Bose QuietComfort 45 Wireless Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones, Over-Ear Headphones with Microphone, Personalized Noise Cancellation and Sound, Eclipse Grey, Limited Edition

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.

I've owned apple AirPods/apple wired headphones for years and always told myself I would buy over the ear headphones when I found one that finally fit my standards. Safe to say that these ones did. The first thing I noticed was how easily they connect to my iPhone with the app. Anything that does not seem to be apple products I typically have to struggle to be able to connect to my phone properly but when you download the Bose music app and just set it up all you have to do to connect them is turn the bluetooth switch on and off! The second thing I noticed was the noise cancellation. Now with the quiet mode there are still some things that you are able to hear like people talking very loudly but all other small background noise is completely shutout. Almost everything is cutout when you are listening to something with the quiet mode on so that is a big plus! I would look into actual noise cancelling headphones that are specialized in only being noise cancelling if you are looking for something to completely shutout all noise no matter how loud. The sound quality is great and not stuffy at all, and it picks up small details in songs you normally would not hear unless straining to listen to. My only issue with the headphones is that when it comes to FaceTime and phone calls it does not automatically connect to my headphones & there are times on FaceTime where it cuts out the sound of the person I am speaking to and I have to change the audio output to speaker and back to the headphones. Very comfortable for long term wear but be wary when you put them around your neck without adjusting them as they may squeeze your throat a little. Other than that I would totally buy other Bose products from now on!

I tend to get a lot of sensory overload issues, living in a house with 5 other people + dogs, and these headphones have proven to be worth the expense after only 2 days. For comparison, I had a pair of Skullcandy Venue headphones I purchased secondhand awhile ago, and they’re not even in the same ballpark of quality as this pair. I was hesitant about the price point but I caved because these will improve my daily life regarding sensory overstimulation, and I figured I’d just return if they didn’t work out for me.My favorite things:- compact for travel, easily folds & comes with a small carry case- noise cancelling is EXCELLENT, and they instantly muffle sound before you even turn them on. Skullcandy Venue has a weird ANC background noise (almost feels like cabin pressure in a plane) that does work to cancel sound, but can be overbearing without any music playing, but these don’t have that problem at all.- pairing with new & recognized devices is remarkably easy with the app, can’t say the same for any other pair of headphones I own including AirPods. Also very easy to switch the connection from one device to another (ex, disconnect from macbook so you can connect to a fire tv)- battery life is incredible. I’ve used them almost non stop for two days and it barely drained the battery at all.- they look really cute, and they’re extremely comfortable!- they don’t make weird noises. My Skullcandy Venue’s will make a loud buzzing sound if I put too much pressure on the ear cup (ex, laying down in my side while wearing them), but these have no problems there which is a huge plus for me.- can’t really speak much for the mic quality, as I’ve only used them on a personal call once and the quality seemed to be fine. I had no trouble hearing, and neither did the person on the other end.I know they’re expensive but as long as these last me a few years I think they’re totally worth the price. They’ve surpassed all my expectations already, and I absolutely love them.