BOSE NOISE CANCELLING HEADPHONES 700

Not a great leap forward for music playback, but additional noise cancelling for voice services is epic

Yes the king of quiet is back, but is it still the king of noise cancelling?

Bose’s previous over-ear noise cancelling cans didn’t just sell like hot cakes, they defined a new lucrative market for Bluetooth wireless headphones with advanced active noise cancelling and premium price tags. These are the successors to the near-legendary QuietComfort 35, and while they’re not a big leap forward, they do look and sound very pleasing and have one hugely impressive trick that no other NC headphone can match…

Noise-cancelling on the QC35 II was jawdropping when it launched in 2016. Since then, the likes of Sony’s WH-1000XM3, Beats’ Studio 3 Wireless and Bowers & Wilkins’ PX have made improvements over the Bose NC – but not by much. Suffice to say, the noise cancelling here when listening to music is very good… but not

that much better than the QC35 II. The bar was set so high, it’s hard to see how it could be significantly improved anyway.

Noise cancelling when making calls or using a voice service (Alexa and Google Assistant can be activated by voice; Siri with a button press) is

another matter. These headphones don’t just let you hear what others are saying by removing background noise at your end, they make you easier to hear. With people making more video calls and using more virtual assistants, Bose reckons this is the big selling point here. Audio performance overall is really good. Noise cancelling can be dialled from zero, with audio pass-through (‘Conversation Mode’) all the way up to a cocoon-like 10. You can also choose your three favourite settings and toggle between them with the press of an ear-cup button. Audio quality has a slightly unearthly, pristine quality to it, especially with NC on full. You can’t really say it sounds ‘natural’, but it sounds pleasing. The performance seems less driving than the Sony WH-1000XM3; it’s more of a smooth, measured sound.

When it comes to listening to music, we’re not convinced they’re an essential upgrade over your old Bose, but they don’t disappoint.

Battery life is 20 hours. Plug in a cable after that, although you can’t use the noise cancelling when wired. Controlling volume and track selection with taps and swipes on the left earcup isn’t our first choice, but it works fine. Buttons handle power, voice assistants and NC levels.

Following a smash hit like the QC 35 II is no easy task, but Bose has made a hell of a job of it.