Budget

Before anything else, you’ll want to figure out how much you’re willing to spend on new Bose headphones. The quality of value-priced Bose headphones continues to improve, so you can find good affordable headphones for less than $100. But the premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost $200 or more — sometimes much more. 

Fit (comfort)

It’s key that the headphones you buy fit your head well. They should offer a comfortable fit that’s snug yet not too snug. Ideally, you want headphones you can wear over the course of a day with minimal breaks.

Durability

You want headphones that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality.

Maximize performance and features for your budget

You want the best-sounding headphones with the best noise-canceling, call quality, and features for whatever you’re able to spend.

Return policy

It’s critical to buy your headphones at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer’s remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days, and then return one.

We test Bose earbuds and headphones based on five key criteria, comparing similarly styled and priced models. These criteria are design, sound quality, features, voice-calling performance and value.

• Design: We assess not only how comfortable the earbuds or headphones fit (ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. For earbuds, we also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings.
• Sound quality: We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing models to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment.
• Features: Some great-sounding headphones and earbuds aren’t loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from noise-canceling and transparency modes (ambient sound mode) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears.
• Voice-calling performance: When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well earbuds and headphones reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear your voice.
• Value: We determine value after evaluating the strength of the headphones and earbuds against all these criteria and what they’re are able to deliver compared to other models in their price class.

Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II: The QuietComfort 35 II reviewed here was released in September 2017, and it remains one of our top picks for wireless noise-canceling headphones. While the Sony WH-1000XM2 arguably sounds a tad better and is more feature-rich, the Bose QuietComfort 35 II is lighter and more comfortable to wear.

Bose Quiet Comfort 45: With its pedigree in active noise-canceling headphones, it’s not surprising that Bose’s QuietComfort 45s ($330, £320, AU$500) are excellent. But for a lot of people, the question is just how good are they compared to Bose’s slightly more expensive Noise Canceling Headphones 700 or Sony’s excellent WH-1000XM4.

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700: The long-awaited successor to its QuietComfort 35 II models have a lot to live up to. The QuietComfort series is almost 20 years old and is essentially the gold standard for active noise-canceling headphones, beloved by airline travelers and open-office residents the world over for their ability to block out a good chunk of external distractions. If you’re looking to see how they stack up, check out our full review of the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.