[Test] Bose Headphones 700: it has almost everything going for it

Let's talk today about the Bose Headphones 700. If there is an essential accessory in our time, it is definitely headphones with active noise isolation (which we will call ANC later, it's faster). Whether at the office, so as not to hear your colleagues, at home, when you have the possibility of telecommuting but the children/neighbors are too noisy, or even in transport, it is an investment that turns out to be quickly appreciated. Aram recently told you about Apple's AirPods Pro (article to be found here), but perhaps you prefer headphones rather than headphones!

We like it or we don't like it, but the Headphones 700 clearly differs from headphones in the QuietComfort range by its design (see our article on the Bose QC35 here). Much thinner at the level of the arch, a smoother, minimalist design. I personally find it more pleasant, the plastic aspect especially being less obvious.

You can easily notice the work on the design at the joint between the ear cups and the headband. If, normally, to adapt the size of the helmet to that of your head, you slide the earpieces, and you suddenly see a metal rod coming out of the headband, here you have the impression that the earpieces slide along the hoop, without seeing any additional part appear. It may sound trivial, but it's really nice to have that kind of attention to detail.

Will bend, won't bend? Bose stays true to itself, and the 700 comes nicely with a hard carry case to put it in a bag risk-free. And to take up a minimum of space, the helmet can be laid flat, without the headband being able to bend, however. It's safer in terms of solidity, it's better in terms of design, but it's still a bit cumbersome.

You can notice a small magnetic hatch in the case where the mini-jack cable and the USB-C cable are stored to charge the headphones: well thought out.

Going back to the Bose 700 itself, 2 LEDs are present on the right earpiece: one, white, will indicate when the headphones are on/charging, the other, blue, is linked to functionality Bluetooth (flashing in connection mode for example).

The only detail I have to criticize this headset for is the layout of the buttons: on the left atrium, a single button to launch the voice assistant, so far so good. On the right, two buttons: one to turn on / off / leave the Bluetooth pairings, the other to adjust the level of ANC (more on that later). I see you coming, two buttons is indeed not insurmountable, but … they are relatively close and neither has any particular texture. So it takes some time not to be mistaken. I've turned the headphones off several times when I actually just wanted to change the ANC level.

Due to the thinness of the headband, we expect a particularly light helmet, but surprisingly this is not the case: 250 g against 234 g for the latest QC35. Fortunately, this is not felt once in place. The headphones on the skull, we left for several hours of listening without discomfort. Personally, if I remove the helmet for a brief break, it is because of the heating in the ears, but not because of discomfort on the top of the skull or unpleasant pressure in the ears.

We will also appreciate the amplitude offered by the headband. You can suddenly find the ideal size whether you have a rather small skull or, conversely, quite large.

Let's move on to what interests us most when it comes to headphones: sound quality. As usual, it will be a feedback more than a technical analysis of the beast (I will not claim to have the skills to do so, unlike our colleagues at Les Numériques).

And that's the easy part: the Bose 700 is good at it, very good. It is versatile, efficient, you can switch between classical music, rap, electro, Netflix and it will follow without flinching. On the other hand, I find the bass a little sluggish: no saturation or crackling, but a *boom-boom* that hits quite hard (I had warned for the technical side). Fortunately, the equalizer available via the application (/Android) solves the problem.

Neighbours that are too noisy in the open space or in transport? The ANC will make them disappear. I particularly like the fact that I can adjust the level of ANC, from 0 to 10, depending on the environment. This allows you to be cut off from the world when you want to be focused or, on the contrary, to stay connected with those around you while listening to your favorite music.

Leaked level, unless you're listening to your music at a particularly high level (and you shouldn't, really), your neighbors shouldn't be aware of your questionable tastes bothered.

As for calls, because in the times we live in now you will surely have to use them in front of Zoom, no problem! You will be heard and hear your interlocutors clearly.

The Bose 700 comes with an application that gives access to several settings: you can, for example, define the voice assistant you want to activate, have access to an equalizer (basic but present) or even adjust the levels of ANC to which we want to have quick access via the button on the right atrium: we can set up to 3 of them. This allows for example to quickly switch between an ANC at 100%, 50% or 0%, depending on our need or the environment.

You can also find a quick tutorial on the touchscreen features of the right headset, which allow you to pick up / hang up, play / pause our music, change tracks or even adjust the volume. It works quite well, the touch area being quite large and sensitive.

The app is also easy to use. If I had to complain that said: it does not work at all on an iPhone XR and no update has solved the problem since I have the Bose 700 (several weeks anyway). So I have to adjust everything from my iPad, but it can be annoying if you don't have other devices available: a Bose effort!

As for battery life, Bose claims a good 20 hours of listening time, and I can confirm that. So we'll be quiet on that side. Recharging will be done via the USB-C port (we expected no less, right Apple).

If the Bose 700 was offered at its release at €399, it is now available at just over €300 on Amazon for example, and sometimes goes below €300 (the silver color is currently at €263 !). Although not perfect, its small flaws are quickly forgotten thanks to the comfort, its versatility, the terribly effective active noise cancellation and its autonomy. Its design also makes it quite versatile. We recommend it without too much trouble!

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