Design and features:The headphones work with or without the noise canceling feature being turned on. You can use the noise-canceling feature without listening to music. These headphones can be used wirelessly with Bluetooth devices or can be cord connected. When cord connected the headphones have low sensitivity when the headphones are powered regardless of whether the noise cancelation feature is turned on or off; so while they can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and higher powered portable audio devices, they may not be a good match for lower-powered portables. When the headphones are turned off they have medium sensitivity and can provide satisfying volume levels when used with home audio equipment and all but the lowest-powered portable audio devices. The Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 has integrated microphones and touch sensitive volume, music player function, and call connect/disconnect controls that work with paired Bluetooth devices. This model has eleven noise cancellation/monitor mode levels ranging from full noise cancellation to full ambient mode; a re-programmable control on the headphone cycles through any three of these levels and can be used to simultaneously pause audio playback and place the headphones in ambient monitoring mode for conversations without removing the headphones. The headphone also has embedded motion sensors that can detect head orientation and body movement while the headphones are being worn. When the headphones are paired to Bluetooth mobile devices with Bose AR-enhanced apps installed the apps can use the information from the sensors along with location data from the mobile device to offer audio content tailored to location and specific activities (such as directions, tour guidance, etc.). Additional features include support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri digital voice assistants when used with Bluetooth devices that have those capabilities and that, if needed, have the appropriate apps installed. This model has earcups that fold and swivel to flat for ease of carrying and storage, and comes with a detachable 40-inch long standard audio cable, a USB charging cable, and a carrying case. The free Bose Music app download for Apple and Android mobile devices can be used to access any of the ten noise cancellation levels, customize the headphone noise cancelation control level selections, determine which digital voice assistant can be accessed with the headphones, manage paired Bluetooth device connections, and update firmware.
Sound quality: We found the Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 provides excellent active noise reduction and that the sound quality was pretty much the same when the headphones operating on battery power regardless of whether the they were Bluetooth or cord connected or if ambient noise is being canceled or monitored. When used in any of these modes it delivers sound quality that falls in the excellent range; while no headphone is perfect, the shortcomings of this model are minor. The overall sound can best be summarized as somewhat bassy and a bit plasticy. Bass (as in bass drums, bass guitars, stand-up bass, etc.) has good impact and goes deep, but is somewhat prominent and boomy. The midrange (voices, guitars, horns, etc.) is fairly even, but a bit grainy and etched (a bit more sharply outlined then it should be), and has slight plastic resonance (something like what you would hear if you talked into a semi-rigid plastic cup). The treble (cymbals, the upper range of violins, etc.) is extended, but slightly prominent and sizzly (sounds that should have a delicate shimmer have a sound reminiscent of bacon frying). This model does a good job of recovering the room ambience of a recording (the sense of the acoustic space in which the audio program that's being listened to was recorded). The sound also has a good sense of liveliness and is somewhat open--sound-wise it almost seems like you don't have anything covering your ears. When the headphones are cord connected and unpowered the sound quality drops to the Fair range - the bass and treble become subdued and the midrange becomes harsh, very nasal and more plasticy. When the noise canceling feature is set to maximum these headphones provide Excellent noise reduction across the entire frequency range with the low frequencies reduced the most. When the noise canceling feature is turned on a very faint hiss can be heard in quiet environments when there is no audio program material to mask it; in some situations turning on this feature might make some users feel like their ears are a little stuffed up.
Comfort: We found that these headphones produce a sense of light to moderate pressure around the ears. As typical of over-ear models the ear pads might feel hot and/or sticky after prolonged use. Users with larger ears might find that the over-the-ear fit of the ear pads feel cramped, or that the ear pads sit on, rather than around their ears; in that case the less-than-ideal fit around the ears might interfere with the earpad seal and reduce the noise reduction capabilities of the headphone. Users with smaller heads may find they can't get a good earpad seal and that the bass becomes a bit subdued (earpads gap at the top). Some users may find that when they lean far forward the headphones feel unstable and shift forward, but not to the point of falling off. Incidental contact with the touch control pad on the front section of the right earcup can cause unintentional volume level changes or, playing, pausing, or track skipping. When wearing this model while walking muffled vibrations from each foot step can be heard slightly through the headphones. When using this model with the audio cable model the sound of the cable rubbing on clothing may also be heard faintly through the headphones.
