Bose QuietComfort 45 Bluetooth Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones - Triple Black

I did a lot of research looking into bluetooth headphones; as someone with hearing damage and is very picky about how their headphones rest on their ears, I knew I couldn't settle. I bought various other pairs before trying Bose Quiet Comfort, such as KVIDIO (Not tight to head/sound leaking, bassy sound), Sennheiser 350BT (Pinched my ears, quieter than other sets, could hear myself in calls and couldn't turn off in app), and Soundcore Q35 (Entirely different sound depending on the device and if plugged in, couldn't listen to music and be in voice call at same time without plugging in), all of which had their dilemmas. I really wanted a nice pair of bluetooth headphones for cheap, but in my search I recognized that wasn't possible, so I saved up what I had and thankfully snagged this on discount (bought for $180).The sound is absolutely immersive; my worries about these headphones was that the bass was going to be too heavy, as SONY bluetooth headphones and other sets in this price range are usually very bass heavy. Fortunately, that wasn't the case with Quiet Comfort; it's strong, but it doesn't overpower. The mids and treble sound great too, and I can't say I've had any issues with listening to music, calls with friends, etc, other than those friends having shoddy microphones (No problem though).The fit on this set is also solid; I have noticed in warmer weather that my ears get sweaty, but that's to be expected with any headset that's over-ear. My only note is that I noticed the inside of the headphones have molded to my ear. When I first got them, the meshy material with the L and R was flat, but now it's slightly caved in. I'm not sure if it's impacted anything, because I haven't heard a difference in sound, and they don't feel different. I will keep an eye on it for when I update this review.The controls are simple, a switch on button and three buttons to turn up, down, pause, and skip music (and if on mobile, to use your voice assistant) on the right cuff. On the left, the only button is the noise cancelling (two settings; aware and noise-cancel). I enjoy that this headset has two ports, one for charging, and another to plug them into the device to use instead of bluetooth. However, I will note to anyone that uses these headphones plugged in; when the set is in wired mode, it disables bluetooth, and when still on it sounds incredibly quiet. And, when turned off and plugged in, the EQ and Stereo Sound disable, so using the headphones without them being on is really rough. These doesn't steer me away from using them though, as I mainly use them on and via bluetooth. I mean, to be honest, who uses bluetooth headphones with a wire anyway unless they're dead?I'm also actually pretty impressed by the battery on these. They last me all day and night, and I plug them in when I sleep. They charge really fast, and I've only had two occasions of low battery, mainly due to me forgetting to charge em.Overall, my only worry onward is the deterioration, if there is any, and possible connection issues. Haven't had those yet, and hopefully I won't in a year.

I got these because they supposedly had decent noise canceling, and they were light weight.The noise cancelling is pretty good, and you can't really hear much at all if you have music on, but you can still hear everything (just muffled) with no sound playing. Which is ideal for me, and something I really like about this product.They are also not that heavy, and don't give me awful headaches like a lot of headphones do.The sound quality is also GREAT.The only downsides are that the mic is a little quiet, and you won't be able to be heard over the phone on a windy day. And they aren't super tight on my head, so they do fall off easy if you're doing even light jogging.They also connect to your devices pretty quickly, especially if you use the same device over and over. The only problem is when someone decides to borrow them, and then it has to test that connection first the next time you pick them up. Even WORSE if they're in the room because they will constantly connect to that device haha.That being said, I use these at my desk, and to walk to class all the time. The battery lasts ages (although it does take a little while to charge), and they're super comfortable. The case also keeps them nicely packed, and they are much sturdier than they look. I usually just put them around my neck to leave the house, and honestly I have had no problems with that in terms of wear.I've had them for a little over a year now, and I use them just about every day, and they are showing ZERO signs of wear or tear. I would HIGHLY recommend these.

I'm really enjoying these headphones so far, even after trying AirPods Max and Sony XM4. The QC45 just feel more comfortable to me, which may vary by individual. If you check out the RTINGS comparison you'll find the sound is actually better than the XM4 and they use scientific methods of comparison, not just throwing them on and making a judgement call. I agree that Bose should offer more customization to suit personal preference but that's an easy thing to add later in a software update. Noise cancelling beats the XM4 in my opinion and perhaps tied or exceeds AirPods Max -- tough to say. If you value comfort and plan to wear these for extending periods definitely consider this model. Don't get a QC35 like some have said, no USB-C, older technology in general, and QC35 probably won't get much software support going forward (being the old model).Update 01/11/2022: Still loving these headphones! I've taken them on several trips (including air travel) and they've performed very well. Battery life is long and they can simultaneously connect to multiple devices so you can pair them with a laptop, phone, tablet, etc without fiddling much with bluetooth settings. Noise cancellation makes the cabin noise in a plane much more tolerable and the controls with physical buttons are fantastic compared to both Sony and Apple competition. I have not tried the Bose NC700, but I am very particular to headphone comfort and design and I don't believe I would find them as nice to wear for long durations. Mic quality seems to be great, I use them in meetings frequently and have listened to myself through the mic to test. It won't compete with a standalone microphone, but nonetheless good for a wireless option.Update 07/14/2022: Since purchase Bose has added equalizer settings via a software update (to allow you to tweak the sound), eliminating one of my original complaints entirely. The Sony XM5 have also released. I can’t speak to how good the XM5 is, but know this — the XM5 is more expensive and no longer folds down to a compact form like the XM4 before it. Losing the ability to fold up automatically eliminates the XM5 from consideration for me personally. Traveling with the bulky case of the XM5 does not seem appealing.Update 11/16/2022: The headphones are still going strong! Over the past year I've been using these headphones almost every day. If you're going to use these headphones for meetings be aware that the microphone quality over Bluetooth connection is not that great. The Sony XM5 will produce a better sounding mic, however, even that is not great due to the limitations of Bluetooth technology. I've also experienced some audio cutouts when connected to multiple devices at once -- if you experience this I suggest disconnecting from all devices and connecting to only a single device at a time. Hopefully the next software update will completely fix this issue. In terms of future technology, I'm looking forward to Bluetooth LE Audio which should prove to be a big leap forward for Bluetooth devices in terms of streaming high fidelity mic and audio. Unfortunately, LE Audio will likely require new hardware so it may be quite some time before we can reap the benefits.