Bose QuietComfort 35 II vs. 45 vs. 700: Which Noise Cancelling Headphones to Choose?

Overview of Bose QC 35 II, Bose QuietComfort 45 and Bose 700

| #1  Bose QuietComfort 35 II Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones

Google Users Rating: 4.6/5

• Focus Camera: $249.95 (up to 5% cashback)

• Bestbuy: $299(up to 0.5% cashback)
  

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Bose QuietComfort 35 II made their debut in 2017, quickly proving that choosing noise-cancelling headphones didn't mean compromising on sound quality. They might have been trumped by the 2021 QuietComfort 45 but these headphones remain a decent buy, especially if you can get them at a decent discount.

They offer powerful, controlled bass, three noise cancellation settings (‘low’, ‘high’ and ‘off’) and plenty of bells and whistles. Built-in Google Assistant reads out text messages and online notifications while you're on the move, and you can even dictate a reply or rifle through your music library using voice commands.Battery life is 21 hours.

| #2  Bose QuietComfort 45 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-the-Ear Headphones

Google Users Rating: 4.6/5

• Bose: $329 (up to 5% cashback)
  

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The Bose QuietComfort 45 are a strong successor to the company’s 2019 flagship model, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II, and yet don’t quite have the refinement of Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. The QC45 are missing a few features like adjustable noise reduction and their audio performance isn't audiophile-quality. They're comfortable for long periods of time, however, and are easy enough for anyone to use.

If you want a set of robust, travel-friendly wireless over-ear headphones you can put on and largely extinguish the outside world for up to 24 hours, the Bose QC 45 has the edge over most of the competition at the price.

| #3  Bose 700 Noise-Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones

Google Users Rating: 4.4/5

• Focus Camera: $299.95 (up to 5% cashback)

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A breakaway from the QuietComfort range, the 700s are the beginning of a more premium series of Bose noise cancellers. Both the acoustics and digital signal processing have been redesigned. There is an eight-microphone system (six to cancel noise, two for voice pick-up) and you can adjust the level of noise-cancelling control by increments from 0-10. That's a serious level of control that most rivals can't match.

Both the silencing effect and the call quality is impressive and definitely an improvement on the QuietComfort range. Voices are more intelligible when phoning and high levels of noise cancelling seem more subtle and less like listening in a vacuum. Even if you're not playing music, just activate the noise-cancelling to block out unwanted noise.Comfort and aesthetics are spot-on too and, sonically, the neutral-to-lean character makes for uncomplicated listening.

Bose QuietComfort 35 II vs. Bose QuietComfort 45 vs. Bose 700: Specs

Bose QuietComfort 35 II vs. Bose QuietComfort 45 vs. Bose 700: Full Comparison

Design

When it comes to design, the Bose Headphones 700 look completely different from the QuietComfort 35 II  and QuietComfort 45.  The design is a lot more modern and looks premium. The all-metal headband that slides to your exact desired length. There are only three buttons on the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, with playback controls giving way to a touch-sensitive gesture pad on the right ear cup. The ear cups rotate 90 degrees for resting around the neck, but there are no hinges for folding. 

The QuietComfort 45 looks no different than the QuietComfort 35 II. It’s basically the same collapsible, minimalist design. The ear cups have physical buttons that you operate the music with. But there is also a few changes. The QuietComfort 45 's pivot points have metal hinges to give these headphones a more durable feel. More mics were stuffed into the earcups, as seen with the multiple dimples on each side.

Sound quality

While none of the three headphone sounds bad, the sound of the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is more likely to appeal to a wider audience with its more versatile frequency response. The Bose 700 has a natural soundstage and the addition of a customizable EQ with presets via companion app allows listeners to fine-tune audio to their ears. Lows are given priority when it comes to frequency range, but mids and highs aren't left behind either. Vocals are pronounced, while brass and string instruments are reproduced well.

The boosted high-end on the QC 45 is great for speech intelligibility—podcasts sound good—but poorly mixed punk and pop music aren’t enjoyable to hear. Sound quality is where the Bose QuietComfort 35 II comes back swinging: its default frequency response is much friendlier than that of the QuietComfort 45, which boosts treble notes so much that they sound unpleasant.

Active noise cancellation

The Bose 700 has better noise cancelling than the QuietComfort 45 and QuietComfort 35 II. Bose equipped the 700 with eight mics, six of which are used for noise cancellation, and revamped their adaptive microphone technology to give these headphones 11 levels of ANC. Turning on the feature at max level blocks out close to 90 percent of ambient noises around you, while minimizing high frequencies to the point that they sound like background effects on songs.

Two modes are programmed into the QuietComfort 45: Quiet and Aware. The former acts as the standard ANC mode and shows that it can handle just as much ambient noise as the Bose 700, but there is no option to adjust ANC.While the active noise cancelling on the Bose QC 35 II isn’t as impressive as with the QC 45, the QC 35 II more consistently attenuates low-frequency sounds. In addition, the QuietComfort 35 II offers  two ANC modes (Low and High), while the QuietComfort 45 not.

All of the three headphones also have an ambient listening mode, which lets you remain aware of your environment when listening to music. The Bose 700's extra mics, primarily the four that work together to amplify vocals when you're speaking, helped you communicate clearly with people without having to take off the headphones.  Aware mode on the QuietComfort 45 is just as effective for increasing environmental awareness; ambient noises sound distinctive and less harsh. On the QuietComfort 35 II, this feature isn't as polished and created muffled dialogue.

Call quality

Thanks to Bose's updated mic system, the Bose 700 stand out as the company's best headphones for calls. Four of the eight mics block out ambient noises while also amplifying your vocals during calls. Its wind resistance is also strong, decreasing whisking effects when walking by speeding cars or in gusty conditions. In addition, the Self Voice setting is clutch for hearing conversations fully when in rowdy areas.
The QC35 II and  the QuietComfort 45's call quality  is also good, though it is a step down from the Bose 700. You’ll get loud, crisp results, as well as some nice noise reduction, but callers often complained that the voice sounded muffled when you was chatting in drafty conditions.

Connectivity

No matter which headphone you choose, you will attain a solid connection across most devices. All of the three headphones use SBC and AAC codecs. This gives iPhone owners a reliable, high-quality codec to use for music playback, but not all Android users will experience the same consistent output from AAC. Unfortunately, AAC’s performance is variable across Android hardware, but SBC has come quite a long way since its inception and sounds much better than it used to.

Bluetooth 5.1 powers the QuietComfort 45,   Bluetooth 5.0 powers Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. They are with a minuscule difference. But both are more energy-efficient than Bluetooth 4.2 on the QC 35 II. You can also hardwire either pair of headphones to your device with the included 2.5-to-3.5mm cables for lossless listening.

Battery life

The Bose QuietComfort 45 has a longest battery life.  It is rated to last 24 hours on a single charge compared to the Bose 700 rating of 20 hours and The Bose QuietComfort 35 II  rating of 21 hours.

Fast charging is available on all the models.  Both the Bose 700 and the Bose QuietComfort 45 use USB-C to charge, whereas the QC35 II use micro-USB port to charge. A 15-minute charge of the Bose NCH 700 yields 120 minutes of playtime, and those same 15 minutes will get you 180 minutes of playtime with the Bose QC 45, whereas the same 15 minutes of charge time for the QC 35 II provides 150 minutes of playtime.

Verdict

Bose QuietComfort 35 II vs. 45 vs. 700: Which Noise Cancelling Headphones to Choose?

If you want the best from Bose, you need not look any further than the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. Despite being over two years older than the QuietComfort 45, the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 still delivers a better all-around listening experience. Everything from the customizable sound to the remarkable call quality to the svelte design makes Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 stunning. In addition, Bose set the standard for active noise cancellation on Bose 700 with 11 adjustable levels to effortlessly silence rumblings across the frequency spectrum. But Battery life remains its one glaring flaw.

The Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless are the next generation of the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018, both headphones are similarly well built and have very comfortable fits. The QC35 II  and QuietComfort 45 are still a great starter for newbies who are curious about noise-cancelling headphones. They are also a slightly cheaper alternative with great sound and battery life to match their strong ANC performance.

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