Within the last year, Bose has updated its flagship wireless headphones and true wireless, launched its Lifestyle Collection of home cinema sound devices, and now we bring news of yet another launch.
The QuietComfort Headphones must have felt a little lonely given all the attention lavished elsewhere, but Bose’s iconic headphones have not been forgotten. While aesthetically they still look much like the pair that’s featured on commuters’ heads for years, they’ve undergone a few changes under the hood.
We’ll start with the addition of Bose’s TrueSpatial technology. It was previously exclusive to the QuietComfort Ultra models (both over-ears and true wireless), but has made its way down to the QuietComfort series with all three of Bose’s Immersive Audio listening modes: Still, Motion, and Cinema, making the journey intact.
Bose states that Immersive Audio can deliver a “virtualised stereo sound listening experience from any audio source”, placing the listener in the “sweet spot” as if they were listening to a 2.0 hi-fi system.
Motion Mode enables the audio to follow the movement of the listener’s head, maintaining immersion when you’re on the move. Cinema Mode creates an immersive soundstage to recreate the feel of a theatre experience while Still is your standard, default level of spatial sound.
There are new colours to choose, something we’ve moaned plenty about in the past, but Bose seems to be encouraging different looks and personalisation with its “fresh” two-tone designs. There are three limited edition finishes with Eucalyptus Green, Dewdrop Mint, and our personal favourite, Rosewood Mauve, for a more distinctive appearance.
Of course, we can’t ignore noise cancellation, especially from the brand that effectively brought the technology to headphones. Bose’s noise-cancelling technology, now referred to as QuietControl, is said to offer “several refinements” over the first generation model, which includes new adaptive feedforward controls that allows the headphones’ six-microphone system better compensate for gaps in the earcup seal. That’s great if you wear glasses, hats, or just have long hair to deal with.
The headphones also carry the ActiveSense tech in its Aware Mode, applying noise cancellation when it senses noise spikes in the environment around, dulling the sound of a passing train, for example.
Image Credit (Bose)
ANC can be manually adjusted or turned off through the Bose app, and you can also create custom modes that you can cycle through for whatever activity you’re doing. You can also adjust the sound and shortcuts in the app as well.
Other additions and improvements include USB-C audio up to 24-bit/48kHz (the USB-C input can also be used calls and videoconferencing apps), a redesigned headband for greater levels of comfort, and a more optimised clamping force to reduce the tight, hemmed in feeling that some headphones can provide.
Bluetooth 5.4 also support multi-point for connection to two devices at once, while Android users benefit from Google Fast Pair for quicker set-up, and there’s also Spotify Tap. There’s no mention of Bluetooth codec support, but we suspect it’ll remain at AAC Bluetooth.
One area that hasn’t changed is battery life, which stays at 24 hours per charge (18 with immersive audio). You can charge while using the headphones, and if you do run out charge then a 15-minute top provides another 2.5 hours.
All that’s left is the price and when the headphones go on sale. They’re priced at £299.95 / $359 / €349.95 and MyBose members will be able to pre-order from the 6th August, while everyone else will have to wait until the 13th August.
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