Lab – Bose QC45, still the king of active noise reduction? – Digital

Throughout its existence, the QuietComfort line has always established itself as the essential reference in active noise reduction. This hegemony was very quickly challenged with the arrival of excellent helmets at Sony, Bowers & Wilkins and more recently at Apple. The QC45 having just recently joined the Bose team, we can therefore legitimately wonder if the manufacturer seized the opportunity to once again outstrip its direct competitors …

The very first session of use on the move, in the company of the QC45 already gives us a very large part of the answer: the “active” attenuation provided by this new model is extremely close to that offered by its two predecessors, the QC35 and QC 35 II. The headphones’ active noise reduction still does an admirable job of attenuating a large part of the unwanted surrounding noise: whether it is the rolling noise of a very noisy Parisian metro (both the bass component and the metallic sounds , higher perched in the mediums), those generated by ventilation or vehicle traffic in the street. The voices are also very well erased, making this headset an excellent companion to simply isolate yourself in transport or in the office for example, even without music playing.

On vocals in particular, we still notice a very slight difference in efficiency between the QC45 and the WH-100XM3 / 4, and our measurement confirms it: a few decibels in the midrange region, between 1 and 3-4 kHz separate the headphones from each other. This is really a detail, but the difference can be felt depending on the case, especially in busy public places or in open spaces, and without content being listened to. In the order of the smallest detail, there is also a slightly lower efficiency of the noise reduction of the QC45 in very low frequencies and in rare situations, on certain very serious resonances caused by ventilation circuits or the bearing. of a train, among others.

Our laboratory measurement also confirms our very first general impression: no fundamental change has been made between the QC35 II and the QC45, which was already the case between the QC35 and the QC35 II. The overall level of attenuation is virtually identical between the last three versions, and in substance still at the level of the best references of the kind previously cited. Peace of mind, Bose has obviously not decided to change its flagship headset on this point. It is all the more unfortunate that the QC45 still does not take advantage of any advanced setting to customize the level or the behavior of the active noise reduction: there is only one level of attenuation, the highest, point. Even more pity: it is not possible to deactivate the active noise reduction if necessary.

The QC45 nevertheless has one difference if one can say major to highlight compared to its predecessors: a mode of listening to surrounding noises. There is nothing to be moved by since the vast majority of products on the market offer one, even if the result varies greatly depending on the model … Fortunately, the result is quite successful on this QC45: the rendering offered is particularly balanced and quite natural. However, the feedback level remains a little too low to perceive the sounds around us in the best conditions, even conversations, without having to listen. Again, no intensity or behavior adjustment is available on this helmet to compensate … Simplicity is not always good.

This concludes our analysis of the active noise reduction of the QC45. We hope that the manufacturer has made more efforts on the other aspects of its headphones, and in particular on the sound performance since the QC35 II was not free from flaws. On the other hand, we will have to wait a few more days and the publication of our full test to find out what the QC45 has in store. Patience…