Bose ups its headphone range

Bose has released a wireless version of its popular QuietComfort noise cancellation headphones.

Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones

Bose’s premium QuietComfort noise cancelling headphones are now wireless with the new QC35 offering up to 20 hours Bluetooth operation, says the company.

But in an aircraft you’ll probably want to plug into the sound system so there’s an optional cable. Here Bose claims up to 40 hours operation from its rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

The QC35 is one of four new headphones announced in Australia, the others being earbud models. The QC30 offers variable noise cancelling while the SoundSport Pulse includes a heart rate monitor. The SoundSport is a sweat and water resistant music player.

Bose has built a reputation for headphones that are practically useful on the go. For starters the QC35 like its predecessor folds away into a pouch that fits snugly inside hand luggage.You get a connector for wired use and an adaptor for linking to aircraft entertainment systems. Its signature feature is tackling the most annoying part of travel — extraneous noise.

I haven’t had time to test them properly, but the QC35 claims to offer a sophisticated system of microphones for noise cancellation. Using microphones inside and outside the earcups, the QC35 measures and sends extraneous sound to two digital chips — one per ear — that create equal and opposite signals to cancel unwanted sound. There’s a velocity mike for reducing wind noise.

Bose says its noise cancellation can handle the rumble of a subway, plane engines, and city commotion with cancellation noise produced in a fraction of a millisecond.

Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones

The headphones can be controlled with buttons on the right earcup or using the Bose Connect app. There are two controls on the earcup. One is an on-off switch with a third setting for pairing. The second switch at the back of the earcup is a volume toggle with a separate switch, a multi-function button, set between volume up and volume down.

This button has different uses depending on context. You press once to play/pause music or answer a call. Two presses skip forward a track, and three presses go back a track. You press and hold the button to cancel an incoming call.

It didn’t take me long to learn to locate this button while wearing the headphones; my regret is that Bose doesn’t use the system adopted by some manufacturers of skipping tracks and altering volume levels by dragging a finger up and down the back of the earcup. Nevertheless it is an easily workable system.

The headphones can connect to two Bluetooth devices simultaneously, so you can take a call on a connected smartphone while in the midst of a movie on a connected tablet device. The headphones can store 8 devices in its pairing list.

You can also pair the headphones using Near Field Communication (NFC). That’s a matter of tapping together the NFC touchpoints on both devices. The QC35 is available for pre-order and will be in store from June 15 for $499.

Bose QuietComfort 30 headset

QC30 controllable noise cancelling

The QC30 feature small earbuds with 6 microphones attached to a neckband that houses the rest of the electronics. A small button panel at the right lets you not only control the volume level but also the noise cancellation level as you move around. There are buttons for music volume, play/pause, answer/end calls and noise control.

The Bose earbuds have three attachments for different ear sizes. Part of the attachment fits inside the earlobe for increased stability. I found you had to rotate it around for a snug fit.

Bose says that using Bluetooth, you can pair the device with a smartwatch that stores its own music, and exercise and listen to music without needing a phone. Bose claims up to 10 hours of battery life. The QC30 will be available from mid September for $399.

Bose SoundSport wireless headset

SoundSport and SoundSport Pulse

These two earbud models have umbrella shaped silicone inserts that Bose says creates a seal as they warm up, while a wing shape lock fits inside the earlobe. There’s an inline remote for skipping songs, volume control, and taking and making calls.

The SoundSport Pulse has an in-built heart rate monitor which the company claims has the accuracy of a chest strap. We’ll have to wait and see but it’s one of a genre of heart rate monitors that measures your pulse from within your ear.

Whether you need a heart rate monitor on headphones given they are present on a plethora of wearables is another issue. Bose says the heart rate monitor in the headphones can send data to Runkeeper, Endomondo and other fitness apps.

The SoundSport offers up to 6 hours of battery life and will cost $249. For the Pulse model it’s 5 hours of battery life and $249. Both models will be available mid-September.

All devices use the Bose Connect app for iOS and Android.