Bose today unveiled its new QuietComfort 45 headphones — the successor to the highly popular QuietComfort 35 II.
Bose is trumpeting simplicity with this upgrade. The QC45 model has just two settings — Quiet and Aware. Quiet mode is what you’d normally call active noise cancellation, which uses microphones inside and outside the earcups to blot out anything other than what you’re hearing through the headphones. Bose says the transition from noise to nil is down to a fraction of a millisecond with the QC45. The Aware mode allows for full sound transparency, where you can hear everything outside the headphones as well as what’s being pumped through them.
The simplicity of the QC45 transfers into the controls as well. There’s a single button on the left earcup to toggle between the two modes. The right earcup features volume up, volume down, power, and the Bluetooth pairing slider.
“QuietComfort headphones are legendary for a reason,” Mehul Trivedi, category director for Bose wearable audio, said in a press release. “What started as a product for traveling became a product that makes every day better and easier for millions of people all over the world. Our customers have told us for years that it’s the balance of benefits that make QuietComfort so different and indispensable. They’ve always been a great example of excelling where it matters most. And the QC45s are no different.”
The QC45 also take that noise cancellation into account when you’re on calls or giving commands via your favorite digital assistant, isolating your voice to make sure it’s the most important sound coming through on the other end.
Bose is claiming up to 24 hours of battery life on the QC45, with a full charge achieved in 2.5 hours. A mere 15 minutes plugged in will get you three hours of playback, according to Bose. And perhaps most important: They now use USB-C to charge.
You’ve got a couple of colors from which to choose — Triple Black and White Smoke — otherwise known as black and off-white.
The new QC45 headphones will be available starting September 23 for $330 and are available for pre-order today.
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