Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones UC 700
Bose brings unified communications to the 700 series.
The global pandemic has, if nothing else, entirely rewritten the way that many businesses operate and brushed away those who considered home working a business risk.
Working efficiently from home requires the right equipment, and Bose is a highly respected audio brand that can precisely deliver that.
But, being even more expensive than the original Bose 700 series headphones that launched less than a year ago, are the 700 UC music to our ears or only the profitability of Bose?
Design
Considering how much the Bose 700 UC headphones cost, that they come in a brown cardboard box is an odd design statement to make, but it saves on production cost, we assume.
Like their predecessors, the headphones come with a neat travel case that houses not only the headphones but two cables and the pre-paired Bluetooth USB dongle.
These can be connected to a 3.5mm audio jack using one cable, to a USB port using the other or via the Bluetooth wireless mechanism with the dongle. The USB cable is USB-C at the headphones and USB-A at the computer, and it is also the means for charging.
Bose also makes a special version of the case with two full additional charges for an extra forty or so hours of operating time.
Available in white or black, the headphones appear identical to the original 700 series, and they work the same in most instances.
To make them operational using Bluetooth you simply insert the dongle into a suitable USB port on the computer, wait for the blue LED on it to flash rapidly, and press the pairing button on the 700 UC. And,
Being even more expensive than the original Bose 700 series headphones that launched less than a year ago, are the 700 UC music to our ears or only the profitability of Bose?
unless there is a technical problem, the dongle LED should stop flashing and remain lit, and a corresponding LED on the headset will confirm the connection.
No codes, no software, it is that simple.
Features and battery life
These, like the 700 series, can use the Bose Music application on a mobile phone that is free on the Google Play Store and the App Store. You don’t need to use this application for pairing to a computer, but it is useful if you wish to seamlessly move between computer audio and an incoming mobile call.
Depending on the hardware you connect it, you can also communicate with Alexa,
Google Assistant and Siri using the headset.
One of the standout features of
this hardware is that the number of buttons on the earcups have been minimalised by making the right one touch-sensitive over its surface.
Swiping up and down alters volume, tapping pauses and continues play and swiping front to back moves to the next and previous tracks. This might sound complicated, but it soon becomes second nature.
The twenty hours of the 700 series was one of the areas that came in for some critical comments previously since the Sony WH-1000XM3s offer another ten hours before needing a complete recharge.
Noise cancellation
Many headphones offer a noise cancellation mechanism that is designed to enhance the wearer’s enjoyment of music or a podcast by eliminating external sound. This is perfect for listening on a train or aircraft, or anywhere where the noise pollution of modern life invades.
However, if you are making or receiving a phone call, that sound can still be heard by the other party, even if you are mostly oblivious to it.
The 700 series resolved this issue by using two of the eight microphones to separate the wearer’s voice from the background sound, providing noise cancellation to the voice for much clearer communication in noisy environments.
Therefore, that person behind you having a spat with their line manager shouldn’t be heard by a customer you are calling from the office, and that out-of-key rendition of Old Macdonald had a Farm, should be dramatically reduced for that home caller.
A single button allows the feature to be paused completely, and as good as the noise cancellation on these is, it doesn’t eliminate background sound entirely enabling others to creep up on you.
Sound performance
Acoustic appreciation can be a very subjective analysis, but to the saddlebags with lobes on the sides of our heads, these sounded truly excellent. They have the same well-balanced soundstage as their 700 series cousins that gives them resonance without blurring the middle-range or and losing clarity.
These aren’t the expansive sound that you might expect from audiophile approved cans, but they’re substantially better than many noise cancelling options that create a distinctly clipped soundstage.
Instead of using the typical mix of prog-rock and popular music icons, we tested with a collection of film soundtracks that offered a wide frequency scope.
For those wanting to hear what the 700 UC can offer, we’d recommend Daft Punk’s
Recogniser from the TRON Legacy soundtrack, as it shows off how they can maintain clarity in complex sound space.
As a test of bass, Anvil of Crom from the Conan soundtrack by Basil Poledouris serves well, and his epic
Hunt for Red October theme mixes symphonic grandeur with sovietstyle choirs.
After diving deep, no trip into the audio stratosphere would be complete without the aggressive snare-drum action of Kenny Logins’ classic Danger Zone from the motion picture soundtrack of
Top Gun. And, to finish something more contemporary we loaded up What’s Up Danger from Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, by Blackway & Black Caviar. The production of that track shines very brightly through these cans, and it works the drivers hard.
From a listening experience, only the Sony WH-1000XM3s and their WH-1000XM4 replacements offer better in this price range, and the difference is very subtle.