unacceptable Demands from Bose

    I had been eagerly waiting for this new model to be released, but I have to say that it’s going right back. First, I was shocked to discover that Bose forces you to download their app to even make the headphones work at all – the headphones will not function at all without it. Good luck if you are in an area without a live internet connection. I was not happy having to do this, but I downloaded the app. I then found out that you are FORCED to open a Bose account or your new headphones will stay non-functional! Further, unless you agreed with their privacy policy, AND give your headphones full-time access to your microphone, AND allow your location history to be downloaded, etc., YOUR HEADPHONES ARE NON-FUNCTIONAL!!! Even the new design is a step backward in my opinion as it tries to make the headphones do too many things with swipes and taps to the ear cups, etc. Sure, you can vary the volume by “swiping”, but good luck in making small changes to get a desired level.

    9,306 people found this helpful

20. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    C – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Unmatched Noise Cancellation, a Must-Have for Travelers

    I have experienced several noise-canceling headphones over the years, but these Bose headphones have set a new standard for me. Their exceptional noise-canceling capability, especially noticeable during air travel, is simply outstanding.What truly impresses me is the difference in ambient noise levels when I wear these headphones. For example, it’s only when I remove them, to go to the restroom on a plane, that I realize just how loud a plane can be. It’s a serious game changer.Comfort is another aspect where these headphones excel. Long flights can be tiring, but with these headphones, comfort is never compromised. Plus, the inclusion of an audio jack alongside Bluetooth connectivity is a thoughtful touch. It allows me to easily switch from my Bluetooth devices (phone) to the airplane’s entertainment system, ensuring I can enjoy movies without any hassle.Durability is another strong suit. After several years of use, they still perform like new. This quality so impressed my partner that we ended up purchasing a second pair. This speaks volumes about the product’s reliability and value. No pun intended.In summary, if you’re looking for a pair of noise-canceling headphones that offer superior sound isolation, comfort, and versatility, then look no further. These Bose headphones are well worth the investment for any frequent traveler or anyone seeking a haven of quiet in a noisy world.

    2 people found this helpful

21. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Mark – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Top notch noise cancellation headphone

    I’ve had the Bose 700s for 5 months and have been impressed with their all around performance. Now that the headphones have an update to add an equalizer they are tough to beat!Pros:Outstanding noise cancellationAdjustable noise cancellationNew equalizer featureExcellent audio performanceExcellent call performanceExcellent comfortAbility to connect to 2 devices at onceDecent battery lifeSleek modern looksCons:Bose Music app can be flakyOccasional break up of noise cancellation with extreme sounds.Not rated for water resistance at allToo expensive at regular priceBattery lasts for me about 8 days before I get to 20% battery remaining and I have a long commute. From a practical standpoint 20 hours is plenty. The battery indicator is pretty accurate at providing the remaining hours left although somehow it never gets past 19 hours at full charge. They fully charge in 2 1/2 to 3 hours which is as advertised.Great noise cancellation. Overall works the noise cancellation works well on a commuter train. Also good at blocking background noise in open space office. I’ve used it when doing yard work and it does a great job of saving your ears from power tools. It can’t block out everything but no headphones can. There is occasional leakage of voices from the side and back when someone is talking right next to you. It is best at blocking sounds from the front. I have noticed an occasional break up of the noise cancellation with some sounds such as loud jet engine during take off or with certain lawn tools but that is pretty rare. The adjustable noise cancellation is awesome since there are times I want to hear my surroundings like when I’m walking on city streets or need to make sure I am not making a lot of noise with headphones on when I’m at home.Another strong point is the call quality. People can hear me clearly during calls and you can adjust how loud your own voice sounds on the calls as well which is a nice touch. The 700s do a great job too of blocking out ambient sounds during calls when you are speaking.The Bluetooth connection is excellent especially with Apple products. Another plus is ability to connect to 2 devices at same time. Great for use of laptop and phone. Pairs easily with my Windows 10 HP laptop. Automatically switches audio to the active device. Also nice job of switching when you get a call on your phone.It remembers every device its connected to and automatically connects without pairing which is awesome. It did have hiccoughs sometimes not picking up your voice on video conference calls with Zoom and Webex but these have been resolved with the latest firmware update.Comfort is excellent. I was a little worried with them since I wear glasses but did not find that to be a problem. They do not get hot or uncomfortable when you wear them for several hours at a time.The ear cup touch controls work great. I can attest that they work fine in cold weather in below freezing temperatures in Chicago. They only get sensitive if they get wet. Sadly they aren’t even water resistant so take care wearing them in the rain.The Bose Music app works most of the time but has its glitchy moments. Occasionally it won’t find my headphones even though they are paired and connected to my phone (the headphones still work fine even when to app doesn’t connect). Also sometimes the Music App doesn’t successfully update the headphone software.I did an informal comparison between the Bose and the Sony WH-1000XM3 Noise cancellation was pretty comparable. I found the Sony’s too boomy in bass for me at standard settings. I prefer a more balanced sound the Bose provides. The 700s look way better than the Sony’s (and the QC 35s).This is not an audiophile quality headphone but for wireless noise cancellation the sound is excellent all things considered. Now that the latest firmware adds an equalizer you can FINALLY adjust the sound! The equalizer has bass mid and treble adjustments you access using the Bose music app and do make a difference in the sound quality. The 700s can create some thumping bass at max bass boost and likewise the treble and mid boost is substantial.So a few niggles but excellent in every other area. Highly recommended, especially when they are on sale!

    29 people found this helpful

22. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    M. Greenberg – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Tons of great features which keep the headphones around your ears…. but for how long?

    I’ve owned these for half a day so far and have decided to keep them around. I’m an audiophile who spends money on kickstarter earbuds, custom-made preamps, and (in general) quality hardware which reduces my audio experience as little as possible. Trying these cans in-store at BestBuy allowed me to appreciate the hardware quality of the exterior… quality matte plastic moulding, amazing comfortable faux-leather surfaces on your skin, and a synthesized voice and audible feedback to assist with your navigation of the three hardware buttons and touch controls make these headphones easy to wear during work sessions, public transit commutes, or in a crowded home with loud kids. As a brand new product, the tension on the cans over your ears and on your head can become uncomfortable within an hour of use. Subjectively, I don’t consider my head to be particularly large or larger-than-average and will need to play around with adjusting the cups to sit lower or higher on the band which also release/tighten the tension respectively to see if this becomes a long term problem with use. Taking short breaks with the headphones off (10-15 minutes) helps and gives a good excuse/reminder to take a break from work to relax the body/eyes/ears.The sound quality is reasonable for the headphones. When using the headphones with noise cancellation off, ambient noise seems to lack a very strong low end frequency response (sub ~250Hz, not measured) and might reduce your meatspace experience in some cases where mixed ambient and input audio are desired. That said, direct input still seems to perform quite well with solid frequency response all around which lets the very highs and very lows to be pretty well-balanced.A test using the headset for phone conversation over bluetooth yielded very nice results. The setup involved the cans paired with my laptop streaming music and my Project Fi Pixel 3 phone on standby. Using the Google voice assistant to start the call resulted in some clumsy voice detection/understanding problems (“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that, who would you like to call? I don’t know that name, who would you like to call? Ok, will that be mobile or home? Ok, will that be mobile or home? Dialing…” _sigh_) which I don’t believe are the fault of the cans at all. The test included loud ambient music in the room with the person wearing the headphones and found the other user to experience practically none of the ambient noise through the call with a very clear bead on the callee’s voice despite close proximity to the music source playing at a moderate volume (such that the ambient music was leaking through the room walls and making it hard to isolate whether the headphones were leaking the ambient noise into the call…which it seemed _not_ to do with this casual test setup). Noticeable was the (300-700ms) delay from the user on the headphones which seemed to not be present from the non-headphone user. It was hardly a concern and either due to the latency in the network transmitting the audio (which, again, was a local wifi call between handsets…. though I am unsure if the handsets route audio locally or not) or possibly in the audio processing from the headset. This latency was par for most mobile calls and should be completely unnoticeable in a remote environment when you’re not there to hear to source before the transmitted audio through the headset.A few gripes about the design and ergonomics of the device:- the button placement: very easy to accidentally active these buttons which adjusting the placement of these cans if not aware/careful.- the direction of earcup rotation: when placing the cans around the neck/shoulders, the earcups rotate up (into the air) rather than down (onto your chest). Questionable choice here as it makes the headphones somewhat uncomfortable to hold there, but perhaps Bose never expects you to remove the phones… unsure if that’s a reasonable expectation or not.- the synthetic leather matte black surface inside the top of the headset and on the earcups attract oil and will certainly show for those of us with that sort of skin. This may require some extra TLC and upkeep to keep as pristine as one might like. The white set might fair better in this regard.Overall summary:A pricey purchase that I would have trouble justifying as a personal expense (these were expensed by my employer and intended for daily voice conference usage and isolation during work hours in busy coffee shops) and really comes down to the longevity of the product over time. If these headphones end up lasting me longer than 5 years, I would be VERY satisfied with the purchase. At a price point closer to $250-300, this would be a much easier personal purchase to make.As a user which “babies” their hardware, I am eager to see whether this will stand the test of time. Direct input (from a bluetooth source that is not ambient noise) has a very solid frequency response which does not noticeably detract from the music experience. Longterm use may be uncomfortable depending on your head size. The noise cancellation works wonderfully and almost too well, leaving me at a “5” setting more often than a “10” as complete cancellation feels too isolating and uncomfortable to feeling the lack of “air” around me. BLE connection to multiple devices (two) at once allows for seemless transitions between either input. This is also a first time purchase of a Bose product. Looking forward to seeing how the device matures and support is handled over time. Firmware updates are provided automatically to the headset through their app. Battery life “appears” long but I have yet to complete a full discharge cycle to be sure. I was pleasantly surprised to find the phones report +5 hours of use remaining at 20% battery charge and +20 hours at full charge (the audio assistant delivers the charge level as “hours of use” remaining, not battery level…which is still viewable in the Bose Music app. Nice touch, Bose).

    130 people found this helpful

23. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    SamSam – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Fantastic Work Headphones + Audio Bliss

    As an avid audiophile always on the lookout for top-notch sound quality and cutting-edge features, I recently had the pleasure of experiencing the Bose Headphones 700. Renowned for their noise-canceling capabilities, Bluetooth connectivity, and integrated microphone, these over-ear wireless headphones offer a premium audio experience. In this in-depth review, I’ll delve into the key features, my impressions, and what sets the Bose 700 apart in the competitive realm of high-end headphones.Audio Quality:Bose has a well-established reputation for delivering exceptional audio quality, and the Headphones 700 live up to this legacy. The sound is rich, detailed, and immersive, offering a balanced audio profile suitable for various genres. Whether you’re listening to music, watching movies, or taking calls, the clarity and depth of the audio elevate the overall listening experience.Noise Cancelling Excellence:The standout feature of the Bose 700 is undoubtedly its noise-canceling capability. The advanced technology used in these headphones effectively blocks out ambient noise, creating a cocoon of silence for an unparalleled audio experience. Whether you’re commuting, working in a bustling office, or just seeking solace, the noise-canceling feature on these headphones is nothing short of impressive.Bluetooth Connectivity:The wireless connectivity of the Bose 700 ensures freedom of movement without compromising on audio quality. Setting up Bluetooth pairing is a breeze, and the headphones maintain a stable connection even at a distance. The absence of tangled cords adds to the overall convenience, making these headphones an excellent choice for those who prioritize a wireless lifestyle.Clear Calls and Voice Control:One of the standout features of the Bose 700 is its built-in microphone, designed to provide crystal-clear calls. The adaptive four-microphone system effectively isolates your voice from background noise, ensuring that your calls are clear and professional. Additionally, the integration of voice control, including support for Alexa, adds a layer of convenience for hands-free operation.Comfortable Design:The over-ear design of the Bose 700 is not only aesthetically pleasing but also comfortable for extended use. The ear cushions are plush and provide a secure fit without causing discomfort. The headband is adjustable, accommodating various head sizes, and the overall construction is sturdy yet lightweight.Intuitive Touch Controls:Navigating through your music, adjusting volume, or taking calls is a breeze with the intuitive touch controls on the earcups. The responsive touch-sensitive surface allows for effortless control, adding a touch of sophistication to the overall user experience.Minor Cons: Fit SensationWhile the Bose Headphones 700 excel in many aspects, it’s worth noting a minor consideration regarding the fit sensation. Some users may find that the over-ear design results in a somewhat looser fit than expected. While the plush ear cushions provide comfort, the fit might not be as snug as some users prefer. This is a subjective matter, and individuals with smaller head sizes may experience a slightly looser fit. However, it’s important to highlight that the overall comfort is not compromised, and the adjustable headband still ensures a secure fit for most users. If a more secure fit is a priority, potential buyers may want to try the headphones on before making a purchase decision. Despite this minor consideration, the Bose Headphones 700 deliver an exceptional audio experience that outweighs this subtle fit sensation for many users.Conclusion:In conclusion, the Bose Headphones 700 stand as a testament to Bose’s commitment to audio excellence and innovation. From the immersive sound quality and industry-leading noise-canceling capabilities to the seamless Bluetooth connectivity and intuitive controls, these headphones redefine the standards for premium audio devices. Whether you’re a music enthusiast, frequent traveler, or professional seeking a top-tier communication tool, the Bose Headphones 700 deliver an unparalleled audio journey that is sure to satisfy even the most discerning listeners.

24. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Jordan J – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great NC and wireless, a few gripes

    I received these a few weeks ago and feel an appropriate amount of time, activities, and use of the 700s has been had for a review.The build quality is very nice. I typically use these everyday for long periods of time and they are sturdy with no signs of wear. They are comfortable enough when worn appropriately. I have a habit of uncupping one ear instead of turning NC to 0 which can lead to discomfort around the ears and top of the head. This is no fault of the product however. The buttons and controls work well with iOS, Siri, and Alexa in my experience. Playback controls on PC do not always work as seamlessly, with skip often not working in some applications.Noise cancellation is as good as it gets. Not much to expound upon, if this is the most important feature for you, fret not.In addition to great NC, the call quality is worth mentioning because it may be the 700’s most outstanding feature. I’ve had calls with distraction level noise disturbances in my vicinity and clarity is just as good, if not better, than my iPhone’s default mic. You can also tune how much of your voice comes through to your ears to make conversation feel more natural.I’ll use this feature to segue into the Bluetooth functionality, the Bose music app, and use on a non-mobile device.Connecting to two devices at once works surprisingly well. It’s very easy to get audio from the source I want with a simple pause x, play y. Range in my house is almost unbelievable, I haven’t tested it’s limits but clear across my house through the drywall I’m still connected.The Bose music app for iOS is atrocious. When it works it’s great, but on a consistent and frequent basis I have to kill the app and restart to avoid a totally pointless login screen. If that isn’t the issue, the app often doesn’t acknowledge that the phone is paired with the headphones despite them actively streaming audio from the device. This has caused me to re-pair the headphones with the app on occasion which is annoying. Even when working properly the app is sluggish and seems unresponsive.You can customize how long the headphones remain on when no audio is transmitted to the headphones in addition to a lack of motion (though they have still shut off on me despite motion). Bose claims a battery life of 20 hours, my app consistently reports 17.5 hours on a full charge. If you charge it at night or once a day, it’s really not an issue even with all-day use.Sound quality is perfectly fine for the average user. If you’re looking for studio level audio clarity, I’m not sure why you are reading this review. These are wireless NC headphones, and the sound quality great for that purpose. They don’t get as loud as normal headphones, which is kind-of the point of NC. Bass can feel muted if you’re used to heavy bass, but bass heavy music sounds fine to me and is probably a more subjective issue.Overall, if you want top quality NC headphones and have the $400 to shell out, go for it. If you’re upgrading from other NC headphones it may not be worth the money, maybe test them out at a Bose store or wherever they are sold retail. The app functionality really needs to be addressed so maybe wait to see if Bose can ameliorate the problems if you already have headphones. If making and receiving calls is your main use case these are a safe purchase.I will update if anything changes.

    7 people found this helpful

25. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    A. Clark Fine ArtA. Clark Fine Art – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Quiet the world without sacrificing the Music’s quality! Amazing sound, features & Alexa enabled!

    The noise cancellation is exceptional on these headphones. With 10 levels I can block out most of what is going on around me, when it is safe to do so. If you are someone that startles easily, like myself, you will probably get scared a lot because you will not hear what or who is walking up behind you. My husband finds this very humorous.The sound quality was every bit of what I expected from Bose. Crisp, rich audio, with an amazing range of clarity, from your treble to mid tones and excellent bass. It’s easy to slip into your own little oasis with these on.They are also quite comfortable, their padded band and ear cups are soft and do not apple much pressure against your head. They are very light weight and I can wear them for hours without issue.The included case is well made, sturdy and not overly bulky allowing my to pack it and take it with me anywhere. It has a storage compartment for your cables so you always know where they are.The battery life is excellent! I can go days without charging, but if I do need to charge, they replenish quite quickly and I am right back in business. I have easily gotten a full 20 hour charge out of these. I like that when you turn them on they immediately tell you how many hours they have left on their current charge and what devices they are connected to. This makes it easy to check how long you can use them on their current charge, before you head out somewhere where you might not have access to a plug. I found the time they tell me I have left on my charge to be quite accurate. I am able to connect to more than one device (like my iPhone and iPad) and they intuitively play the sound from the device I am using at the moment. I love that feature it’s easy to switch from watching something on my iPad to listening to music from my phone. Bose also includes a cable so you can plug directly to your device and go wired. I have not used this feature because the battery life is so long, I have not run into a situation where it was necessary.The buttons and touch features of these headphones are wonderful. I can turn Alexa (Siri or Google) on or off depending on my needs. I can control the volume sliding my finger up or down on the surface of one ear and can tap to pause and swipe to change songs. With one button I can rotate between 3 levels of noise cancellation that I can set within my app. I have not had the chance to utilize some of the AR on these yet but cannot wait to try it on our next vacation, it will be like bringing along our own tour guide.I love that Alexa is built in. I’m an artist and when I’m painting in my studio it is very nice to be able to use Alexa to change my music without needing to touch my device or my headphones.I saved and waited to get these after trying them and comparing to the Sony competitive model and I am so glad I did. I found the bass of the Sony WH1000 series to be a little scratchy sounding and the overall sound just wasn’t as crisp as the Bose 700 series. I had a pair of Cowin E-7s and those, while they were great at their price point and did the job while I was saving up for these, they just weren’t even in the same class as the Bose 700. These, in my opinion (and I spent a lot of time putting headphones on and off, listening to how everything sounded on each), set the bar and everything else is just trying to measure up. Only the Sony WH1000 series could come close, but for me their sound quality still fell short. The only way to describe it was, you knew you were listening to a recording, whereas the sound from the Bose 700, you could close your eyes and it sounded like you were listening to it actually being played by the artist live the sound is just that crisp and clear no echo or scratch it’s clear vibrant and rich, everything I expected from Bose.I am very happy with my purchase, they were worth the wait and I would certainly recommend them to everyone!One Note I have very sensitive sinuses and when I put on noise canceling headphones, I can actually feel a pressure in my ears and sinus cavities, this does happen with the Bose as well (it happens with every brand I have tried if the cancellation is of any really quality). That said it does not deter me, nor do I feel it’s would be a reason I wouldn’t recommend them or give them a lower star rating. I can feel it when I activate the noise cancellation at its max level but everyone else I have asked to try them, can’t. So chances are very likely this will not be something that the average person even realizes. I can still use the noise cancellation and can block out enough that I never hear my husband walk into my studio until he taps me on the shoulder and scared the heck out of me. I only include this info in case there are others out there that also experience this, with the Bose 700 you can control the levels and it’s easy to step your way up through 10 levels of cancellation and find one that blocks the noise out, while still being comfortable to your sinuses. That is why I would recommend to everyone! Other headphones are cancellation on or off and if you are sensitive to it that can render the feature useless. Again not the case with the Bose 700 series. I use this feature all the time, have found the level that is perfect for me and the noise cancellation is amazing. It is so nice to finally be able to use this feature.I will also add that unlike other headphones the noise cancellation does not affect the quality of the sound I am listening to either! I have tried many where the sound completely changes the moment you turn it on, not with these. The sound remains crisp and rich and clear as it did without the noise cancellation. The only difference is the world around you gets quieter and the music sounds amazing! If you read this whole review Thank You if you are considering these headphones and trying to compare, in my opinion there is no comparison and I don’t think you will be disappointed choosing the Bose 700 series. I hope this info helped.

    351 people found this helpful

26. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Robby Bershow – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    O.M.G.

    Bottom Line Up Front: These are great, fantastic, awesome, and a bunch of other words. The sound is fantastic, the ANC blocks out almost everything (in a normal and some not so normal environments), the mics do a fantastic job picking out only my voice on calls, the battery life is good, range is great, and (biggest surprise of all) the app works!Rest of the Story: I rushed to find a new headset after coming home and finding my JBLs lying on the floor in a state of repose that let me know that my toddler had done his worst. No amount of resuscitation worked; they were gone. Quickly cycling through the stages of grief, I set off to find a new respite from the constant cacophony that accompanies the child since I needed to have a sanctuary of calm and also a way to join calls without people informing me constantly about background noise.Read a bunch of reviews and guides; many people seem to have very particular tastes surrounding their very detailed preferences in sound quality, how the headphones look (because apparently one can improve their appearance wearing over-ear headphones), and any number of non-sensical comparisons. Here’s my key features that I imagine are the most important to an average human just looking for a tool to get the job done:1. ANC works well within reasonable expectations of what is possible at a price point less than a used car2. Mic filters out unwanted noise while picking up my/your voice well3. Good battery life so it doesn’t have to be ritually charged every day4. Connections to devices are easy and consistent5. Comfortable to wear for long periods6. Doesn’t break the bank and, preferably, is a value7. Durable (see toddler comment)8. Sounds good9. Easy to useLet’s explore:1. The ANC works very well and maybe too well. I was chastised because my wife was talking to me and stated a question multiple times before shouting at me and then I barely heard her from 5 feet away. It easily blocks out normal frequencies of everyday life, however, the piercing shrieks of small humans chasing a dog will still cut through a little bit. The levels are very adjustable, but I like my fortress of solitude so I choose to leave it at max and deal with the consequences.2. I asked several people on calls using Teams, cellphone, and Zoom if they could hear the chaos ensuing around me and it was reported that they could not hear anything other than me, although it did sound a little different than normal. Call it a win. I will add that the self voice feature is nice so I can hear myself speaking an a little bit of what is going on around me when on a call. Off the call, we are back to the fortress.3. It claims to have 20 hours of battery life and ever so nicely informs me of the state of charge in hours when turning the headphones on. I have not tried to listen for 20 hours straight because that is silly, but I can say that I used these on-and-off for a week without charging and, during that week, used them for multiple hours each day. I’d say that is pretty good and no need to compare further.4. These will maintain a connection to two devices at once and my most common use to was have them connected to the computer and phone simultaneously. It maintains a solid connection to both and I can hear music on one and get notifications on the other. If I am listening to music from the computer and a call comes in, it seamlessly switches to the phone. Hang up the call and the paused computer music picks back up. Switching to another device is easy using the (wait for it) Bose app that actually works! I could never get the JBL app to work right and I would have to disconnect from the work computer and then go into bluetooth settings on another to connect. The range, for me, was anywhere in the house; only had cut out when I went into the garage on the other side of a metal door and metal wall. I almost forgot: When turning them on, it tells you which two devices it connected to which is super nice if you have them set up for several possible connections.5. These are comfortable to wear all day if need be. The headband and ear cup foam are squishy yet supportive. I had no issue wearing these in a normal setting. Of course you will have sweaty ears if it hot outside and wearing these or if working out; duh. I saw someone talking about wearing these to weedeat; not the right application and people make devices with an actual NRR rating for that application. For normal uses, these are going to treat you well.6. These are a high performing audio piece of equipment and the price actually doesn’t reflect that when compared to what else is out there. Sure, they aren’t cheap, but quality does come at a cost. I would say that, when compared to it’s peers that I’m sure you will find doing your own research, these are a relative value.7. These were probably never designed for wet environments so don’t put them there (some reviews talk about this as a con). Otherwise, these feel solid and are constructed well. The phones slide down the bar rather than the bar extending; I think this is a good design feature that will make them last longer over all due to less moving parts and also keeps them set up correctly. The toddler has already attempted to replicate his earlier feat, but the Bose held it’s own. To increase the protection of your investment, Bose has seen fit to include a hard case for travel/toddlers.8. Ultimately, you want a nice piece of audio equipment to sound nice; these do. They really, really do. I listened to my favorites on Spotify that I had heard a hundred times and picked up details I hadn’t heard in songs before. Use the app that somehow actually works to adjust to your liking. I don’t think these were engineered to blow out eardrums, but you can get a great bass thump if that is what you want. Overall, you won’t be unhappy with the sound quality unless you are really looking to be unhappy with the sound quality.9. This one is maybe a bit nuanced; I think they are easy to use with the buttons and the swipe controls, but you might disagree. Some of it can be tailored in the app, but some of it will take a little getting used to. I do like having less physical buttons as opposed to more because I would inadvertently hit a button taking them off or putting on or I would fumble around for a button trying to do something simple like skip a song.Ultimately, my theme is function over form and these deliver on function. I am very pleased with the package Bose put together here and I think you will be too.

    14 people found this helpful

27. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Andrew – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Good headphones option for remote workers with Unified Communication USB connector

    I have owned/used the Jabra Evolve 75 for 4 years. I have owned and used this Bose product exclusively for ~2 months. I bought it to replace my Evolve when the boom mic stopped muting the headset.I work from home full time and use them 3-6 hours a day. I’ll compare the two products a bit here for people who might be familiar with that one.In short: It’s a really nice headset, albeit one with some quirks. If you want a single headset for work and music, get the Bose NC 700 (with UC if you also use a supported team meeting product, like MS Teams). If you want a headset for work only then you should also consider/compare the Jabra Evolve 75PROS:- Extremely comfortable when the room you are in is at a comfortable temperature,- Quite comfortable for people who wear glasses. The Evolve 75 was less comfortable with glasses due, I believe, because of the design: the Bose fits around your ear and the Evolve 75 sits on top of your ear, which would push it into the glasses and your head. Never a huge deal, but one thing I noticed with them after hours of use wear- With UC connector (sold separately or as a bundle with headphone), the controls work with a couple of the leading video conferencing products- Noise canceling is incredible…absolutely fantastic.- A pleasant voice and sounds telling you what is going on when you hit most of the controls. The Evolve 75 has voice feedback as well- Charges very quickly…30 minutes will get me through my work day- Music sounds wonderful on them. I would not use the Evolve 75 for music if I had other options around like thisCONS:- When your room is hot the Bose is not as comfortable as the Evolve 75. I think this is because the Bose encases your ears while the Evolve sits more on top of the ear- I find the touchpad controls much less accurate than physical button. Hold the touchpad for the right amount of time to mute/unmute means I’m wrong some amount of the time. The Evolve 75 was way more simple…move the mic boom up and you are muted, move it down and you are not- The manual is not very good. Did you know that the UC USB nub has a button to set bluetooth to discovery mode? The manual doesn’t tell you that and the button is so well placed and designed that it doesn’t look like a button at all- The software to update/use the Bose it is awkward at best. Jabra’s software updater is much cleaner- Does not come with a stand to put it when not in use. The Evolve 75- If you want Unified Communications you need to buy a $75 USB nub, or buy the NC 700 UC package. The Evolve 75 has it all in one package/price- When paired to your phone and your computer (via UC nub) it gets confused when you get a phone call while on a work meeting. I tend to disconnect it from my phone during working hours for this reason…the Evolve 75 handled two devices better- Uses a very different cable to charge…sort of like a hollowed-out USB-C…and the supplied cable is so short you cannot charge and use the headset at the same time. The Evolve 75 can be charged and used a the same time easily…if you ever even had to do this, as the stand it comes with will charge the phone as well if its plugged into a USB portNEUTRAL:- Battery life is satisfactory…I go a couple days between charges- A bit higher price than the Evolve 75- I found the Evolve 75 to have better signal range

    7 people found this helpful

28. 

    Rated 1 out of 5

    MarceyMarcey – March 8, 2024

    1.0 out of 5 stars

    Yes the audio quality is good, but IT’S NOT WORTH IT!!!!!!!!

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    I LOVE headphones. I’m an audio quality snob, and before these headphones, audio quality has always taken precedence over any and every part of the headphones. NO MORE. I WAS WRONG. I’ve had them just under a year, and (UNFORTUNATELY) have used them almost every single day of that. The audio quality on these things is great (really just if you use the aux cord, bluetooth is nothing amazing), but believe me when I say IT’S NOT WORTH IT. There are other headphones out there with quality just as amazing. Let me tell you why you don’t want them.1. They turn themselves back on. Not at a random time, not for any particular reason I can find… maybe 4 out of ten times when I turn them off, they immediately turn themselves back on. And the auto-off setting they have DOES NOT WORK CORRECTLY. It’s very inconsistent, so there’s no guarantee your headphones aren’t on all night.2. They eat hair. Not just sometimes- MOST of the time. I wear them every single day, and I lose hair to them every single day.3. They WILL slip and fall off of your head. No, you don’t have to be doing anything extreme. Bend over, there go your headphones. And if you care about your skin, like me, trust me when I say that the band across the top that sits on your hair all the time WILL find its way onto your forehead far too often.4. The mic is garbage unless you have the aux plugged in. If you’re using bluetooth, it will sound like you’re in a cave in space, 20 feet away from the microphone. There hasn’t been a single time I answered a call with these headphones (with no aux) and the person asked where the **** I am because the sound and quality are so ridiculous.5. They will not turn off if they’re not connected to anything. Once or twice I’ve made the mistake of thinking, well turning them off doesn’t work, maybe if they can’t connect to anything then they’ll shut off after a while. NOPE, they just stay on until they die. As I mentioned, there’s a setting you can change to make them turn off after a period of inactivity. Apparently that doesn’t count as inactivity. Know what does?6. Turning on the hear-through function. That counts as inactivity. I have my headphones set to turn off after five minutes of inactivity. (This is hit or miss to start with.) For the hear-through function, if your headphones are on, connected to something, actively playing something, or playing something but you paused it, and you hit the hear-through function, you’ll be able to hear through the headphones like they’re not there… until the auto-off function kicks in, because apparently walking around on your head with a specific function turned on isn’t enough activity. They will turn off. If you had something playing, then the experience will go like this- you’re focused on whatever it is that you turned hear-through on for, when suddenly the hear-through stops, the noise-cancelling turns on, whatever you had playing before turns back on for just a few seconds, then the headphones play their turning-off tone and turn off. Why? Is this a bug? No one could have purposefully decided to make them do this, right?7. They beep before every audio message!! Actually, it’s not even before, it’s at the start of every audio message. The beep PLAYS OVER THE BEGINNING of every audio message. Got a message that’s 5 seconds long? Too bad! Better disconnect your headphones!8. Ohhh so you had to turn your bluetooth off because they kept turning back on for no reason? Well, when you turn your bluetooth back on, they won’t connect automatically, you’ll have to go into your settings to connect to the demon headphones again.9. Using the aux cord disables the touch controls. You’ll have to take your phone out the skip forward or backwards.10. If you lose the aux, rest assured you don’t have a spare laying around. It’s a 2.5mm – 3.5mm aux. One side, the one that goes into the headphones, is much smaller than normal.These things…. do not buy these things. THEY’RE NOT WORTH IT.

    73 people found this helpful

29. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Dave & Laura – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Non-Biased Review of Beats vs Sony WH-1000MX3 / WH-1000MX4 vs Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

    This review is my personal experience using both headphones. I recently lost my Sony Headphones and decided to buy Bose Headphones. Here are some differences I have found between all three, and how I feel currently using Bose Headphones.Make sure you update any headphones firmware, some issues you may experience could be fixed (with any electronic). Understand that headphones in a warehouse are likely from the year they were manufactured, and first versions of anything tend to be buggy.PERSONAL USAGEI use these headphones primarily for work. I’ve been full time remote for over two years doing software development. I have ADHD and having noise cancelling headphones is a must to keep my attention on work. We use mostly Slack and Zoom as our means of communication. Otherwise, I’m listening to music or the occasional YouTube TV.PERSONAL PREFERENCESI really don’t like using in the ear headphones. They hurt my ears after an hour or so and never were a long-term solution. Over the ear headphones was what I liked the best since that’s what works for me. This has been throughout my life, and they tend to fall out.BEATS – NOT FOR ME OR MY HEADMy first pair of headphones were Beats Solo. I was really impressed with wireless headphones in general. Eventually after the Solos started to fall apart, I decided to get Beats Studio 3. These worked much better for my head, as these were truly over my year, which I prefer.The functionality is about the same between the two. With a lot of usage, the earpieces came worn out and unglued and I had to buy replacements. Compatible quality replacements are about $30 from different manufacturers.• Pros – Lots of colors. Foldable, and buttons are more clicks than touch sensitivity. Useful when sweating or outdoor use.• Cons – Quality. Wore down quickly and were not a long-term solution. Paying more for royalties to Dr. Dre than quality assurance in general. Feel cheap.FIRST DECISION – Sony WH-1000MX3I was fortunate to try out both headphones from a family member. I was skeptical about Sony since it wasn’t the name brand Bose was for what I wanted. I really like how they felt on my head, and they didn’t hurt after wearing them for hours.There wasn’t a noticeable difference in sound quality. Features needed matched what I needed at the time and figured there was no point in spending more. My work-at-home situation was different, and I was at home around 40% of the time. The case was useful when transporting in my backpack back and forth to work.Once I transitioned to full time work-at-home, some of the features that I found useful weren’t available on the Sony’s. One big thing I would like to see is app integration. Mute / Unmute for Slack and Zoom would really be a great feature. Understandably, these are headphones, and are limited to what Bluetooth has to offer.The app is useful, and more powerful with customization than the other two. I found I used it a couple of times.Over the three years I’ve used these, the product quality and sound we’re just like day 1. These headphones seem to be built better than the other two.• Pros –Very durable and well built. Sound quality is great and felt good after a day’s work. Slept with these on a bus trip. That was my last memory. Cheaper than the Bose. Foldable, smaller case.• Cons – Less features than the Bose. Misses on some sweet spots. Harder to see which is left and right when putting them on, but not really a big deal.SECOND DECISION – Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700Once I realized I may never see my beloved Sony Headphones again, I needed something right away since work call quality was terrible. Before I pulled the trigger on the same Sony’s, I wanted to look at to what Bose offered that Sony didn’t. The biggest was a feature to mute / unmute. When pouring over reviews like this one, that feature was worth paying up. Since these are new headphones, I am still getting used to the controls.I’ve only had these for a month. Was it worth paying up for it? Honestly, I don’t know yet. There are more controls on the headphones which I’m figuring out.So based on a month, here’s what I found• Pros – Seems like better sound quality. More features and possible mute integration.• Cons – Price and unproven personal durability experience.TLDR / OVERALL REVIEWI won’t even compare the Beats headphones. Sony and Bose are a step way above Beats.METRICS• Sound Quality – Bose slightly. My ears are bad, I’m not an audiophobia as others may be. Spotify is what I listen to primarily. The slight edge goes to Bose, only because it’s a small enough difference.• Mute / Unmute – Bose. The main reason for choosing Bose instead of Sony for my current headphones.• Noise Cancelling – Leaning towards Bose. There is customization of three different settings within the Bose app to set up preferences from 0-10. Sony sort of has the same thing, but not directly.• Microphone – Sony. Never had any issues of cutting out or “robo voice”. Initially I am “cutting out” and “in a wind tunnel” from peers.• Bose – Multiple Device Connectivity (multiple Bluetooth Connections) was a feature I didn’t even think about. Bose allows for multiple connections which comes in handy. I found myself unpairing and pairing devices with Sony. It was sort of a hassle that seemed unnecessary. If the Bluetooth source device is off, it should default to another.• Headset Features, Bose wins. Although I haven’t had the time to get into what the buttons do, there are more of them. The buttons themselves seem a little better than the Sony’s.• Headset Quality – Sony. I really don’t care for the artsy plastic that goes over the top of your head. Sony also folds up where Bose doesn’t. An argument can be made that the Bose are lighter than the Sony’s, but that didn’t matter to me.• In the box – Sony slightly. Sony included an airplane adapter where Bose did not. I prefer the case from Sony than I do from Bose.• Daily Use – Too Early to determine, likely Sony. Sony’s headphones were excellent, as of now I haven’t used the Bose headphones.• Bluetooth Range – Bose decisively. Bluetooth location hasn’t changed. Dead spots where I wore my Sony’s didn’t exist with the Bose. There is a little bit of breakup in the headphones in dead spots, but nearly not as much as the Sony’s.• Companion Application – Bose. Much more customization of buttons versus Sony.WINNER – SonyI’m going to put a disclaimer on this, so take this for what it is.With my new set of Bose Headphones, there is a problem with the microphone. Assuming that this was just a fluke, I returned them since they were defective. So, my review is irrelevant of that from that aspect.Both are great, I lean Sony just because of the price difference.I wanted to give the Bose Headphones a little more time before getting a refund and getting the Sony’s again. Right now, they’re cutting out where Sony rarely did that. Even in that case, my computer was slow, or the application used went haywire. That’s something that’s a no-go for me. I ended up contacting Bose support, went through the normal stuff, is your battery charged, are you far away to a point they created a return ticket for a replacement. Once sent in, they would give me a new pair within 5 business days.Fortunately, after writing this review, I ended up finding my missing Sony headphones, which would be what I would have bought instead of a Bose replacement.As with any review, only you can decide if the extra money for Bose is worth it. I can see it both ways. For me, these headphones are for basic usage. The extra money wasn’t worth the upgrade. Defective products happen. I just hoped that their flagship headphones would have worked better. Regardless, spending hundreds of dollars to replace something missing is an instant return anyway.I hope this helped someone. Sorry for too much text.

    1,029 people found this helpful

30. 

    Rated 1 out of 5

    Jason Brannock – March 8, 2024

    1.0 out of 5 stars

    Awful

    I left a lengthy review comparing the Jabra Evolve2 85 (E285) vs Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II (QC35II) vs Bose Noise Cancelling 700 (B700) vs Sony WH-1000XM4 (SX4) (in order of when I received them) for the E285. With the full review there, I’ll keep this one more focused on N700 vs E285. This was almost entirely written up during the week I had all four headsets for direct comparisons.Microphone and PlaybackThe B700 was not tested because there were enough other reasons not to even consider them. Win for E285. Runner up is SX4.Audio Output – DISCLAIMER – I’m not an audiophileE285 and SX4 audio sound better than the QC35II but primarily because I can use an equalizer and increase bass (obviously this is the most important factor). I couldn’t get the “thump” from the B700 no matter what I tried. The B700 does have an EQ, but it’s far more basic than what Jabra and Sony offer, like a ball point pen vs a fountain pen. Sure, the ball point will get the message across, but one can’t deny the fountain pen its grace as it glides like butter across the page, leaving streaks of variable line widths and drawing you in –sorry, wrong review. Win for SX4. Runner up is E285.BrandBose: wanted my location and would ask for it every time I open the app (and wouldn’t allow usage without accepting beyond the standard Bluetooth connection process). These are headphones. You don’t need my location. There are two different apps and both suck, but the one for B700 is especially awful (Bose Music). Just the first time using the app for setup, it crashed. It periodically failed to detect the headphones, even after the latest firmware instalment. It’s worth mentioning the Bose Music app is far worse than the other Bose app (QC35II uses Bose Connect). I had far too many connectivity issues within the first hour to justify keeping the B700 (yes, I requested a return within an hour).Jabra: doesn’t require my location. Instead, it lets me know if I desire to give it my location, it will use it to locate my headphones. No, but thank you for giving me an actual choice!ANCWhen playing on a drumpad, the E285 did a noticeably better job than the other headsets. It sounds like the pad is being muffled (which is what I’m looking for), whereas the others don’t quite succeed. Again, B700 was not put through this test because it sucks.In addition, the hear-through function of the E285 is awesome. The E285 hear-through, which has adjustable levels, almost makes it sound like you’re not wearing them (tested at maximum hear-through). Win for E285. Runner up is SX4.ConnectivityThe E285 and SX4 have longer ranges than the QC35II. The E285, most of the time, reconnects automatically when coming back into range. QC35II, SX4, and E285 have a 3.5 mm jack. Why doesn’t the B700? Because it sucks.Double-connection to my PC (independent of range): E285 is easier because it’s just plug-and-play, no downloads or “connecting”. Didn’t bother trying the B700 because of the numerous issues with just one connected device. An added feature of the Jabra is Jabra Direct, a software you can download to better manage your Jabra. It gives you a few more options and is worth using, in this writer’s humble opinion.Response time: the QC35II and B700 have a slightly faster response time when pausing media than the E285. The SX4 is the fastest, though we’re talking minute (not 60 seconds) differences. The E285 is on the cusp of being slow enough to be annoying, but not quite. The E285 and SX4 also have the cool feature of pausing media when the headphones are removed from your skull. Put succinctly, the E285 needs work, especially when using it with the PC. But at least it has it!App connectivity: some issues with E285. Some issues with SX4. Some issues with QC35II (Bose Connect). LOTS of issues with B700 (Bose Music). Unfortunately, apps are prone to some bugs every now and then; unless you’re Bose Music, in which case you’re a swarm of locusts after a century rest furiously attacking unsuspecting victims taking what was supposed to be a nice meander down the side of the Nile River. Does it remind you of a curse? It should. I succumbed to believing the $400 I used to purchase them came from the time I was standing on a burial ground when my check came through my account. I can’t say which of the two (Sony/Jabra) had more, so neither bothered me much. Winner is SX4 (better media response time). Runner up is E285.Voice AssistantCouldn’t even get B700 to work. First off, I have to change the “action” button from ANC control to activate voice assistant (so you can’t have both functionalities at the same time). However, once button mapping was adjusted accordingly, I click the button and it says “open your Google Assistant settings”, with no further instructions. I open the Home app, and once again, no further instructions, so I didn’t get it working. I didn’t spend anymore time on it because in contrast, the E285 and SX4 worked exactly as expected. No setup or anything, I just pushed the button and my assistant came up. The caveat for the E285 is you have to pull down the boom arm to use the feature. Perhaps Bose has better functionality when used with Alexa, but I use Google so I’m not bothering with testing that. Tie between E285 and SX4.I know this is extremely nit-picky, but the Bose assistant’s voice is far more annoying than Jabra or Sony. She sounds like an actual robot as opposed to someone I wouldn’t mind meeting.ControlsOn the E285, the buttons take up little surface area and are rather flat. After just a little use of the “touchless” controls (B700 and SX4), I can see their usefulness. It’s certainly easier to play/pause music and use the Voice Assistant (which is no easier to actually setup because Bose sucks). Changing volume is annoying because every click up/down requires an extra swipe. As debilitating as this is, one would not likely be changing by a bunch of increments at a time. Between the B700 and SX4, I found the pole in the B700 to be much more in the way and therefore the SX4 provides better usability. After more use of the touchless controls, I much prefer the them over the physical ones. Win for SX4. Runner up is E285.Comfort and StyleWhile the B700 has the tightest grip, it actually slides off the easiest, I guess because the top band is the slimmest of the pickings. Also, it’s far easier to accidentally move the ear cups because they’re really loosely attached to their sliding pole. Win for QC35II. Runner up is E285/SX4 (just as comfortable). Don’t care to spend time rating the B700.ExtraThe E285 has the hear-through feature, which I really like because I use ANC only when there are sounds I actively don’t want to listen to, like from mine or my roommate’s drumming, running water, laundry, phone call, or pooping with the fan on. Other than those times, I want some awareness of my surroundings because there’s nothing more frustrating than trying to get the attention of someone with headphones on (especially at work). In addition, the E285 and SX4 have ear detection (discussed previously). The E285 has a great way of handling multiple calls with its huge button on the right cuff. You can switch between two phone calls by putting one on hold and accept/end/reject calls using it. This is RARELY used, but it’s cool.IssuesB700: flat out sucks with just ONE connection. I’m constantly having to manually re-connect, and not just a simple “re-connect”; I mean force-stopping the app, forgetting the headset from my phone and vice-versa, holding down the Bluetooth button to make the app realize it’s there, allowing my phone to pair, etc. Over and over. Can’t imagine the issues I’d be having if I set it up with two devices.There’s some variability with the Google Assistant functionality with the E285. At the very least, the action button on the arm activates the assistant. But sometimes the input for said assistant is on the phone rather than the arm. Most of the time it works as expected. I think the additional connection to the PC adds complexity that needs to be vetted out for seamless functionality for the E285.Final verdict, best to worst: E285, SX4 (killer – no mute function, worse hear-through), QC35II (killers – older BT connection, worse audio, poor ANC). Literally wouldn’t buy B700.UPDATE: It’s been several weeks since I returned all but the Jabra Evolve2 85 (I use it 3-10 hours every single day) and my final rating is four stars while I give the B700 one star. When the E285 works, it’s great. But it doesn’t work all the time, unfortunately. But the B700 was far more aggravating and there was no comparison between it and the other three headphones. Also, Bose REQUIRES your location, which is extremely stupid. They’re headphones, you don’t need my location. While I ultimately ended up with the E285, if muting yourself directly from your headset isn’t important to you and you’re not typically in a noisy environment during calls, then I would honestly recommend the Sony WH-1000XM4.

    121 people found this helpful

31. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Bert Cano – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Good Noise Cancelling

    I had a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones that I had owned for about a year and a half that started having issues with the noise cancelling so I decided to give these a shot. This review is largely a comparison between the two.NOISE CANCELLING: The noise cancelling is really good.I would say that the actual noise reduction is equal to the Sony’s. However I noticed that when I was cutting my nails, the nail clippers clipping-sound induced an audible pop in the headphones, almost jarringly so. So it seems the headphones don’t agree with any close, loud, sudden, and slightly higher frequency sounds. I’ve only had these for a few days, but it seems as though there is no way to turn the microphones *off* even if the ANC is set to zero. ANC on zero sounds like the microphones around the headphones are still picking up and emitting outside sounds. I could be wrong but it sounds that way to me. Other than those two nitpicks the noise cancelling is quite good.AUDIO QUALITY: Compared to the Sony’s the audio quality is… okay.It sounds as though the stereo spectrum is quite narrower than the Sony’s. If you’re not sure what that means, imagine yourself listening to a piano. Imagine that piano being played in a hallway. Now imagine that piano being played in a concert hall. Bose = hallway, Sony = concert hall. It also sounds as though the frequency spectrum isn’t quite as full. To me it also sounds as though the audio transmission between device and headphone is of lower quality. Its like max quality on these is 480p, while on the Sony’s its 4k. I have to assume that the Sony’s have better Bluetooth hardware? Idk.MULTIPLE DEVICES: Fast and seamless.Compared to the Sony’s, the 700’s ability to switch between devices is much faster and more seamless. No complaints here. The software to connect new devices is also easy to use.COMFORT: Very comfortable.I actually just realized I’ve been wearing these for about 4 hours straight and they haven’t made me feel like I’ve needed to adjust them. The Sony’s are also very comfortable but I felt like I had to adjust those on my head more. The 700’s feel slightly lighter so that’s probably why.OVERALL: Good.Probably not worth $400 honestly. If they were priced at $250-$300 I would say that that could appropriate. Don’t get me wrong though these, so far, are great if you’ve never had a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 lmao. Saying that feels almost unfair lol but that’s how I feel. The sound quality is just not amazing for $400. If you’re coming from earbuds or something you might not notice, but these are $100 more than the Sony’s right now and it seems as though the only thing they do better is switch between devices a second or two faster.I will keep these until Sony comes out with a new model and then get that and keep these as a backup.

32. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    old bear – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    good quality

    The sound is great light weight mine were reconditioned

33. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Colin M. Shawhan – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent Product, Within Limits of Physics

    I love the headphones! I barely heard a crying infant on a two hour flight to Salt Lake City. When I lifted one of the ear cups to test the NC the child, along with the background jet noise was louder. Was noise gone with the NC active? No, but the combine passive and active cancellation is impressive.Bose achieves a respectable reduction via the ear pads alone. They fit a bit tighter than some non-NC headphones but I believe this is a part of the equation. The “old fashioned” way of dealing with commuter noise was to crank up the volume, effectively listening to media at concert volume to drown out the outside world. That works but it’s bad for your ears!Music sounds great, and if you want to crank it up the Bose 700’s have plenty of volume. But if you are studying like I often do, or taking a private call then you can tune the voice to a comfortable volume and speech is intelligible. That’s important for me as a business person and professional. If I have two hours to kill waiting for a connecting flight I am happy to crank up the tunes and shake my booty at the airport. Who cares? Dancing is better exercise than sitting in an awkward position fiddling with a smart phone.On to bass quality: for headphones? Pretty darn good. Bose 700’s aren’t professional gear, they are a high end consumer product: You get what you pay for. Can you buy $1,000 headphones? Sure. Are they better? A little. At this price point the 700’s fit their niche.As an audio test, Dubstep sounded pretty amazing to me. I know what to expect from a good headphone and Bose delivers. Is the low end a bit of a psychoacoustic illusion? Yeah, but I know that. The 700’s held at arms length will produce no audible bass. That’s just not bass, period. But they sound bassy enough for me, and if you want license plate-rattling bass you probably need a car.Again, within the limits of physics Bose has done a great job here. I can’t complain. Calls and recorded speech are great! Music is good enough for me, at least on the road. I can’t take my home system with me when I travel so I know what to expect.Four stars for sound and bass, five overall for excellent ANC (20-25 dB I would guess). Speech and calls (at least on my end) are great! I can interact with clients and reps while exercising, getting coffee or doing just about anything besides operating a chain saw. For that reason I love the headphones! Is it the best music reproduction on the planet? No. But I’ll take it while I’m stranded in Denver waiting for my next flight.Good job Bose!

    5 people found this helpful

34. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Amazon Customer – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    For me it is perfect, but depends on your use

    I’ve been a fan of Bose for a long time. I have the 25, 35, Gaming Headset, Aviation Headset and now the model 700. My original 25 broke the arm holding the ear cup and Bose replaced it for free, although it was just out of warranty. I now use the 25 (wired) for my home computer. The 35 my daughter “borrowed” permanently, and my gaming headset is at work. So, I wanted a wireless headset for TV, music, call, etc. at home. The Bose 25, 35, etc. are just very comfortable and perfect for my uses. But the 700 was a completely different style. For that reason, I was more interested in the 45.Price of course was a consideration, and at the time of Prime Days, the price difference was minimal.I’m not an audiophile, so I trusted other online reviews for a comparison of the model 45 to the 700 and Sony. My most trusted site for reviews of electronics is Tom’s Guide, and they had an excellent comparison. I finally chose the 700 over the 45 at the last minute. I made a good choice as I am very pleased with the headset. It is very comfortable, the sound is awesome, the touch controls are nice, and the equalizer was useful for increasing treble as I lost some hearing in that range, (too many concerts).The only negative I have found, which was mentioned in the online reviews, is that the headset clamps your head tighter than the previous models. This is fine for me wearing it for movies at night so my apartment neighbors don’t get upset. However, if you are wearing them for more than a couple hours, the model 45 might be a better choice.One additional note, which may be user or a software issue. I was having a hard time with the Bluetooth connection from my TV (LG) to my 35. I needed to delete the pair and re-pair many times. The model 700 connected every time so far.

    24 people found this helpful

35. 

    Rated 2 out of 5

    Caleb – March 8, 2024

    2.0 out of 5 stars

    OK headset with major flaws.

    These are my work headphones I use in the office and while traveling. I’ve had them just under 2 months and I am already looking to spend my own money on new headphones to replace these. The sound is fine, the noise cancelling is really nice, the mic isn’t good, but better than my previous set. They fit loose but very comfortable when sitting/standing upright and the ascetic style of this headset is pleasing. However, there are big issues that really degrade the experience.Because of how the earcups rotate and how you have to place headset on your head, you cannot use these headphones lying down on your back. The ear cups fold off your head and there is not enough resistance or a locking mechanism to hold them in place. I also mentioned that the headset is loose. For me personally, the band does not provide enough compression to sit snug on the head so when you move around, they tend to slip about too easily. As such, the seal of the earpads is tenuous, causing interruptions of the noise cancelling effect simply by turning your head too quick or you jog a bit to catch a train before the doors close.The touch controls on the headset are not the most responsive, but OK to use from time to time when needed. The buttons are terrible. They give very easily, meaning the slightest touch or even a brush against your coat collar can trigger it. The power button is a single press and not a press-and-hold, which leads to constant accidental power ons and offs when: handling them to put them on/away, while jostling in their case, and when adjusting the cups on your head. A dedicated power switch with some resistance to prevent accidental power on/offs would be much better. The problem here is the headset has an auto off function and you can change the time the headset stays on for. Some might utilize this feature, but I never do; personally, it’s a hindrance. The mute button is right next to the power button so reaching for mute is a 70/30 chance you hit the right button. The only way you can tell you are muted/un-muted is a voice notification right when it happens, there are no LED or physical switch orientations to tell you otherwise.With there being two buttons, one on the left cup and one on the right cup, and having the touch zone on the earcup, you would think the required phone app would allow you a lot of customization…NOPE. You can customize one button and you have two options for it. That’s it. The app is terrible and a huge contributor to why I dislike this headset. In order to connect the headset, you have to go through the app and I never know when it’s actually connected. It will say I’m connected, but I get no audio and no mic. I can’t simply disconnect and reconnect the headset through the phone settings, you have to use the app too. Then the headphones won’t go into pairing mode and the app can’t find them. It’s incredibly annoying, especially when you need to connect for a meeting and the required software is impeding the hardware.You can name your headphones something to be identifiable in your device settings through the Bose app, which is nice when you have a big list of connected Bluetooth devices. However, you can’t rename or give nicknames to the devices you are connected to in the Bose app. Every time I connect to my work computer, it spells out the long random PC name I can’t change because my work controls. It also mutes the audio for everything you are connected to whenever the little notification voice pops up, so if something connects/disconnects or I mute my mic, I’m forced out of my conversation for a time, causing me to ask people to repeat themselves. I’m not 100% sure how it operates, but the headset can go into a sleep mode of sorts and a small beep tells you when it reconnects. Well some sites or programs I use cause it to ping almost non-stop which leads me to just turn the headset off.Also, does the battery last an 8hr workday? Yes. Does it last All-Day (14-16hrs)? Barely. It’s about 20% battery for 2-3 hours, which will get worse with time. And you can’t charge the headset while using it.Overall, it’s just a frustrating experience that has room for improvement in a future model and some app updates. Once I find something that better suits my needs, I will shift the use of this headset to be only for desk duty, if not placed on a shelf or given to a co-worker.

    9 people found this helpful

36. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Jason L Fairweather – March 8, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Not Bad Not Great

    My dog ate my navy blue Beats Solo Pro headphones that I had for years. I can’t find them anywhere now to purchase new. So, after researching a bit, I decided on these Bose headphones.They are an aesthetically pleasing design, over-the-ear, not on the ear. They are much more comfortable to sleep in than my Beats were. I can fall asleep and wake up hours later in the night to pee, not because my ears are sore.Being over-the-ear, they are very comfortable headphones. I traveled a lot with my Beats and wore them for hours on end at a time. Sometimes my ears would get a little sore or hot after hours of use.They do not cancel noise nearly as well as my Beats did. A substantial amount of noise gets through, even on the highest setting. My Beats were like noise deprivation headphones. Very solid noise cancellation.The buttons are placed in super inconvenient locations, so that when you grab your headphones to adjust them, you will definitely hit those buttons.The swipe feature on the headphones is a nice touch, and I like it. You can swipe for volume or track skips.They come in a hard case, which would be kind of nice, except today is December 2nd, and I bought these new and have had them since October 30th, and the zipper on the case has broken already, rendering the case completely useless. The case lasted less than a month.Overall, these headphones aren’t bad. But I might consider returning them and just trying to find something more comparable to my old Beats Solo Pros. Had the case not broken almost immediately, I might be more inclined to keep them, but that was kind of like the last straw.Update 02/14/2024:I sold these and purchased a pair of Beats Solo Pros. The new owner loves them. I personally did not like them much.

37. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Chris M – March 8, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Sounded great; Issues when connecting to multiple devices

    The audio sounded great, the noise cancelling is amazing, and they feel good.But one selling point was the ability to connect to more than one device, and when I did, the audio started skipping. I had to go to my devices and forget one of them so the headphones wouldn’t auto connect. Drove me nuts, and unfortunately, it sounds like it’s a problem with Bose’s software, not with my specific headphones. I ended up returning them for something else after trying to use them for a weekend.

38. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Damon – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great sound & comfort but too large

    Sound and comfort are second to none. I’d like to give a five star rating, but these headphones sit too big on my head and not very tight. I’m not a small guy either. Definitely not a set you wear when going to the gym, as they will fall off. Perfect for around the house or on flights.

39. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    S. M. – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Comfy but wants to slide off

    Pros: Love how good the noise cancelling is and sound quality is fantastic!! Got these for loud upstairs neighbors and they have been great. (Haven’t been on a plane with them) I have a narrow face/head and they are good for long stretches of wearing without any pressure. Comfy fit!Cons: That is also the problem, they don’t squeeze my head so they are not stable if I lean forward to pick up items off the floor. With a baseball hat it’s much better. They ear pads spin in order to lay flat for travel and since they are on a round headset, they spin the Moment you try to move them off. (Had Beats and they are super stable for moving off of one ear)Also the buttons are super sensitive, as well as the touch controls, and I have accidentally hit buttons or skipped a song just taking them off.Overall: Excellent purchase and love the noise cancelling with sound quality. Lots of small annoyances with how they try to slide off but it’s worth it.

    7 people found this helpful

40. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    John Q Public – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Good all around headphones

    To start with, the noise cancellation is superb. Whether I was in a noisy coffee shop or on a bustling city street or a noisy gym, the headphones effectively blocked out the external sounds, allowing me to fully immerse myself in my music or audiobook.One of the standout features for me was how easy it was to connect and switch between devices. With just a few taps on my phone, I could seamlessly switch from my laptop to my tablet without any hassle. It made my multitasking life much more convenient.As for the sound quality, I found it to be more than satisfactory. While I’m not an audiophile myself and primarily listen to classical or soft soundtracks, the headphones delivered clear and balanced audio. The melodies and instruments were rendered beautifully, capturing the nuances of the music.I came across some reviews mentioning that the accompanying app required location access, but I found this to be untrue in my experience. I was able to connect and play my music without being prompted to share my location. This was a relief for me, as privacy is important, and I appreciate that the headphones respected that.In conclusion, these headphones offer outstanding noise cancellation, easy device connectivity, and enjoyable sound quality. I would highly recommend them to anyone seeking a reliable and user-friendly audio solution.

    10 people found this helpful

41. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    PATRICK – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Almost Perfect Item

    The protein leather, earpieces, come apart @ about 3.5 years of ownership, based on my usage. Bose needs to improve these. Outside of that, it’s a perfect item. This is my 2nd pair that I’ve owned. The previous one was obviously different & an older model, not as advanced tech. I had to get earpiece replacements for that pair. I might have to do that with this current pair if Amazon sells them. Or I might buy a new model pair or two because the technologies is better especially since there’s been multiple years past. I can use one pair @ home and one pair @ work. It’s cheaper if you buy a set of 2. Supposedly, Bose makes these better over a period of time. I use my current pair to listen to movies on YouTube, on my laptop. I live in an apartment and my laptop doesn’t use loud enough volume. The movie is too pitchy so I can hear the entire dialogue of a movie by hearing using the headphones. It solves the problem. I’m thinking about wearing them @ work. I work in a manufacturing facility and we are allowed to wear to music as long as we do our work. It’ll be cool if I use these @ work. I’ll be the only one who use very expensive headphones with the best quality of listening to music and canceling noise. My manufacturing plant is loud because of all the machinery.

42. 

    Rated 2 out of 5

    Larry – March 8, 2024

    2.0 out of 5 stars

    Great Sound, Terrible Software

    *Introduction:I bought the Bose NC 700 right around the new year in 2021, so about a month ago. Like many people, I’ve been working from home for the past year. However, I have 2 young children who can get noisy, so I wanted some noise cancelling headphones. Also, I like listening to music and gaming, so I’ll address that as well. Here is my review, broken down by subject:*Noise Cancelling:When I set out to get a pair of noise cancelling headphones, my main priority was, of course, noise cancelling. Naturally, I gravitated towards Bose due to their fantastic history here. I have never owned a pair of active noise cancelling headphones before, so I can’t really compare to anything. However, I can say they are amazing. Any low-frequency constant noise is basically gone. I have a small office room with 2 central air registers; I can’t hear either of them with the headphones on. I can hear my kids when they are loud, but the “punch” is gone, and it feels like it takes a level 10 crying baby, down to a level 7. All of this is without music on. Turn any music on, and it becomes near impossible to hear anything. I mean it; turn on some rock or rap and kiss noise goodbye. I’m sure the offerings from other companies are great too, but these are wonderful at noise cancelling.*Sound Quality:Sound quality is difficult to measure as it’s subjective, so I’ll try my best. I think the Bose NC 700’s sound quality is pheromonal. I can hear lots of fine detail, and nothing has ever felt clipped or muddy, unless the music itself is. I personally really like the sound signature (think how the headphones are tuned, not how “good” they are), but a lot of people want more bass. Keep in mind, these do have good bass, but they won’t turn your brain to mush. I am not a bass lover, so these are great for me. I typically stream Spotify from my computer or phone at the highest quality setting and set the app’s EQ (see below for more info) to low = 0, mid = 2, high = 5. So, if you really want bass, I would try the Sony XM4’s, but these sound really good and clear.*Design / Comfort:This is probably the trickiest for me to review. I’ll start with looks. I think they look cool and different from other headphones. They have a good amount of adjustability and feel pretty solid. They have 3 physical buttons: a noise cancellation level button, and voice assistant button, and a Bluetooth pairing / power button. However, I do not like the silicone headband. It feels cheap (to me at least) and isn’t overly comfortable. It doesn’t hurt, but it doesn’t feel good. Same goes for the leatherette ear cups. They’re fine, but do not feel premium. For nearly $400 I want something more luxurious. As a quick aside I’m 6’ 4” and wear glasses. After 6 ish hours wearing these off and on the tops of my ears where my glasses sit starts to hurt. The clamping force (for me) is a bit tight. You can reduce the clamping force by extending the earcups, but for my head it makes the earcups be too low, and that’s not comfortable either. It’s not a terrible thing, but I’m usually happy to take them off at the end of the day. That’s still almost a full work day’s time which is pretty good.*Battery life:They are advertised for 20 hours, I’m not sure how much time I actually get but it sounds about right. I usually charge them every other day or every 2 days. I like the battery is measured in hours rather than percentage. Since I don’t travel this isn’t a big deal anyways, but you can get better battery life from other headphones.*Touch controls:Touch controls work fine for me. I think this comes down to preference. I’ve had no trouble getting used to them, even swiping up/down for volume. Somehow the volume swipe considers your speed or force to change how much you adjust volume per swipe. A full swipe up / down is about 25/30% in windows.*Bose Music App:This section (and the next) is where my review goes off a cliff. I hate the app. When I first got the headphones, the “simple” paring that the little user pamphlet outlined didn’t work. I had to manually pair through my phone. When pairing with my windows 10 laptop, I initially couldn’t get it to work at all. I had to find this post: Steps to pair NC 700 headphones with Windows 10 – Bose Community – 293028 to get it to work. Also, my headphones came uncharged. Between the lack of charge and Bluetooth issues it took about 30-45 minutes before I first heard anything with the headphones.Sometimes, when you open to music app to change to EQ or something else, your headphones will not be detected. The only solution I’ve found so far is to reboot. This is extremely annoying since it takes about 10-15 seconds to reboot your headphones (see below for why that is).Another annoyance is that the self-voice level option for when you’re in headset mode is buried withing the app settings. This should be part of the initial settings when you first open the app. You also cannot map it to a tap combo short cut. I would love to be able to do that since I’m adjusting all the time due to my surrounding sound levels when I’m on a call.1 Last thing, and I wasn’t sure whether to put this in the app or headphone software section. You cannot disable the multiple Bluetooth connection feature. Are you on a zoom meeting on your laptop and you get a call on your phone? Guess what, your audio, both input and output, automatically switch to the phone ringing in your ears. Listening to Spotify on your phone and then the windows chime plays? The windows chime interrupts your music. Even if your windows volume is muted, the audio switch to no sound for the duration of the windows chime. This wouldn’t be a problem, if you could disable the feature. You could unpair and repair devices manually, but if you unpair your phone where the music app is installed, the music app will “forget” the device and you have to go through the setup process again for a new device. It’s mind-boggling stupid and I can’t believe this app made it to market as is. For reference I have a One Plus 6T. Related to this, I’ve never had a successful switch from computer to phone when a call comes in. I can hear the ringing initially, but not the caller once I accept the call. Also, they cannot hear me at all.*Headphone Software:The headphone’s software itself is annoying. Not quite as bad as the app, but far from good. Upon startup, the headphone’s voice will tell you the amount of battery you have left and the 2 devices you’re currently connected to. At first this didn’t bug me, but after a while, it is extremely annoying. Most of the time, I know what devices I’ll be connected to. Just let it be a triple tap shortcut or something similar.Also, there are definite problems somewhere along the chain of input microphone processing. Often my colleagues say I’m cutting in and out when I talk in lower tones. This usually occurs when the central air is running, and it’s input noise canceling is running. As far as I know, there’s no way to reduce or turn off the input noise cancelling. This is frustrating, since one of the selling points for these headphones is good mic quality. It’s very disappointing.*Summary:In summary the headphones sound great, but the day to day software issues make these a hard pass at $400. I don’t have the Sony XM4’s or other competitors for comparison, but I cannot recommend against these headphones enough. This will be the first and last Bose product I will own for a long time.

    12 people found this helpful

43. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Jeffrey Imbody – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great noise cancellation. Wish the bass was clearer.

    Bought these for my wife for Christmas, and she loves them! She let me try them, (only for a minute though, she wanted them right back). She works from home 2 days a week, and sometimes has to participate in conference calls, or just wants to work without hearing noise in the house.We have a dog. He barks, as dogs do, and he has a very loud and rather shrill bark. She has told me that when he barks, she can’t hear him at all, and the noise filtering microphone, whereas it does not eliminate the sound of his barking completely, does a very good job of muting it so she doesn’t have to explain our dog’s behavior to her co-workers.I have not had a chance to play with the app, and my wife is not an app person, and has had some trouble making it work properly, but most of the functions of the headphones can be controlled on the unit, so she enjoys them very much as a stand-alone.I am a bit of an audiophile and a musician, and though I wish the bass response on these headphones was a bit more clear, (perhaps that can be adjusted with the app), I was amazed at the three-dimensional quality of the sound and the clarity of the digital signal in most ranges.I want a pair, but I am holding out for the quiet comfort ultra!! But if you are looking for headphones that are a bit more affordable and still have a great dynamic range and superior noise-cancelling, you can’t go wrong with these!Having said all that, they look a little strange. My wife loves the look, but you may not.

    One person found this helpful

44. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Rocky Soamc – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Very good but not great wireless headset

    Overall a very nice set of headphones with good build quality. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I expected them to be on par with the Sony XM-5 headphones that I also own. The noise cancelling is probably 80% as good as the Sonys and the sound quality is close but is let down by a very lackluster app that gives you fewer tuning choices when compared to Sony’s cluttered but otherwise excellent app. The build quality is probably a bit better than the XM-5 which seem to be step down in build quality from the previous XM iterations. I attribute this to sony playing the green card and trying to use all recycled materials for the XM-5s. Very nice sounding and good connectivity and battery life but I definitely would recommend the Sonys over these.

45. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Janet Huckins – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Perfection….

    Bought these for my husband. I listened to the reviews about all the bose headphones and picked this one. Best choice I made. It was on sale when I bought them , But even if they weren’t I highly recommend them. Very easy to adjust fit. Not bulky and the sound is perfection !!! The noise cancelling is amazing. No matter where you are backround noise doesn’t come through. Easy to get phone calls and people your talking to only hear you not noisy backround where you are. Great job BOSE !!!!! But them you won’t be dissapointed I promise

46. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Jenna May – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Incredibly More Comfortable and User Friendly than all the Sony’s

    I decided to buy 4 sets of Noise Cancelling headphones and then send back the 3 loser (with the intention of giving objective feedback).***My primary priorities were noise cancellation and comfort. My secondary priorities were sound quality and user friendliness. And finally style.The four headphones that I compared were…Bose 700’sSony WH1000XM4’sBose 350’sSony WH1000XM3’sIn short, I ended up keeping the Bose 700s (and that was an easy decision based on my priorities).I have a little bit of bigger head and found the 700s much more comfortable than any of the others…by far! My wife has a smaller head and she tried the 700s and found that they didn’t fit her head well and preferred the Sony XM4s. However I can wear the Bose 700s for multiple hours and they feel great!!!I found the noise Cancellation to be equal in quality with the Bose 700s and the Sony XM4s. But I found the Sony XM4s to create a slight uncomfortable noise/feeling. Some people could find this troubling but it wasn’t a big deal for me.I found the Bose 700s and Sony XM4s have slightly better ability for noise cancellation than the Bose 350s and the Sony XM 3’s. However the Bose 700’s allow me to push a button to 3 different noise cancelling settings which is kind of nice.When it comes to sound quality the Sony XM4’s win by a long shot. And if I were only going to wear these for a few hours I would probably have bought the Sony XM4s. However I tend to travel internationally on flights that are 8+ hours long and so the comfort was more significant than the sound quality because the Bose 700s are still very good in their sound quality and I can adjust the EQ to my preference.The final decision maker for me was the user friendliness. The Bose 700s were so easy to set up and use. (This is also why I prefer apple products…simplicity). I found the Sony’s to be much more complicated, confusing and the touch sensors to be a bit clumsy and less responsive. I also found the Bose 700’s very easy to quickly put away in their storage case (which is a nice hard case for travel).The Bose 350s were also very simple to use and the sound quality was decent. But their comfort and noise cancelling was lesser than the Sony XM4S and the Bose 700s.The Sony XM3s are once again better in sound quality and between the Sony XM3s and the Bose 350s I would go with the Sony XM3s. Both fit on my head similarly…so equally uncomfortable for long term wear (great for my wife with a smaller head but not me with a bigger head).Obviously I’m not considering price in any of these comparisons. Because comfort was a much bigger priority to me than price…I needed something that would be worn comfortably for multiple hours despite the cost. If you’re looking for cost effectiveness the Sony XM3s or Bose 350s are the way to go (so long as they fit your head like they do my wife’s)For perspective my head is 23 inches round. My wife’s head is 20 inches. Our ears are average/not big so our ears fit just fine in all of the headphones listed above.When it comes to style the Bose 700s are incredibly sleek and modern…very stylish…especially the grey ones (which is what I bought). We found the grey Bose 700’s and Bose 350’s are much better looking than the Sony XM4 or XM3s. In fact I found the black Sony’s the only color I’d consider. So if color is something you’re considering and you want something besides black then both sets of the Bose are the way to go. But the 700’s take it to a whole new stratosphere and my teenage daughter wants to wear them (but they’re not leaving my head and I don’t think they would fit her very well as she has a similar size head as my wife). If I were buying some for her, I’d buy the grey Bose 350’s.Finally all of these have relatively strong batteries. The Sony’s are probably better overall but the Bose 700’s charge quickly and I can easily get 20+ hours of listening out of them before needing to charge them. Fifteen minutes of charging will get me a few hours.Let me be clear, all 4 of these headphones are REALLY nice! And so you need to consider your priorities and then choose accordingly and I think you will then be happy with whatever route you go.

    76 people found this helpful

47. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Nancy K – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Delivers clear, perfect sound and comfortable to wear

    Love these headphones, especially the noise-cancelling feature. I’ve always relied on Apple’s in-ear pods, but their battery life is short compared to Bose (3+ hours vs 18 hours), and I have trouble getting the in-ear ones to stay put. I don’t use the headphones when I’m out and about, but then I don’t use the in-ear pods unless I’m home because they tend to fall out of my smallish ears. Which is to say I use both. The Bose, though, are pretty great, comfortable, and the sound quality’s terrific.

48. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    quest1177 – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent Customer Support

    I have become a fan of Bose both because the Noise cancelling products I have bought have worked so well and because the customer service I have received was efficient and pleasant for both products. I get a lot of daily use out of my Bose.These headphones are comfortable, have good sound, are easy to use and have very good noise canceling. I like the feel of the button controls. I only wish they could be used while charging.I wear these every night while sleeping. I used to use their ear buds, but these are actually better to sleep in. The others fall out. It helps that I have a pillow with a hole in the center to fit the ear muff.Because I wear these so many hours, I wore out the ear muffs. Bose is sending me replacement ones under warranty. It’s been shipped very quickly. Their customer service IA sent me to a human right away and that rep was very efficient.Thank you Bose.

49. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    fahoov – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Battery eventually fails

    I really like these headphones. After 3 years of everyday use I suspect the battery started to fail. The headphones reboot automatically and buzz in my ear. Sometimes they eventually work but other times they fail completly. I’ve gone through all the Bose on-line trouble shooting procedures. I would not recommend replacing the battery, if you can find one. So the question you should ask i how many recharge cycles can I expect. I estimate I have had about 1000. Maybe I was lucky. I don’t think Bose specs battery recharge cycles. Expect to buy another pair eventually.

50. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    R. Love – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Love these

    Easy to use with Bluetooth. Great sound and really shuts out other sounds. I use for music and protecting my ears when shooting a loud gun.

51. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Vanished – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Very good, for now, hoping it gets better

    So i have tried the Bose QCII and Sony MX3s extensively. I loved the QCs the most purely due to comfort and dual connectivity… however both were terrible at taking calls/voice recognition/ mics etc. These definitely take the throne in that. As others have mentioned theres definite hiccups here but i am a little bit more patient. Bose is not a good software company. At first they did fit real tight as others have suggested but maybe i am getting used to it. I have used it one one flight so far and one thing i did notice was the plane rattles going through to the cup, which was a cause for concern… but as we speak i will use them on a flight again and maybe i didnt have them as snug as hey should be as i was wearing sunglasses. The noise cancelling is apparent but maybe not as insanely impressive as others have suggested- i can hear voices when music isnt playing. It totally mutes hisses, droning, etc.. but i can hear other noises- maybe thats an issue with my headphones? Not sure quite yet. This might be me, but i actually think the music quality got better the more i used them- i dont think these need burn in but i noticed it after a day of usage. They do get warmer than the QCs and they do fall forward n back more than the QCs used to. They certainly dont “disappear” like the QCs do but theres certainly trade offs. They QCs have an awful mic and thats a big deal for a lot. These have far superior noise cancelling than the QCs. The sonys are just too heavy for me and they fell off far easier if you lean forward or back. They also definitely do make your ears sweat. The NC 700s have similar touch buttons… i kinda hate them… possibly more so because they didnt just put them on both sides. I also think at this price these should have auto off for when you take them off akin to airpods or other such devices. I will be trying them out for a bit longer. I would go back to considering the QC35s but they’ve suspiciously gotten worse due to recent firmware.As far as design, they look good wearing them, but they look not so great on their own. I wished they’d have had more color options from the get go. I don’t think they should be this expensive considering the features. The button lay out is a little confusing and the band sticking out as it does is not so great as in an airplane you are probably leaning on things and its a little more concerning than the QCs were but the same time these have the cusion on the outside too at some portion.All in all, i hope it gets better and i imagine they will make it happen considering the poor customer reviews so far. They can’t afford to make this a failed product so i imagine they’re going to crank out updates and newer features. The buttons should be customizable as you desire. The charging is fine. 20 hours vs 30 hours is similar, im charging it every other day anyhow. Hopefully the rattling that comes through isnt an ongoing issue cuz i really need something with a great mic. QCs are better comfort and fit wise but these have the tech you’d want in them. Who knows maybe we see an upgraded QC as well.

    7 people found this helpful

52. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    An honest customer – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Really great sound but cushion already cracked after 4 months of light use

    The headset is really great. I am no sound nerd, but I love how it sounds. The call quality is also top notch – it can block really loud wind and baby scream during my calls. The cushions are very comfortable, yet not durable at all. I’ve been using the headset on and off for ~1hr per day for a few months, the inner rim of the cushion on both sides is already cracked. I have contacted Bose support, who indicated that I can buy those cushions at $34 with shipping and tax.

    One person found this helpful

53. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Missy Reed – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    They live up to the bose quality

    They live up to the bose quality of sound. BASS HITS Ionly gave 4 stars bc the limited amount of adjustability on the headgear. Even at the smallest setting they still fall easily off my head. I am a Pettit adult female.

54. 

    Rated 1 out of 5

    The Overlord – March 8, 2024

    1.0 out of 5 stars

    Weak sound and literally the worst return process on Amazon I’ve experienced

    I’ve been using V-Moda Crossfades for years but wanted to try something out with noise cancelling. These were highly recommended and after my sister got a pair and really liked them, I opted to give them a try. While the functional features seem to be really convenient, the lack of tactile feedback when using the headphones to navigate music is super annoying and it’s too easy to accidentally brush/swipe the side of the headphone and fast forward or rewind a song unintentionally. The noise cancelling is a really nice feature and does work great, but the reasons I ultimately wound up sending these back are:1. The actual volume level max is way too quiet compared to my V-Modas and since I have a taste for loud music, this was really disappointing.2. The bass is weak as hell. My V-Moda probably have almost twice the bass production and it was very, very noticeable and messing with the EQ did not help at all (it just marks everything else quieter and honestly the EQ settings were pretty crappy anyways).Pros: VERY comfortable, easy to wear around your neck when you’re not listening to them, voice works really well, controls are quick to respond, the app has a great UI, the battery life is great and the USB-c charging is a godsend. Noise cancelling is fantastic.Cons: Volume max is too quiet for anyone with even MILD hearing issues, bass leaves a lot to be desired, controls are too easy to bump and provide no tactile feedback.Conclusion: If you like heavy bass and tend to listen to the upper range of volume levels, I find my V-Modas are still way better. If you don’t need it that loud and aren’t so concerned about heavy bass, these are great headphones with a few minor nitpicks.Why 1 star overall, you ask? This has come down to the return process. I sent them in weeks ago and was only give ONE return option: Amazon Locker. I usually do UPS and they are immediate to process the refund as soon as my return is scanned by UPS and sent out to the returns center that day. I did 10 returns on the same day as these headphones, all via UPS with the exception of the headphones going to a locker. All were scanned that day. The other items refunded quickly. These, however, have been “in transit” for over two weeks now and have yet to refund. The return gives you zero indication on where the item is even physically at, let alone going, and for something I ordered and received within 3 hours of ordering, the fact that it’s taking over two weeks for Amazon to receive the item (I live IN Seattle, BTW) is absolutely ridiculous. They were awfully quick to take my money but dragging their feet on this return, and customer service has been completely unhelpful. For whatever reason with locker returns you don’t get your return until the return center itself receives the item, so if their courier messes up and loses your item, you’re stuck waiting over two weeks before amazon will lift a finger to push your refund through and even then they are running me in circles. Nevermind the fact that it is not my responsibility what happens to this item once it has been scanned and picked up my the courier. If they lose it, I get a refund anyways, but have to wait for this arbitrary 2 week period *because reasons* (literally nobody can explain why it’s like this with the lockers but not with ANY OTHER METHOD I’ve used for returns in the last 10 years). For such a pricey item, this has been an infuriating experience and quite frankly I’m at the point where I will never order something this expensive from amazon again if THIS is the kind of response I get when their courier or returns center has obviously messed something up. When I called again today, the agent told me it has arrived at the returns center and has been sitting waiting to get scanned. They said to wait 3-5 more days. That will make it 3 weeks. And then however long it takes for the banks to do their part. For someone who has been using amazon for a decade and easily spent a couple hundred thousand dollars on this platform (likely far more), this is a less than desirable process and I’m at the end of my patience. This refund should have processed when they scanned the item and NOT fallen on me to carry while their shipper either screws up and loses this item or takes their sweet slow time sending it to a returns center I can only suspect is located on another effing star system / planet. For an item I got in 3 hours.Good headphones, not good for mildly bad hearing, and literally the worst amazon return service I’ve ever experienced. First world problems, yes, but having had such an extensive hisoltory with amazon and doing god knows how many returns, I have plenty of context for how inexcusable CRAP this process has been in respect to allllllllllllllll the returns I’ve done in the last decade.Beware.

    15 people found this helpful

55. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Carson E Davis – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Crue

    How Motley Crue should be listened.

56. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Sandip Gautam – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Versatile headphone, Good Sound, Exceptional Noise Cancellation

    I purchased this headphone, about 8 months before. I don’t like to write long reviews, so I’ll make it short. Here’s my opinion- Excellent sound quality, and noise cancellation. I use this headphones all the time, at work (meetings), in home(movies), while traveling(music). Just everywhere.- Battery life is around 15-20 hrs, which is descent. Could have been a bit longer.- Charging is quick.- I have 3 device profile saved in headphones. But, at any given time only 2 device can be connected. For eg., say my phone and my laptop. But, sound can be played from only 1 device at a time. Meaning, I need to pause audio in one device, in order to play audio on other device, but do not have to go through hassle of disconnecting one device, and connecting other.- A 2.5 to 3.5 connector is included with the product, but it’s length is very short. You might need to get a longer cable. Meaning, you can play audio even if your battery is dead, but sound quality falls drastically.- Once in a while, I will have issues pairing my devices. Not too often. But, I can live with it.- I usually prefer to wear my headphones for an extended period of time, i.e., 4-6 hours, or more even. These headphones feel comfortable initially for around 2-2.5 hr, but after that heads start hurting because these headphones do have very strong clamping force (which explains the exceptional noise cancelling).- Would I prefer Sony WH series over these? If I need more battery life, and more comfortable wearing for extended time, YES. For sound quality, and noise cancellation (NO).

    9 people found this helpful

57. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Inderjit Jutla – March 8, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Buggy software and buggy hardware

    A lot of other reviews will tell you about the sound quality/build quality/etc. I generally agree with that, but I ran into a lot of bugs that I didn’t see in a lot of reviews:Hardware Bugs:After about 2 months of using these headphones, they would randomly turn off and reboot in the middle of whatever I was doing. Whether it was just listening to music or in the middle of a call. Very frustrating. I contacted Bose about it and they did thankfully offered to replace them at no cost to me. That was nice but it did take 2 weeks of not having my headphones to get the new ones (since I had to ship mine back first).The ‘self voice’ feature is sometimes good but I noticed it can sometimes mistake outside noise for my voice. One example is when there was a guy water jet cleaning across the street. The sound of it was loudly fed into my headphones (which I assume is a bug in the self voice feature). Pretty disappointing to have your ‘noise cancelling’ headphones unnecessarily feed outside noise into your ears. I turned this feature off.A minor nitpick I have is that in quiet environments, I notice that the headphones, when set to ‘0’ noise cancelling can actually be noticeably louder than not wearing the headphone at all. I thought this might be due to the ‘self voice’ feature but I still had the issue when self voice was turned off. I understand this from an engineering perspective but again, ‘noise cancelling’ headphones should not be LOUDER than with no headphones, regardless of the situation. This issue is mostly fixed if I always keep my headphones noise cancelling at ’10’.Software Bugs:The app has a lot little bugs that are kind of annoying. On the galaxy s9, often the app will not see my headphones, even when they are actively playing audio from my phone. Restarting the app typically fixes this.During the initial device setup phase of the app, if my phone tries to automatically pair to these headphones (and I let it), it can sometimes confuse the app and the app will not let me set up the headphones. I have to play around with unpairing my headphones and trying again to make it work.Another annoying issue is that if I have ‘0’ in my list of noise cancelling levels and I have the headphones remember my last noise cancelling level: When I first turn on my headphones, and it’s set to ‘0’, my first click of the left button on my headphones does nothing, my second click jumps straight to the 3rd option. E.g. if my noise cancelling levels are set to 0, 5, 10. The noise cancelling will start at 0, I click the button, it does nothing, I click the button again, it goes to ‘5’. And I have to cycle through 0 again to get to 10.Nitpick: the voice assistant on the headphones cuts the audio to the headphones. E.g. when I mute the headphones, it cuts off my audio for about a second when telling me it’s muted. Same when I unmute the headphones. It does not do this if I have voice assistant turned off. (it will instead play a nice tone)Final thoughts:Overall the headphones are still good, you can look to other reviews for all the positive aspects of the sound, noise cancelling, and mic. But these issues tell me Bose did a poor job of testing these headphones. If I only had 1 or 2 of the above issues, I would have given the headphones a 9/10, but with all these issues, I can’t give the headphones more than 7/10, especially for $350. (I rounded down to 3 stars)

    One person found this helpful

58. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Anonymous – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Good headphones, questionable interface

    These headphones are on par with the prior, and cheaper, Bose Quiet Comfort (QC) and Quite Comfort 2 headphones in terms of audio quality and comfort. The big difference is the interface, which is mostly worse.The instruction manual does not tell you how to control the headphones. You have to look for a YouTube video, which I cannot post a link to here because of a ridiculous Amazon rule against that. So here is a brief description of what controls you have and what they should have been.There is a pushbutton on the right speaker with a Bluetooth label. Press to turn on the headphones and hold to pair. This is fine, but the Bose QC had a better interface, a switch with an off, on, and pair position. The pair position had a springiness that had to be held to initiate pairing. That was a great interface.Below the power/pair button is a button to send a verbal command to the paired device. Without the Bose app, on an Android phone this will prompt you to either perform a Google search or make a call. With the Bose app, you can send the command to a voice assistant like Amazon’s echo. This interface is fine, but it would more sense to have two separate buttons for “ask…” and “call…”.On the left speaker there is a single pushbutton that toggles between three noise cancelling levels: 0 for none, 5 for medium, 10 for maximum. These levels can be customized with the Boss App. A better interface would have been a rocker control. In fact, there should have been two rocker controls: one for noise canceling levels on the left speaker that says the number as it goes through them, and one on the right speaker for volume that just beeps.And now for the bad part. The right speaker also acts as a touch surface for gestures to do a few critical things. To toggle between pausing or playing, double tap the surface. This feels like you are hammering your eardrum and is quite loud. To go back or forward a track swipe forwards or backwards. This is awkward and unreliable. To raise or lower the volume swipe up or down. This is also awkward and unreliable, and also imprecise.A better interface for these controls would have been to use a rocker as described previously for the volume and a three pushbutton array for prior-track, pause/play, next-track. All together, that’s just 4 control areas, two per speaker, that can be found by feel and muscle memory and provide tactile feedback. Such an interface would be far more comfortable, intuitive, and easy to use than the gimmicky touch interface.

59. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Ken Leisering – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    IMHO Can’t go wrong

    This is my first pair of NC headphones and I think they’re insanely good, at least for my application. I use them mostly at the office or home to reduce surrounding noise and enjoy my symphonic metal music. The bass boost and EQ are great features on these, and they’re very easy to pair to a device and operate. I got them at Black Friday price and think they’re totally worth it. I let a coworker try them to experience the nosie cancelation and he was blown away at how quiet it was. Overall, IMHO you cannot go wrong with these headphones. As always Bose delivers a high quality product at an afforable price. Well worth the money.

60. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Charlie – Cr – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    good headphones, but not the best sound….

    The sound is good, but could be a little better. Sometimes the sound cuts out if you have two devices connected at the same time. The battery is good enough. comfortable.