Bose Headphones 700, Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Wireless Headphones with Built-In Microphone for Clear Calls and Alexa Voice Control, Black

10 reviews for Bose Headphones 700, Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Over-Ear Wireless Headphones with Built-In Microphone for Clear Calls and Alexa Voice Control, Black

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Dave & Laura – April 5, 2022

   
   This review is my personal experience using both headphones. I recently lost my Sony Headphones and decided to buy Bose Headphones. Here are some differences I have found between all three, and how I feel currently using Bose Headphones.Make sure you update any headphones firmware, some issues you may experience could be fixed (with any electronic). Understand that headphones in a warehouse are likely from the year they were manufactured, and first versions of anything tend to be buggy.PERSONAL USAGEI use these headphones primarily for work. I’ve been full time remote for over two years doing software development. I have ADHD and having noise cancelling headphones is a must to keep my attention on work. We use mostly Slack and Zoom as our means of communication. Otherwise, I’m listening to music or the occasional YouTube TV.PERSONAL PREFERENCESI really don’t like using in the ear headphones. They hurt my ears after an hour or so and never were a long-term solution. Over the ear headphones was what I liked the best since that’s what works for me. This has been throughout my life, and they tend to fall out.BEATS – NOT FOR ME OR MY HEADMy first pair of headphones were Beats Solo. I was really impressed with wireless headphones in general. Eventually after the Solos started to fall apart, I decided to get Beats Studio 3. These worked much better for my head, as these were truly over my year, which I prefer.The functionality is about the same between the two. With a lot of usage, the earpieces came worn out and unglued and I had to buy replacements. Compatible quality replacements are about $30 from different manufacturers.• Pros – Lots of colors. Foldable, and buttons are more clicks than touch sensitivity. Useful when sweating or outdoor use.• Cons – Quality. Wore down quickly and were not a long-term solution. Paying more for royalties to Dr. Dre than quality assurance in general. Feel cheap.FIRST DECISION – Sony WH-1000MX3I was fortunate to try out both headphones from a family member. I was skeptical about Sony since it wasn’t the name brand Bose was for what I wanted. I really like how they felt on my head, and they didn’t hurt after wearing them for hours.There wasn’t a noticeable difference in sound quality. Features needed matched what I needed at the time and figured there was no point in spending more. My work-at-home situation was different, and I was at home around 40% of the time. The case was useful when transporting in my backpack back and forth to work.Once I transitioned to full time work-at-home, some of the features that I found useful weren’t available on the Sony’s. One big thing I would like to see is app integration. Mute / Unmute for Slack and Zoom would really be a great feature. Understandably, these are headphones, and are limited to what Bluetooth has to offer.The app is useful, and more powerful with customization than the other two. I found I used it a couple of times.Over the three years I’ve used these, the product quality and sound we’re just like day 1. These headphones seem to be built better than the other two.• Pros –Very durable and well built. Sound quality is great and felt good after a day’s work. Slept with these on a bus trip. That was my last memory. Cheaper than the Bose. Foldable, smaller case.• Cons – Less features than the Bose. Misses on some sweet spots. Harder to see which is left and right when putting them on, but not really a big deal.SECOND DECISION – Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700Once I realized I may never see my beloved Sony Headphones again, I needed something right away since work call quality was terrible. Before I pulled the trigger on the same Sony’s, I wanted to look at to what Bose offered that Sony didn’t. The biggest was a feature to mute / unmute. When pouring over reviews like this one, that feature was worth paying up. Since these are new headphones, I am still getting used to the controls.I’ve only had these for a month. Was it worth paying up for it? Honestly, I don’t know yet. There are more controls on the headphones which I’m figuring out.So based on a month, here’s what I found• Pros – Seems like better sound quality. More features and possible mute integration.• Cons – Price and unproven personal durability experience.TLDR / OVERALL REVIEWI won’t even compare the Beats headphones. Sony and Bose are a step way above Beats.METRICS• Sound Quality – Bose slightly. My ears are bad, I’m not an audiophobia as others may be. Spotify is what I listen to primarily. The slight edge goes to Bose, only because it’s a small enough difference.• Mute / Unmute – Bose. The main reason for choosing Bose instead of Sony for my current headphones.• Noise Cancelling – Leaning towards Bose. There is customization of three different settings within the Bose app to set up preferences from 0-10. Sony sort of has the same thing, but not directly.• Microphone – Sony. Never had any issues of cutting out or “robo voice”. Initially I am “cutting out” and “in a wind tunnel” from peers.• Bose – Multiple Device Connectivity (multiple Bluetooth Connections) was a feature I didn’t even think about. Bose allows for multiple connections which comes in handy. I found myself unpairing and pairing devices with Sony. It was sort of a hassle that seemed unnecessary. If the Bluetooth source device is off, it should default to another.• Headset Features, Bose wins. Although I haven’t had the time to get into what the buttons do, there are more of them. The buttons themselves seem a little better than the Sony’s.• Headset Quality – Sony. I really don’t care for the artsy plastic that goes over the top of your head. Sony also folds up where Bose doesn’t. An argument can be made that the Bose are lighter than the Sony’s, but that didn’t matter to me.• In the box – Sony slightly. Sony included an airplane adapter where Bose did not. I prefer the case from Sony than I do from Bose.• Daily Use – Too Early to determine, likely Sony. Sony’s headphones were excellent, as of now I haven’t used the Bose headphones.• Bluetooth Range – Bose decisively. Bluetooth location hasn’t changed. Dead spots where I wore my Sony’s didn’t exist with the Bose. There is a little bit of breakup in the headphones in dead spots, but nearly not as much as the Sony’s.• Companion Application – Bose. Much more customization of buttons versus Sony.WINNER – SonyI’m going to put a disclaimer on this, so take this for what it is.With my new set of Bose Headphones, there is a problem with the microphone. Assuming that this was just a fluke, I returned them since they were defective. So, my review is irrelevant of that from that aspect.Both are great, I lean Sony just because of the price difference.I wanted to give the Bose Headphones a little more time before getting a refund and getting the Sony’s again. Right now, they’re cutting out where Sony rarely did that. Even in that case, my computer was slow, or the application used went haywire. That’s something that’s a no-go for me. I ended up contacting Bose support, went through the normal stuff, is your battery charged, are you far away to a point they created a return ticket for a replacement. Once sent in, they would give me a new pair within 5 business days.Fortunately, after writing this review, I ended up finding my missing Sony headphones, which would be what I would have bought instead of a Bose replacement.As with any review, only you can decide if the extra money for Bose is worth it. I can see it both ways. For me, these headphones are for basic usage. The extra money wasn’t worth the upgrade. Defective products happen. I just hoped that their flagship headphones would have worked better. Regardless, spending hundreds of dollars to replace something missing is an instant return anyway.I hope this helped someone. Sorry for too much text.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   A. Clark Fine Art – February 6, 2020

   
   The noise cancellation is exceptional on these headphones. With 10 levels I can block out most of what is going on around me, when it is safe to do so. If you are someone that startles easily, like myself, you will probably get scared a lot because you will not hear what or who is walking up behind you. My husband finds this very humorous.The sound quality was every bit of what I expected from Bose. Crisp, rich audio, with an amazing range of clarity, from your treble to mid tones and excellent bass. It’s easy to slip into your own little oasis with these on.They are also quite comfortable, their padded band and ear cups are soft and do not apple much pressure against your head. They are very light weight and I can wear them for hours without issue.The included case is well made, sturdy and not overly bulky allowing my to pack it and take it with me anywhere. It has a storage compartment for your cables so you always know where they are.The battery life is excellent! I can go days without charging, but if I do need to charge, they replenish quite quickly and I am right back in business. I have easily gotten a full 20 hour charge out of these. I like that when you turn them on they immediately tell you how many hours they have left on their current charge and what devices they are connected to. This makes it easy to check how long you can use them on their current charge, before you head out somewhere where you might not have access to a plug. I found the time they tell me I have left on my charge to be quite accurate. I am able to connect to more than one device (like my iPhone and iPad) and they intuitively play the sound from the device I am using at the moment. I love that feature it’s easy to switch from watching something on my iPad to listening to music from my phone. Bose also includes a cable so you can plug directly to your device and go wired. I have not used this feature because the battery life is so long, I have not run into a situation where it was necessary.The buttons and touch features of these headphones are wonderful. I can turn Alexa (Siri or Google) on or off depending on my needs. I can control the volume sliding my finger up or down on the surface of one ear and can tap to pause and swipe to change songs. With one button I can rotate between 3 levels of noise cancellation that I can set within my app. I have not had the chance to utilize some of the AR on these yet but cannot wait to try it on our next vacation, it will be like bringing along our own tour guide.I love that Alexa is built in. I’m an artist and when I’m painting in my studio it is very nice to be able to use Alexa to change my music without needing to touch my device or my headphones.I saved and waited to get these after trying them and comparing to the Sony competitive model and I am so glad I did. I found the bass of the Sony WH1000 series to be a little scratchy sounding and the overall sound just wasn’t as crisp as the Bose 700 series. I had a pair of Cowin E-7s and those, while they were great at their price point and did the job while I was saving up for these, they just weren’t even in the same class as the Bose 700. These, in my opinion (and I spent a lot of time putting headphones on and off, listening to how everything sounded on each), set the bar and everything else is just trying to measure up. Only the Sony WH1000 series could come close, but for me their sound quality still fell short. The only way to describe it was, you knew you were listening to a recording, whereas the sound from the Bose 700, you could close your eyes and it sounded like you were listening to it actually being played by the artist live the sound is just that crisp and clear no echo or scratch it’s clear vibrant and rich, everything I expected from Bose.I am very happy with my purchase, they were worth the wait and I would certainly recommend them to everyone!One Note I have very sensitive sinuses and when I put on noise canceling headphones, I can actually feel a pressure in my ears and sinus cavities, this does happen with the Bose as well (it happens with every brand I have tried if the cancellation is of any really quality). That said it does not deter me, nor do I feel it’s would be a reason I wouldn’t recommend them or give them a lower star rating. I can feel it when I activate the noise cancellation at its max level but everyone else I have asked to try them, can’t. So chances are very likely this will not be something that the average person even realizes. I can still use the noise cancellation and can block out enough that I never hear my husband walk into my studio until he taps me on the shoulder and scared the heck out of me. I only include this info in case there are others out there that also experience this, with the Bose 700 you can control the levels and it’s easy to step your way up through 10 levels of cancellation and find one that blocks the noise out, while still being comfortable to your sinuses. That is why I would recommend to everyone! Other headphones are cancellation on or off and if you are sensitive to it that can render the feature useless. Again not the case with the Bose 700 series. I use this feature all the time, have found the level that is perfect for me and the noise cancellation is amazing. It is so nice to finally be able to use this feature.I will also add that unlike other headphones the noise cancellation does not affect the quality of the sound I am listening to either! I have tried many where the sound completely changes the moment you turn it on, not with these. The sound remains crisp and rich and clear as it did without the noise cancellation. The only difference is the world around you gets quieter and the music sounds amazing! If you read this whole review Thank You if you are considering these headphones and trying to compare, in my opinion there is no comparison and I don’t think you will be disappointed choosing the Bose 700 series. I hope this info helped.

   
3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   A Customer – September 24, 2023

   
   To start with, the noise cancellation is superb. Whether I was in a noisy coffee shop or on a bustling city street or a noisy gym, the headphones effectively blocked out the external sounds, allowing me to fully immerse myself in my music or audiobook.One of the standout features for me was how easy it was to connect and switch between devices. With just a few taps on my phone, I could seamlessly switch from my laptop to my tablet without any hassle. It made my multitasking life much more convenient.As for the sound quality, I found it to be more than satisfactory. While I’m not an audiophile myself and primarily listen to classical or soft soundtracks, the headphones delivered clear and balanced audio. The melodies and instruments were rendered beautifully, capturing the nuances of the music.I came across some reviews mentioning that the accompanying app required location access, but I found this to be untrue in my experience. I was able to connect and play my music without being prompted to share my location. This was a relief for me, as privacy is important, and I appreciate that the headphones respected that.In conclusion, these headphones offer outstanding noise cancellation, easy device connectivity, and enjoyable sound quality. I would highly recommend them to anyone seeking a reliable and user-friendly audio solution.

4. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   S. M. – August 21, 2023

   
   Pros: Love how good the noise cancelling is and sound quality is fantastic!! Got these for loud upstairs neighbors and they have been great. (Haven’t been on a plane with them) I have a narrow face/head and they are good for long stretches of wearing without any pressure. Comfy fit!Cons: That is also the problem, they don’t squeeze my head so they are not stable if I lean forward to pick up items off the floor. With a baseball hat it’s much better. They ear pads spin in order to lay flat for travel and since they are on a round headset, they spin the Moment you try to move them off. (Had Beats and they are super stable for moving off of one ear)Also the buttons are super sensitive, as well as the touch controls, and I have accidentally hit buttons or skipped a song just taking them off.Overall: Excellent purchase and love the noise cancelling with sound quality. Lots of small annoyances with how they try to slide off but it’s worth it.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   M. Greenberg – July 4, 2019

   
   I’ve owned these for half a day so far and have decided to keep them around. I’m an audiophile who spends money on kickstarter earbuds, custom-made preamps, and (in general) quality hardware which reduces my audio experience as little as possible. Trying these cans in-store at BestBuy allowed me to appreciate the hardware quality of the exterior… quality matte plastic moulding, amazing comfortable faux-leather surfaces on your skin, and a synthesized voice and audible feedback to assist with your navigation of the three hardware buttons and touch controls make these headphones easy to wear during work sessions, public transit commutes, or in a crowded home with loud kids. As a brand new product, the tension on the cans over your ears and on your head can become uncomfortable within an hour of use. Subjectively, I don’t consider my head to be particularly large or larger-than-average and will need to play around with adjusting the cups to sit lower or higher on the band which also release/tighten the tension respectively to see if this becomes a long term problem with use. Taking short breaks with the headphones off (10-15 minutes) helps and gives a good excuse/reminder to take a break from work to relax the body/eyes/ears.The sound quality is reasonable for the headphones. When using the headphones with noise cancellation off, ambient noise seems to lack a very strong low end frequency response (sub ~250Hz, not measured) and might reduce your meatspace experience in some cases where mixed ambient and input audio are desired. That said, direct input still seems to perform quite well with solid frequency response all around which lets the very highs and very lows to be pretty well-balanced.A test using the headset for phone conversation over bluetooth yielded very nice results. The setup involved the cans paired with my laptop streaming music and my Project Fi Pixel 3 phone on standby. Using the Google voice assistant to start the call resulted in some clumsy voice detection/understanding problems (“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that, who would you like to call? I don’t know that name, who would you like to call? Ok, will that be mobile or home? Ok, will that be mobile or home? Dialing…” _sigh_) which I don’t believe are the fault of the cans at all. The test included loud ambient music in the room with the person wearing the headphones and found the other user to experience practically none of the ambient noise through the call with a very clear bead on the callee’s voice despite close proximity to the music source playing at a moderate volume (such that the ambient music was leaking through the room walls and making it hard to isolate whether the headphones were leaking the ambient noise into the call…which it seemed _not_ to do with this casual test setup). Noticeable was the (300-700ms) delay from the user on the headphones which seemed to not be present from the non-headphone user. It was hardly a concern and either due to the latency in the network transmitting the audio (which, again, was a local wifi call between handsets…. though I am unsure if the handsets route audio locally or not) or possibly in the audio processing from the headset. This latency was par for most mobile calls and should be completely unnoticeable in a remote environment when you’re not there to hear to source before the transmitted audio through the headset.A few gripes about the design and ergonomics of the device:- the button placement: very easy to accidentally active these buttons which adjusting the placement of these cans if not aware/careful.- the direction of earcup rotation: when placing the cans around the neck/shoulders, the earcups rotate up (into the air) rather than down (onto your chest). Questionable choice here as it makes the headphones somewhat uncomfortable to hold there, but perhaps Bose never expects you to remove the phones… unsure if that’s a reasonable expectation or not.- the synthetic leather matte black surface inside the top of the headset and on the earcups attract oil and will certainly show for those of us with that sort of skin. This may require some extra TLC and upkeep to keep as pristine as one might like. The white set might fair better in this regard.Overall summary:A pricey purchase that I would have trouble justifying as a personal expense (these were expensed by my employer and intended for daily voice conference usage and isolation during work hours in busy coffee shops) and really comes down to the longevity of the product over time. If these headphones end up lasting me longer than 5 years, I would be VERY satisfied with the purchase. At a price point closer to $250-300, this would be a much easier personal purchase to make.As a user which “babies” their hardware, I am eager to see whether this will stand the test of time. Direct input (from a bluetooth source that is not ambient noise) has a very solid frequency response which does not noticeably detract from the music experience. Longterm use may be uncomfortable depending on your head size. The noise cancellation works wonderfully and almost too well, leaving me at a “5” setting more often than a “10” as complete cancellation feels too isolating and uncomfortable to feeling the lack of “air” around me. BLE connection to multiple devices (two) at once allows for seemless transitions between either input. This is also a first time purchase of a Bose product. Looking forward to seeing how the device matures and support is handled over time. Firmware updates are provided automatically to the headset through their app. Battery life “appears” long but I have yet to complete a full discharge cycle to be sure. I was pleasantly surprised to find the phones report +5 hours of use remaining at 20% battery charge and +20 hours at full charge (the audio assistant delivers the charge level as “hours of use” remaining, not battery level…which is still viewable in the Bose Music app. Nice touch, Bose).

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Taylor A. – September 18, 2023

   
   I purchased these after I had so much trouble with the bears charging. Luckily these charge very well and gave a great battery life lasting me a full day. The mic quality is fantastic as people I talk to on the phone can now hear me over the tractor where other pairs of headphones they couldn’t. The connect to Bluetooth very easy and a pretty comfortable. They do make me sweat a little on hot days because of the foam ears. So far they seem durable but I will know for sure within a year. This is the best set of wireless noise canceling I’ve tried thus far.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   avocat – September 24, 2023

   
   For the price, these are better than any other headphones I’ve tried.I hesitated to buy them, and bought several other brands first. I returned all of the others.I’m not a fan of the in-the-ear headphone; I like cans.These are super comfortable, and the sound is high quality.I’m not an “audiophile”, and I can’t give you a detailed explanation of the plusses and minuses of each part of each range of sound.I can tell you that I’m an average listener, who knows when something sounds tinny, or has too much or too little base, or where high tones dominate or are lost. Things most “normal” listeners would notice. And these headphones deliver a rich listening experience for me. That’s about all I can say about them.

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Heather Tietjen – September 2, 2023

   
   Right of the bat with the tamper evident label, elegant box, and leather carry case I was impressed! Impressed and eager. Bringing the headset to a full charge was a very lllloooonnnngggg two hours. I’m so glad I made this investment.Setup was quick and easy thanks to the Bose Music App that they direct you to download in the instruction manual. I’m ecstatic how custom you can set your sound, ie. Bass Boost, Treble Boost, Noise Cancelling (degree).I’ll be honest, what queued me to purchase this item was due to sweating out a more affordable brand. They just couldn’t handle a bucket of sweat and my friends referred me to the Bose 700. Friend referral plus Men’s Health Magazine “Editors Choice”, and I was convinced.You can hear SO many different harmonics! It almost feels like listening in a recording studio (I imagine). Each note is rich and full of life. The fit is exceptional (even over hair as advertised!).The highest water resistance, factory warranty, and Bose reputation are amazing.Day one of ownership: five star! I’m hopeful to feel that way in years to come.

   
9. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Amazon Customer – October 2, 2023

   
   I upgraded from the first version of the bose noise cancelling headphones and iam amazed at how good these headphones sound.

10. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Michael Whitlock – July 17, 2023

    
    Would give 5 stars for quality noise cancellation and sound quality, BUT-Manual only contains info on how to onboard with the App. It contains little information on how to operate the device-Too few buttons. They needlessly double up the functionality of unlabeled buttons, causing confusion and lengthening the learning curve of using what should be 100% intuitive-When muting and unmuting yourself, you are unable to hear anything through the headphones for a couple of seconds while a voice says “Muting”/”Unmuting”. Causes issues during meetings. Mute isn’t a toggle switch so you can’t tell if you’re muted or not until you press it.There really isn’t more innovation to be had from a pair of wireless headphones. It’s not a crime to have 6 or 7 buttons. They tried to bare bones the interface at the cost of usability.