Bose 700 ANC Over Ear Wireless Headphones

Bose headphones are noise suppression first, sound fidelity second. If it’s sound fidelity you want, buy a comparably priced studio monitor headphone without noise suppression. I’ve owned and worn out every iteration of the Bose noise-canceling headphones over the last 20 years for jet cabin noise suppression. Commercial airplane cabin noise is a proven travel fatigue-inducing component. A 2-17 hour flight with noise reduction headphones delivers noticeably less flight fatigue. The QC-35’s are nearly worn out after another ‘million miles.’ They got 5 stars for the Bose attention to long-wear comfort. They’ve been beaten about, dinged, I’ve replaced the ear and head cushions twice. I suspect I have a wiring failure that’s about to reveal itself fully. I use the Bose most frequently without music for just the noise suppression. They work great as a sleep aid in hotels with and without music. Noise suppression is my #1 priority in this category. I have tested 2 of the latest Bose noise suppression headphone competitors. For several reasons, mostly head comfort and suppression extent, they still have a way to go to meet the Bose total experience. The ambient noise suppression that these new 700 headphones provide is a significant improvement over the QC-35’s. The bass quality of Bose has always been a question mark easily revealed in a sales counter testing for comparison. Honestly, after an hour, the bass issue disappears in the Bose sound ambiance. As to music reproduction, Bose does not represent the product as a monitor grade headphone. I happen to have a pair of Blue Ella monitor grade headphones. It is an error to compare the Bose work-horse noise suppression headphones that the 700 series represent with studio monitor grade fidelity. There is no question that studio monitor grade headphones deliver superior fidelity for the time they are worn. Can I comfortably wear the Blue Ella’s on a trans-con flight? No (plus they are prone to a five-finger discount). They simply aren’t designed for hours of head comfort. The Blue Ella’s are fantastic for a couple of hours but are no way suitably head comfortable for a 17-hour flight to Australia. The Bose 700’s are a clear step up for the QC-35 users. These are lighter on the head, and though they don’t have hingey elements of the QC-35, I’ve not experienced a flexibility problem from this lighter weight and flexible design. They are an improvement in the Bose reputation for the best designed, long-wear consideration.