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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 45/QC45 Wireless vs Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Aug 29, 2024 08:10 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Feb 05, 2025 07:43 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Picture
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. Running
  3. Bluetooth Headsets For Calls

Variants

  • QuietComfort 45/QC45 (Eclipse Grey)
  • QuietComfort 45/QC45 (Midnight Blue)
  • QuietComfort 45/QC45 (Triple Black)
  • QuietComfort SE (Triple Black)
  • QuietComfort 45/QC45 (White Smoke)
  • QuietComfort Headphones (Chilled Lilac)
  • QuietComfort Headphones (Cypress Green)
  • QuietComfort Headphones (Moonstone Blue)
  • QuietComfort Headphones (Sandstone)
  • QuietComfort Headphones (Steve Lacy)
  • QuietComfort Headphones (Triple Black)
  • QuietComfort Headphones (White Smoke)

Our Verdict

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless

Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless are the next generation of the Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless. Most things have stayed the same in this iteration, like comfort. However, there are a couple of interesting changes. The QuietComfort Headphones have an audio cable with an in-line mic, which is handy if you want to take calls while wired. They have a slight edge regarding noise isolation, though you can still expect an outstanding performance from both over-ears.

2 

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Triple Black
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Triple Black
QuietComfort Headphones
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Triple Black
QuietComfort SE
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White Smoke
QuietComfort Headphones
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White Smoke
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Chilled Lilac
QuietComfort Headphones
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Eclipse Grey
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Cypress Green
QuietComfort Headphones
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Midnight Blue
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Moonstone Blue
QuietComfort Headphones
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Sandstone
QuietComfort Headphones
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Steve Lacy
QuietComfort Headphones
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.7
7.8

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.5
7.8

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

6.6
8.2

Imaging 
 

6.5
8.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Design Picture 2
Bose QuietComfort Headphones 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 45/QC45 Wireless Comfort Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.52 lbs
0.52 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.7 lbs
0.7 lbs
Show text

Controls 
 

8.1
8.1

Controls Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Controls Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones 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  

On/Off
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Show text

Breathability 
 

Breathability After Picture  

Avg.Temp.Difference  

Portability 
 

6.6
6.4

Portability Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Portability Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Portability Picture

 

6.8" (17.2 cm)
7.1" (18.0 cm)

 

5.5" (13.9 cm)
5.4" (13.8 cm)

 

1.5" (3.8 cm)
1.7" (4.3 cm)

Volume  

55.44 in³ (908.50 cm³)
65.17 in³ (1,068.00 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show text

Case 
 

8.0
8.0

Case Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Case Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

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

 

5.7" (14.5 cm)
5.7" (14.5 cm)

 

2.2" (5.6 cm)
2.2" (5.5 cm)

Volume  

105.16 in³ (1,723.20 cm³)
102.64 in³ (1,682.00 cm³)
Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show text

Stability 
 

7.0
7.0

Stability Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Stability Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Stability Picture
Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Angled Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Side Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Front Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Rear Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Top Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless In The Box Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones 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
1,200 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

1.8 dB
4.7 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-0.5 dB
-0.3 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 
 

0.46 dB
0.45 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 
 

9.5
7.8

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.2 dB
4.9 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

20 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

0.47 dB
5.79 dB

Mid Bass 
 

2.45 dB
4.39 dB

High Bass 
 

3.18 dB
3.21 dB
Show text

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

9.2
9.5

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

0.94 dB
0.72 dB

Low Mid 
 

0.27 dB
0.11 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.94 dB
-0.61 dB

High Mid 
 

-0.31 dB
-0.13 dB
Show text

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

6.6
8.2

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

3.63 dB
2.37 dB

Low Treble 
 

1.25 dB
-0.59 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-2.85 dB
0.03 dB

High Treble 
 

-1.46 dB
-4.36 dB
Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.5
7.7

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.43 dB
1.27 dB

Dips 
 

1.84 dB
1.83 dB
Show text

Imaging 
 

6.5
8.3

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 
 

0.6
0.55

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

26.97
2.14

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1.5
1.33

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.46
1.29
Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

4.8
4.2

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

3.62 dB
3.44 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

6.52 dB
5.99 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

8.49 dB
3.64 dB

Openness 
 

1.0
1.2

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

4.3
3.8
Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Virtual Soundstage
Bose QuietComfort Headphones 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 
 

7.6
7.3

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.173
0.315

WHD @ 100 
 

0.207
0.257
Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

1.0.3-2674+ee3f55e
1.0.6-80+f5f219b

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth

Codec 
 

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

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

No EQ
No EQ

ANC 
 

On
Quiet

Tip/Pad 
 

Default
Default

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Show text
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

9.0
9.3

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-23.90 dB
-25.80 dB

Bass 
 

-19.96 dB
-19.74 dB

Mid 
 

-22.53 dB
-27.05 dB

Treble 
 

-30.21 dB
-31.77 dB
Show text

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

9.1
9.1

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.39 dB
-20.95 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-20.89 dB
-21.22 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-22.37 dB
-22.79 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
See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show text

Leakage 
 

6.3
6.7

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

43.53 dB
41.02 dB
Show text
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
Yes

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes
Show text

Recording Quality 
 

7.7
7.4

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

201.59 Hz
302.04 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

3.6 dB
2.89 dB

HFE 
 

6,834.38 Hz
6,736.4 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

0.373
0.773

Gain 
 

34.01 dB
15.08 dB
Show text

Noise Handling 
 

5.3
5.3

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SpNR 
 

36.73 dB
46.49 dB

Noise Gate 
 

No
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

5.5
5.5

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

5.0
5.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.5
8.6

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

21.3 hrs
26.1 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0.0

Total Battery Life 
 

21.3 hrs
26.1 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2 hrs
2 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
Auto-Off Timer

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show text

App Support 
 

8.0
8.0

App Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless App Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless App Picture

App Name  

Bose Music
Bose Music

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

On/Off
Adjustable

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

Yes
Yes

Button Mapping  

No
Yes

Surround Support 
 

No
No
Show text
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

7.4
7.5

Cable Picture  

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless Cable Picture
Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

Yes
Yes

Length 
 

3.61 ft (1.10 m)
3.28 ft (1.00 m)

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
1/16" TRRS

Latency - Analog 
 

16.4 ms
15.8 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog
Analog
Show text

Bluetooth Connection 
 

8.2
8.5

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.1

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No
No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

272.31 ft (83.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

182 ms
183 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC
SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes
Yes
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
N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show text

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio + Microphone

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

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Triple Black
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Triple Black
QuietComfort Headphones
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Triple Black
QuietComfort SE
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White Smoke
QuietComfort Headphones
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White Smoke
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Chilled Lilac
QuietComfort Headphones
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Eclipse Grey
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Cypress Green
QuietComfort Headphones
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Midnight Blue
QuietComfort 45/QC45
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Moonstone Blue
QuietComfort Headphones
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Sandstone
QuietComfort Headphones
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Steve Lacy
QuietComfort Headphones
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Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless

Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison

Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless vs Bose QuietComfort Headphones Wireless: Main Discussion

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  1. 2
    1
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    The wired connection on the 2023 model has 15.8ms. Could this be due to the cable having a mic? Would be interested to see the test done with the QC 45 cable on the QC 2023. Was the test done with both having anc on? Thanks

    Hi Sospleaseanswerlol

    Thank you for reaching out. The Bose QC45 results posted on our review were taken with the headphones turned off. When they are turned On and connected via Analog, the latency value is 16.41ms. We will update the review and text to clarify this in our review.

    To give more context, the QC 2023 gets 00.35ms when turned off and connected via Analog. Hopefully, this clears things up for you 🙂

    Dagobiet

    Edited 1 year ago: typo
  2. 2
    1
    0
    1
    0

    The wired connection on the 2023 model has 15.8ms. Could this be due to the cable having a mic? Would be interested to see the test done with the QC 45 cable on the QC 2023. Was the test done with both having anc on? Thanks