The Bose QuietComfort 45 bring the same comfortable design at a lower price

Bose unveiled its QuietComfort 45 headphones, a successor to the famed and everpresent QuietComfort 35 II. The new Bose QC 45 share a similar look to their predecessors, and this time around Bose improved the audio quality, controls, and yes, even the comfort. While Bose raised the bar with these improvements, it lowered the price; the Bose QuietComfort 45 retail for $329.

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The QuietComfort 45 feature two audio settings, Quiet and Aware mode. With Quiet mode enabled, listeners can enjoy premium active noise-cancelling (ANC) performance. While we don’t yet know how the new headset’s noise cancellation performs, we can reference the old model’s ANC charts. It’s fair to expect that the QC 45 will quiet low-frequency sounds like the rumble of a jet engine or din of a train car, rendering them at least one-quarter to one-fifth as loud as they would sound without the headset. Aware mode has the opposite effect and lets the listener keep an ear on background noise without removing the headphones. This is good for hearing a subway announcement or responding to a train ticketer.

As the name suggests, the QuietComfort 45 are intended to be a comfortable pair of headphones. Bose QC 35 II owners back those headphones for their comfort, so the new iteration should be no different. The company made slight modifications to the ear pads which should reduce the number of gaps that form between the padding and skull, thereby improving passive isolation and fit. As before, the headphones fold flat and can be stored in the included carrying case.

Seeing how much of the past year-plus has been spent in virtual meeting rooms, more and more companies have realized the importance of microphone quality on their headsets, and Bose is no exception. The Bose QuietComfort 45 boast an improved microphone system that actively quiets distracting background noise, including the less predictable ones like a roommate’s barking dog or the whir of a coffee grinder.

The QuietComfort 45 is doubles as a great productivity headset, thanks to Bluetooth multipoint support. Listeners can connect to two devices at once, keeping an ear on incoming phone calls while streaming a conference call. The headphones use Bluetooth 5.1 and have Bose SimpleSync, which makes it easy to pair with Bose Soundbars for private audio streaming.

Battery life is better too as Bose promises 24 hours of playtime on a single charge. Modern smartphone owners can rejoice in the USB-C, rather than micro-USB, charging input. A full charge requires two hours, though you can fast charge the headset too: a 15-minute charge supplies 180 minutes of playtime.

The Bose QuietComfort 45 are available for pre-order today and cost $329. Bose will begin shipping the headphones out on September 23.