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Sound and Vision: Are Bose’s new headphones a smart move or just playing catch-up?
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OPINION: Bose’s latest range of headphones have been rumoured and leaked over the last several months, but now they’re a reality with a new series ofQuietComfort headphones.
The launch does feel somewhat odd, though. I’ve been expecting a follow-up to theNoise-Cancelling Headphones 700(NCH700 for short) since they went on sale in 2019 but had thought they’d retain a similar model designation (NCH900?), but it feels as if that popular series, if it ever was a fully-fledged one, has been retired.
Then there was the surprise launch of the QuietComfort Headphones, which replace theQuietComfort 45that launched in 2021. The new ones have a few upgrades, new colours, and a few more additions, but on the surface, they are similar to what came before before.
Then there are the QuietComfort Ultra over-ears and true wireless. The Ultra Earbuds were an even bigger surprise as theQuietComfort Earbuds IIlaunched in 2022 – they’ve not even been on sale for a year before being replaced – and the older model was expected to be updated to supportaptX codecsandSnapdragon Sound, but the longer it went without an update, the more it felt that something had changed.
I think some (rightly) will feel aggrieved that they’ve bought a pair of wireless earphones expecting a feature that doesn’t appear to be coming at all, but from Bose’s perspective, this could end up being a smart move. The company’s refreshed and unified its line-up in one fell swoop, offering customers a choice of options; while presumably the previous models will continue to be sold (while stocks last) at lower prices for those looking for a cheaper option, but it also seems as if Bose has been playing catch-up with the rest of the market
The Immersive Audio feature on theQuietComfort Ultra Headphonessounds interesting, but Sony’s been on the immersive audio train with its 360 Reality Audio format for years, while ApplewelcomedDolby Atmoswith open arms a few years ago, and the likes of Yamaha made inroads into spatial audio with itsYH-L700A headphones. Bose isn’t the first brand to get into spatial audio – there’s some ground to make up in associating the Bose name with 3D audio.
As I wroteback in 2021, 3D audio is looking like the next battleground for headphones. Jabra jumped into it recently with itslatest true wireless headphonesand there’s more music being conceived in formats such as Dolby Atmos, so it’s catching on in terms of popularity. As I wrote in that article however,3D audiocan still be something of a poisoned chalice. Upconverting stereo into 3D is still rather difficult, and even native spatial audio mixes can be uninteresting if there’s not enough in the song to take advantage of the format.
Tthen there’s the addition of aptX and Snapdragon Sound to consider. Qualcomm’s aptX is something I’ve been expecting in Bose headphones for a while now. We’ve reached a point where even budget true wireless like theAnker Soundcore Liberty 4 NCare offeringLDACstreaming. Higher quality music streaming overBluetoothhas been pushed consistently by brands, and again it feels as if Bose has waited a little too long to wade into these waters.
I’m not entirely sure why it’s taken so long or what’s ended up happening behind the scenes; Bose has always made quality headphones, but a consistent complaint has been they’ve never included the kind of features and options to compete against the likes ofSony,JBL,Appleand others. Now they’re boasting more firepower and I’m intrigued as to how this new approach for Bose fares in a fearsomely competitive market.
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Kob began his career at What Hi-Fi?, starting in the dusty stockroom before rising up the ranks to join the editorial and production team as the Buyer’s Guide editor. Experienced in both magazine and …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
