The Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 made the expert list as having the best sound of the contenders — somewhat important for headphones — while the QuietComfort 45 lived up to its name as being the most comfortable. But you don’t need to choose between sound and comfort, as both sets of high-end Bose headphones offer a complete package.

Both the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and the QuietComfort 45 are premium offerings with distinct features. The 700 model boasts a modern design with an all-metal headband and a touch-sensitive gesture pad, while the QC 45 retains a more traditional design. This could be seen as less innovative, but it offers superior comfort, especially during prolonged listening sessions. In terms of battery life, the QuietComfort 45 takes the lead with a 24-hour rating, compared to the 700’s 20-hour rating.

Both headphones support SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs, ensuring a stable connection across devices. When it comes to noise cancelation, the QuietComfort 45 slightly outperforms the 700, especially in reducing ambient noises. In terms of sound, the 700 offers a more versatile frequency response, appealing to a broader audience, while the QuietComfort 45 emphasizes high frequencies. That means the QuietComfort 45 doesn’t quite offer the same high music quality as its counterpart, but it does excel in speech intelligibility, making podcasts sound clearer. Both headphones provide excellent microphone quality, suitable for everyday calls and meetings.

Ready to upgrade your audio? Whichever of the Bose headphones deal most appeals to you, you can find out more via the widgets above.