Audio

Bose QuietComfort 45. Simply great headphones

Feb 5, 2022 - 18:27

With its QuietComfort line, Bose has a long tradition and a very good reputation.

The manufacturer approached the novelty quite carefully, these are rather minor improvements to the existing one, no major changes are taking place.

You can play the game: find the difference between QC 35 and QC45.

The visual differences are really minimal, which on the one hand freezes because the headphones look practically the same since 2016. On the other hand, the design of QC is so iconic that it is difficult to improve. These are exactly the headphones that you can "crumple" into your backpack and nothing will happen to them. At the same time, they are renowned for convenience, so why change something that works.

The current model is therefore unquestionably related to the legendary QC35 model. In addition to the name, there is a clear reference in the design. The Bose NC 700 headphones (full name Noise Canceling Headphones 700), which were taken as the successor, thus find themselves in an interesting position.

It's clear now that the QC line is likely to continue with a conservative design, and the "sevens" that remain on sale will be a separate branch, targeting customers who want more lifestyle headphones.

The oval earbuds comfortably hide the whole ear, they are very soft and you can keep them on your ears for the whole ocean flight. They are a bit deeper than the previous generation and inside you will find the classic L and R label. In the same way, the softly padded head bridge with almost ideal pressure remains.

The considerable mobility of the headphones has not changed either, and the possibility of folding them into many different shapes is one of the biggest benefits. When you leave them in your backpack, they are never so-called. At the slightest pressure, they always have nowhere to dodge and relocate.

The owners of the original QC35 will certainly agree with me that these headphones can withstand a lot, you can only execute them by running them over the tank. Of course, the package also includes a hard case where the headphones can be stored and in which no damage will definitely occur.

And the controls remain unchanged, there is a familiar slider outside the right shell that turns on the headphones in the middle position, and when you slide it even more and hold for a while, you turn on pairing mode, and a short swipe to switch between paired devices.

The switch then returns to the center position by itself. Behind the right ear, you will find the familiar three buttons; it is a volume control and an action button to pause and start playback, skip tracks with it, and finally receive and place calls. Behind the left ear, you have a single button that toggles between ANC on mode and ambient monitoring.

The headphones are great, comfortable, and perfectly functional.

This is the biggest change of USB-C (finally) and instead of a 3.5mm jack, the manufacturer gave a 2.5mm jack here, which unfortunately is not much of an improvement. Spartan approach, but functional

Other headphone equipment is in a similar spirit. In the mobile application, you actually only learn how to control the headphones, and you can edit the list of paired devices. You can also change the volume and switch between ANC / monitor, but this is also possible with headphones. No equalizer settings (this should be added with the firmware update), no ANC or monitoring power settings.

The headphones use six microphones that work with ANC, but you also use them hands-free. Everything looks natural and the attenuation of the surrounding sounds is just perfect. The QC35 model could cause different ear pressures, etc. in individuals with more sensitive hearing. Fortunately, this does not happen here.

Monitoring of the surroundings can amplify human speech but does not unnecessarily mix all the bustle around you. When ANC and monitoring work, it doesn't matter that nothing can be set.

Endurance, which is exactly 24 hours with the ANC, and you can really get to this value. The great thing is that in 15 minutes of charging you can get another 3 hours of listening, the whole headphones charge in about 2.5 hours.

Expect great performance, beautiful performance of real instruments, and really excellent vocals.

Bose generally has a lighter expression, so you may lack the deepest bass in electronics. Where, on the other hand, you do not suffer from shortages, they are strong, precise, and emphatic. It can provide beautiful space even at low volumes, but it also breaks down at high volumes. Nevertheless, they are not universal headphones, but they will be appreciated more by lovers of real instruments who do not want so many basses. Verdict

Very good and compact headphones with great sound and excellent ANC. However, they are not so different from their predecessor and there are not many reasons to upgrade. If you are looking for lighter-looking headphones that will fly back and forth with you, the Bose QC 45 is a great choice.

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