HEADPHONES
ISSUE386|COMPUTER SHOPPER|APRIL2020 77
BOSEISApioneer in noise-cancelling tech,
but it’s been nearly two decades ofthe
QuietComfort series since anew flagship
headphone design has been released. While
these years have produced industry-leading
headphones such as the QuietComfort 35
(Shopper344) and QuietComfort35II(Shopper
362), it’s time forachange: enter,atlast, the
Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
NEW LOOK
This mayhaveamuch clumsier name than
anything in the QuietComfort series, but fora
pair of over-ear headphones, there’s no doubt
that the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
are extremely stylish. The stainless steel
headband arcs gracefully around the topof
your head, before making its wayseamlessly
down to the hinge; this, in turn, attaches to
the driver housing with adistinctive and
highly adjustable pivot mechanism.
There is aslight catch to this design,
however.Ifyou use them while jogging –or
if you’re just someone who walks at apace –
you’ll immediately notice clunky
reverberations resonating from the Noise
Cancelling Headphones 700’s headband, as
aresult of the headband knocking against
the drivers’ housing.
As forcomfort, these headphones are a
firmer fit than the preceding QuietComfort 35
II or our current ANC favourite, the Sony
WH-1000XM3. As aresult, theydon’t float
around the ears quiteaslightly,especially if
you’re wearing glasses, but they’re not
uncomfortable either.The cushioned earpads
are well sized, and also easier to clean than
the QuietComfort 35 II’s pads.
Battery lifeisdecent, at 20 hours,wwwhilea
15-minutecharge will yield about threeee-and-a-
half hours of playback. The WH-1000XXXM3
win out here too, however,astheycannnlast for
up to 30 hours, and will squeeze fivehhhours
outof a10-minutecharge.Atleast youuu
can always switch from Bluetooth to
wired usage,with adetachable 3.5mm
cable included in the box.
The Noise Cancelling Headphones
700 feature quitethe arrayof
buttons. There’s abutton forcycling
through three levels of noise
cancellation, abutton forpower
and pairing and abutton that can
summon your choice of smart assistannnt.
Both Alexa and the Google Assistantcccan
be given voice commands through theee
integrated microphone; Alexa can evennnbe
activated simply by speaker,withouteeeven
needing to press the button. Both Siri and
BOSE Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
★★★★★
£299•Fromwww.johnlewis.com
VERDICT
Bose’sgorgeousANCheadphonesaregood,though
theycan’tdethronetheSonyWH-1000XM3
Bixbyaresupportedtoo,althoughthe
integrationisn’tsoextensive.
Volumeandplaybackcontrolstake
theformofatouch-sensitiveareaonthe
rightcup.Youcanswipeupanddooownto
adjust the volume,back and forth to skip
or go back asong, anddouble-tap to play
or pause your music. Along press also
lets you hear the battery level or
enable and disable voice wake-up.
It all works well: the controls arrre
evenmoreresponsivethanthose
oftheWH-1000XM3.Theonly
downsideisthattherearenosensssors
totellwhentheheadphonesare
removed,meaningnoautomatic
pausing. You’ll have to touchthessside
panel to resume to stop playback.QUIETTIME
The active noise-cancelling, meanwhile,
meets the high standards we’ve come to
expect of Bose.There’s absolutely no
audible hiss, atelltale sign of flawed ANC,
and these headphones are noticeably more
effective at blocking out ambient noise than
even the QuietComfort 35 II.
However,the WH-1000XM3 are better
at blocking out mid-to-high frequencies.
This includes speech, so Sony’s headphones
might be better forenjoying your music in
public spaces. If you really want to curl up
in asound cocoon, the Bowers &Wilkins
PX7 have the best ANC of the bunch,
although these are comparatively expensive,
especially when the WH-1000XM3 are only
very slightly less effective.
The WH-1000XM3 also support the
Bluetooth aptX and aptX HD codecs, so
wireless sound quality is simply better thanthe Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, which
only support the basic SBC and AACcodecs.
That’s not to saythese headphones
sound poor.Tothe contrary,even on SBC,
you get the same tight bass response as the
QuietComfort 35 II, as well as averytightly
controlled mid-range.
The WH-1000XM3, by contrast,haveafar
greater emphasis in the bass department,
sounding more fun and extending lower into
the sub-bass frequencies. If you’re afan of
bass-heavy music, the Sony headphones will
sound better,even if the mid-bass isn’t as
controlled as with the Bose (though still more
so than the PX7). The WH-1000XM3 also
manage alonger extension at the topend,
plus awider sound delivery and better
instrument separation. All of these differences
come together to edge the WH-1000XM3 in
front offftheNoiseCancellingHeadphones700.REGIME CHANGE
The BossseNoise Cancelling Headphones 700
are supppremely stylish, and when it comes to
sounnndquality and noise-cancelling, they
retttain most of the strengths of their
eeesteemed predecessors. Undoubtedly,
ttthey’re the best Bluetooth headphones
Bose has ever made.
The problem is that while this
would have once made them the
hhheadphones to beat, Sony has since
set an incredibly high benchmark with
the WH-1000XM3, and the Noise
Cannncelling Headphones 700 can’t quite
matccchit. The Sony headphones might not
be as stylish, but theyhouse more features,
sound better,block out more noise and are
afair biiitcheaper.Giventhe choice,it’s
obvioussswhich headphones to pick.