Bose Quietcomfort 45 test: our full opinion - helmets and headphones - Frandroid

It took three years for Bose to renew its QuietComfort range with its new QC45. But what is this noise reduction multipoint Bluetooth headset with a transparent mode worth? This is what we will see in this complete test.

The Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

Five years after the release of the QuietComfort 35 and four years after the QuietComfort 35 II, it was thought that Bose was done with its line of wireless noise canceling headphones. Especially since the manufacturer has since launched its Headphones 700, a helmet with a significantly revised design, with touch controls. It is not so. Bose returns at the end of the year with the QuietComfort 45, noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones to complete its range. But what is it worth in use? This is what we will see in this complete test.

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Bose QuietComfort 45Datasheet

This test was carried out with a helmet lent by the manufacturer

Bose QuietComfort 45Video

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Bose QuietComfort 45Design

While the Bose Headphones 700 seemed to have completely reshuffled the cards for noise reduction headphones at Bose, the QuietComfort 45 — which we will also call QC45 for convenience — adopts him a much more traditional approach. At first glance it's very simple, we are entitled to headphones similar in all respects to the Bose QC 35 II.

It is indeed a circum-aural headset, so with pads around the ear, like on most headsets of its kind. But the strength of the range of QuietComfort headphones from Bose is indeed their comfort of use. And there too, the QC45 fits clearly without this lineage. We have a particularly light helmet with a weight of 240 grams. For comparison, the Bose Headphones 700 displayed 250 grams on the scale when the reference of the main competitor, the Sony WH-1000XM4, offers a weight of 254 grams.

The Bose QC45 with its comfortable headband // Source: Frandroid

It's a small difference in terms of numbers, but in use, this lighter weight is clearly felt. Personally, I used a Bose QC35 first edition for years, then switched to Sony at the beginning of the year. I therefore have enough experience to recognize that the Bose headphones are indeed much more comfortable. It must be said that the arch does not only press on a point at the top of the skull, but indeed on a wider area. The weight is therefore better distributed between the ears and the top of the head, so as to relieve the pressure.

The Bose QC45 is also particularly solid thanks to the use of fiberglass-reinforced nylon for the headband and metal hinges. It can be folded very easily to be stored in a bag – with ear cups that can swivel more than 90 degrees – without fear of it being damaged. In terms of storage and folding, it is even on a par with the Sony model, where the Headphones 700 seemed more fragile and could not even be folded up. In short, comfort level as storage, it's all good on the side of Bose.

The Bose QC45 folds easily // Source: Frandroid

But we have to admit, what still makes the QC range special, still in 2021, is the integration of real physical buttons and sliders for the controls. Here, no fuss or touch surfaces with sometimes hazardous responses: if you want to pause the music, press the clickable button, and you're done. There are three keys under the right earpiece: the two volume buttons and, in the center, the play button. A little more curved than on the QC35 II, it is nevertheless the same keys as on the previous helmet that we find on this QC45. Outside the right earpiece, a slider will allow you to power on the headphones and change the source – we will come back to this – while the button under the left earphone allows you to modify the noise reduction mode.

Finally, the connection has not been forgotten. The Bose QC45 is indeed a wireless headset, but it is possible to use it wired with noise reduction - by turning on the headset - or in passive mode - by leaving it off - simply by plugging in the supplied jack cable . Unfortunately, once is not custom, Bose seems angry with the classic 3.5mm mini-jack format and it is a 2.5mm micro-jack cable that is provided on the headphone side. In other words, you will necessarily have to use a compatible cable if the one supplied breaks, any standard cable not being compatible.

On the other hand, it is better for recharging. Bose had already switched to USB-C on its Headphones 700 and is now doing the same on the QuietComfort 45 by offering a type-C format socket on its headphones. So you can easily charge it with your smartphone charger without having to pull out an old micro-USB cable from the bottom of your cable drawer.

The Bose QC45 around your neck // Source: Frandroid

As for the accessories provided, we can also mention the fairly practical semi-rigid case, but without fuss.

Bose QuietComfort 45Use and application

To connect the Bose QC45 to a smartphone, simply turn it on for the first time using the button on the outside of the right earpiece, a button which we will talk about several times in this test. The headset will then automatically go into pairing mode and you can easily connect it to a smartphone or computer via the Bluetooth settings. Unfortunately, the Bose headphones do not offer connection by Google Fast Pair or Microsoft Swift Pair.

The controls

Apart from the button on the right side allowing you to turn on the headphones, change the Bluetooth source or enter pairing mode, most of the controls are done using the trio of buttons under the right earphone. These are precisely the same buttons as on the Bose QC35 II with a play button in the center and two volume keys on either side

The play button is very easy to control with one press to pause the music, two presses for the next title and three presses to go back. The volume buttons allow them, logically, to… modify the sound volume. In short, nothing rocket science. But it is precisely these physical buttons that make the strength of the QuietComfort range from Bose, even against the Headphones 700 from the same manufacturer. Here, we can clearly feel that the action has been taken into account thanks to the simple click of the fingertip. No need to wait to check that the title will change or to repeat it three times for a swipe from top to bottom to decrease the volume. One click and it's all good.

The volume and playback keys of the Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

In this little game, however, note that the click on the buttons of the QC45 is a little less straightforward than on previous versions. So we have less physical feedback, but here we nitpick.

Finally, to manage the active noise reduction, it's the same grub. The button under the left earpiece makes it easy to switch from noise reduction mode to transparent mode simply with the touch of a finger. A short voice feedback will also indicate which mode we are in between "silence" or "open". As a reminder, on the QC35 II, this button was allocated to the voice assistant with the reading of the latest notifications received on an Android smartphone, or voice commands. This time, to launch voice commands, you will have to press the play button for a long time.

The button to manage noise reduction on the Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

Bose has therefore chosen to suppress the reading of notifications to allow better management of noise reduction, a choice that pays off as we will see later.

The Bose Music app

Bose has finally decided to abandon its old app, Bose Connect, in favor of the Bose Music app, already used to control the QC Earbuds or the Headphones 700 .

As usual with the American manufacturer, the features offered are basic to say the least. No equalizer or touch control settings – logical, since the headphones are controlled with physical buttons – but just a few practical settings. The Bose Music application will thus allow you to switch between Silent mode and Attentive mode — a function already available directly on the headphones —, switch from one Bluetooth source to another — another function offered on the headphones —, modify the Headset name for Bluetooth settings or manage your voice feedback during voice calls.

Bose Music

Bose plays the card of simplicity so much that the manufacturer does not even seem to have integrated a menu directly dedicated to updating the firmware… at first glance. By looking a little further into the " technical characteristics ", however, we can read that the " product is up to date", therefore seeming to indicate that this is where the Bose QC45 can be updated later.

Finally, only one function is really useful within the Bose application: the choice of language. The Bose QC45 indeed regularly offers certain voice announcements, in English by default. The application will however allow you to change the language to switch to French.

Finally, the limited functions of the Bose app are only so because the controls are already complete on the headphones themselves. We especially regret the absence of an integrated equalizer, as usual with the manufacturer. In addition, it is impossible to automatically pause the music when removing the headphones – and therefore to save battery – no sensor being integrated into the headphones.

The Bluetooth connection

Historically, one of Bose's biggest strengths against Sony was the integration of multipoint Bluetooth. Until the Sony WH-1000XM4, Sony headphones could only be connected to a single source, while the QC35 allowed you to change sources on the fly, staying connected for example to your PC and your smartphones.

Logically, Bose has kept this feature for the Bose QC45 and it must be admitted that it is better controlled than with its Japanese competitor.

The Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

As we have seen, the Bose QC45 can therefore connect to two devices simultaneously: a smartphone and a computer for example. Concretely, if you receive a call on your phone while listening to music on your PC, the smartphone will take over. But management can be easier thanks to the power button. I've been talking about it since the beginning of this test as if it were a simple button, but it's actually a slider with three positions. The first turns off the headphones, the second turns them on and the third, spring-loaded, allows you to start pairing the headphones – if you extend this position – or to switch from one source to another. Thus, the Bose QC45 will go around the different sources to which it has connected in the past to see if they are again accessible, and allow you to switch very easily from one source to another. It doesn't seem like much told like that, but after three years with a QC35 and six months with a WH-1000XM4, it's a simplicity that I miss today on Sony headphones and that I'm happy to be back on the QC45.

The Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

For the rest of the Bluetooth functions, the Bose QC45 is equipped with Bluetooth 5.1. A small delay therefore whereas today we find Bluetooth 5.2 on the majority of wireless headphones and earphones and some even switch to Bluetooth 5.3. Still, during my week of testing, I didn't experience any untimely loss of connection, even when using the headset while walking down the street with the smartphone in my pocket. Connected to a PC, the headset continued to work even when I was two rooms apart, whereas my wireless Logitech G Pro X, though using a 2.4GHz connection, wouldn't. In short, the range and the Bluetooth connection work perfectly. Only the latency, inherent in Bluetooth connectivity, can be annoying, especially in the case of video games on PC or smartphone.

Bose QuietComfort 45Noise reduction

It's in the very name of the QC45: QuietComfort, or silent comfort. It must be said that Bose is the precursor of active noise reduction technology, a function first launched on its aviation headsets, then popularized with the QuietComfort range. For a long time, the American manufacturer remained the undisputed leader in terms of efficiency in erasing noise pollution. However, other players have since emerged, whether Sony, with its recent WH-1000XM4, or Apple with its AirPods Max.

The noise reduction microphones of the Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

For the QuietComfort 45, Bose is therefore using a recipe that it masters well by integrating four external microphones into its headphones, in addition to the internal microphones used to reduce residual noise that would bypass the passive insulation of the pads.

The noise reduction of the QC45 is unsurprisingly very good. The headset does an excellent job of reducing even the most difficult to manage sounds. In the street, it will manage to erase the noise of traffic, in the train that of the purring of the engine and, in an office, even the sound of keystrokes or the discussions around – very complicated to manage – will be strongly attenuated.

We come to a point where it is particularly complicated to detail the differences between two noise reduction headphones. Finally, more than the level of noise reduction, it is the effectiveness of the QC45 on certain frequencies and for occasional noises that is astonishing. While Bose was lagging behind the Sony WH-1000XM4, we know that the American firm has worked hard on its QC45 to get up to speed. However, the headphones do not significantly improve things compared to the latest model launched by Bose, the Headphones 700.

Switching from transparent mode to noise reduction is as easy as pressing a button on the Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

Worse still, the Bose QC45 ultimately offers a less complete experience than the Headphones 700. Like Sony's headphones, the manufacturer's previous model made it possible to finely manage the level of active noise reduction. Up to eleven levels were thus proposed. Here the Bose QC45 goes straight to the point: the active noise reduction is activated to the maximum or it is not. And if it is not, you will necessarily have to go through the transparent mode. In fact, unless you turn off the headphones – and therefore go through the wired connection – it is impossible to switch to passive mode, without noise reduction or transparent mode.

As for noise reduction, it is worth highlighting one of the main concerns of this technology: the hiss effect. Particularly marked on the Bose QuietComfort 45, this feeling of suffocation can bother the first time you use the headphones. If it is inherent in this technology, however, Sony manages to attenuate it much better to give less the impression of being in a jar.

The transparency or Aware mode

The main novelty of the Bose QC45 lies in fact in the arrival of a transparency mode, called " Aware ". As on the Headphones 700 or the main competing headphones, Bose is finally upgrading and now allows you to switch from active noise reduction to a mode allowing you to hear your surroundings.

We are not going to detail what a transparent mode is. Put very simply, it's about using the headset's external microphones not to reduce the noise around you, but to diffuse it within the headset itself. This function has a major advantage: removing the passive isolation of the helmet and therefore being able to communicate with the people around or to be more aware of your environment, such as cars that would arrive when crossing the street.

The Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

I've been testing noise canceling headphones for a long time, but rarely has using transparent mode seemed as simple as with the Bose QC45. Activating this mode with a simple button makes it very easy to enjoy. Above all, thanks to the multipoint Bluetooth compatibility of the Bose QC45, I was able to use the headset all day on my office PC, while teleworking, while activating the transparent mode to be able to communicate with my companion when necessary. Most of the time, activating the mode is more complicated – with several finger swipes or taps required – or less useful – when the headset can only be connected to one source, usually the smartphone.

More than the quality of the transparent mode — rather natural, even if you hear a slight hiss — it is indeed its ease of use that convinced me for the Bose QC45.

Bose QuietComfort 45Audio

Bose is not one to brag about the technical characteristics of its headphones, speakers or earphones. The firm does not communicate the size of the transducers used for its wireless headphones.

We just know that the Bose QuietComfort 45 is only compatible with the two most basic Bluetooth audio codecs on the market, SBC and AAC. So don't count on taking advantage of the aptX or LDAC codecs, even if your smartphone is compatible: this is not the case with the headphones.

To go further aptX, LDAC, SBC: understand everything about Bluetooth audio codecs

To test the quality of the Bose QC45, I connected it to an Oppo Find X2 Pro, then I listened to songs on Spotify in very high quality, i.e. ogg vorbis at 320 kbps.

From the outset, we find the signature of Bose products with pushed bass, a strong emphasis on the low mids and well-exposed highs. Nothing very surprising so far, it was already the same sound offered by the QC35 II or the Headphones 700. Moreover, we feel like a certain laziness on the part of Bose. While Sony manages to seduce more and more with round basses and enveloping subbasses, Bose persists with its less punchy W signature. The sound offered here is certainly rather well made, but will ultimately seem quite cold compared to the very ergonomic, flattering signature of a Sony WH-1000XM4.

The Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

On Billie Eilish's Bad Guy, for example, I was able to hear the singer's voice clearly, prominently featured, but I expected more from the bass pad in the background, which lacked power . Moreover, it is on this same piece that I noticed one of the main concerns of the Bose QC45: management of the mediums. By wanting to push them, the headphones can have trouble processing the different frequencies and seem to mix up the brushes, so much so that it happens, at high volume, that the QC45 produces a slight saturation in the voices. I felt the same problem on Come Away With Me by Norah Jones.

Note also that, as usual, Bose does not offer any equalizer in its Bose Music application. However, aware that the bass will not be reproduced identically at high or low volume, the firm has integrated an active equalization system. Concretely, this is a function — over which you have no control — which will make it possible to reduce the intensity of the bass at high volume, and to increase it at low volume, so as to always find the same signature, no matter how loud the headphone volume is. It's pretty well thought out and it allows you to really enjoy listening even when lowering the sound.

The Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

The fact remains that, overall, the Bose QC45 offers a rather flat sound. Given its price and the time since the release of the QC35 II, one would have hoped that Bose would invest more in the acoustic development of its headphones. It is not so. If you liked the sound of the QC35, you will find your account there, just as if you appreciate the relatively neutral approaches. Lovers of warmer sound – we are thinking in particular of users of Sony headphones – will go their way.

Dynamics are the same. The QC45 struggles to vary the sound volume on the same track and, all too often, sounds that were supposed to be played at high volume are reproduced at the same level as those played at low volume. Fortunately, the headphones do much better on the spatialization side with a fairly wide soundstage.

Bose QuietComfort 45Micro

Of course, the QC45's microphones are not only used for noise reduction, but also to pick up your voice during voice calls. These are four microphones that are used by the Bose headset, in order to isolate your voice from ambient noise so that your interlocutor understands what you have to say to him.

As a reminder, it is precisely on the quality of voice calls and voice capture that Bose placed the emphasis when it released its Headphones 700. Here, the Bose QC45 achieves good results, but below its predecessor. Concretely, inside, in a quiet place, your interlocutor will not be bothered by outside noises since the headphones will manage to filter them well. Outdoors, the headphones will also generally manage to manage noise pollution well, such as the noise of nearby cars.

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On the other hand, as soon as a dull and prolonged noise is heard, such as a running water tap if you are washing dishes, the Bose QC45 will take about a second before adapting to the noise. The noise reduction will be effective for your interlocutor, in the sense that your voice will continue to stand out well. However, it will be largely compressed and the person on the line will continue to hear water in the background.

Bose QuietComfort 45Autonomy

Bose announces that its QuietComfort 45 can be used for 24 hours with noise reduction activated. An improvement on paper compared to the 20 hours of the QC35 II.

In fact, this autonomy of more than a full day has been verified. So I started listening with the noise reduction activated and the volume at 75%. Starting with headphones charged to 100, it took 24 hours and 16 minutes for the Bose QC45 to run out of battery. Suffice to say that the promise of Bose is largely respected.

The USB-C socket of the Bose QC45 // Source: Frandroid

For the recharging of its helmet, the American manufacturer announces that it is done in 2h30 for a complete charge. Bose also announces that 15 minutes of charging will recover 3 hours of listening.

One of the main novelties of the Bose QC45 lies in the connectors used for charging. Bose has finally embraced USB-C, having kept micro-USB for its QC35 and the QC35 II. You can therefore use the same cable to charge your headphones as for your smartphone.

Bose QuietComfort 45Price and release date

The Bose QuietComfort 45 is available in two colors, black or white, at an introductory price of 349.95 euros.