While the 2023 school year is busy with product launches, Bose is announcing no less than three new models in its QuietComfort range. Two circum-aural headphones. And a pair of in-ear headphones. They are all compatible with active noise reduction and promise an audio experience worthy of their cost. Already available for pre-order, they will be sold between 350 and 500 euros. Presentations.
The start of the school year is often synonymous with product launches. Lots of products. We covered many official releases this week, starting with those from Apple: four iPhone 15s and two Apple Watches (Series 9 and Ultra 2). But also those from Motorola (four smartphones including the Edge 20 Neo) and those from Huawei (Huawei Watch GT4, Freebuds Pro 3 and Eyewear 2 connected glasses). And we are still expecting many more in the coming weeks (Pixel, Surface, Xiaomi 13T, etc.).
Read also – Devialet launches the Gemini II, its new noise-cancelling in-ear headphones at €399
To round off this busy week, Bose is announcing three new products for its QuietComfort range. Two are over-ear headphones and the third is a pair of in-ear headphones. All three are compatible with active noise reduction. And all three are positioned in the premium segment of their respective markets. As proof, their sales prices start at 350 euros and can approach 500 euros.
Quietcomfort Ultra: Bose integrates spatial audio
Let’s start this presentation with the headphones: the QuietComfort Ultra. This is the cheapest product in this selection. And they replace the very good QuietComfort Earbuds 2 released just a year ago. The price difference between the two generations is not insignificant: Bose charges you an additional 50 euros to benefit from the new features of these Ultras and its improvements in terms of voice isolation, active noise reduction and stability in the ear. You will note that the price of the Quietcomfort Ultra is identical to that of the very recent Devialet Gemini II.
What are these new features? First the headphones support spatial sound (here called mode Bose Immersive Audio). As always, the feature looks great on paper. But in reality, it also depends on the streaming service and the smartphone. Then Bose integrates the Qualcomm audio chipset here Snapdragon Sound (replacing the Snapdragon S5 Audio). This will bring aptX Adaptive compatibility and game mode with low latency.
For the rest, these new headphones retain the advantages of their predecessors: the IPX4 certificationthe connection Bluetooth 5.3 (up to 9 meters away), autonomy of 6 hours without ANC (and 4 hours with it), the three additional charges with the case, fast charging (20 minutes of charging for 2 hours of listening), etc. These are weapons that will be very useful to Bose in seeking out the excellent WF-1000XM5 from Sony.
Bose wants to attract AirPods Max customers with the QuietComfort Ultra
Let’s continue with the QuietComfort Ultra headphones. It is a high-end headset that is positioned opposite Apple’s AirPods Max. Officially, it replaces the Noise Canceling Headphones 700 released in 2019 (yes, already). But since then the prices have changed “slightly” since the NCH 700 was released at around 400 euros, while the QuietComfort Ultra is close to 500 euros. 25% increase, it must be justified. Especially since if you buy an NCH 700 today, it will only cost you around 220 euros…
In 4 years, the technology has obviously improved considerably. First, noise reduction is more effective and transparency mode is added. Then, spatial audio arrives, like on the Ultra headphones. THE Snapdragon Sound is also present here to improve sound quality and reduce latency. Finally, battery life has been greatly improved, going from 8 p.m. to 24 p.m. with a full charge. Please note, when the ANC is active, the autonomy drops to 18 hours. We also find certain fundamentals such as the 2.5 mm jack (and its matching cable) to further reduce latency (and energy consumption).
Bose Quietcomfort: Bose’s answer to Sony’s XM5
Let’s finish with the second helmet. The latter is simply called QuietComfort. It succeeds the QuietComfort 45 released in 2021. A replacement which, here too, is placed under the sign of price inflation, since the QuietComfort will be offered at 400 euros when its predecessor was launched at 350 euros. You will note that this price is not trivial: it is the same as that of the Sony WH-1000XM5 at its launch…
To justify these changes, there are, as with previous models, some improvements. But these are quite few in number. Active noise reduction has been optimized and is now customizable according to different scenarios. Autonomy has been optimized, going from 22 hours to 24 hours (without active noise reduction). And we hope Bose has also reworked the audio quality in two years.
For the rest, we do not notice any change. The chassis remains identical (with a weight of 240 grams which has not changed). The Bluetooth connection has not evolved (remaining stuck at Bluetooth 5.1), with Fast Pair and Swift Pair compatibility. Charging speed is similar. The QuietComfort presents itself as a very classic replacement. It remains to be seen whether this is enough to compete with Sony’s XM5.