Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsWorks reasonably well... most of the time
Reviewed in the United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 on 24 June 2021
Bought the Bose NC700 after extended search for a noise cancelling headphone. Primary need was to manage office calls in reasonable silence by blocking out home sounds as well as general noise in office.
On a pro side, it does drown home sounds from the kitchen, vacuum cleaner etc. However, it stays on my head only if my head is upright. Downward movement of the head dislodges the over-the-head piece and puts strain on the ears. Tried using it while doing some light household chores and that was a total disaster. So forget using this for workouts or activities where your head moves a lot.
Experience in office has not been very satisfactory as it picks up all human voices and kind of amplifies it into my ear as well as any call that is ongoing. Definitely not what you would want in a meeting.
In summary this may still be the best noise cancelling headphones available in the market, however it does a half-hearted job when it comes to calls. Given the cost and performance I will give it 7 out of 10 points.
Pros:
Excellent audio quality (after all, it is Bose)
Two devices can stay connected at the same time (can be a nuisance at times)
Sits comfortably over the ears (tried up to 4 hours at a stretch and ears felt a bit warm)
Good microphone (picks up your voice even when speaking softly)
Excellent at blocking out household sounds and general noise
Battery life is as promised (gets me through the working week with roughly 4 hours usage per day)
Cons:
Picks up and amplifies human noise around you (can get quite irritating)
A bit slow to start up (apple ear pods scores big time here)
Primitive app (useless except for the initial setup)
Initial setup could be a challenge and could require a few attempts
Covering of the ear piece feels flimsy. Always fearful that my beard stubble could tear it (hope it is made of sterner stuff than that)
Easily dislodged if you move your head around
Notifications are highly irritating (thankfully this can be turned off)
Touch panel for volume control is quite responsive. Not so much for the play/pause buttons.
