Our Verdict
The Bose QC30 are good headphones for most use cases. They're comfortable, portable and isolate well in loud environments. They're decent commuting headphones and stable enough to take to the gym. Thanks to their low leakage, they're ideal to use at the office or in quieter environments like a library. They also sound good enough to please most listeners but they may not be the ideal headphones for pure critical listening.
- Comfortable and stable earbud fit.
- Very low leakage.
- Above-average noise isolation.
- The neckband design won't be for everyone.
- Laggy when watching videos.
Decent for neutral listening. They have a good bass, a well-balanced mid and treble range, but due to the small and closed back design of the earbuds, they don't have the best soundstage. They will sound good enough for most listeners but won't deliver the ambiance that some neutral listeners are looking for. They also do not have a customizable sound which makes them a bit more restricted when compared to the similarly designed Sony WI-1000X.
Good for commuting. The Bose QuietControl 30 are comfortable, easy to carry around and isolate well in loud environments. They also have a decent control scheme that's easy-to-use especially for NFC-enabled mobile devices.
Suitable for sports use. The StayHear+ tips provide a comfortable and stable fit which, combined with the around-the-neck design, means they will rarely fall to the ground even when exercising intensely. However, the neckband can sometimes get caught on items of clothing which may pull the earbuds out of your ears, but it's a rare issue that really depends on what you're wearing.
Above-average for office use. They barely leak even at high volumes and isolate well enough to block the chatter of a lively workplace. They're comfortable, they have a decent control scheme and wireless range and they have a decent battery life that lasts long enough for a typical work day.
Below-average for gaming. The Bose QuietControl 30 have a mediocre-at-best microphone, and a bit too much latency to be suitable for gaming. Their companion app is also not as customizable as most gaming-oriented software.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 07, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Jun 18, 2019: We've updated the feedback score of this review to better represent how hard the buttons are to press.
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Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Bose QuietControl 30 are good commuting and office headphones that are stable enough for the gym. They're one of the best earbuds we've tested; they barely leak and have and a well-balanced sound quality. They’re versatile for almost every use case except watching videos because of their relatively high latency. Their around-the-neck design also won’t be for everyone and they’re fairly pricey compared to competing headphones. See our recommendations for the best noise cancelling earbuds and the best wireless earbuds for iPhone.
The Bose QuietControl 30/QC30 Wireless are a better option for most uses if you want to go wireless; however, for a wired earbud, the Bose QuietComfort 20/QC20 are a good choice. The QC 30 benefit from the greater range of a Bluetooth connection. They also have a bit more control over their noise cancelling feature when compared to the QC 20. On the upside, the QC 20 have no latency, since they are wired. They also have a slightly stronger noise isolation performance than the QC 30. Also, since they have a simple wired design, they are a bit more portable and will easily fit into your pockets, unlike the QC 30.
The Bose QuietControl 30/QC30 Wireless are a better choice if you want a compact earbud design, but if you prefer over-ears, then get the Bose QuietComfort 35/QC35 Wireless 2016 instead. The QC 35 are a bit more comfortable for everyone, thanks to their lightweight and well-padded over-ear fit. They're also a bit easier to use overall than the QC 30 and have a better battery life, wireless range, sound quality, and soundstage. The QC 30, on the upside, are a lot more compact and travel-friendly and still provide enough isolation for most commutes and long flights. They also barely leak so you can play your music louder without distracting the people around you, which is great for the office.
The Bose QuietControl 30/QC30 Wireless are a much better wireless noise cancelling headset than the Sony WF-1000X Truly Wireless. The Bose have a more comfortable earbud fit, better noise isolation performance, better sound quality, and a longer battery life and wireless range than the Sony. They also have a better latency performance, although both headphones would not be the ideal choice for watching a lot of video content. On the upside, the Sony are a lot more compact than the Bose and will more easily fit into your pocket despite their fairly large charging case. The Sony also have a slightly more premium looking truly wireless design which some will prefer over the Bose even if their wireless connection is not as stable.
The Bose QuietControl 30 are a better wireless headset than the Jabra Elite 65e. The QC 30 isolate better in noisy environments, which make them a bit more suitable for commute and travel. They also have a better-balanced sound quality that will cater better than the Jabra to most music genres. The Jabra, on the other hand, have a customizable sound profile and a more feature-packed app support that gives them a lot of control over their active features. They also have a better in-line mic which makes them more suitable for making calls.
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