Bose QuietComfort 45 Wireless Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones, Over-Ear Headphones with Microphone, Personalized Noise Cancellation and Sound, White Smoke

I realize the QC45s have some slight shortcomings in certain areas but their strengths are why I chose them. I have watched so many reviews on the top N/C headphones it irritates my wife, but here is what you can learn from my OCD (hopefully). First the competition and why I didn't select these.Airpod Max - Cost, weight and the stupid, stupid, stupid case.Sony XM4/XM5 - Bulky and didn't want gesture controls (just my preference).Bose NC700 - Didn't like the style and band adjustment, didn't fold up small enough and gesture control.There are other headphones in the consumer space but these are the big players and my top 3 reasons for picking QC45s were,1. Space, these fold up into a small case, big, big plus. My main use will be for travel and I wanted the smallest footprint for my carryon.2. Noise cancelling, I tried and compared these to Sony and the NC700 at an electronic shop in an airport and I thought these were the best. This was before the XM5s, from reviews they might have a slight advantage but not significant.3. Comfort, all the reviews said the weight, clamping force, cabin pressure, cavity size and breathability were the best of any of the N/C top picks. Smart move by Bose to have another iteration of the QC35s, the comfort is unrivaled.I will use these mostly for travel, I had QC15s I bought for a wedding anniversary for my wife and I when we were flying for a cruise. They served us well, even bought a Bluetooth adapter for them, still working great and gave them to a family couple. That was 10 years ago, so another anniversary seemed like a reasonable purchase. The other players have features that surpass the QC45s, better sound, more bass, more adjustments but none of these were that important to me. For me comfort was very high on the list and I just like physical buttons and the sound is very good so no complaints there.UpdateComfort - After almost 1 month I can confirm the comfort of these headphones. My wife's sleep schedule is different than mine so I have been using these connected to our Apple TV while she is sleeping. 2 or more hours with no fatigue, pain or any discomfort at all. As I stated in my original review, comfort was probably my top priority and I am so happy with them.Noise Cancelling - I give the noise cancelling 5 out of 5, absolutely amazing and no hissing or cabin pressure. Adjustable NC just isn't that important to me, I just want it on or off. In this case it would be ambient, it would be nice to have the option to just turn NC off. Hoping a firmware will be coming to give that option but not a big deal.Sound - EQ'd the sound in the app and I am very happy with how they sound. I'm not a bass junkie or a audiophile but I like upper scale speakers (2 Sonos 5s in my living room for example) and these headphones do not disappoint.Battery - I haven't measured the actual time but the claimed 24 hours seems pretty close and that is more than adequate.2nd UpdateMy adult daughter flew home for Christmas and she had replaced her Bose QC 25s that had stopped working with the Sony XM4s. So I got to spend some time with the XM4s, played with the app, listened to music, tried the noise cancelling and wore them for a while to test the comfort. I was very impressed, not surprising given the reputation of the XM4s but my personal opinion is the sound was very comparable to my Bose QC45s. I didn’t A/B switch the headphones but I have been listening to the QC45s for a couple of months now so that gave a good reference point. Noise cancelling of the XM4s was excellent, I still think the Bose have the edge but only a very slight advantage, it was cool to have the ability to turn off NC and get better battery life and still wish the Bose had this feature (still holding out hope a firmware will come to give this) but it isn’t a big disappointment for me. The comfort was again excellent, the ear cushions were super supple and gave a great seal. The Sony app had a lot more options than the Bose, if your an app nerd you could geek out on it, if your not it could seem complicated, for me I wouldn’t spend time in it so it’s not a significant advantage but that’s me. As I said in my original review adjustable NC isn’t something I would use so that feature isn’t for me but the Sony’s have it if you would like it.Summary of the XM4s from my perspective is they are comparable to the Bose in many ways, comfort, sound, noise cancelling, case size and better in some aspects like the app and the ability to turn NC off. It comes down to personal preferences and I like physical buttons but wow if you like the features of the Sony they are a top of the line headphones and you would love them. I still would choose the Bose but it was fun playing with the Sony XM4s.3rd UpdateThere were some references to wind noise with the QC45s in comments and reviews because the 45s don't have the ability to turn off NC (if I remember correctly). I was letting the dog out the other day and had my QC45s on and there was a mild wind. Yes you do get wind noise, so if you are going to use headphones outside consider this. I don't see this being an issue for me, guess only when I let the dog out, yeah first world problem. I keep mentioning the firmware update that could fix this (and added battery when not needed) with some hopes that a Bose rep will take notice (might have a better chance of winning the lottery) but for now this is a narrow circumstantial issue. For me it's the comfort that trumps the advantages that the competition has over the QC45s.

They are Incredibly comfortable on the ears and I feel no weight or pressure on my head. I’ve had them a little over a year now and they’re still as good as the day I bought them and I use them often! Great for listening to music with Bluetooth or gaming, and the noise cancellation is next level. I switch back and forth between that when I’m at home, and aware mode when I’m in public and it’s literally just a button. The sound quality is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. The mic is pretty good overall and the voice isolation is solid, but I do personally prefer my condenser microphone. The only thing I will say is that they aren’t the best if you’re doing a lot of moving around or high impact workouts as they will fly off your head. What makes them comfortable is that they don’t squeeze, so they don’t grip the head tightly enough to withstand burpees or high impact movement.

Se escucha espectacular, lo uso para hacer ejercicio y a diferencia de otros, este no se cae, y se puede ajustarLa bateria le dura muchoooSin dudas lo volveria a comprar

my first pair of headphones. theyre great! i love the noise cancellation, though it took some time to get used to. after a while they hurt my head but that's probably expected

Great Boss product! The quiet mode is incredible and they are so comfortable! Use them when traveling and they are the best.

Use these for everything ; phone calls , homework , on the plane , working out. Noise cancellation is great & music sounds even better. Definitely recommend 👏Also uses the same charger as the iPhone 16pro so easy charge for me .

I switched to these from the AirPods Max since the AirPods just were not comfortable for me. Overall, they’re my daily driver because some of the AirPods Max losses (namely comfort) are dealbreakers. Here’s how I compare the two products:A tie:Sound cancellation good, perhaps slightly worse than AP MaxSound quality is good, possibly better most of the time * (but I’m not an audiophile)Wins for the Bose:Comfort - light years better than AP Max. The headband on the APM used to make my scalp sore where all the weight of the headphones was pushing. The Bose QC45 are MUCH lighter, and the headband is well cushionedPortability - I like how they fold into a smaller footprint than the APM, and the case fits into my bagConnecting between two devices at once - pretty easy, and no inappropriate handoffs like the APM3.5 mm cable and connection for when the headphones are dead is a LIFESAVER for when I don’t manage to charge them.Losses for the Bose:Head detection - I do miss the features where you could pause the music when you remove the headphones from your ear, which is on all AirPod modelsIndustrial design, excluding ergonomics - the joints on the headphones are kind of ugly, with slightly mismatchedplastic colors, exposed screw heads, and ugly, ugly buttons. Wrinkles in the earcups. Apple designers would not settle for these eyesores (but Bose at least made better comfort choices, and ultimately made a more usable product, so I prefer it).FindMy - of course, there’s no FindMy like there is for APM on iOS. I solved this by putting an AirTag in my case, but it’d be nice to have it within the headphones itself in case someone in my house walked off with the headphones and didn’t take the case with them.Volume control - I prefer the dial that comes on APM. I struggle to remember the direction of the volume buttons, and the feedback for several clicks is worse than a quick dial twist in each direction.Functionality while charging - why can’t I use them in BT mode with the USB-C cable plugged in? I bet it’s because the incoming power signal is too noisy , but it’s something I wish you could do*Sound quality - occasionally, I get a ton of weird static in one ear that won’t go away until I reset the headset or recharge. I’m not sure why this happens but I wish it didn’t.Low power alerts - I wish it would somehow help me remember to charge them.I have some criticisms, but overall a comfortable, light, and functional product that I’d recommend to most people.