The best noise cancellers in the biz get better with Bose’s new QC25

By Caleb Denison October 10, 2014

Bose’s noise canceling headphones are the number one choice among frequent travelers — just take a look around the next time you’re on a plane. But headphone enthusiasts (including ourselves) will be quick to tell you that the ubiquitous Quiet Comfort 15 model, while excellent at canceling noise, left something to be desired in the sound quality department. With the new QC25, Bose aimed to remedy that issue — and it was successful.

The QC25 don’t cram in a glut of features like their competition. You don’t get Bluetooth for wireless listening, and there’s no built-in rechargeable battery (keep a spare AAA around at all times). What they do offer, however, is excellent comfort, best-in-class noise canceling, and sound quality that rivals some of the best noise-canceling headphones on the market.

Over the years, we’ve tested noise cancelers from the likes of Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, PSB, Phiaton, Beats, Logitech, Polk and others, and while some of them have a leg up on the QC25 in terms of sound quality (not by much, now) none of them can beat Bose at its own game when it comes to noise canceling. Simply said: You won’t find a more effective pair of full-size active noise-canceling headphones out there.

In our video, we show the new QC25 up close, which remain light, durable, and add in dual hinges for more compact storage. You can pick up a pair of QC25 now at Amazon for $300.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Editor at Large

Digital Trends Editor at Large Caleb Denison is a sought-after writer, speaker, and television correspondent with unmatched…

Mobile

How my noise-canceling headphones have become an anxiety-soothing silent escape

Marshall Monitor 2 headphones in hand.

Ever wanted to close yourself off from the world around you? I used to have no interest in doing so, but the coronavirus pandemic and a long, mentally challenging lockdown in the U.K. at the end of 2020 made me feel very differently. I needed an escape, and I chose to use noise-canceling headphones to create my own Fortress of Solitude.

Once something I only really used to drown out the sound of loud conversations in a coffee shop or the drone of an airplane’s engine, active noise cancellation (ANC) created a wonderfully hushed idyllic space I still look forward to visiting.
How it started
It wasn’t until a resurgence of the coronavirus in the U.K., and the resulting lockdown between December 2020 until April 2021, that I found myself craving solitude. I’d moved into a new home a few months prior and everything was still relatively unfamiliar to me, which combined with a frightening public health situation and depressing winter weather, and further exasperated by noise from a new neighbor below me, left me feeling anxious, exposed, and vulnerable.

Audio / Video

The best new headphones of CES 2021

Earin A-3 true wireless earbuds

In years past, CES has been wall-to-wall with new headphones and true wireless earbuds, but the all-digital CES 2021 was a quieter affair, with fewer announcements. Still, the headphones that did take the virtual stage were a varied group, and some of them were especially noteworthy. Here are the best headphones from CES 2021.

V-Moda M-200 ANC
V-Moda's M-200 studio-oriented headphones arrived in late 2019 to strong reviews based on to their incredibly precise sound and superb craftsmanship. But as a wired-only set of cans, they excluded themselves from a variety of scenarios outside of the home or studio. The company's newest model, the $500 M-200 ANC addresses this shortcoming by adding wireless capabilities (while preserving the wired option).

Audio / Video

AirPods Max vs. Sony WH-1000XM4 vs. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

A woman wearing the silver Apple AirPods Max.

There’s always been fierce competition over who makes the best noise-canceling headphones, and now that Apple has thrown its hat into the ring, there's one more heavyweight contender. Fans of high-end headphones rightfully want to know if the new AirPods Max beat out the two reigning champs in this category: Sony’s WH-1000XM4 and Bose’s Noise Canceling Headphones 700.

Since there’s only one way to find out, let’s get right to it with our three-way noise-canceling headphones comparison.