The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are a massive leap from the longstanding company’s flagship line, the QuietComfort series. Launched at $399.95, these headphones were Bose’s departure from their usual QuietComfort/QuietControl family, offering a no-frills design and the best-in-class noise-canceling tech and call clarity. 1. The Headphones 700 balanced combination of comfort, sound quality, and leading-edge noise reduction is acknowledged despite its being recently supplanted by the new QuietComfort Ultra model. 5.
Introduction
When it came to listening to sound at the premium level, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 became a top pick. Launched in 2019, these headphones earned raves early on for their potent noise-canceling engine, astounding audio performance, and unmatched voice pickup technology. 2. Redefining the Bose look, the Headphones 700 eschewed the somewhat staid design of its predecessors in the QuietComfort series, but they were still packed with some of Bose’s foremost audio engineering expertise. OBSESSED BY AUDIO NERDS — savvy electronic engineers and designers — these headphones basically turn any place into a sound cocoon, making it easier to listen to your music, concentrate on your work, or just find peace when you feel like you’re in a storm. 2.
Market Position and Appeal
The Headphones 700 placed Bose in a competitive position as a grower provider with several premium offerings, including that of Sony, Sennheiser, and other high-end audio manufacturers vying for the competitive offering. Targeted towards professionals, frequent travelers, and audio lovers (aka eagle-eared folks with a refined listening palate), these headphones showcased advanced tech alongside features designed to improve how daily listeners experience music. Their debut was a signal of Bose’s dedication to innovation in a noise-canceling headphone world that had become increasingly competitive and where Bose had long been considered the gold standard. 1.
Design & Comfort
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are a bold departure from the more utilitarian look of previous Bose headphones, borrowing cues from a sleeker, more minimalist aesthetic to create something modern and stylish. Available in black or silver finishes, these headphones include a highly polished stainless steel, gracefully arching headband that connects to the overstuffed circumaural (over-ear) earcups. 1. Both earcup and headband outer surfaces have a well-defined eggshell-type finish to them that adds to their upmarket appeal 1.
Upgraded Materials and Construction
Bose’s tried and trusted approach to high-end build quality is evident in Headphones 700. The faux-leather earpads offer a good amount of passive noise isolation right out of the box, but you can always switch on electronic noise cancellation. 1. This means that the headphones are not only better acoustically tuned but therefore also more comfortable for longer listening periods. The choice of materials delivers luxury while remaining practical, so the product is no more—or less—premium than its price would lead you to believe.
Comfort for Extended Use
The most amazing part about Headphones 700 is their extreme comfort, which enables long listening sessions. The circumaural design completely wraps around the ears without exerting undue force, and the headband evenly distributes weight across the head. 1. Inspired by this ergonomic approach, you don’t feel fatigued and uncomfortable while using the headphones for prolonged durations, making the Headphones 700 perfect for long flights, during a long working day, or while you are relaxing at night with some music. The soft faux-leather earpads passively block ambient noise, a welcome addition to the active noise cancellation as well as a comfortable experience when listening for hours on end. 1.
Noise-Cancellation Technology
The Bose Headphones 700 have the benefit of decades of audio engineering know-how leading to one of the best noise cancellation experiences available. With specialized active noise canceling technology based on microphones placed in and out of the earcups to catch ambient sounds and generate counter signals in real-time to erase background noise, these headphones use the force of nature to pass your ears peace.
2. This advanced approach allows the Headphones 700 to offer what many reviewers have noted as the best noise cancellation you can get in consumer headphones at the time of their release. 1.
Levels of Customizable Noise Cancellation
One of the Headphones 700’s crowning achievements is the adjustable noise cancellation, allowing the listener to allow none, some, or all environmental sound to pass through. TwoKey Features: Information2 QuestionsLevel 1–2 PLLs can be used in isolation. Level 3 users can toggle between different degrees of noise cancellation, so they can finely tune their listening to their environment or preferences 2. This adaptability is strikingly useful in instances when total isolation might seem either unwise or dangerous, like walking the intersections or waiting on travel releases.
Advanced Microphone Array
It should come as no surprise that the Headphones 700’s microphone system is similarly high-tech, with a total of eight microphones built in. Six of these microphones participate in actively canceling noise around the user, while four microphones (two of which also participate in noise canceling) together suppress nuisance sounds while on phone calls 3. This sophisticated microphone layout greatly enhances the performance of the noise cancellation technology, as well as improves the intelligibility of voice communications in difficult acoustic environments. Bose says no other headphones can provide performance like this 2.
Conversation Mode
But because users may want to quickly interact with their environment without taking off their headphones, Bose included a handy Conversation Mode feature. This feature enables users to easily modify noise cancellation settings with simple button presses and temporarily mute sound playback when needed 2. Conversation Mode, once activated, will automatically lessen noise cancellation and pause any audio content being played back so that two individuals can naturally communicate with one another without needing to remove the headphones which is a very useful touch and adds to the daily usability of the device.
Sound Quality
The audio quality on the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is nothing short of outstanding, and it will back up its upselling promises. These headphones make use of a blend of proprietary Bose technologies working together to deliver full, detailed sound from a fairly small footprint 2. The sound profile overall is consistent at various volume levels which means the audio quality does not take a hit when users adjust their listening levels due to environment changes 2.
Balanced Audio Performance
Bose’s generous TriPort acoustic headphone structure employs external ports to vent the earcups for maximum internal acoustic space. 3. This engineering technique makes it possible for the headphones to sound extremely faithful to the original audio across the frequency range. When noise cancellation is at work, this ferries the viewer into a “blank canvas” for music, according to Bose, which highlights the subtleties in recordings, free of any competing noise coming through to clog things up. 2.
Voice Call Quality
Where the Headphones 700 separates itself is in voice communication. Vloggers and gamers will appreciate the revolutionary microphone system, which is designed for high-quality making and taking calls in difficult acoustic environments 2. An advanced beamform array isolates the user’s speech and suppresses surrounding sounds while a second rejection array forms a defensive perimeter that follows and blocks specifically disruptive sounds from coffee grinders to neighboring conversations 3. By attacking voice clarity from multiple angles, calls still sound clear and understandable even in loud places, which can make these headphones particularly useful for business folk who take conference calls from all manner of locations.
Features & Functionality
For years, Bose has been a player in the world of headphones and its latest audio release is packed with just the kind of intuitive features we expect. The right earcup includes a touch-sensitive control pad that responds to simple motions: double-tapping plays or pauses music; swiping up or down adjusts volume; and swiping forward or backward skips tracks 1. It also helps in maintaining sleeker aesthetics, as there are no physical buttons to break the headphone’s design without compromising accessibility to common functions.
Control & intelligence with connectivity
The right earcup houses the power/pairing buttons, a dedicated voice assistant button, and a status LED 1. alongside the touch panel. On the left earcup is the ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) button and a port for the included audio cable that allows for passive listening with the power off 1. If you use the headphones with a cable connected while they are powered on, Bluetooth functionality is also automatically disabled for the maximum possible battery life. Plugging in the cable while the headphones are turned on causes the product to automatically pair with previously connected devices, making the transition from wired to wireless use more seamless 1.
Voice Assistant Integration
The Headphones 700 has built-in support for several voice assistants, including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri 12. Low-profile buttons allow for hands-free access to these digital helpers, giving users control over music playback, getting information, and managing notifications 2. This integration unlocks functionality in the headphones that goes far beyond audio reproduction, providing users with communication tools that fit seamlessly into their modern, connected lifestyles.
Provides Flexible Communication Assistance
Also available for use other than a phone call, the Headphones 700 proudly work in tandem with multiple Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications such as Skype and FaceTime 3. This adaptability gives users the ability to communicate effectively across multiple platforms and services, making these headphones essential for remote workers and global communicators who use diverse digital interaction mediums.
Battery Life and Charging
The search results did not provide any specific details about the battery performance, but the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is known to deliver dependable power for hours of operation. You can touch & hold this icon to have a battery life prompt. 1. This welcome feature saves you power drain in critical use cases when you are least expecting it.
Connectivity Options
The Headphones 700 provides various listening settings for all situations and preferences. The passive listening mode, however, does not sound the same (lacking the deep, boomy bass emphasis) as the powered active mode does, and while using the included audio cable to maintain use even if the battery cells run dry, audio content can still provide enjoyment, making this stand out.1. This separates audio sources with two different acoustic possibilities that would match a few music types and listening tastes.
Comparison with Competitors
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 was the first step in a new direction for Bose’s high-end line of headphones, though newer models are now available. Bose quietly introduced its new QuietComfort Ultra Headphones in September 2023, taking over for its last top offering, the Headphones 700Bose with a more typical and foldable design to resolve one of the very few issues people had with the 700. 5.
Next-Generation Features
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones also leverage Bose Immersive Audio, our proprietary spatial audio technology that does not require any additional software 5. This is a continuation of what Bose has done over the years to get us to a better immersive listening experience. If the 700 sets new benchmarks in noise cancellation and call clarity, the successor includes dimensional audio elements that make you further participate in the content.
Conclusion
The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is a major milestone of personal audio technology, delivering effective noise cancellation, great sound quality, and impressive features all in a svelte, comfortable construct. The mic technology became the gold standard for whisper-clear calls, while adjustable noise cancellation gave users unprecedented control over their environment. (The Headphones 700 have since been succeeded by newer models, but when they were released they showcased Bose’s continued interest in pushing the limits of what premium headphones have to offer.)
From consumer preferences to technical capabilities, what was the legacy of the Headphones 700 lives on in Bose’s more recent products, such as the QuietComfort Ultra? The follow-on models improve on the strengths of the 700 while eliminating limitations, including the lack of folding. For those who want a pair of premium noise-canceling headphones with great performance on all the key metrics — sound quality, noise cancellation, comfort, and call clarity — the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 set a new standard that other high-end headphones still are compared to.
