- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Updates
- Comparison
- Best Headphones
- Conclusion
- Discussions
We have currently reviewed 15 Bose headphones. They're a reputable brand that makes comfortable headphones, known for their great noise cancellation.
Updates
- 07/19/2019 Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 reviewed
- 06/18/2019 Bose Hearphones reviewed
- 08/30/2018 Bose SoundSport Free reviewed
- 07/13/2018 Bose SoundWear reviewed
- 06/06/2018 Bose SoundLink Around-Ear II reviewed
Best Bose Headphones
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Best Bose Headphones For Casual Use
Type Over-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesNoise Cancelling YesMic YesTransducer DynamicThe best Bose headphones for casual use we've tested so far are the Bose QuietComfort 35 II. They fully live up to their namesake thanks to their remarkably comfortable, lightweight design and impressive noise cancelling. They have a great 20-hour battery life with an auto-off timer to help save power if you forget to turn them off. They have a very well-balanced sound with just the right amount of thump and rumble and can be paired to two devices simultaneously. While their noise cancelling is still best-in-class, it was unfortunately weakened a bit by a recent firmware update, and like many of Bose's over-ears, their do leak quite a bit of sound. That said, the QC35 II remain among the best wireless headphones we've ever tested and are very easy to recommend overall.
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Best Bose Headphones For Business And Travel
Type Over-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesNoise Cancelling YesMic YesTransducer DynamicThe best Bose headphones for business and travel are the Bose 700 Headphones Wireless. They sport a more stylish and premium look than the rest of Bose's headphone lineup, and feel better-built overall than the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018. Their active noise cancellation works better than any other Bose headphones that we've tested to date, and they leak considerably less audio than their other over-ear options, making them great for using on a plane or bus. They're an excellent choice if you travel for business and need to take lots of calls on-the-go thanks to their impressive microphone—the best we've ever tested on a pair of Bluetooth headphones. Unfortunately, they're not quite as comfortable as the QC35 II, and their touch-sensitive control scheme can be a bit finicky to use, but if you travel for business a lot and need a pair of headphones with a fantastic mic and noise cancellation, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better companion than the Bose 700.
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Best Bose Headphones For Office Work
Type EarbudsEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesNoise Cancelling YesMic YesTransducer DynamicThe best Bose headphones for office work are the Bose QuietControl 30. They have a comfortable earbud fit for those who find in-ears fatiguing to wear for long periods, and they are easy-to-use. Their ANC does a very good job at blocking out chatty co-workers, and they leak much less sound than Bose's over-ear models do, so you can blast your music without bothering the rest of the office. They have a very well-balanced sound profile that's suitable for a wide range of genres and content, and they support multi-device pairing, so you can easily switch between your work computer and phone. Their 11-hour battery life is quite good and they also feature an auto-off timer to help stretch their battery even further, which is great if you want to be able to use them on your way home from work as well.
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Best Bose Headphones For Sports
Type EarbudsEnclosure Semi-OpenWireless Truly WirelessNoise Cancelling NoMic YesTransducer DynamicThe best Bose headphones for sports we've tested so far are the Bose SoundSport Free. Their semi-open design introduces a lot of ambient noise, which is great for runners that need to monitor their surroundings. It also helps create a more spacious, open sound than that of closed-back earbuds. This, combined with their very well-balanced frequency response, makes them the best sounding wireless earbuds we’ve tested so far. Unfortunately, they have issues with their connection at times, and they have a bulkier earbud design than other truly wireless headphones we've reviewed. They still provide a great listening experience, though, especially for athletes who don’t want to compromise on sound quality.
Compared to other brands
- Comfortable design. Comfort is one of Bose's strong suits. Not only are their over and on-ear models exquisitely well-padded without feeling too tight on the head, but their earbud headphones are also quite comfortable. You can usually wear their headphones for hours without discomfort.
- Well-balanced sound. Bose prides itself on making headphones that don't require an equalizer to sound good, and lately they've been living up to the expectation. The majority of their headphones we've tested have a very well-balanced sound profile that's versatile for a wide range of music genres without need for much tweaking.
- Good noise cancelling. Bose has been known as one of the best brands when it comes to noise cancelling. Although the QC35 II's ANC performance was affected by a recent firmware update, the brand still delivers consistently good noise isolation overall.
- Expensive, yet plasticky designs. Bose's headphones are lightweight and comfortable, but don't feel as premium as their price would suggest. They're still fairly well-built, but feel a bit plasticky compared to similarly-priced models from other brands.
- Lackluster customization options. While most Bose headphones are compatible with a mobile companion app, it doesn't offer as many customization options as other brands' apps do. Bose's apps most notably don't provide any sound customization options like an EQ, which is disappointing if you like to tweak the way your headphones sound from time to time.
- Leaky over-ear models. Although Bose in-ears and earbuds do not have this issue (most likely due to their smaller size), many of their over-ear models do leak quite a bit of sound at higher volumes, which could bother those around you.
Overall, Bose makes well-rounded headphones that provide an unparalleled level of comfort. Many of their headphones also have very good noise cancelling and tend to sound quite well-balanced too. However, Bose tends to make comparatively expensive headphones that feel a little plasticky compared to other headphones in the same price range. Their over-ear lineup also tends to leak a bit at higher volumes, which might not be ideal for all environments.
Lineup
Bose doesn't offer as many headphone types and variations as some other brands. However, they deliver a solid series of headphones that cover most uses.
Conclusion
Bose is a well-known brand, popular for their excellent noise cancelling and incredibly comfortable designs. They produce well-rounded and versatile headphones that also deliver in the sound department. However, their models tend to be comparatively more expensive and not as well-built as some other headphones in the same price range.
Check our recommendations for the best travel headphones.
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