Bose QuietComfort 45: Familiar design, lower price

Bose has unveiled its QuietComfort 45 headphones, a successor to the famous and ubiquitous QuietComfort 35 II. The new Bose QC 45 looks similar to its predecessors, and this time around, Bose has improved audio quality, controls and even convenience. While Bose raised the bar with these improvements, it lowered the price; Bose QuietComfort 45 is priced at $ 329.

Continue reading: The best noise canceling headphones

The QuietComfort 45 has two audio settings, Quiet and Aware mode. When Quiet mode is activated, listeners can enjoy first-class Active Noise-Canceling (ANC) performance. While we don’t yet know how the noise cancellation on the new headset performs, we can refer to the ANC charts on the old model. It’s fair to expect the QC 45 to attenuate low-frequency sounds like the rumble of a jet engine or the noise of a railroad car, making them at least a quarter to a fifth as loud as they would sound without the headset. Aware mode has the opposite effect, allowing the listener to keep an eye on background noise without removing the headphones. This is good for hearing a subway announcement or responding to a ticket vendor.

As the name suggests, the QuietComfort 45 should be comfortable headphones. Bose QC 35 II owners support these headphones for convenience, so the new iteration shouldn’t be any different. The company made slight modifications to the ear pads that were designed to reduce the number of gaps that form between the padding and the skull, thereby improving passive isolation and fit. The headphones can still be folded flat and stowed in the supplied carrying case.

Given how much of the past year has been spent in virtual meeting rooms, more companies have recognized the importance of the microphone quality of their headsets, and Bose is no exception. The Bose QuietComfort 45 has an improved microphone system that actively attenuates annoying background noises, even less predictable ones such as a roommate’s dog barking or the hum of a coffee grinder.

Thanks to Bluetooth multipoint support, the QuietComfort 45 is also a great productivity headset. Listeners can connect to two devices at the same time and have one ear for incoming phone calls while streaming a conference call. The headphones use Bluetooth 5.1 and have Bose SimpleSync, which makes it easy to pair with Bose soundbars for private audio streaming.

Battery life is also better as Bose promises 24 hours of playtime on a single charge. Modern smartphone owners can look forward to the USB-C instead of the micro-USB charging input. A full charge takes two hours, but you can also charge the headset quickly: a 15-minute charge provides 180 minutes of playtime.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 is available for pre-order starting today and is priced at $ 329. Bose will ship the headphones on September 23.