Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Headphones Review

They have a similar design to their predecessor, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018. They have a sleek and minimalist look with a modest print of the manufacturer's logo on each ear cup. They come in the following colors: 'Black', 'White Smoke', 'Eclipse Grey', and 'Midnight Blue'.

These headphones are amazingly comfortable. They feel light and don't clamp onto your head very tightly. The ear cups and headband padding feel softer and cushier than the Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless. Most people won't experience much fatigue, even after wearing them for a few hours.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 have great controls. There are three physical buttons located on the right ear cup, which are clicky and easy to use. There's a switch on the outside of the right earcup that powers the headphones on and off and controls Bluetooth pairing. An 'Action' button on the left ear cup also acts as a multi-purpose control. There are volume chimes for when you've reached the minimum and maximum volume and voice prompts when cycling through ANC settings. There are also voice prompts for when you're pairing the headphones. Unfortunately, there's no feedback if you're skipping tracks.

On the left ear cup:

Action button:

• Single press: Cycles between 'Quiet' mode, which is the ANC on, and 'Aware' mode. 'Aware' mode is very similar to a talk-through mode as it allows the headphones to actively use their microphones to pick up sounds around you and play them alongside your regular audio content. However, unlike the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018, you can't adjust the level of noise cancelling if you prefer a lower setting, and you can't turn this feature off.
• Press and hold: Access voice assistant.

On the right ear cup:

• '+' and '-': Raises and lowers the volume.

Center button:

• One press: Plays and pauses audio. Also answers and ends calls.
• Double press: Skips a track forward.
• Triple press: Skips a track backward.
• Press and hold: Declines a call.

They're fairly portable. They're bulky, like most over-ear headphones, but the headband can fold into a more compact format. You can also lay the ear cups flat to take up less space.

The case is great. It's made of leatherette, and it feels sturdy and solid. There's a zipper to help secure the headphones when you're on the go and has a small pouch inside to store the cables when you're not using them.

Their build quality is good, and they feel similarly well-built as the high-end Dyson Zone Wireless. The ear cup and headband padding feel soft, and the adjustable headband is made of metal, which helps make them feel sturdy. However, they're otherwise mostly made of lightweight plastic, which feels a little cheap considering their price. The hinges and yokes are also made of the same plastic as the rest of the body and feel like a weak point in the build. If you're looking for even more premium Bose headphones, try the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless.

They have decent stability. They'll stay on your head while you're using them at your desk or on the couch. However, they aren't as stable as some over-ear headphones, like the Beats Studio3 Wireless, and they may fall off your head during a run. On the upside, they have a wireless design, so you don't need to worry about snagging them on something and pulling them off your head.

• Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones
• 1/8" to 1/16" (3.5 mm to 2.5 mm) TRS audio cable
• Carrying case
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• Manuals

They have a very neutral sound profile well-suited for various audio content. A touch of extra bass adds thump, rumble, and boom to mixes, but it doesn't overwhelm vocals and lead instruments. Luckily, if you prefer a different sound, their companion app offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you adjust their sound to your liking.

Note: Our unit's left and right drivers are somewhat out of sync in the mid to treble range, which makes the upper harmonics of voices overly bright in the right ear. However, this issue may only affect our unit, though if you experience this too, please let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.

They have good frequency response consistency. Once you achieve a proper fit, seal, and positioning on your head, you'll get consistent bass and treble delivery each time you use them.

The bass accuracy is great. It's slightly overemphasized across the range, but the response is still very flat. In Lorde's song, Royals, the bass drum at the beginning has a bit of extra punch and kick. However, the extra bass doesn't completely overwhelm vocals or lead instruments.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 have outstanding mid accuracy. It's fairly flat and neutral across the range, resulting in detailed, accurate, and present vocals and lead instruments. However, our unit's left and right drivers are out of sync in the high-mid, so the right driver sounds harsher than the left.

The treble accuracy is decent. While the response is mostly overemphasized across the range, our unit's left and right drivers are somewhat out of sync. As a result, the harshness of vocals and lead instruments is more present in the right driver than in the left driver. However, the difference is less noticeable in the mid-treble, so sibilants sound bright but not necessarily piercing.

The Bose QuietComfort 45's peaks and dips performance is amazing. For the most part, the peaks and dips are fairly minor. However, our unit's left and right drivers become very out of sync in the mid-mid, so a dip in the right driver nudges vocals and lead instruments at the back of the mix while dulling their detail. A peak in the right driver's low-treble makes the upper harmonics of these sounds harsh, while a dip in both drivers' mid-treble dulls sibilants like S and T sounds.

The Bose QC45's imaging performance is just okay. Bose usually has good quality control and makes headphones with well-batched drivers. However, our unit's group delay is slightly above the audibility threshold, indicating a slightly loose bass. At the same time, the headphones are mismatched in phase response, and the right driver sounds louder in the high-mid. You can also hear the phase mismatch in the treble range, even with real-life content. There's some mismatch present in frequency response too, which indicates holes in the stereo image. Overall, the imaging performance affects the accurate placement of objects like footsteps in the stereo image. However, imaging varies depending on the manufacturer's quality control and ergonomics.

These headphones have a poor passive soundstage. While it sounds large, the soundstage still seems like it's coming from inside your head rather than from speakers placed in the room around you. Since they also have a closed-back design, they sound less open than open-back headphones.

Unlike the Beats Studio Pro Wireless, these headphones don't have any virtual surround sound features. However, Bose has since developed their own Immersive Audio technology, found in more recent products like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Truly Wireless.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 have a good weighted harmonic distortion performance. All frequencies fall within acceptable limits, producing clear and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test these headphones, and our results are only valid when you use them in this configuration.

The Bose QC45's noise isolation performance is excellent. Using the 'Quiet' ANC mode, they block out bass-range noise like rumbling engines very effectively, like the previous generation. However, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 and Bose 700 Headphones Wireless are better at reducing noise in the mid and treble ranges. That said, the Q45 can still reduce significant noise, like ambient chatter and the hum of AC units. Keep in mind that you can't turn off the ANC but only cycle between 'Quiet', which is ANC on, and 'Aware', which is a talk-through mode that allows you to hear your surroundings without removing your headphones. As a result, we tested their passive isolation capabilities with the headphones turned off.

Users have reported high cabin pressure when using their unit's ANC. Cabin pressure refers to the pressure-like feeling inside your ears when the ANC is on and is similar to when a plane ascends and descends, creating a difference in pressure between your inner and outer ear. Some users may also describe this feeling as similar to being underwater. This sensation is caused by your brain perceiving the lack of low-frequency sound as a pressure difference between the inner and outer ear, which can become uncomfortable. The cabin pressure of these headphones is slightly more than normal when their ANC is on, but it won't be an issue for most users unless you're already sensitive to ANC. In comparison, other ANC over-ears, like the Apple AirPods Max Wireless, have higher and more noticeable cabin pressure, but it won't be too much of an issue for most users.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 have a passable leakage performance. Their leakage is mostly concentrated in the mid to treble range, which sounds fuller than in-ears and earbuds. People around you can hear parts if you listen to audio at high volumes in a moderately noisy environment like an office.

The integrated microphone has very good recording quality. Speech sounds natural, although a little muffled and lacking in body. Your voice is still understandable, though.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 have disappointing noise handling. The mic struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise, so your voice will be drowned out if you're taking a call from somewhere like a busy street. If you're looking for Bose headphones with a better noise handling performance, it's worth considering the Bose QuietComfort 35 II Gaming Headset instead.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 have an excellent battery performance. The manufacturer advertises them to last 24 hours continuously with their ANC on and continuous audio playback set to 50% volume. However, we measured a bit less than that, though battery life can vary depending on usage. Depending on whether you connect to one or two devices simultaneously, you may also notice a difference in battery life. The manufacturer advertises them to deliver up to three hours of playtime after a 15-minute charge. If you tend to run through battery life quickly, they have an auto-off timer you can adjust in their companion app to conserve battery life.

Bose Music is a great app. It includes a graphic EQ and presets so you can customize their sound. Unlike previous generations, this app lets you connect the headphones to other Bose products using 'SimpleSync'. You can pair up to two compatible Bose speakers, soundbars, or headphones together, so you can listen to your TV's audio via your Bose soundbar without disturbing others around you. For instructions on how to connect your devices, check out Bose's FAQ here.

You can also use the app to switch between ANC modes, adjust the volume, check the battery life, and set the auto-off timer. You can also adjust 'Self-Voice' (or sidetone) volume, allowing you to hear your voice when using the mic. You can turn voice prompts on and off and switch languages. You can view, add, and change the Bluetooth sources too.

The Bose QC45 have excellent Bluetooth connectivity. They support multi-device pairing with up to two devices at a time, and unlike the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018, they use Bluetooth 5.1. However, they don't support NFC for easier pairing. While their latency on PCs is a bit high, they have much lower latency on iOS and Android devices, which is nice if you like to stream video on your phone. However, some apps and devices compensate for latency differently.

Some users have reported experiencing issues like as audio dropping when connected to their smartphone and PC at the same time. We retested multi-device pairing in two ways: connected to a Windows 10 PC and a Samsung S10e phone and connected to the same Windows PC and an iPhone SE. Both phones are updated to the latest firmware. We played a song on the phone and a Youtube video on the PC, alternating when one source played audio and the other was paused. However, we didn't experience any issues with either phone and couldn't replicate this issue.

These headphones come with a 1/8" to 1/16" (3.5 mm to 2.5 mm) TRS cable that you can use to passively listen to audio. However, you can't use their mic with this connection. These headphones also come with a USB-A to USB-C charging cable.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones can connect to Bluetooth-enabled PCs with full audio and mic compatibility. You can connect them to your PC using their included 1/8" to 1/16" (3.5 mm to 2.5 mm) TRS cable, but you can only receive audio.

You can only use these over-ears on PlayStation consoles via an analog connection. However, you can only receive audio.

They can only receive audio when connected via analog to an Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S console.