Bose Noise Cancelling 700

£300

Few products come with a reputation quite like Bose’s new headphones. The Noise Cancelling 700 are the latest in a long line of Bose Quietcomfort noise-cancellers that for much of that time have set the benchmark in the category. The name might not exactly roll off the tongue, but it reflects the company’s focus on noise-cancelling technology, which Bose has worked to improve.

The 700 use a new noise-cancelling system with everything from new acoustics to new digital signal processing – all running off Bose’s own NC chip. It features an eight-microphone system (six to cancel noise, two for voice pick-up) and 11 increments (from 0-10) of noise-cancellation intensity to choose from, allowing you to transition from full isolation to full transparency.

Zero doesn’t actually turn noisecancelling off, but is a light veil that allows you to hear your environment, while ‘10’ represents the most extreme level of sound blocking. We find levels 8, 9 and 10 best for blocking out the noise of the daily commute, although background noise is satisfyingly dampened with 6 activated. But whichever level we use, the isolating effect is as good as we’ve experienced in a pair of headphones.

The incremental system works, although we find ourselves skipping two levels at a time to hear notable progress between steps. You can scroll through levels in the companion Bose Music App, or use the app to set three presets. The helpful Conversation Mode can save you taking the headphones off your head. Activated by holding a button, it allows surrounding noise in, including voices.

Noise-free music listening

The work hasn’t just gone into ensuring your music listening is noise-free, but also into guaranteeing your voice and video calls are as intelligible as possible. The 700 use a ‘beamform-array’ of mics that work to isolate speech and suppress everything else, while a ‘rejection-array’ acts as a second line of defence for any remaining sound. The microphone design is adaptive, so it automatically adjusts to your environment.

We’re impressed by the call quality – even standing next to roadworks, you can feel the noise-cancelling in action. The only downside is its impact on battery life, which is 20 hours. The 700 bring the aesthetic up to date, with a strikingly modern look that’s more than a match for the latest models from rivals such as Sony, Sennheiser and B&W.

Available in black or the silver finish of our review sample, the 700 are largely a one-piece structure that is free of visible hinges. The stainless steel headband is integrated into the earcups, with its bottom acting as a slider for the cups to move up and down. The chamfered cups are adorned with the Bose logo, the microphone holes and three function buttons (noise-cancelling, power/pairing and voice control) between them.

The button layout is pleasingly sparse, partly due to the touch controls on the right ear cup – a first for Bose. Tap twice for play/pause and answer calls, swipe your finger up/down for volume change; and swipe to the side to skip tracks. Hold the Bose logo for a battery level reading, and press it for one second during an incoming call to decline it.

For a hands-free experience, there’s built-in voice control. The 700 support Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and either can be activated with a press of the bottom button on the right earcup. With Google Assistant, you can ask the 700 to play specific songs, albums and artists on Spotify, read out messages and notifications and answer questions.

The slender build and minimalist styling get a thumbs up for aesthetics and comfort. Their grip is just the right balance and weighing just 254g, they don’t exert too much pressure on the headband cushioning either. But the slim profile means the 700 don’t feel as well-built as some rival pairs, such as the B&W PX7. We’d keep the supplied carry case handy to take care of your purchase.

The 700 mirror their siblings’ familiar sonic character – bold, clear and up-front. But Bose hasn’t taken the same giant steps to advance the audio performance over its previous efforts as it has with the noise-cancellation and design.

We play everything from Maribou State’s downbeat electronica to Purple Mountains’ giddy All My Happiness Is Gone, and the stunning clarity and directness of the 700’s delivery is impressive. Synthesizers chime away with candour and, as the denser mixes follow, the Boses ensure everything is heard, producing a fast, spirited listen.

The neutral-to-lean character is at odds with the more natural balance of their biggest rival, the Sony WH1000XM4, and there isn’t the depth of bass to complement the agility and punch present at the low frequencies. The Sonys are the Bose’s sonic polar opposite, opting for more openness and full-bodiedness over agility and clarity.

Bose has made great headway with its noise-cancellation and aesthetics – areas in which the 700 are pretty much best in class. But at this price, the sound quality needs to be peerless, and Bose’s Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 fall short.