I tried a couple headphones before buying. Comfort was one of my most important factors, even though I'm really particular about sound quality. The WH-1000XM4 was uncomfortable, and so was the WH-1000XM5. The inner part of the headphone touches your ears at all times, so breathability can be an issue. My ears were annoyed after 5 minutes of using it, it would surely cause soreness after 8 hours sessions every day. The Bose 700 has the same problem; the earpads are not deep enough. Noise cancelling-wise, I found the perceived noise cancelling inside a store to be better with the QC45 than the WH1000-XM4 and the Bose 700. These, based on reviews, are better for lower-frequency noise, such as cars, AC rumble, etc. To block out conversations, the QC45 seemed to be better in the mid-range. Sound quality-wise, I do like a lot of bass, to be honest. Many headphones try to follow the Harman target, but I like a little higher emphasis on the low bass. The WH1000-XM4 definitely has a lot more bass by default, but there's some tweaking you can do in the app to counteract that. The QC45's are also very shouty, so you have to tame the treble a little and give a bit more emphasis in the mid-range when EQ-ing. Today I find the sound that comes out of if, even when equalised using wavelet on my Samsung, to be a bit... Vanilla. It is not bad, it just lacks something that I can't really tell. The lack of a proper lossless codec is a major letdown. I thought I couldn't tell the difference in quality between codecs, but using the in-ears from Sony (WF1000-XM4), the difference is veeeery clear. I wish I could have something like that with the QC45. But, at the end of the day... To use it at the office 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, I would choose the QC45 over and over again. It never causes me any pain, the sound quality is good enough and the noise cancelling on the human voice range is superb.
*Things Missed* *Long Hair*: both are annoying for long hair, but my hair get caught way less with the 700s. The swivel joint on the 45s make it real easy to get hair caught and way harder to detangle vs the seamless swivel joint on the 700s. *Glasses*: 700s have thicker and more firm cushions, I think the 45s are more glasses friendly.
Can't comment on long hair much but when I have my wife try headphones, hair has never been an issue. Perhaps it's due to how the hair is tied and different styles for different people? Good feedback about glasses. Got laser eye and consideration for glasses comfort is overlooked. I'll see how I can start incorporating it in future reviews. Cheers.
Bose QuietComfort 45 are great headphones. I don't own them yet, but I've worn them a few times. They fit great and are very light. The sound is great.
the xm5 is ok with the noise cancelation, they do cancel out like the roadtrip noise from the car but doesnt really cancell out talking when near by people. the volume is realy loud tho,
Yes but since they're over the ear, you might sweat easily as you exert more energy running. I recommend wireless earbuds to prevent excessive sweating.
Wait, whaaat?? I'm in the UK, here ALL retailers (including Bose themselves) offer the QC45 at a _considerably_ higher price than the NC700, literally all retailers, year round. I've always found this confusing since the 700 are objectively better, with better ANC, also logically because the 700 are meant to be Bose's flagship, and the QC45 are not supposed to be a replacement, and are not meant to be the new Bose flagship, rather just a refresh of the QC35II, but all this being the case, the QC45 are still WAY more expensive than the superior, flagship 700. Very supprised to hear that it's the opposite in North America. It's annoying because I would just get the 700s, I have owned them before and I know they are phenomenal, but... I just DESPISE the design, I hate the plastic feeling headband, I hate how they ALWAYS slip forwards down my head unless I'm literally looking slightly upwards, I hate their lack of range of motion/don't collapse like the QC series always have done- but they're still objectively better for audio, AND they're cheaper over here.. So it's like, do I spend more on a pair that sound lesser, but have a flawless design for me? Or do I save a buck and actually get BETTER audio, but end up with a pair of headphones that I actually hate wearing/holding/looking at? It's a real tough dilemma, and honestly I'm kinda mad at Bose for the weird moves they've made lately, I mean, the QC SE, what the hell was that all about?? Just gonna discretely re-launch the QC45 under a different name, market them as a budget headphone without giving ANY concrete info on what this product is or how it differs from the QC45, only for the community to eventually suss out that the ONLY difference between the SE and the 45 is... drumroll.... THE CASE, ladies and gentlemen. The SE come with a soft case, the 45 come with a hard case- that's it. The SE are LITERALLY the 45, and Bose deliberately made this really unclear... I really wish that they would have ditched the whole new direction that they took with the 700s, go back to the QC form factor, and instead of releasing the 45 as they exist presently, just put the tech/drivers/ANC from the 700s in the QC form factor, and call that the new flagship, and honestly if they had charged the same price as the MSRP of the 700 (which was extremely expensive compared to the QC35 II), I would have STILL paid the price even if the audio was no different from the 700, simply because it would have meant we can get the phenomenal quality of the audio/improved ANC from the 700, but with the FAR superior design of the QC line. I would kill to have this hypothetical model exist man... But until then, it's either design over sound, or sound over design, and idk which to go for. Instinctively I lean towards better audio, but god DAMN I really can't stand the design of the 700, and they're a nightmare to wear due to the slipping... And conversely I don't just like the QC design, I actually really love it a lot. Ah jesus alright enough ranting
I bought the 45 on amazon for 229€, the 700s is 320€ But I regret not going for the 700s... The lack of settings for noise canceling is a huge let down
The lack of settings for NC on the QC45 is a huge let down to be honest. I've been wearing it for an hour and I'm already getting sick of it. I used to have a QC 35ii and always set the NC to medium. Full NC is too strong, feels weird in my ears. And I will have to see tomorrow outdoors but if it's like on the QC35: it will be unusable in windy conditions, so bye bye running with them.
Neither of them will last long. Earcups are cheap and fall apart very quickly. Headband uses cheap synthetic leather that falls apart and flakes quickly. I've only worn them 20-30 times, and they have never left the house. These were $400 headphones! Bose head office don't care. I wish I'd never bought Bose headphones.
so SICK of qc45. my first pair of anc headphone was QC25, which was great. then i bought QC35 because it is wireless and I am still using it! Soon, bose replaced QC35 with QC35II and then... after several years, QC45 IS now. from qc25 to quc45, THEY ALL LOOK (ALMOST) IDENTIFCAL and look boring and dated! No matter how good QC45 could be, I personally will choose 700 or Sony's. Let alone QC45 is not that great!
I tried a couple headphones before buying. Comfort was one of my most important factors, even though I'm really particular about sound quality.
The WH-1000XM4 was uncomfortable, and so was the WH-1000XM5. The inner part of the headphone touches your ears at all times, so breathability can be an issue. My ears were annoyed after 5 minutes of using it, it would surely cause soreness after 8 hours sessions every day.
The Bose 700 has the same problem; the earpads are not deep enough.
Noise cancelling-wise, I found the perceived noise cancelling inside a store to be better with the QC45 than the WH1000-XM4 and the Bose 700. These, based on reviews, are better for lower-frequency noise, such as cars, AC rumble, etc. To block out conversations, the QC45 seemed to be better in the mid-range.
Sound quality-wise, I do like a lot of bass, to be honest. Many headphones try to follow the Harman target, but I like a little higher emphasis on the low bass. The WH1000-XM4 definitely has a lot more bass by default, but there's some tweaking you can do in the app to counteract that. The QC45's are also very shouty, so you have to tame the treble a little and give a bit more emphasis in the mid-range when EQ-ing.
Today I find the sound that comes out of if, even when equalised using wavelet on my Samsung, to be a bit... Vanilla. It is not bad, it just lacks something that I can't really tell.
The lack of a proper lossless codec is a major letdown. I thought I couldn't tell the difference in quality between codecs, but using the in-ears from Sony (WF1000-XM4), the difference is veeeery clear. I wish I could have something like that with the QC45.
But, at the end of the day... To use it at the office 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, I would choose the QC45 over and over again. It never causes me any pain, the sound quality is good enough and the noise cancelling on the human voice range is superb.
the nc700 is much less comfortable and cancel less noise for me than the 45..the xm5 was also not comfortable at all
*Things Missed*
*Long Hair*: both are annoying for long hair, but my hair get caught way less with the 700s. The swivel joint on the 45s make it real easy to get hair caught and way harder to detangle vs the seamless swivel joint on the 700s.
*Glasses*: 700s have thicker and more firm cushions, I think the 45s are more glasses friendly.
Can't comment on long hair much but when I have my wife try headphones, hair has never been an issue. Perhaps it's due to how the hair is tied and different styles for different people?
Good feedback about glasses. Got laser eye and consideration for glasses comfort is overlooked. I'll see how I can start incorporating it in future reviews.
Cheers.
Bose QuietComfort 45 are great headphones. I don't own them yet, but I've worn them a few times. They fit great and are very light. The sound is great.
Really great review. I'm tossing up between 45 and 700. I need great NC and not for music. Which one do you still recommend.
Xm5
the xm5 is ok with the noise cancelation, they do cancel out like the roadtrip noise from the car but doesnt really cancell out talking when near by people. the volume is realy loud tho,
Can you bring up and down the volume via your phone with the NC 700s or do you have to swipe up and down on the headphones?
You can use both ways: phone or headphone control. That's how most headphones work too, if they have volume control.
Thank you for the detailed video !
I was more interested for noise cancelling but disappointing 700 is not as good as 45. Very disappointed.
Would you say the 700 is secure enough to use as a running headphone? Thank you!
Yes but since they're over the ear, you might sweat easily as you exert more energy running. I recommend wireless earbuds to prevent excessive sweating.
Which one has better microphone? I need to make some calls during the day and would like to know which one performs better
Wait, whaaat?? I'm in the UK, here ALL retailers (including Bose themselves) offer the QC45 at a _considerably_ higher price than the NC700, literally all retailers, year round. I've always found this confusing since the 700 are objectively better, with better ANC, also logically because the 700 are meant to be Bose's flagship, and the QC45 are not supposed to be a replacement, and are not meant to be the new Bose flagship, rather just a refresh of the QC35II, but all this being the case, the QC45 are still WAY more expensive than the superior, flagship 700. Very supprised to hear that it's the opposite in North America.
It's annoying because I would just get the 700s, I have owned them before and I know they are phenomenal, but... I just DESPISE the design, I hate the plastic feeling headband, I hate how they ALWAYS slip forwards down my head unless I'm literally looking slightly upwards, I hate their lack of range of motion/don't collapse like the QC series always have done- but they're still objectively better for audio, AND they're cheaper over here.. So it's like, do I spend more on a pair that sound lesser, but have a flawless design for me? Or do I save a buck and actually get BETTER audio, but end up with a pair of headphones that I actually hate wearing/holding/looking at?
It's a real tough dilemma, and honestly I'm kinda mad at Bose for the weird moves they've made lately, I mean, the QC SE, what the hell was that all about?? Just gonna discretely re-launch the QC45 under a different name, market them as a budget headphone without giving ANY concrete info on what this product is or how it differs from the QC45, only for the community to eventually suss out that the ONLY difference between the SE and the 45 is... drumroll.... THE CASE, ladies and gentlemen. The SE come with a soft case, the 45 come with a hard case- that's it. The SE are LITERALLY the 45, and Bose deliberately made this really unclear...
I really wish that they would have ditched the whole new direction that they took with the 700s, go back to the QC form factor, and instead of releasing the 45 as they exist presently, just put the tech/drivers/ANC from the 700s in the QC form factor, and call that the new flagship, and honestly if they had charged the same price as the MSRP of the 700 (which was extremely expensive compared to the QC35 II), I would have STILL paid the price even if the audio was no different from the 700, simply because it would have meant we can get the phenomenal quality of the audio/improved ANC from the 700, but with the FAR superior design of the QC line. I would kill to have this hypothetical model exist man... But until then, it's either design over sound, or sound over design, and idk which to go for. Instinctively I lean towards better audio, but god DAMN I really can't stand the design of the 700, and they're a nightmare to wear due to the slipping... And conversely I don't just like the QC design, I actually really love it a lot. Ah jesus alright enough ranting
I bought the 45 on amazon for 229€, the 700s is 320€
But I regret not going for the 700s...
The lack of settings for noise canceling is a huge let down
😂😂😂 the most brutally detailed and informative honest review
Great review, well done! thanks!
The lack of settings for NC on the QC45 is a huge let down to be honest.
I've been wearing it for an hour and I'm already getting sick of it.
I used to have a QC 35ii and always set the NC to medium.
Full NC is too strong, feels weird in my ears. And I will have to see tomorrow outdoors but if it's like on the QC35: it will be unusable in windy conditions, so bye bye running with them.
Good Job 👍🏿
Neither of them will last long.
Earcups are cheap and fall apart very quickly.
Headband uses cheap synthetic leather that falls apart and flakes quickly.
I've only worn them 20-30 times, and they have never left the house.
These were $400 headphones!
Bose head office don't care.
I wish I'd never bought Bose headphones.
Easily replaceable
so SICK of qc45. my first pair of anc headphone was QC25, which was great. then i bought QC35 because it is wireless and I am still using it! Soon, bose replaced QC35 with QC35II and then... after several years, QC45 IS now. from qc25 to quc45, THEY ALL LOOK (ALMOST) IDENTIFCAL and look boring and dated! No matter how good QC45 could be, I personally will choose 700 or Sony's. Let alone QC45 is not that great!