AirPods Max costs $549. The Bose QuietComfort is one of the most respected over-ear noise cancelling headphones in the world, and Amazon currently has it at $229, down from its regular $349, which puts it at roughly a third of the price Apple charges for its flagship headphones. At $229, the QuietComfort is not a budget alternative to AirPods Max. It is a better choice for most people at a fraction of the cost.
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Noise cancellation Bose has been refining for decades
Bose built the active noise cancellation category for consumer headphones, and the QuietComfort combines that institutional knowledge with passive isolation from the plush over-ear cushions to shut out the world more completely than most competitors manage with active cancellation alone. The two listening modes cover the full range: Quiet Mode for total isolation during focus and travel, and Aware Mode for transparent pass-through when you need to stay alert to your surroundings without removing the headphones. Toggling between them is a single press, which makes the switch seamless during commuting and everyday use.
Battery runs 24 hours on a single charge, and a 15-minute USB-C top-up adds another 2.5 hours for the moments when you forget to charge before a long flight or a full work day. Multipoint Bluetooth keeps the headphones connected to two devices simultaneously and switches between them without requiring manual disconnection and reconnection, which handles the laptop-to-phone transition that most headphone users navigate multiple times a day. The adjustable EQ in the Bose app lets you tune the bass, mid-range, and treble to your preference, and the included audio cable with in-line microphone provides a wired fallback when Bluetooth is unavailable or the battery is depleted.
