Bose QC45 Review: quality noise-cancelling headphones

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I got the Bose QuietComfort (QC) 45 to fill my audio needs. Not only did it replace my mode of taking calls wireless but I also paired it with my Nintendo Switch for gaming connectivity. You can read the blog or jump to this mini-review I wrote on Twitter. 

I used Apple AirPods for quite some time, maybe two years to manage work calls, wireless audio, etc. I swapped it for an AirPods 3 and those led to my ears bleeding, but that’s another story. 

The Bose QC45 is my first venture into ANC (Active noise cancelling) products and boy, it blew me away. I did a lot of research and one thing which factored heavily into the Bose was low latency for gaming compared to some other competitors. I can’t seem to find the right source for it but some googling should help with this. 

Buying Criteria:

Comfort, Wireless & Low latency (in order of priority)

Devices Paired:

Desktop PC, MacBook Air, iPhone 14 Pro & Nintendo Switch. 

Contents in Package:

Bose QC45 Headphones, super short USB-C cable for charging, 3.5mm to 2.5mm cable to connect with headphones and a carry case. 

The carry case is pretty good, the headphones fold up to fit inside it. I’ve been using this case for travelling or even storage when the headphones aren’t in use. The carry case has a slight pouch cut-out where my 2.5-3.5mm converter cable is usually stored. 

What might have been more welcome here would be a spare set of ear cushions which inevitably a user might need. 

Comfort:

I wear this, switch ANC on and sleep on flights. I am never boarding a flight without ANC headphones after this experience. The cans are comfortable to wear for long durations, it can get a bit sweaty in some environments but that’s an issue with most cans. The headband doesn’t clamp your head hard or weigh down much- something I did observe with my Sennheiser HD599 or Sennheiser PX100. 

These truly are one of the most comfortable headphones you can buy and that applies to most if not all QC headphones from Bose. 

Another positive is that once the cushions wear out, you are free to procure 1st or 3rd party replacements. 

Noise Cancellation and Isolation:

So I have tried the competing Sony WH1000-XM5 in a store and I think the Bose lacks slightly here. However, it’s not weak by any means. It is one of the best ANC solutions for consumers. 

On their own, the headphones provide a slight bit of isolation when they’re switched off. The ANC is good enough to tune out maybe 80% of the flight noise for me. And as it’s comfortable to wear I can sleep wearing these in complete silence. 

Since ANC was new to me sometimes it was eery how silent things got when you switch these on and wear them. But I got used to it with usage. It’s bliss on flights and even bliss when you need to focus and tune out background noise. 

App and Features: 

The headphones themselves can connect wirelessly via Bluetooth or the 2.5-3.5mm cable. In reality, I never tried these plugged-in and have always used them wirelessly. 

There are four buttons on the cans- one on your left earcup and four on the right. The button on the left allows you to switch between transparency and ANC mode. Transparency mode allows you to hear your surroundings and also engage in whatever audio experience you want. ANC mode is full-fledged noise cancellation. 

What I miss here is the ability to switch ANC off but keep the headphones on. This doesn’t exist. You are forced to use them in transparency or ANC mode. You could switch the headphones off for natural isolation, but then you’d not be able to get any audio. 

The right side features four buttons: Play/Pause, Previous, Next and an On/Off toggle. The play/pause button switches context with the app you’re using. Nothing to write much about here. 

The companion app features functionalities like customising the name of your cans and equalizer. You would even use this app to update the headphones with software updates if any. 

Again, gonna crib about how they might have easily added some function to customise noise cancellation to your needs or even switch it off. 

One side note- I like some of the default names they have for the cans. They’re a bit quirky and I like that. Nobody likes to read complex model codes such as WH-1000MX. 

You can switch sources of audio, it can connect to multiple devices and if you want to ignore some devices, you can control that from the application. 

Just a snap of the equaliser feature. I tried increasing the bass to my liking. 

Build Quality:

These headphones are all plastic, so they won’t feel as good as perhaps AirPods Pro. However, their being plastic is an advantage because this reduces the weight and thereby increases comfort. 

Although I would strongly avoid accidentally sitting on these. I am sure they wouldn’t last. Not the right test but still, this won’t survive that and that’s a shame. 

Connectivity:

I’ve paired it with my iPhone 14 Pro, MacBook Air M1, Desktop PC and Nintendo Switch. 

I’m gonna keep this part short- 

I do not observe lag when consuming videos. 

I do not observe lag when playing games on Switch or my PC. Although you shouldn’t use these for competitive gaming because Bluetooth does add a delay. 

There are two minor issues I’ve faced with these- 1) Intermittently during media consumption there is a slight interruption in the audio stream. This happens when both my MacBook and iPhone are connected. Disconnecting my iPhone resolves this, but I shouldn’t need to do this in the first place. 2) Very rarely there is some glitch in the audio. Hard to recall as it’s been a while since I faced it but restarting the cans resolves these. 

Audio Quality: 

I’m not gonna fake being an audiophile here. I enjoyed the experience of watching content, listening to music and playing games on these. They do *not* sound like some cheaper cans and sound great. The only adjustment I did was for the bass. I’ve never felt the audio quality of this was lacking. 

Microphone Quality:

Now not directly audio received but audio transmitted via microphones- these suck. My voice sounds strange, digitised and not so clear. When I’m using the headphones for calls I switch the input microphone to either my MacBook Air M1 or my Razer Seiren Mini. 

In a pinch, I suppose one can manage with these mics but I’d definitely not vouch for them. 

Battery life: 

I just have great things to write about here. The battery life is long. I can imagine one might be able to easily do a 15-20 hr flight without needing a recharge. When I charge mine it lasts for days before needing a recharge. Bose markets 24h battery life but realistically one should be able to get somewhere between 16-18 hours. 

Final Verdict

Barring rare issues with connectivity, super happy with the product. Great ANC, amazing comfort, decent~ application and bundled carry case make this a very nice package.

If you’re interested in buying the Bose QC45- you can use this link. Disclosure: I may earn a commission as an amazon affiliate https://amzn.to/445yLrY

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