Final month, Bose introduced a complete revamp of its headphone and earbud lineup and launched three new merchandise on the identical time. I’ve already reviewed the QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds, which look (and sound) remarkably near their predecessors. However the QuietComfort Extremely Headphones are genuinely recent and never some low-effort rehash of an present mannequin. Priced at $429, these are changing Bose’s Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which strayed from the corporate’s typical formulation after they had been launched in 2019 — and never all the time for the higher.
With its newest flagship headphones, Bose is strolling the design again to one thing extra travel-friendly whereas including a brand new spatial audio listening mode, enhancements to name high quality, and different enhancements. The corporate continues to be contending with fierce competitors from Sony, Apple, Sennheiser, and plenty of different manufacturers. However the QuietComfort Extremely Headphones are an instance of Bose at its finest: they ship highly effective lively noise cancellation and are splendidly comfy to put on for lengthy stretches of time.
The QuietComfort Extremely Headphones carry collectively components of the prior Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 with the DNA of Bose’s massively profitable QuietComfort sequence. The corporate did a pleasant job compiling the very best attributes from every. These as soon as once more fold down for straightforward storage (one thing the NCH700 lacked) whereas trying way more premium and classy than the QuietComfort 45. I’ve one nitpick in regards to the case, nonetheless: it has indentations for the place the ear cups sit, however this implies you may solely fold the headphones one specific method or they gained’t match proper, which has already aggravated me on a number of events. There’s loads of plastic concerned within the make-up of those headphones — that’s obligatory for the all-day consolation that Bose prioritizes — however the steel arms are cool to the contact and lend some reassuring sturdiness to the headphones.
The broader headband didn’t trigger any discomfort throughout prolonged listening classes, and the clamping pressure is noticeably lighter than the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which may get fatiguing after an hour or so, in my expertise. My evaluate pattern hasn’t produced any noticeable creaking when dealing with the headphones, however this appears to fluctuate between models, and I’d be aggravated if I obtained saddled with a loud pair after spending $429 on them. I wouldn’t say the craftsmanship of the QuietComfort Extremely Headphones rises to the extent of one thing just like the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S2 or PX8, however Bose’s headphones are merely extra comfy to put on.
The controls are additionally extra foolproof. The ear cup faucet gestures from the NCH700 have been changed with Bose’s normal multifunction button, an influence / Bluetooth button, and a capacitive strip you can slide a finger throughout to regulate quantity. The QC Extremely Headphones may detect whenever you’ve eliminated them out of your ears and can robotically pause music accordingly. There’s nonetheless no help for USB-C audio, sadly, so the two.5-millimeter headphone jack is your solely choice for wired listening. (The usual 2.5mm-to-3.5mm cable is included within the case.) However Bose has stepped up its Bluetooth audio chops by embracing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound platform (and accompanying AptX Adaptive codec) for higher-bitrate playback — even when the tip end result isn’t game-changing.
Contained in the QuietComfort Extremely Headphones are the exact same drivers that Bose used within the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 4 years in the past. So for those who had been hoping for substantial adjustments to sound high quality or some new audiophile tier of Bose headphones, that’s not what you’ll discover right here. Some folks may be let down that Bose selected to recycle the identical drivers: at this value, different headphone makers not often sit so nonetheless in terms of elements from one mannequin to the following. However there’s extra to the way in which headphones sound than drivers alone, and Bose has by no means portrayed itself as a “hi-fi” model. In the long run, we’re left with a pair of headphones that reproduce the corporate’s pleasing, clear signature sound whereas preserving lows and highs even when the amount is dialed down.
The core audio profile is in the identical ballpark because the NCH700, however in my listening thus far, the newer headphones put barely extra emphasis on bass whereas sounding extra detailed and heat on the entire. These enhancements are delicate, so Bose is attempting to distinguish the Extremely Headphones with at the least one new standout function: just like the QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds, they embrace a brand new Immersive Audio mode, which is the corporate’s personal tackle spatial audio.
Right here’s what I wrote about Immersive Audio on the Extremely earbuds lower than a month in the past:
Inside immersive audio are two subsettings: you may select nonetheless, which permits for side-to-side head monitoring whereas the music stays at a set place in entrance of you, or movement, which reduces head monitoring and retains the audio candy spot the place it needs to be irrespective of which path you flip. Bose says it has developed new digital sign processing (DSP) software program that makes your music sound extra multidimensional and layered “whatever the audio platform or machine.”
It makes no distinction for those who’re listening to stereo content material or an precise Atmos tune from Apple Music or Amazon Music: Bose’s processing treats them the identical method. As ever, there are examples the place immersive audio works splendidly — like on The Nationwide’s new tune “Smoke Detector” — and others the place the vocals can sound a bit distant and the music has this fake reside efficiency really feel to it.
The story stays the identical with the QC Extremely Headphones. Immersive Audio can typically give sure tracks noticeable depth and an even bigger, extra immersive presentation — particularly for you classical followers on the market — however the outcomes are sometimes inconsistent from one tune to the following. When it’s good, it may carry out every layer of vocal concord. However within the worst circumstances, it may make instrumentation and vocals really feel squished into the middle of your head as a substitute of giving the whole lot extra room to breathe. The pinnacle monitoring facet comes throughout as gimmicky, because it does with different headphones which have related options. Outdoors of all this, I’m confused as to why Bose is totally disregarding Dolby Atmos music and taking place its personal path with proprietary processing to realize spatial audio. (Apple is responsible of the identical with its choice to “spatialize” stereo content material, and I want everybody would solely follow Atmos mixes for these items as a substitute of faking it.)
To this point, my feeling on Immersive Audio is that it’s nice however removed from some killer function that may promote anybody on Bose’s top-tier headphones. Individuals will purchase the QC Extremely for his or her elegant consolation and top-notch ANC. Identical to AirPods, they’re larger than the sum of their elements. Noise cancellation is up there with the perfect. If there have been any beneficial properties over the NCH700, they’re marginal, however you’ll positively be capable to discover peace and quiet on a flight, crowded prepare, or in a loud espresso store whenever you’re attempting to focus. A brand new wind block setting prevents any disagreeable mic distortion from reaching your ears for those who’re strolling round on a blustery day. Bose’s transparency mode (which the corporate calls “Conscious”) continues to get extra natural-sounding and is inside a stone’s throw of the AirPods Max however not fairly on the identical stage but.
I’m not somebody who has prolonged voice calls whereas carrying headphones; if I’m on a Groups assembly or one thing else necessary, I’d take a wired set of USB-C earbuds any day over Bluetooth. However Bose’s claims of improved name high quality do appear to bear out, with the QC Extremely Headphones doing a greater job than the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 at isolating my voice, based on folks I spoke with.
Battery life is rated at as much as 24 hours of steady listening, though that drops to 18 hours for those who’re utilizing Immersive Audio with any regularity. Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 headphones are nonetheless on the high of the mountain on this division with a hard-to-fathom 60-hour runtime, however as long as your headphones will final by means of an prolonged flight, that’s actually all that issues. The Extremely Headphones provide multipoint Bluetooth connectivity for pairing with two gadgets on the identical time, and so they’ve been up to date to Bluetooth 5.3, with Bose promising LE Audio help down the road.
By practically any standards that matter to the corporate’s longtime clients, the QuietComfort Extremely Headphones are an enormous enchancment over the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. They’re exceedingly comfy — extra so than alternate options from Sony, Apple, and different rivals — and proceed to offer highly effective noise cancellation. Sound high quality is established order and what I’ve come to count on from Bose headphones, and Immersive Audio will be very hit and miss. But when you may get over their increased value, the QuietComfort Extremely Headphones really feel like a significantly better match on the high of Bose’s lineup than their predecessors.
Pictures by Chris Welch / The Verge
