Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, Black

These are great headphones with a couple of problems. I've compared these side-by-side with the Sony WH-1000XM3 and Bose QC35 II so when I list something as a positive or negative, this is subjective and compared to the others. Positive - * Good sound (see note 1) * Good active noise cancelling * Very comfortable (see note 2) * Fantastic performance on calls * Good battery life and fast charging * Useful alerts such as alerts letting you know how many hours left on the battery * Can connect to multiple devices and switch between them from the app Negative: * App makes you register to use it * Can't use all the features or update unless you register with the app * Issues when connected to multiple devices AT THE SAME TIME (see note 3) Notes 1 - Sound. If you have spent this much money on wired headphones, know what flac is and use a dedicated source or DAC then these are not going to blow you away on sound, but compared to the competition they are great. I know so many reviews say the XM3s sound better but they really don't, the XM3 has a very heavy bass which ruins the mids, not just that, it's not even nice bass. The Bose 700 bass isn't missing, there is still plenty of it but it's tighter and clean and doesn't destroy the vocals. The sound isn't going to blow you away, it's comfortable without being boring, doesn't really suffer from feeding it poorly mastered recordings over Spotify either. They are the best sound from an ANC headphone I have heard so far. They sound similar but better than the QC35s, like there is better separation and imaging. The Sony's really shined when I used them with the Walkman connected via LDAC, but my main use case is connected to my iPhone or iPad and the Bose won there. 2 - Comfort. This is subjective, people complain that they clamp, I have a big head and don't agree but you do need to extend them down more than you expect to get a comfortable fit. I can wear them for hours with no problems other than getting warm like all closed backed headphones do. The band at the top doesn't press down and I have my hair shaved short. As for getting hot, they aren't as bad as the Sony's but they feel warmer than the QC35s. 3 - The App. This is the biggest disappointment but also another winning point for Bose, you can connect these headphones to everything then just turn them off in the app, disable in the app to disconnect and enable the other devices on to connect to them. But... if you connect to two devices at once, for example, iPad and iPhone, you can listen to music on the iPad and if your phone rings it will switch on it's own. The problem is that you get a skip in your music often, this isn't a one off, you can read about it everywhere, I hope Bose fix this because it's annoying, but only having it connect to a single device at once fixes it. I was especially impressed with the Bose 700 letting me know how long I had left on the battery in hours, an actually useful alert, they also tell you what devices you are connected to, the Sony's don't do that.

I was browsing the internet for good headphones (my previous headphones being the boy QC35 II's), so the obvious good headphones that I would have to choose between were: 1. Sony WH-1000XM3 2. Bose QC35 II 3. Bose NC 700 Battery life: I did some research and found that the battery life from the Sony's were 30hrs compared to the 20hrs on the Bose, (to be honest though, that wasn't really a dealbreaker as realistically there won't be a situation were I will be using the headphones for 30hrs straight without having the opportunity to charge it beforehand). comfort: (no question) 1. Bose QC35 II's (just unrivalled, can't even feel it) 2. Bose NC 700 (clamping force uncomfortable in the beginning, however after wearing for 5 hours, maybe even more comfortable or just as comfortable as QC 35II's) 3. Sony WH-1000XM3 (In my opinion, cramped, ears touch the inside of the headphones, Bose really just are the best) Looks: 1. Bose NC 700 (sleek, futuristic, seamless) 2. Sony WH-1000XM3 (pretty good looking) 3. Bose QC35 II (just s a bit of an outdated look) features: (Bose VS Sony) Bose: - can connect up to 2 devices at once (EXTREMELY helpful) - Matches Sony's conversation mode - Matches Sony's touch gestures - App really does work well for me (IDK why people says it doesn't work, it works perfectly for me) - More noise cancelling levels - Tells you actual battery life time left improvement from QC35 II - AI thing that helps noise cancellation - CALL QUALITY! mics (best in any headphone) - Case compartment for wires and cables (huge+ and improvement from QC35 II) Sony: - Better app, configure sound - Conversation mode without buttons - touch gestures Sound: 1. Sony (just can't beat the bass) 2. Bose NC 700's (actually a noticeable sound improvement from QC35 II) 3. Bose QC35 II (still pretty good though) Price: 1. Sony (£267.10) (great value) 2. Bose NC 700 (£349) (kinda expensive and overpriced considering lack of improvement (although not bad)) 3. Bose QC35 II (£259) (OG pretty good) Conclusion: Now, you are probably trying to decide what to get and don't want to make a wrong decision (now don't worry if you don't like it. You can return it within 30 days of purchase because amazon is reliable and great with customer service. I am personally sticking to my Bose NC 700, as comfort is extremely important, but so are the new features from the new Bose. It looks great and the sound quality is great. I will always also be loyal to Bose, as they are my all time favourite headphone company. But if you are on a budget, and still want great headphones then the obvious choice would be the Sony WH-1000XM3. Edit: after using this for a bit, I am deciding to return this item for a number fo reasons. 1. the app doesn't connect well 2. It's a massive pain to retract and extend the headphone length every time you pack it! 3. you have to be really careful with it when putting it in your bag etc. (looks as if it would scratch easily)

I own the Sony XM3 and have tried the XM4 so I can compare to these. Connections: Headphones can connect to 2 device at the same time, I find this great as the Sony WH 1000 XM3 couldn't do this. The Sony is a bit more difficult to connect to things in general. Bose 700 connects to Windows PC, Firestick and Android automatically. I always had to manually connect Sony each time on Firestick. Look and Feel: They are slicker than Sony, feel lighter to wear and your ears do not sweat like they do on the Sony. I find them comfortable and I use them for long periods in all inside conditions. Sound: I like the sound better, less bass as has been mentioned. But it worth saying that the Sony has more bass, this bass is not fine tuned in any way. It is loose and gets too much at times. The Bose have an amazing clarity about them. Touch control and buttons: Very responsive and easy to use, took a bit to get used to it. But overall it works better than Sony which can be hit or miss at times. Buttons are instant when you touch them, on Sony to turn on device you have to hold the 'On' for a few sec to turn them on. I prefer the Bose ANC: Very little between them, I can't say which is ultimately better. In certain circumstances each one works a touch better than the other. I have owned 3 pairs of the Sony and when you don't play music you can hear a bit of white noise. On certain Sony's this could be a big problem as they used faulty electret microphone capsules that typically crackled when moisture got near them from ear sweat. (yes, I know). The Bose 700 is totally silent so far with no music playing. Battery Life: Sony claim better battery life and it probably is. But I don't really notice that. I tend to be charging a couple of times a week which was about the same I did with Sony. App: Its a pile of rubbish, serves no really purpose. If your going to do an app then it should be worth using and have a few bells and whistles. I simply set up the headphones and can't really see myself needing the app again other than to apply an update or something like that. In general, I find them easier to use, less hassle connecting with great clarity for sound and with hiss free noise cancelling. I got them cheap at £167 so for that they are well worth it.

I bought both these and the Sony WH1000 XM3, ended up returning the Sony WH1000 XM3 as they were faulty. Stuck with the Bose headphones, despite the higher price tag and lower quality supporting phone application, because they seemed more reliable and feel and look higher quality. The Bose headphones look sleek, although they are slightly unconventional looking. Sony's WH1000 look more conventional, if a bit bulky. Both the noise cancelling and sound quality are very good with the Bose headphones. Noise cancelling didn't seem as 'powerful' as the Sony WH1000 XM3 but I found it had significantly less white noise so found the Bose was slightly better in quieter environments. Bluetooth pairing is average. Once its all set up its fine, but I find if I turn my headphones on with no known devices in the proximity (e.g., phone/laptop are turned off) it will not subsequently pair with any of the devices and it takes a significant amount of time to reset everything and get the devices talking - and I would consider myself tech savvy. Conversely, I had no problems pairing devices to the Sony WH1000 XM3s, overall I found Sony's headphones easier to use. The phone application is pretty weak and not really much use. Sony's application is significantly better and allows more customisation and tweaking. Overall, I thought the Sony WH1000 XM3s were a slightly better experience (with the exception of noise cancelling) but they had too many problems for the premium price tag (intermittent clicking noises and white noise in quiet environments) and I felt the build quality seemed slightly lower than the Bose. Overall, after having had the Bose headphones for a couple months now, I'm very happy with them (unless I mess up the bluetooth pairing).

I purchased these headphones in Dec 2021 so have had these headphones for about 10 months or so at this stage so I think that’s enough time to give a fair review. Sound: My unscientific subjective opinion is that they are reasonably flat sounding out of the box. This headphone sound profile can be tweaked however through the BOSE music app to suit individual preferences. I tend to boost the bass very slightly for rock / pop listening. Once you make a change to the sound profile/EQ, the headphones ‘remember’ it, which is great. The clarity of the sound and separation is pretty good on these headphones too. But like all headphones in this category they will add some ‘colour’ . I have previously used recording studio standard headphones such as Beyerdynamics DT100, DT150 and personally have owned a few pairs of reference class AKG over ear headphones too. In comparison to the professional style headphones the Bose 700s do not have as clear, flat or separated soundstage. I don’t personally see this as a negative point however because mixing music or sound for film is not the intended use case for the Bose 700s. Reference class headphones are also sometimes accused of being responsible for ear fatigue over extended listening periods. Style: This is probably a personal thing, but I love the style of these headphones. From afar and close up they look sleek and stylish. The headphones cups are quite slim too so you don’t end up looking as much like a cyberman from doctor who as some other pairs will make you. Durability: I have occasionally worn the headphones outside walking about but I predominantly use these in an inside setting, but so far the headphones have lasted really well. The finish on both the headband and cups has remained as good as new. The synthetic cups still look as good as new. The slide mechanism for the cups still feels smooth and firm too. Comfort: I tend to wear the headphones for several hours at a time and they remain really comfortable. They feel secure on the head but are not too tight. The material on the cups and headband feels very smooth and soft and remains comfortable after extended periods. Noise Cancellation: I think some people expect active noise cancellation to work like earplugs or ear defenders and get disappointed when they try out active noise cancelling products. If you are expecting these headphones to completely block out or cancel out surrounding sounds you will be disappointed. If you understand the limitations of noise cancellation (at least in its current form) then you will not be disappointed with these headphones. They do a good job reducing wind, engine, plane noise etc. In an office environment they attenuate sound to a level that I find easier to concentrate with, especially if you have music / audio playing at the same time. Mic: I use these headphones every day at work on Teams calls. The microphone on these headphones is clear and the noise cancellation works well to block out environmental sounds in your vicinity. Connectivity: These headphones connect via Bluetooth and can have two devices connected simultaneously. I usually have these connected to my computer and my phone. If I am listening to music on my laptop and receive a call on my phone, the headphones will automatically switch to the phone as impute when I accept the call. Overall these are a pretty great pair of headphones. They are well worth the money especially if you can get them for an offer. I have seen them on hear for sub £170!

First of all let's talk about what seems to be the elephant in the room for most people. Yes, you do need to download the Bose app and register these headphones to it. Although this is an extra step to just plugging them in and playing music there is a really good reason for this that a lot of people are missing the point of, security! These headphones will not work unless they are registered to the Bose app, so if they get stolen they cannot be used, and if someone tries registering them then even better as the serial number is already linked to your account. Once people catch wind of this there will be no point in thieves attempting to steal them, unfortunately in today's society this is now pretty much a necessity for expensive items such as these and I applaud Bose for moving with the times. Now onto the music, think mellow tones and good warm solid bass, probably one of the best tuned set of drivers I have ever heard in headphones (I have had plenty of sets over the years including much more expensive headsets. In fact my headset attached to my PC is an Audeze Mobius with 100mm drivers, and no they don't sound as good). The Bluetooth has a decent range, much more so than my in ear airpods and it's pretty solid too. I've probably had around 3 or 4 dropouts over the period I've had these headphones (around 2 months sofar with daily use). The battery life is excellent, I've not managed to run the battery down yet and once charged they are still at a steady 19+ hours life. The noise cancellation is pretty damn good too along with the tap/swipe gestures which are pretty straightforward (unlike the Nuraphone which I also recently tried). All in all I would highly recommend these to people that are prepared to move with the times and aren't afraid of new technology designed to protect them and their product. Outstanding work Bose, I'm a very happy man. The only downside that there is to these headphones is that they aren't great for PC gaming, if you want to head in that direction I suggest you look elsewhere (which is a real shame as the sound on these are amazing) due to the fact that the software seems to read music/game sounds seperately to voice comms and once comms are started all the problems start with dropouts, music stopping playing and eventually numerous frustrating reboots etc before no doubt switching to a dedicated gaming headset to avoid the hassle (I am very technically minded and I gave up). This is something that I hope Bose fix in a future firmware/software update as they have really missed a trick here. I would have dropped my Audeze Mobius if it was possible to use these in that area, and they are a great headset although a little heavy. I will update this review in the future as I'm sure that once the non replaceable battery becomes an issue (big problem foreseen and it's a case of 'when' not 'if' by the looks of things unless Bose work some magic). Treat yourself, buy these headphones!

May I first state I am no audio expert, I have owned the Sony mx3’s and more recently mx5’s and the AirPod max’s. This being my first venturing into the Bose domain (though I do use Bose speakers at home) First I love the look and feel the of the Bose 700’s, and the case it comes with is certainly better than what you get with the Sony’s (though I imagine you don’t buy a pair of headphones purely for the case) it’s a hard one as the Sony mx5’s do have a brilliant sound to them and noise cancellation. But I do love the soundscape of the Bose and the noise cancellation is also brilliant. (Though Sony does have the edge) Battery life is where the Bose lets itself down with it being 20 hours while Sony has 30 hours. (Though to be honest this doesn’t really bother me) this will probably come more down to if you’re a huge Bose fan or Sony. Both the Sony’s MX5’s and Bose 700 are brilliant headphones. Could I recommend one over the other. Probably not (so why are you writing a review you useless reviewer I hear you shouting) Me personally prefer the Bose 700’s (though that could change haven’t used them a lot) but whatever choice you make. You won’t be disappointed. Both headphones crack out great sounds. The Bose offers a nice soundscape, loved the mid’s and high’s on the Bose. And the detail to the music overall. The sound of drums thumping. The slight bass kicking. I’m not into that hippity hop music or trance or pop; so can’t tell you how the Bose fairs on that kind of sound. But would imagine it would handle it well. The Bose are also very comfortable to wear; Doesn’t feel heavy or clingy. And so far my ears haven’t started sweating. Negative point This is a strange one and I do wonder the thinking of bose behind it. In the earcups you have a like a stick slightly poking out from the headband doesn’t affect the wearing experience; but it does look weird. And if you’re running you can hear the sound of plastic jiggling together. This for me is a very strange design decision from Bose. Though it isn’t a deal breaker or ruin the experience in any way. In closing The Bose noice cancelling 700 headphones are a great pair of headphones. It’s pretty much upto you what to choose. But whatever you choose disappoint won’t follow you. Good luck fellow shoppers and hope this review has been at least helpful in some way. If not I humbly apologise. Edit Though I will still recommend the bose 700’s I do feel that maybe Bose should go the same way as the bowers & Wilkins with the build (look) obviously not to copy it exactly. But I feel the plastic feel of the headphones, which does make a jingly noise if you walk fast. Though a small complaint really

Have been a loyal Bose customer with QC15 and QC20 in ear headphones, but I lost the QC15’s and wanted something comfortable and reliable for working at home. I considerd Sony MK4’s but liked the look of the QC700’s and the famous Bose quality and reliability. Well - unfortunately I’ve had mixed results - my first pair went pop on their 2nd charge - so that didn’t go so well, but it was potentially a blessing in disguise as the first pair had “auto updated” to the latest firmware when I set them up. The downside of this “upgrade” is that the feature of the headphone connecting to multiple devices means that music played from your phone will glitch every 2-3 minutes, which is incredibly annoying. Bose seems aware of this, but 4 months later (now 2 years later), they are still trying to come up with a fix… ironically if you prevent the headphone from updating when they first arrive - the original firmware (v1.3) seems to not have this issue - however you have to carefully put you phone into Airplane mode and just use blutooth to setup the headphones and then carefully never let the bose app ever connect to the internet to do its update (crazy right?). Running on the original firmware - I quite like the headphones, they are light, comfortable and they make a difference for home working helping me cancel out washing machines and other noises (just likey they are supposed to do). The music sound glitching aside - I also think Bose should listen to more customers about usability (see their forum) - the headphones have an annoying tendency to read out the name of the device they are connected to which is very distracting when a device switches and you want to listen to audio (like a meeting) in a hurry, this should be more configurable. It can also be tricky to swap device audio between 2 connections wihout awkwardly using the app - and I wish the voice assistant button could be assigned to do this (as the voice assistant is just a gimmick to me…). Overall, the headphones aren’t bad, and call quality has been good - but it could be so much better, making it very difficult to pick headphones (and these in particuar) if I am honest. Its a shame, as this should be all easily fixable by Bose, but it seems that they don’t care for some reason… possibly this may change in the coming months and I’ll update this review. For now, proceed with caution. —— Update April/2020 I still can’t truly recommend these (they seem to come in sale regularly, presumably a last ditch effort to clear stock as I suspect they may have a better version in the wings to overcome all the flaws in this model - I’m not sure I now trust Bose to be honest) So - my replacement pair eventually “auto upgraded” and I now have to suffer sound glitching on music from my phone (when paired with a second device - it’s supposed selling feature). They have been “looking at this” for while - a year later no fixes. Speaking of connecting to 2 devices (normally your laptop and phone), it’s a usability nightmare - and I dont recommend it. Too often, on a Teams meeting I get a phone call and it then cuts you off from your meeting while the phone is ringing (rather than innocuously notify you of a call you may want to take) - the distraction is terrible and I hate it every time. The trouble with disconnecting your phone however, is now it’s not easy to await the headphone from laptop to iPad etc... So sadly, I think a whole rethink is needed - and Bose is strangely silent on this, and have lost a lot of brand following I would say. Shame. —— Update 2022 The good news is the headphones still work, but I have to replace the foam cushions as they are now splitting (I guess this is normal given they get used daily, but didn’t notice this with the old qc15s). The bad news is that the audio glitching when listening to music and connected to multiple devices is really tiring. I still struggle with getting phone calls while on teams with my laptop, getting cut off from your call is a nightmare. I also notice after such an interruption that other users complain that I sound robotic, so I have to turn the headphones off and on to clear it. I wouldn’t recommend these headphones for the price, get the Sony ones.