Reviewed: Bose Quiet Comfort 25

I recently replaced my well-used and much-loved headphones, a set of Bose QC 15’s, with a new set. The old set was getting on a bit in age (I’ve had them for close to five years now), and were getting to a point where they were more or less worn out. Though they probably had another four or five months of heavy use in them, I wanted to replace them now, rather than having to scramble to replace them later. After looking at the offerings out there, I opted for their successor, Bose QC 25.

QC 25 is available in black, white, or a custom colour chosen by the customer (at a $100 premium). It comes in a carrying case matching the main colour. Like its predecessor, it has a detachable cable, and is powered by a single AAA battery. It also features an upgraded sound element, which offers a significant improvement; you can use the headphones while the noise cancelling feature is turned off. Another improvement is that the headphones are now (somewhat) collapsible.

While both Bose and any sales person you might care to listen to will tell you that the sound quality is significantly improved, all I can say with confidence, is that it is comparable to that of QC 15, whose sound quality I have always found to be excellent. There is a not insignificant difference in the sound offered when the noise cancelling is off compared to it being on. I happily use it for speech in non-noise cancelling mode, but find that the sound quality is somewhat bass-heavy (and thus treble-light) for music.

The noise cancelling feature is excellent; and even better in QC 25 than in QC 15. It does not feel as loud as in its predecessor, meaning that I can use it for longer without my ears getting tired. The control section on the cable is a bit bulkier, as is the cable itself, which makes the build quality feel higher. In addition, the microphone does not seem to pick up the wind as much as that of its predecessor, an impressive feat.

All in all, I am a happy return Bose customer. I find that their products hold consistent high quality, which delivers excellent audio every time. I have no reservations in heartily endorsing it.

Caveat Lector: I purchased the headphones with my own money, and have neither been paid, offered compensation, nor given any consideration to write this.