Bose QuietComfort 25 - A new standard in noise-cancelling headphones

Bring on the quiet

Five years is a lifetime for tech products, but that’s exactly how long the Bose QuietComfort 15s have been in service, in part because Bose was determined not to replace the QC15 headphones until they had something that was, in their words, "better and different".

Enter the Bose QuietComfort 25,featuring a new design, updated electronics, and a slightly tweaked acoustic profile for improved sound overall. Launched last month, we've since had some time with these headphones for a thorough evaluation, and we must say that the changes are subtle, yet significant. From the new swivel-design cups to the improved noise-cancelling technologies, the QC 25 is better than QC 15 in many ways, but it’s very much the case where a sum total of many small changes brings about a better product overall, and not one particular standout feature.

Design and features

The QC 25 headphones boast a cleaner design aesthetic than the QC 15, with fewer lines compared to the original, and comes in a choice of black (which looks more like a gunmetal grey) or white (contrasted with elements of silver and beige), with the synthetic leather earpads contrasting the main band slightly. Other than a switch to activate noise-cancelling, the headphones are clean of detailing, with even the battery compartment discretely tucked away in the top of the right ear-cup.

Like the QC 15, the QC 25 is mostly made fromplastic, which makes them extremely light (195.6g to be exact), but Bose manages to package it in a way that the headphones don’t feel cheap. The hinges feel solid, and the headset itself is nicely put together, with a minimum of screws showing. Also, the way they’ve integrated the battery holder and airplane adapter into the included carrying case makes the set feel like a premium travelers’ item - which it is, if you consider the price.

Going back to the swivel-design cups: alone they don’t seem to be that big a deal, but attached to the new cast zinc hinges, they make the entire headset sit that much better on your head, allowing for a better seal, which leads to better sound overall. Despite the tighter seal, the pressure exerted around your ears is minimal, and the ear-cups are plush enough for long periods of use, so we can safely say this is one pair of headphones you won’t mind having on your ears for extended periods of time - which is exactly what's required when you are flying across continents.

Putting the “quiet” in “QuietComfort”

Noise-canceling is obviously the leading feature with this headphone pair, and we do think the noise-cancelling is slightly better than its predecessor, which pretty much makes it better than everything else in this aspect - at least for now. This is again powered by a single AAA battery, and Bose estimates you will get 35 hours of playback on a single alkaline battery, which is more than enough for a flight or any long commute. The number drops to 28 hours if you’re using rechargeable batteries (NiMH), but it's still plenty to take you through most journeys.

One welcome change is that the headset now continues working even if the batteries run out. The sound in this mode isn’t stellar, but it certainly beats having your music cut out on you completely. On that note, the battery light flashes when only seven hours of battery life remain, so that should give you plenty of lead time to pick up a spare.

Performance

These headphones don’t have the largest soundstage, but the imaging is accurate and the details it picks up are plentiful, making it feel like you’re being treated to a more intimate listening experience overall.

For example, listening to a live performance of Ryan Star’s Losing My Religion from the Rockstar Supernova soundtrack, the QuietComfort 25 picks up every tinkle from the piano, while at the same time keeping the singer’s vocals well separated from the backing instruments and the cheers of the crowd in the background.

The same experience resurfaces on Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, with the choral voices enveloping you in stereo. Where the QuietComfort 25 excels, is in picking up details; especially in the mids and trebles. That’s not to say the headphones are completely lacking in bass; it’s there in ample amounts when the song calls for it, just that the edge has been toned down in favor of the mids and trebles.

MP3 Testing

We started our testing with Melt My Heart to Stone by Adele, a track that works the headset's ability to render warmth and tonality. For this, we found sibilance to be quite well controlled, but there seems to be a veil over the backing instruments, making the bass to mid notes seem a little muddied. This prevents the bass beat from giving a nice resounding thump, detracting from the performance some. Overall though, we thought Adele’s voice was nicely rendered, with just a slight bit of echoing detected at some parts.

Next, we put on Hotel California by the Eagles - a great track to test the overall musicality of a set of headphones, while giving you a sense of its ability to create a sense of imaging and placement for where the guitars are. The QC 25 headphones, did a great job with the vocals and the imaging here, and certainly do provide an enjoyable listening experience. There’s good separation between the vocals and the many layers of their instruments, and enough detail to pick each and every one out.

Moving on to Elements of Life by Tiesto, the clipped bass again threw us off slightly. While the leading bass thump is obviously there, the sections of the song where the bass brings you down in a descending crescendo seem a little recessed, which in a sense is in line with the laidback nature of these headphones. In terms of attack, the QC 25 headphones are definitely there though, and the high mid-range of this song plays pretty well to the QC 25’s strengths.

Finally, we finished with Buckethead's Sail on Soothsayer, a great track to test for clarity and texture. On these, the QC 25 proves to be quite capable of delivering - in the high mid-range notes. As such, the guitar riffs on this track ring out sweetly, but without the lower-mid ranges, the track feels a little thinny overall, and isn’t as exciting as it should be.

Conclusion

All in, this a set of headphones you’ll go for if you want the best noise-cancelling experience available. Which is important if you’re going to be on a crowded bus or stuck on a long flight where you really just want to plug in and zone out. The fit is good, and we do like how compact the headphones are, even when packed away into the provided case which nicely holds everything you need in a minimum of space. Acoustically, these are a good set of headphones, but at the S$500+ price-point (the QuietComfort 25 headset retails for S$529), you’re looking for "very good" experience and the QuietComfort 25s lack that little bit of sparkle to really stand out from the competition acoustically, so it really comes down to what you value the most.

As you might have deduced by now, this headset is designed for a specific purpose and it does it really well - a very comfortable pair of noise cancelling headphones that's great for long periods of use, is easy to stow and delivers good audio.

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