Odi Productions
In this article, I’m going to give my brutally honest Bose QuietComfort 45 Review with comparisons vs Sony WH 1000XM5, XM4, Apple AirPods Max, Beats Studio Pro, and Sennheiser Momentum 4.
I’m going to do my best to share whether these headphones are worth it, and ideally who these headphones are for. I’ve owned these headphones for a few months now and have quite a few thoughts.
I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist.
Let’s dive right in!
Bose QuietComfort 45 Headphones review in short
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra is the best overall wireless noise cancelling headphones available in the market today, due to unrivaled comfort, incredible active noise cancelling performance, and surprisingly audiophile-level sound quality (after some much-needed EQ). This is a nearly perfect product by today’s standards and performs favorably against its main competition including the Sony WH 1000XM5, Apple AirPods Max, and Sennheiser Momentum 4.
Bose QuietComfort 45 Pros and Cons
- Audiophile-level sound quality (after EQ)
- Unrivaled noise cancelling performance
- Insanely comfortable and lightweight
- Expensive
- Sound signature without EQ is disappointing
- Materials feel mediocre for price
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Sound Quality
Important Note…
I honestly think the stock Bose QuietComfort 45 sounds pretty bad.
The worst offender is the piercing treble, specifically around the 6-8 kHz region. It’s as if the “sound engineers” at Bose specifically wanted to bring out as much sibilance as possible.
(OR, they don’t tune the sound to cater to anything remotely modern like Pop or Hip Hop, and instead cater to their core demographic consisting mostly of Classical, Jazz, and (softer) Rock listeners. No hate, I listen to everything.)
For the casual listeners, “sibilance” is basically a sharp sound produced from “s” and “t” sounds in vocals. It hurts the ears and really breaks the immersion when listening to music, movies, or any other media.
Thankfully, we do have a free and easy solution here!
The Bose companion app has a customizable EQ that allows us to easily alter the sound. It’s quite limited because it only has 3 bands, but that’s enough to at least make a massive improvement in sound quality.
(The QC45 is not the only headphone that gets massive gains from its EQ, as the newer QuietComfort Ultra and Sony XM5 also badly need EQ to unleash their full potential.)
So with that disclaimer out of the way, I’ll be reviewing the sound quality WITH the following EQ settings. I think this is fair considering EQ is using the official Bose app that is completely free.
Feel free to try this out yourself and hear the difference it makes. Personally, I believe this is how they should’ve been tuned from the factory.
Best Bose QuietComfort 45 EQ settings
- Bass: -1
- Mid: +2
- Treble: -6
Result: As you can see from the extreme Treble rolloff, my main focus was reducing the sibilance. It’s not entirely gone, but it’s much improved versus stock. Unfortunately this comes at the expense of less detail and airiness, but the overall sound is now much more balanced and way smoother. There’s a little touch of extra bass for fun, and this sound scales much better to higher volumes due to being smoother less sibilant.
Bass
Surprisingly, the bass is one of the more impressive aspects of the QC45’s sound quality out of the box.
In fact, the bass is my favorite aspect of the QC45’s sound overall.
It’s big, punchy, good slam, impactful, and less excessive than most other consumer headphone’s stock tuning (looking at you, QC Ultra).
In my preferred EQ settings above, I just turned it down -1 to sound a little more controlled, but I let it shine through by being slightly emphasized over the mids and treble overall.
From a critical perspective, the bass is rather unfocused and “loose”, but it sure is fun.
Mids
After the Bass, the Mids are fairly enjoyable out of the box, thus I didn’t touch it with EQ.
But as mentioned above, if you don’t listen to modern music with female vocals like Pop, you can bump the Mid +2.
Bumping the Mid up improves dynamics, creating a more energetic and lively sound. Drum hits are snappier and more impactful.
Male vocals and instruments like electric guitar sound nice and full. As a guitarist myself, I particularly found distorted guitars to sound pretty “sweet” and fairly realistic.
Treble
The piercing treble is easily the weakest aspect of the stock QC45 sound of the box.
Again, I don’t know what they were thinking by putting a peak specifically in the trouble frequencies of sibilance. I’m not even that treble-sensitive, but it’s impossible to ignore when it’s hurting your ears.
It’s just frustrating because it hamstrings this headphone out of the box, and caps its upside. There’s a surprisingly great-sounding headphone underneath this.
Thankfully, EQ drastically cuts down on the sibilance, but it’s still there even if we maxed it out at -10 Treble.
After EQ, the treble is much smoother and contained, but loses some detail and airiness up top.
This is a very treble-forward headphone, even after EQ.
Audiophile: Soundstage, Resolution, Separation, Imaging, Timbre
The QC45 surprisingly has some audiophile-esque qualities, but it’s inconsistent across genres and from song to song.
To start with the positives, these actually have a pretty big stoundstage compared to the rest of its class.
About equal size soundstage as the very good Sennheiser Momentum 4, and bigger than the Sony XM4 and XM5.
The Sony XM5 and XM4 sound relatively “flat” and 2D compared to the QC45, which is wider with more depth.
The bigger soundstage makes separation a little easier, but I also hear a lack of resolution and detail (partly due to EQ, but I also suspect the hardware), which makes things a little messy when songs get busy with more layers.
Timbre is also hit or miss, sometimes sounding pretty good and realistic, but other times artificial and unnatural.
If I were to rank the QC45 against its competition in terms of preference and listening enjoyment (not just pure sound quality):
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra (with EQ)
- Apple AirPods Max (stock)
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 (stock)
- Sony WH-1000XM5 (with EQ)
- Bose QuietComfort 45 (with EQ)
- Sony WH-1000XM4 (stock)
Sound Quality Score: 8.0 out of 10 (after EQ)
Comfort
True to its namesake and history, the Bose QuietComfort series has always been insanely light and comfortable to wear for hours on end.
The QC45 carries on this tradition, and is the lightest headphones tested in its class, only slightly heavier than the Sony XM4/XM5:
- Bose QuietComfort 45 – 235.4 grams
- Sony WH 1000XM5 – 245.9 grams
- Sony WH 1000XM4 – 251.6 grams
- Bose QuietComfort Ultra – 254.4 grams
- Beats Studio Pro – 268.6 grams
- Sennheiser Momentum 4 – 292.9 grams
- Apple AirPods Max – 387.8 grams
Due to its insanely light weight, you’d think the QC45 scores perfectly for Comfort, and you’d be mostly right.
The QC45 is very comfortable indeed, but has just one flaw that is exposed when wearing back-to-back with perfect score headphones like the newer QC Ultra and Sony XM5.
The headband and earpad cushioning is simply not as plush as those mentioned above.
What this translates to is the headphones being more noticeable with slightly more top-of-head pressure and clamping force.
Still, this is all relative, and the QC45 is still in the upper echelon of comfort for all headphones tested to date.
Comfort Score: 4.5 out of 5
Features / Build Quality / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling
Features
Originally released in 2021, the Bose QuietComfort 45 is a bit of an older headphone now, with its official successor simply named “QuietComfort” replacing it in September 2023.
There’s also the “big brother” flagship QuietComfort Ultra that came out shortly after in October 2023.
Despite its age, I found the QC45 to have most of the important modern features like customizable Active Noise Cancelling and Transparency modes, USB-C charging port, multiple built-in microphones for calls, and customizable EQ with companion app.
The only missing feature is Spatial Audio, which is not a dealbreaker to me at all.
The Bose QC45 also folds neatly and comes with a nice, very compact hardshell case. It’s clear that Bose designs their headphones and cases for frequent travelers and commuters who need to maximize bag space. I personally love this aspect.
Build Quality
The Bose QC45 build quality is very solid throughout, with lots of metal underneath the plastic exterior of both the headband and hinges.
These headphones just feel very sturdy when handling.
One small caveat here is that the area around where the hinges swivel is kind of sharp and has very little clearance, so my fingers can get a little stuck/poked by this area when handling.
Bose QuietComfort 45 Battery Life
The Bose QC45 is rated at 22 hours of battery life on a single charge, which is about average overall.
In my testing, I found this figure to be fairly accurate, only needing to charge once per week.
There are more impressive headphones when it comes to battery life, like the 60 hour Sennheiser Momentum 4, or 30 hour Sony XM5.
Bose QuietComfort 45 Noise Cancelling Performance
Despite being a little older now, I found the Bose QuietComfort 45’s noise cancelling performance to be nearly on par with the top noise cancelling headphones today, such as the newer Bose QC Ultra and Sony WH-1000XM5.
Like the QC Ultra, the QC45 allows you to customize 11 levels between noise cancelling and Transparency Mode.
On its quietest setting, the QC45 is extremely effective at reducing outside noise, even on airplane travel with jet engine noises in the background.
For less noisy environments, I find that even halfway between noise cancelling and ambient noise can shut out the outside world with music playing.
My only wish is that the Bose app should allow you to fully turn OFF both noise cancelling and transparency modes, just like Sony and Apple offer.
Features / Build Quality / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling Score: 4.5 out of 5
Value
Now being replaced by the newer Bose QuietComfort 2023 model, the older QC45’s price is typically much lower than when it retailed for $329.
Since this model is now technically discontinued, you’re probably more likely to find a Renewed pair (we earn commission from this link) around $165, than anything brand new.
Now that is the current price for a Renewed/Refurbished pair of QC45, but it is a smoking deal all things considered.
Around $165, there’s not many premium active noise cancelling headphones even found in the price range.
Considering the nearly-perfect comfort, very strong active noise cancelling, and “fun” but flawed sound, I can’t think of any direct contenders.
But if you want an upgrade in sound quality primarily, there are options if you’re willing to spend a bit more.
Value Score: 4.5 out of 5
Are the Bose QuietComfort 45 Headphones Worth it?
Due to its age and thus discounted price, the Bose QuietComfort 45 has turned into something of a “hidden gem” in the current wireless noise cancelling headphone landscape, and is worth more than its market price.
(As long as it’s not the full retail $329, of course.)
The QC45 scores quite strongly in every category, and there is a massive gain in sound quality thanks to a simple EQ setting via the Bose app.
It didn’t score perfect in any category, aside from maybe its noise cancelling performance, but the discounted price more than makes up for any of its slight shortcomings.
Since these are now a “last generation” model due to the newer 2023 QuietComfort replacing it, picking up a Renewed pair (link below) would present one of the best dollar-for-dollar values available today.
Bose QuietComfort 45 Alternatives
Some extremely strong alternatives in this class of noise cancelling headphones and price range are the Sony WH-1000XM4, Beats Studio Pro, and Sennheiser Momentum 4.
And if you’re willing to spend a bit more, the newer flagship Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony WH-1000XM5 are simply two of the best in this category overall.
I recommend you check those out next!
Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that, plus a continuously improving site experience.
Overall Scoring Breakdown
Sound Quality: 8.0 / 10 (after EQ)
Comfort: 4.5 / 5
Features / Build Quality / Battery Life / Noise Cancelling: 4.5 / 5
Value: 4.5 / 5
Total: 21.5 / 25
Order the LATEST VERSION for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):
Want to save up to an additional $150?
Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂
FAQ
How old is Bose QuietComfort 45?
The Bose QuietComfort 45 was officially released on September 23rd, 2021, which now makes them 3 years old at the time of this writing.
Are Bose QC45 discontinued?
Yes, the Bose QuietComfort 45 is officially discontinued due to being replaced by the QuietComfort in 2023, but you can still find QC45 for sale on Amazon new, used, and refurbished.
Does Bose QuietComfort 45 have good bass?
Yes, the Bose QuietComfort 45 actually has great bass performance, and is its strongest aspect from a sound quality perspective.
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase all of the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment. Noise cancelling performance is tested in the real-world, primarily on airplane flights, coffee shops, and walking around large metropolitan city environments.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
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