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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 vs Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Mar 14, 2024 07:16 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Aug 29, 2024 08:10 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Picture

Variants

  • QuietComfort 35 II (Black)
  • QuietComfort 35 II (Rose Gold)
  • QuietComfort 35 II (Silver)
  • QuietComfort 35 II (Triple Midnight)
  • QuietComfort 45/QC45 (Eclipse Grey)
  • QuietComfort 45/QC45 (Midnight Blue)
  • QuietComfort 45/QC45 (Triple Black)
  • QuietComfort SE (Triple Black)
  • QuietComfort 45/QC45 (White Smoke)

Our Verdict

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless

The Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless are the next generation of the Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018, although they don't offer much of a significant improvement over their predecessor. Both headphones are similarly well-built and have very comfortable fits. They also have comparable battery performances. However, the QC35 II can block out slightly more background noise in the mid to treble ranges and support NFC pairing. On the other hand, the QC45 have SimpleSync, a feature that allows you to pair the headphones up to other compatible Bose headphones, speakers, and soundbars to share their audio.

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Black
QuietComfort 35 II
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Eclipse Grey
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Rose Gold
QuietComfort 35 II
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Midnight Blue
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Silver
QuietComfort 35 II
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Triple Black
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Triple Midnight
QuietComfort 35 II
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Triple Black
QuietComfort SE
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White Smoke
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

8.0
7.7

Bass Accuracy 
 

8.2
9.5

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.3
6.6

Imaging 
 

9.0
6.5

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Design Picture 2
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Show text

Comfort 
 

8.5
8.5

Comfort Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Comfort Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.52 lbs
0.52 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.69 lbs
0.7 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

7.6
8.1

Controls Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Controls Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Good

Feedback  

Good
Good

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

Mute/Unmute
Mute/Unmute

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

Adjustable
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

No
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant

Show text

Breathability 
 

6.3

Breathability After Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

6.2 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

6.5
6.6

Portability Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Portability Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Portability Picture

 

6.5" (16.5 cm)
6.8" (17.2 cm)

 

6.1" (15.5 cm)
5.5" (13.9 cm)

 

1.5" (3.8 cm)
1.5" (3.8 cm)

Volume  

59.20 in³ (970.11 cm³)
55.44 in³ (908.50 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No

Show text

Case 
 

8.0
8.0

Case Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Case Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

8.3" (21.1 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)

 

5.9" (15.0 cm)
5.7" (14.5 cm)

 

2.2" (5.6 cm)
2.2" (5.6 cm)

Volume  

106.00 in³ (1,737.02 cm³)
105.16 in³ (1,723.20 cm³)

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Build Quality Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

7.0
7.0

Stability Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Stability Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Angled Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Side Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Front Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Rear Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Top Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 In The Box Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

400 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

2 dB
1.8 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-2.27 dB
-0.5 dB

Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.7
7.7

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.45 dB
0.46 dB

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.2
9.5

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.54 dB
2.2 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

2.55 dB
0.47 dB

Mid Bass 
 

2.59 dB
2.45 dB

High Bass 
 

3.22 dB
3.18 dB

Show text

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.1
9.2

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.23 dB
0.94 dB

Low Mid 
 

1.47 dB
0.27 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.01 dB
-0.94 dB

High Mid 
 

0.15 dB
-0.31 dB

Show text

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.3
6.6

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.55 dB
3.63 dB

Low Treble 
 

1.05 dB
1.25 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-1.23 dB
-2.85 dB

High Treble 
 

-6.32 dB
-1.46 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

8.1
7.5

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.28 dB
1.43 dB

Dips 
 

0.8 dB
1.84 dB

Show text

Imaging 
 

9.0
6.5

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.1
0.6

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.96
26.97

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.69
1.5

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.26
2.46

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

5.0
4.8

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.96 dB
3.62 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.46 dB
6.52 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

10.6 dB
8.49 dB

Openness 
 

0.9
1.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

4.0
4.3

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Virtual Soundstage
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

No
No

Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.7
7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.265
0.173

WHD @ 100 
 

0.140
0.207

Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown
1.0.3-2674+ee3f55e

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth 5.0

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

No EQ
No EQ

ANC 
 

Maximum
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated

Show text

Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

9.1
9.0

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-27.01 dB
-23.90 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-19.65 dB
-19.96 dB

Mid 
 

-24.92 dB
-22.53 dB

Treble 
 

-36.85 dB
-30.21 dB

Show text

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

9.1

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.39 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-20.89 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-22.37 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show text

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show text

Leakage 
 

6.5
6.3

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

42.4 dB
43.53 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Show text

Recording Quality 
 

6.0
7.7

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

320 Hz
201.59 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

1.73 dB
3.6 dB

HFE 
 

2,061.43 Hz
6,834.38 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

2.416
0.373

Gain 
 

37.46 dB
34.01 dB

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

7.5
5.3

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

16.19 dB
36.73 dB

Noise Gate 
 

No
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.5
5.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

7.5
5.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

8.4
8.5

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

20 hrs
21.3 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

20 hrs
21.3 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.1 hrs
2 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port  

micro-USB
USB-C

Show text

App Support 
 

7.0
8.0

App Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 App Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless App Picture

App Name  

Bose Connect
Bose Music

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

No
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

Adjustable
On/Off

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

Yes
Yes

Button Mapping  

Yes
No

Surround Support 
 

No
No

Show text

Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.5
7.4

Cable Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018 Cable Picture
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

3.90 ft (1.19 m)
3.61 ft (1.10 m)

Connector 
 

1/16" TRS
1/8" TRS

Latency - Analog 
 

16.4 ms

Latency - USB 
 

0 ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog

Show text

Bluetooth Connection 
 

8.6
8.2

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.1
5.1

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices

NFC Pairing 
 

Yes

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

122.00 ft (37.19 m)
272.31 ft (83.00 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

239 ms
182 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

79 ms

Android Latency 
 

105 ms

Show text

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Show text

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Show text

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

No
No

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock

Show text

Check Price

Black
QuietComfort 35 II
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Eclipse Grey
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Rose Gold
QuietComfort 35 II
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Midnight Blue
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Silver
QuietComfort 35 II
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Triple Black
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Triple Midnight
QuietComfort 35 II
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Triple Black
QuietComfort SE
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White Smoke
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless

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